fiogf49gjkf0d
Mahir Sherif, representing a large Islamic center, defended the institution and its imam, saying it is not a political organization and has not sent young men to Somalia.
By CHAO XIONG, Star Tribune
Monday, December 08, 2008
Sheikh Imam Abdirahman Ahmed led thousands of worshipers in prayer Monday at the Minneapolis Convention Center, his deep voice echoing through a cavernous room as a mostly Somali group bowed low, intoning in return.
After more than an hour of prayer for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, Ahmed sat stock still and speechless as his attorney rebuffed rumors that his mosque, the Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Center in the Cedar-Riverside area, is possibly connected to a dozen young men's disappearances.
Before about 8,000 worshipers and journalists, Mahir Sherif deflected blame from the mosque while carefully treading neutral ground, neither admitting or denying rumors that young Somali men are returning to fight in a homeland torn by civil war.
"I have no reason to substantiate it," Sherif said of the rumors. "I have no reason to dispute it."
The mosque has not recruited any men to fight in Somalia and is not a political organization, he said. Some family members have said young male relatives have disappeared only to call and say they were safe and somewhere in Somalia. Some of those young men reportedly attended Abubakar As-Saddique.
Ahmed and a mosque youth coordinator were barred Nov. 29 from boarding a plane to Saudi Arabia for a spiritual pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. Sherif said he is trying to get Ahmed off a no-fly list.
Sherif said some families have "come to us" to report young men missing, but that he hasn't spoken to any of those youths. Sherif noted that the Internet is a more powerful recruiting tool than a mosque and that the young men's circle of influence did not start and stop with the mosque.
The men's connection with Abubakar As-Saddique is more a given than the exception, he said, given the mosque's size and long history in the Somali community. "That does not mean the center is recruiting or indoctrinating any of this stuff."
Sherif said mosque leaders sympathized with the families. "We encourage other parents who may suspect their children of having similar plans to seek professional help," he said. "Should they seek our help, we are here to do whatever we can."
However, a local Somali journalist said that some family members of missing men have been unable to get an audience with Ahmed. At a news conference Saturday, those families talked about three men ages 17, 18 and 19 who have been missing since Nov. 4.
Shirwa Ahmed of Minneapolis is believed to have blown himself up in Somalia in October. The FBI won't confirm his death but confirmed returning a body from Somalia to Minneapolis. Ahmed was buried in Burnsville last week.
On Monday, worshipers were handed a prewritten letter expressing concern about the airport incident, along with mailing addresses and phone numbers for Minnesota politicians and state Attorney General Lori Swanson.
The FBI has not explicitly informed the mosque that it is part of an investigation, although it has said Ahmed cannot fly, Sherif said.
FBI spokesman E.K. Wilson has said the agency knows of young Somali men from across the United States going to Somalia. The agency hasn't confirmed that there is an investigation into why the men are leaving. Reached Monday, Wilson had no information.
The mood was tense as thousands of worshipers departed. "The last few weeks have been a mess for the Somali community," said Murshid Barud.
Chao Xiong • 612-673-4391