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TechnoratiZakariya Muhammad Reed spent 20 years serving in the National Guard. For the last eleven years, he's been a firefighter in Toledo.
But this hasn't kept him from being viewed with suspicion by his own government.
"Now, not only am I being persecuted for my faith, but I'm being persecuted for a personal opinion. This is getting too Orwellian. Is this what it comes down to? Is this where I live? Is this the country I love?"
Four times in the last six months, Reed has been detained coming over the border from Canada.
He goes up there because his wife's family lives in Ontario.
The Canadians don't bother him, he says. But the Americans do.
His is just one of many such cases reported by Muslim Americans. The ACLU has a lawsuit pending against Homeland Security for its alleged religious and ethnic profiling.
Reed's case is a particularly eye-opening one.
The first time, Reed, his wife, and their two small children were coming back at about 11:00 p.m, so the kids would be asleep, he says.
"We pulled up to the booth at the Windsor-Detroit crossing," he recalls. "They asked for my ID, I gave them my passport, they swiped it, and the there was a look of shock on the guard's face as he closed the window. Suddenly, there were five guys surrounding the car with their hands on their weapons. They told me to turn the car off and keep my hands on the wheel, and they opened my door and led me into the building."
His wife and their two children had to come in and stay in a common area, he says, as border agents took him down the hall.
"They put me up against the wall and frisked me and took everything in my pockets," he says. "Then they put me in a four by eight foot room with two armed guards."
About a half hour later, he continues, "someone comes in with a legal size paper and asks me why I was in Canada and who I was seeing there. Then they noticed I'd changed my name."
Reed's name at birth was Edward Eugene Reed Jr.
"Why did you change your name?"
"For personal reasons, based on faith."
"What faith was that?"
"Islam."
Reed says he asked them, "Am I being arrested for something?" And they said no, you're being detained.
"For what?"
"We'll get back to you on that."
After about an hour more of waiting and answering questions, Reed was getting impatient.
"Can I go see my kids and talk to my wife?"
"No, you need to stay here. Your kids are being taken care of."
Not true, his wife told him.
"They wouldn't even let her go to the car to get a diaper bag to change their dirty diapers," he says.
He also says the guards engaged in some nasty banter.
"You know, we're really too good to these detainees," one said, according to Reed. "We should treat them like we do in the desert. We should put a bag over their heads and zip tie their hands together."
After about three hours, Reed says they took his photo and his fingerprints, and made him wait a half hour longer before giving him his passport back and telling he could go.
"Our car was completely trashed," he says. "My son's portable DVD player was broken, and I have a decorative Koran on the dashboard that was thrown on the floor."
But six weeks later, virtually the same thing happened all over again.
"The first time, we thought it was a fluke," he says. "The second time was the most shocking because I realized something was really wrong."
Reed says he told the guards: "Look, I just did this six weeks ago. Can't you look me up on your computer and see that it's me?"
No such luck.
They asked him about the Lebanese stamp in his passport.
"My wife is originally from there," he told them. "We went there on our honeymoon."
Meanwhile, his wife was talking with the guards, asking if they should expect trouble every time they try to cross.
"I advise you not to take your hubby with you," the guard told her, according to Reed.
Reed contacted Representative Marcy Kaptur's office and talked with aide Dan Foote.
The trouble is "no doubt because you probably changed your name to a Muslim name," said Foote, who told him the Congresswoman would pursue it.
On January 5, Representative Kaptur wrote to the Congressional liaison at the immigration service.
She noted that Reed was an "honorably discharged veteran and U.S. born American citizen" who had "no criminal record nor has he exhibited probable cause to make law enforcement think he may be associated in any way with anti-American elements." She concluded: "I would request that your office act to prevent Mr. Reed from experiencing further delays and detentions and do what you can to update his record in the computer."
A few weeks later, Foote told Reed by e-mail that it was not going to be so easy. "Your name is on every computer at every crossing point into the U.S.," Foote wrote on January 30. "We have to approach the problem at the Director level."
But so far nothing has happened.
"We're waiting for them to respond," Foote tells The Progressive. "The thing has to work its way up the food chain and then have someone in authority have somebody in the border patrol get back to us. Traditionally, we don't comment on individual cases. But we're trying to work within the system and fix the problem."
On February 2, Reed sent a letter to the Interagency Border Inspection System.
"Nobody will give me any information as to why I am being detained," he wrote. "I would like to know exactly what I am being accused of and why is it that I am having so much trouble reentering the home of my birth. . . . My entire life has revolved around the service of American citizens and suddenly I am being treated like a criminal because there 'is a problem with my name,' to quote one of the border officers. . . . What do I have to do to get my name from this list? . . . I have been treated like a criminal and my wife and children have been mistreated and disrespected in the name of Homeland Security. All we want is to go on with our lives as before. I have never taken part in any subversive activity to cause harm to this land or its people. I have never done anything criminal in my life."
On March 15, Patricia M. Duffy, acting executive director, National Targeting and Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, wrote Reed back.
"Thank you for your recent letter, in which you expressed your concern regarding difficulties that you have experienced during U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processing," she wrote. "We have recently completed our review of this matter. Based on the information you provided and our research into the issues you raise, records have been modified where appropriate."
Meanwhile, Reed keeps getting hassled.
The third time was in mid-March.
Basically, the same thing happened as before, Reed says, the same questions, the same fingerprinting.
But this time there were two disturbing variations.
First, a border agent takes his weapon out and puts it on the table during interrogation, Reed says. "He takes the clip out of his weapon, looks at the ammunition, puts the clip back in, and puts it back in his holster. I'm thinking, this is intimidation!"
Second, another agent asks him about a letter to the editor Reed wrote to the Toledo Blade back on September 8, 2006. It was entitled, "The World Sees an Arrogant America," and it was critical of Israel's invasion of Lebanon and its occupation of Palestinian land, as well as Bush's invasion of Iraq. "These are but a few reasons that have put America on the 'most hated' list," he wrote.
"I see you like to write for the newspaper," the agent told Reed, he recalls. And the agent had downloaded a copy of the letter, which was on the table, Reed says.
"Yeah, so?"
"Nothing, I'm just curious. I googled your name and saw these things that were printed in the newspaper."
This unsettled Reed.
"I was terrified," he says. "This is a whole new ball of wax here. Now, not only am I being persecuted for my faith, but I'm being persecuted for a personal opinion. This is getting too Orwellian. Is this what it comes down to? Is this where I live? Is this the country I love?"
He says when he got home, he felt like a zombie.
On April 29, Reed says he was detained again.
Ron Smith is a Customs and Border Protection public affairs officer in Detroit.
"I can't talk about specific individuals because of privacy concerns," he says, "so I can't speak to particulars about Mr. Reed. But Customs does not practice nor condone any kind of profiling. It's completely against our policies. If an individual is found doing so, they would be subject to discipline, up to and including dismissal."
About the hooding and zip tieing comment that Reed relayed, Smith said: "That would be something we would definitely take action on. It's not allowed. It's not something we allow our officers to say."
Reed is worried about what will happen the next time he and his family go visiting to Canada.
"I'm sad," he says. "I'm disillusioned. This can't be happening."
Matthew Rothschild is the editor of The Progressive magazine.
© 2007 The Progressive
21 Comments so far
Show AllA similar thing happened to me in CA traffic court! I was there for a minor infraction and was grilled (REID technique style, ego up, ego down) on my political views, activities, and aquaintances. I am a peace activist, immigrant from the EU. The judge asked, or told, each defendant in their arraignment 'Do you waive your constitutional rights'?! I said 'no, I do not waive my constitional rights'! I have a green card and he said the constition no longer applies to me. He mentioned my 'IMPEACH BUSH' and 'DISSENT IS PATRIOTIC' bumper stickers, and questioned the patriotism of people not supporting the pres (aka war criminal -- my addy) in a time of war. He asked questions about Cuba, Quantanamo, the mid-East, and what I thought of vp Cheney -- "would you like to go to Cuba... would you like to have the Taliban in power?"
Sure, I'd love to sip a Mojito on Quantanamo beach! (Sarcasm, was protected by 1st amendment to the US Constitution.) He used intimidation, threatened me with a year in jail and deportation, criticized my hair and the fact that I had flown a peace flag in front of my house, yet complimented the stone walkway and fountain! What the heck. (My hair is not all that bad! LOL)
This is so reminiscent of the DDR, USSR where you had to be so careful what you said or did as it would be reported to the govt.
How did all this become public record?! He grilled me on my past and current love interests (though not by name, using a lot of innuendo and mind games), where I'd traveled, and my knowledge of sarin and bomb making. Yeah, it got to the point of absurdity.
He asked what I thought about ALF. And reminded me that animal rights activists are now considered terrorists -- I think this is in the Patriot Act! (I'm a vegetarian so therefore, I 'must' be a domestic terrorist, OMG!). He asked if I would be an informant, basically report on my fellow peace activists!
What is happening to this country?! Welcome to 1984.
All these people shocked and horrified that such things can go on in america. Go to Wikipedia, and look up "lynching". Read about what happens in confederate-state prisons.
Or just watch some professional wrestling.
OuterBeltway doesn't get it. If this happened in Iran or North Kprea, he'd be up in arms. If it happens in the US, it's okay. America can do no wrong.
This isn't an isolated incident. In 2001 a conerrvative minister in Kentucky bought a book explaining Islam. It was after 9/11 and his congregation was asking questions about Islam. His congregation was also mainly conservative. In 2004, he and his wife went to Vancouver for a second honeymoon. At the Vancouver airport, Canadian customs informed him that the FBI asked them to hold him. He was grilled for fours by the FBI simply because he bought a book explaining Islam. All this is due to the Patriot Act. BUsh, like Hitler took away people's freedoms saying that it was for their own good. Let's not forget the price that the Germans paaid for nlindly following Hitler.
Well they were legit . . . for all you fearfull folks . . . I've never been called a government spy before. WOW . . . Watch out . . . . Any way I finally got through to the proper pages and found that the Cleveland Plains Dealer newspaper has the original story on this and there is a whole lot more going on there than you have heard about here.
I had to register to get to this link so I hope it lets you through . . .
http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/news/117792...
Seems like this has been going on with a lot of folks some with many more times than 4 stops . . .
CIA Chuck Signing Off
"But you won’t get shot, and you won’t get put in jail just for speaking your mind in public. In the scheme of things, it’s pretty safe around here to dissent"
Depends actually. In Atlanta, prior to the start of the Iraq war, there was someone who had their house burned down for putting up an anti-war sign. He had to grab his family and flee the house at 3am just before the house completely burned down around him. That was awfully close to a case of multiple murders for political dissent.
And I've been to several rallies and protests where the right-wingnuts were openly saying on their sites that they were going to grab their guns and start shooting people.
Generally I agree with you, but we are a lot closer to that line than you might think. Remember, in the early days of fascism in both Germany and Italy, it wasn't the government forces that were a threat to those who opposed fascism. It was the thugs from the fascist parties that were a threat. The police won't arrest you, but they won't protect you either. They'll just look the other direction while some fascist thug is beating you up.
And if you check back in American history (real history, not the crap in textbooks), this thread has run through America for a long, long time. Two examples I can think of immediately are the KKK types in the south beating up, bombing, killing any one who opposed their racist society, and labor organizers often faced the same treatment from thugs hired by the company. Heck, go watch the old movie Silkwood sometime.
"I HATE to seem paranoid, but I read a lot of the comments on this site, and I have started to feel that there are non-genuine posters."
You see this on any non-right-wingnut site that allows comments.
Basically, its the same tactic the brownshirts used in Germany in the 1920's. If someone is trying to hold a meeting or a conversation on a topic you don't like, you send in a bunch of loud thugs to break up the meeting.
Why is it that in America, violating the rights of a citizen is not against the law? We hear the law and order types constantly rail that we need stiff prison sentences to act as a deterrent to prevent crimes. Well, shouldn't that apply to cases like this. Shouldn't there be severe penalties to someone who blatantly violates the rights of an American citizen? In my mind, everyone involved from "The Director" down to these border guards should be frantically contacting lawyers trying to defend themselves from charges that will throw them in a federal prison for the next twenty years.
The day you see a law like that, then you'll know America is serious about protecting the rights of its citizens.
"You may lose your current job if you speak out in opposition to the prevailing religious or economic orthodoxy."
Yes, and by you previous job's references, maybe your whole occupation or career - leaving only some pretty low paying odd-jobs.
As someone who made my views known during the war's run-up in '01 to '03, the head of the Federal Government agency where I worked certainly tried to have me fired but couldn't because the first amendment is in force in a Federal workplace - because the building is public property. The first amendment does not apply in private buildings including shopping malls. People have been arrested for trespassing for wearing a T-shirt. Since so much public spaces are privatized these days between workplace and and the private shopping center an average suburbanite often enjoys the first amendment only inside his own home, and only if he own that home.
Free speech doesn't mean grumbling among out our close friends or in in a soundproof echo chamber like this forum. It means effectively being heard. There is no means for dissent to be effectively heard these days.
Tomorrow, Bush is coming to a local college to do the a commencement (a college run by Benedictine monks - hypocrites!). The secret service has already notified our organizers that a no-protest cordon extending nearly a mile around the campus limits will be in place.
But, no there is no Stasi here, they don't need any because something much more sinister is in place. And, should dissent start to become effective, I'm sure the police will be deployed as needed.
Regarding "Mendo Chuck" and his bogus concern with the link to "Progressive Magazine". I HATE to seem paranoid, but I read a lot of the comments on this site, and I have started to feel that there are non-genuine posters. I don't know whether they are just pranksters trying to disrupt things for amusement sake, or if they are actually part of some conservative organizations, or what... but they do not seem like well-intentioned conservative debaters who are here to challenge us in the name of healthy discussion. There has been a disruptive, idiotic character lately that makes me suspicious.
Mendo Chuck says:
"Did anyone else click on that link to “The Progressive Magazine?†Very strange it is a search page with links to Dating, Houses For Sale, Mortgage, Hotels, Car Insurance and even Ringtones."
Both the links at the top and bottom of the article work for me. If you are still getting some other "search" page, your browser has been hijacked. You should have your computer scanned for spyware and adware ASAP.
This story breaks my heart too. Zakariya Muhammad Reed loves his country more than his country loves him. Hopefully, Bush's Gestapo will be driven out of the country when he is impeached and our country will be more loving.
Matthew Rothschild is the editor for the Progressive magazine. Do a google search for the Progressive magazine. There you will see him.
Is this a government agent trying to discredit Matthew Rothschild? YOu're going to have to do better than that.
Horrifying ! I still cannot believe this can happen in America !
Did anyone else click on that link to "The Progressive Magazine?" Very strange it is a search page with links to Dating, Houses For Sale, Mortgage, Hotels, Car Insurance and even Ringtones. What is that and who is this Rothchild? How come I can't back track off this site to verify stories that they are carrying? I always like to check the original source on things on the internet and in this case I am unable? Explain that one folks . . .
Bush/Cheney crime faily strikes again. Family friendsly?? NO. Religious discrimination. YES. This is truly the 4th Reich as configured by Cheney and Gonzo. I am on a no-fly list due to marching in peace protests and I'm 69 years old. What a country! I am as much threat to the USA as Mr. Reed is.
Even I have to tread lightly, since I could incur the wrath of low level RNC types where in live an GOP heavy district. But I'll still write letters to the editor, protest with the peace group and spar with the right-wing nuts on the net to hone my chops. Fish in a barrel these days.
I am a naturalized U.S. citizen.
It saddens me to know that I have been right to not overtly criticize the US government for reasons of self-preservation.
You never know who you will run into.
Mr. Reed, the next time you visit Canada please consider staying. Although it's not a perfect country I think you will find you will be more welcome here.
America is not a fraud.
America is one of the safest places in the world to criticize the government, or any political faction across society. Yes, you may be ostracized, you may be called unpatriotic if you opposed the Bush crowd in 2003. Even today, you'll be called a Nazi if you oppose using American tax dollars to advance Zionism. You may lose your current job if you speak out in opposition to the prevailing religious or economic orthodoxy.
Usually, thought, the most severe thing that happens is that no one listens to you.
But you won't get shot, and you won't get put in jail just for speaking your mind in public. In the scheme of things, it's pretty safe around here to dissent.
So why not turn up the volume some? The biggest obstacle to dissent is your own fear. Take a look in that closet, and see if there really is a monster in there.
America is a fraud.
Welcome to the Fourth Reich. The new Nazi-like behavior is showing its ugly head. Criticize the govt, and they will harass you. Criticize Israel, and they will harass you....Welcome to the new America......Sad , sad, sad.....
This must be Gonzo's (the Mexican rat) idea.....