The trial by media even has the Somali and Islamic community saying he's guilty.
It is almost impossible for us to determine exactly what has occurred in the events that led to the arrest of a 19 –year-old Somali immigrant in Portland, Oregon. What we do know is that the teenager was arrested in the course of an FBI “Sting Operation”, the details of which will be kept secret I’m sure. What I am certain of is that a situation existed where a teenager was in the company of seasoned adult informants who offered him an opportunity to kill and maim some US citizens on our own turf.
Perhaps more information will arise that will show that this young man was a serious, well-organized terrorist with a track record of hating Americans. I think this unlikely and am extremely suspicious these days of any information the US government releases for public consumption---more skeptical than I ever was.
We haven’t received much detail of the events leading up to the arrest of Mohamed Osmon Mohamud on charges of “attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction by detonating a vehicle bomb…” * but we do know that the FBI supplied the detonator and explosives that the youth tried to detonate “twice” by cell phone. The WSJ also reports that Mr. Mohamed was under surveillance for 15 months and that during this time he “allegedly mailed bomb making components to undercover FBI agents.” **
In a previous case of this nature, the defense has been entrapment, but the judge threw out that defense on the grounds that the defendants “acted with full knowledge of the consequences of the plot”. In the case of Mr Mohamed the FBI agents repeatedly informed the youth that individuals would likely be killed or injured and “offered him several opportunities to withdraw.” according to reports.
We can assume that, like many young Muslims, Mr. Mohamed is not pleased with the occupation and slaughter of Iraq’s mostly Muslim population that has occurred due to the US invasion of that country, a country that never threatened or posed any threat to the US. He might well be aware that the former dictator, Saddam Hussein, who suppressed all opposition and murdered his opponents, did so with the support of the United States, so it would seem quite natural that role of the US government with regard to countries with mainly Muslim populations is not a seen as a good one. A recent study by the International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) found that 92 percent of Afghans surveyed had never heard of the attacks on September 11, 2001. It also shows that four in 10 Afghans believe the US is on their soil in order to "destroy Islam or occupy Afghanistan." The role of the superpowers in Somalia is also a tragic one.
When I was young I traveled throughout Europe, down through Turkey and by train to Baghdad and then bus to Basra. Despite the horrible role of British imperialism in this region, the Muslim population was very good to me, and like all peoples when travelers enter their community peacefully and with respect and a desire to learn, rather than with guns and intent on occupation and an assault on their culture, they wanted to be sure I left well fed and rested.
It is very difficult for Muslims in the US today for no matter how much the likes of Bush and Obama talk of there not being a war against Islam, its only natural that millions of Muslims throughout the world would see it that way. How can they not? Guantanamo is a disgrace and a reflection of the passive mood of the working class in this country at present that we can go on with our daily lives as if it didn’t exist. The heads of organized labor in the US fail US workers and they fail the prisoners in Guantanamo as well as the two million in civilian prisons throughout the US, more people in prison than any other country.
Even if Mr. Muhamed is guilty of falling prey to the FBI informant’s offering him a violent and counterproductive way to express his anger and hatred of what the Rumsfeld’s Bush’s and types have done around the world, we can imagine what a different scenario might exist were there an alternative. The millions that the heads of the US Labor movement have just spent on the election getting warmongers in the Democratic Party in to office could be used to build a movement against the occupations and wars the US is waging abroad on behalf of the corporations and against the wars it is waging against US workers domestically. Obama is now considering freezing wages for some 2 million federal employees to please big business. This would give all of us a place to turn to, a place to fight back against the assault waged on all of us by capital, it would be a uniting force.
Mr. Mohamed pled not guilty today and is being represented by Stephen Sady, Deputy Chief Public Defender in Portland who fought the federal government on behalf of Brandon Mayfield who the feds accused of helping terrorists bomb the Madrid subway train in 2004. The charges were dismissed and the government was forced to pay Mr. Mayfield $2 million and issue and apology. Mr. Sady at a hearing yesterday said that the release to the media of a "criminal complaint" against his client amounted to "prosecution by press release." There has already been retaliation as a mosque the accused attended on occasion was set afire.
The source of terrorist acts against US citizens is the foreign policy of the US government. I learned long ago that the source of Irish terrorism against British targets was the terrorism of the British state in Northern Ireland. This foreign policy, while a catastrophe for the victims of it, is also a threat to US citizens. A generalized movement against the policies of the US government is the solution to this crisis and the best way to make all our lives safer.
An interesting film about Guantanamo, that reveals the official terrorism of the British and US state departments if you haven’t seen it is The Road to Guantanamo, well worth watching.
* Teen Faces Hearing in Terror Sting: Wall Street Journal 11-29-10
** Wall Street Journal 11-30-10
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