(Seattle, WA, 8/8/2018) — The Council on American-Islamic Relations of Washington State (CAIR-WA) is representing a Seattle religious leader in a nationwide lawsuit challenging the federal government’s watchlisting system.
Farid Sulayman, a U.S. citizen, is an imam who teaches at various mosques in the greater Seattle area. Since 2005, Sulayman’s passport has been stamped with “SSSS” and he typically waits an additional hour to receive his boarding pass. On several occasions, Sulayman has been held and his cellphone confiscated for additional screening and interrogation – sometimes up to 4 hours. Most recently, he was handcuffed and detained by agents at Joint Base Lewis–McChord while waiting to pick up his Uber customer.
"It is humiliating to be taken aside in front of the other passengers, every time I travel," said Sulayman. "I often travel with members of my community and family in my role as an imam. Now, community members and family are afraid to travel with me because they also fear being singled out because of the God we pray to. I wouldn't wish this type of blatant discrimination on anyone."
CAIR-WA civil rights attorney, Amanda Misasi, says Sulayman isn’t alone in his experience:
"The ongoing profiling of our client is not only unlawful, it is part of a larger campaign to intimidate and harass American Muslims,” said Misasi. “Arbitrarily adding people to a watchlist based on nothing but their religion and ethnicity violates their Constitutional rights to due process and equal protection under the 5th Amendment. Americans like Farid have a right to live and move about freely without being targeted and persecuted by the government because of their faith."
Victims of the watchlist are often denied the ability to travel by air, are subjected to interrogations, have their electronics seized, and have their bank accounts closed. As Judge Anthony J. Trenga described it, the watchlist "transfor[ms] a person into a second-class citizen, or worse.”
Sulayman joins more than a dozen American Muslim plaintiffs from Washington DC, Florida, Michigan, Oregon, Kansas, and New Jersey. The lawsuit was filed today at 9 a.m. PST by CAIR National, CAIR-WA, CAIR Michigan (CAIR-MI), CAIR Florida (CAIR-FL), CAIR New Jersey (CAIR-NJ), and Pastor and Associates, P.C. (P&A). Read the complaint here: https://conta.cc/2Mva94P.
CAIR-WA is a chapter of America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
Media Availability: Civil Rights Attorney Amanda Misasi and CAIR-WA Executive Director Masih Fouladi
Media Contact: Jessica Schreindl, Communications Coordinator CAIR-WA, 208-290-0500, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.