Civil rights group sends letter to FBI declining FBI request to interrogate Ret. Lieutenant Colonel Asad Khan
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organizations, today said the FBI is illegally interrogating people about expressing themselves online, after CAIR lawyers representing Lieutenant Colonel Asad Khan (Ret.) sent a letter on his behalf declining such a request.
Since last October, the FBI has repeatedly approached Muslims and others to question them about what they say in their social media posts, an illegal law enforcement practice that punishes people for the views they express.
SEE: ‘Intimidation’: FBI visits Stillwater woman’s home over social media posts
FBI agents sought to interrogate Lieutenant Colonel Asad Khan (Ret.) about his social media posts criticizing American officials over their complicity with the genocide in Gaza.
SEE: Letter to FBI SAC Joseph Carrico
SEE: U.S. Heroes Whose Skills Spoke Volumes – Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
Khan’s online speech is critical of Israel, calls for peace in the region, and includes demands for accountability of various public and military officials for violating the Leahy Law which prohibits American officials from providing weapons to foreign countries—like Israel—committing war crimes.
On July 29, two FBI agents visited Mr. Khan’s family home in Nashville, Tennessee. Though Khan was not home, FBI agents questioned his family, demanding to know where he was, when he was last home, and when he will be back. The FBI agents explained that they needed to talk to Khan “because the FBI was concerned that his social media posts were “anti-American.”
“The Constitution does not permit the FBI to interrogate people who express views the government might not like,” said CAIR Attorney Gadeir Abbas. “We urge all Americans to exercise their constitutional right to not answer the FBI’s questions about their political opinions or religious beliefs.”
He added that CAIR offers a booklet, called “Know Your Rights with Law Enforcement/FBI,” that outlines an individual’s rights when visited by federal law enforcement agents.
CAIR offers a number of “Know Your rights” guides in different languages.
SEE: Download “Know Your Rights” Guides in Arabic, Bengali, Bosnian, Farsi, Somali, Urdu, And English
END
CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Director of Government Affairs Department Robert S. McCaw, 202-716-6242, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com