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Members of Mosque Under FBI Scrutiny Say They're Being Pushed to Adopt Americanized Islam

by Helen Jung 06-14-2012
Hands with Muslim prayer beads, Omer N Raja / Shutterstock.com

Hands with Muslim prayer beads, Omer N Raja / Shutterstock.com

In the past two years, the FBI has placed at least five men with affiliations to the mosque, including its longtime religious leader, on the nation's no-fly list, a roster of suspected terrorists barred from flying in the United States. None has been charged with a terrorism-related offense, and federal officials haven't told them why they're on the list.

The unexplained actions are aggravating the FBI's already poor relationship with the mosque and fueling fear and frustration among Muslims that their house of worship appears to be once again in the government's crosshairs.

"It's not that we're doing anything wrong," said Jesse Day, who converted to Islam two years ago and regularly attends the Friday services. But like many others at the mosque who flinch at the sight of a camera and suspect an informant moves among them, he worries.