By Stephen Lendman
Global Research, December 1, 2008
"The Texas-based Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) was the largest American Muslim charity until the Bush administration falsely declared it an enemy of the state and shut it down.
On December 4, 2001, the Treasury Department declared HLF a terrorist group, froze its assets, and falsely claimed they were being used to funnel millions of dollars to Hamas. HLF appealed at the time but in court was denied....
Post-9/11, Muslims have been the administration's main "war on terrorism" victims. Many thousands have been mercilessly hounded and targeted through mass witch-hunt roundups, detentions, deportations and prosecutions. Many now languish unjustly in federal prisons for the crime of being Muslim at the wrong time in America. For their activism, religion, ethnicity, prominence and in the case of HLF's officials their charitable compassion for the desperately needy.
They now await sentencing and the results of their planned appeal. The defendants and their attorneys are hopeful that the convictions will be reversed - with good reason. These men aren't terrorists and weren't accused of violence - only philanthropy to the wrong people, ones America and Israel want oppressed, not helped.
Ghassan Elashi's daughter Noor speaks for many and asks how can "the government....say that someone doing perfectly legal humanitarian aid should be designated illegal for strictly political reasons." It means anyone for any reason may be victimized the same way at a time the "war on terrorism" trumps all legal protections and isn't likely to change under a new administration not about to look softer than the current one. "
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