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CAIR condemns attack on Seattle Jewish center
Group says Mideast conflict must not be 'transplanted' to America
WASHINGTON, DC, July 28, 2006 - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today condemned an attack on a Jewish community center in Seattle, Wash., that left one person dead and several more injured.
A lone gunman who reportedly said, "I'm a Muslim American; I'm angry at Israel," entered the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and began shooting. The alleged gunman was later arrested.
In a statement, the Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said:
"We condemn this senseless attack on a religious institution and offer sincere condolences to the loved ones of those killed or injured. The American Muslim and Jewish communities must do whatever is within their power to prevent the current conflict in the Middle East from being transplanted to this country. We also urge local, state and national law enforcement authorities to step up security measures at synagogues, mosques and other religious institutions of both faiths."
CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
Statement by Seattle Muslim community
The Muslim community of Greater Seattle area watched in horror as news broke of a shooting at the Jewish Federation building. While many of the details of this shooting remain to be determined, what is clear is that a senseless and ruthless act of violence has taken place and resulted in the loss of at least one life.
We categorically condemn this and any similar acts of violence. We pray for the safety and health of those injured and offer our heartfelt condolences to the family of the victims of this attack. We also hope that the perpetrator of this crime is brought to justice.
There is no room for such acts of violence in our city and community. When one of us is attacked, none of us are safe. We refuse to see the violence in the Middle East spill over to our cities and neighborhoods.
We reject and categorically condemn any attacks against the Jewish community and stand in solidarity with the Jewish Federation in this tragedy.
Statement issued by:
Council on American-Islamic Relations, Seattle
Contact: Rami Al Kabra, 206-349-5995, roalka00@yahoo.com
Ithna-Ashari Muslim Association of the Northwest
Contact: Jawad Khaki, iman@iman-wa.org
Muslim Association of Puget Sound
Contact: Mahmood Khadeer, mhkhadee@hotmail.com
Islamic Educational Center of Seattle
Contact: Hamid Afsari, ershad@ershad.org
American Muslims of Puget Sound
Contact: Jeff Siddiqui, jeffsiddiqui@msn.com
Arab American Community Coalition
Contact: Ibrahim Al-Husseini, info@aacc.org
Islamic Center of Tri-Cities
Contact: Dr. Mahmoud Al-Hawamdeh, nullah@gmail.com
MPAC bulleting – July 29, 2006
MPAC unequivocally condemns Seattle murder
Los Angeles -- The Muslim Public Affairs Council unequivocally condemns the murder of one person and the wounding of five others at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle yesterday afternoon. In addition, MPAC expresses its deep condolences to the Jewish Federation and the
families of the victims and prays for the speedy recovery of those injured by this crime motivated by hate.
According to the Seattle Times, Naveed Afzal Haq, 30, of Everett, WA, burst into the offices of the Jewish Federation shortly after 4pm PST and opened fire with a handgun. Haq reportedly has a history of mental illness and court records show a charge of lewd conduct pending against him in Benton County, WA.
Responding to the concern that Haq may not have been acting alone, FBI officials stated it was unlikely he had links to any group.
[There is] "nothing to indicate he is part of a larger organization" said David Gomez, assistant special agent in charge of counterterrorism for the FBI's Seattle office.
MPAC contacted its partner organization in Los Angeles, the Progressive Jewish Alliance, and also contacted the Wilshire Blvd. Temple, to communicate concerns over this dreadful incident. MPAC is currently trying to contact the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles.
Salam Al-Marayati, Executive Director of MPAC stated, "Our fellow Jewish neighbors, and fellow Americans of all persuasions, should hear our loud and explicit condemnation of this murder and hate crime. No matter the differences in viewpoints on the Middle East crisis, we are all
Americans, and disagreements should never go beyond the level of civil discourse we as a nation pride ourselves in. This act, although committed by someone seemingly mentally ill, is simply intolerable. We reiterate our prayers for the loved ones affected by this tragic hate crime."
In addition, Al-Marayati stated, "Never, never should we allow the violence in the Middle East to spark violence on our shores."
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER - July 29, 2006
Shooting suspect was baptized Christian
Just part of the enigma he proved himself to friends
By SCOTT GUTIERREZ
RICHLAND -- Those who knew Naveed Haq said Saturday that to them he was an enigma, a puzzle that they wish they could have solved before his deadly rampage in a Seattle Jewish center.
Stunned and saddened by the news, some of Haq's acquaintances recounted many of what they saw as the contradictions of his life.
He held a degree in electrical engineering and was the son of a successful engineer, yet he couldn't keep a regular job. He was smart, creative and skilled as a writer. He recently won an essay contest for a U.S. Institute of Peace scholarship.
Yet Haq was frustrated at his lack of friends and female companionship. He told friends he felt alienated from his own family, in part because his career had disappointed his father and also because he had disavowed Islam last year, converting to Christianity.
Haq had begun studying the Bible, attending weekly men's spiritual group meetings, only to stop coming a few months after his baptism.
He had told the group's leader that he seen too much anger in Islam and that he wanted to find a new beginning in Christianity.
Yet in the midst of his shooting spree in Seattle Friday, he declared himself an angry Muslim.
Acquaintances said he never seemed the fanatic religious extremist he played out on Friday. Instead some think his anger was really directed at problems in his personal and professional life.
"Naveed had the profile of the guy who just couldn't get things together," said Erik Neilsen, a Richland resident who let Haq live with him for three months in 2004. He said he thinks several problems compounded for Haq, and he just exploded.
Last winter, Haq began attending a weekly men's group meeting led by a member of the Word of Faith Church in Kennewick.
The group's leader, Albert Montelongo, said Haq started studying the Bible and in December he underwent a water baptism at the non-denominational church, performed by Montelongo. He said Haq accepted his new faith, though he knew that he would also be offending his own family and its deeply rooted culture. His father, Mian Haq, was among the founders of the Islamic Center of the Tri-Cities in Richland.
Montelongo said Haq seemed depressed by the tension that had grown between him and his family. And he said Haq talked about suffering from bipolar disorder. But that he seemed to improve in how he coped with what Montelongo described as his own anger.
A few months after he was baptized, though, Haq stopped coming to the men's group meetings. Montelongo last heard from Haq in a message that said he was going to Seattle to find a job. He said he tried to call Haq several times but never reached him. Then on Friday, Montelongo said he saw the news in Seattle and thought the man in police custody looked like Haq.
At the Islamic Center of Tri-Cities, a senior member, Muhammad Kaleem Ullah, said that Haq stopped attending regularly after he graduated from Richland High School in 1994. He said Haq would attend off and on while visiting his parents and that he surprised members on a Friday two weeks ago with a visit.
"This is a totally sad day for us. This is the closest I've ever come to something like this," said Ullah. "What could have been going on in his brain has been very hard to figure out."…..
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/279424_convert30ww.html
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