John Doe
BANNED
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- May 7, 2010
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Jerks like this will do or say anything to stay on in the US. What is particularly galling is that they will reap the benefits of living here, and yet speak and behave like they hate this nation.
Ironically to stay on here in the US, these types will trash talk about Pakistan(their motherland)
Pakistani family fights to keep cornerstone | delawareonline.com | The News Journal
It starts with a knock on the door, someone flashes a badge, a flurry of people in uniforms rush in, then a family member is marched away in handcuffs, sometimes forever.
Shagufta Masood and her family have now experienced that twice.
The first time was Oct. 22, 2002 -- her wedding anniversary -- when immigration officials took away her husband, Masood Sadiq, for overstaying his visa.
It happened again Nov. 12. This time, it was her oldest son, Moiez, weeks before he was to be married.
The first incident ended well, or at least as well as the family could have hoped. Two and a half months after he was detained, Masood Sadiq was granted a humanitarian deferral of his deportation. Immigration officials agreed with Shagufta's pleas that sending the family back to Pakistan would be a death sentence for their two youngest children -- Zuneera, who has a rare blood condition, and Saad, who has cerebral palsy.
It could be a different ending for Moiez.
This time, in addition to being out-of-status like his father was, officials have expressed concern that Moiez, 21, might have radical Islamic leanings because of four blog posts he made in 2008 tied to a man who later became known as an Islamic radical.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, citing policy, declined to comment on the case.
Shagufta Masood, 47, struggles to describe experiencing the situation twice.
"I am just emotionless. I don't have any emotions. I am not sad. I am not happy. I don't feel alive. I'm just a dead person," she said.
Shagufta was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2003 and has suffered through a variety of related ailments. She fears for herself and her family without Moiez. Since 2003, she has come to depend on Moiez to help her as her health deteriorates and to help her care for Saad, now 14, and Zuneera, 19.
Saad, who now far outweighs his ailing mother, often needs help with basic tasks and moving around. Zuneera still needs blood transfusions every three weeks.
Masood Sadiq is often working at a convenience store to keep the family in their Newark-area home.
According to the terms of his 2003 deferral, Sadiq, 50, must report in person to immigration officials every three months.
"Without [Moiez], it is going to be a disaster," he said.
The family fears for Moiez if he is sent back to Pakistan. He has not seen that nation since he was 2, has few family ties there and cannot speak the language.
Sadiq and other family members said if he were sent back, he would undoubtedly be regarded as an American -- even though he was born in Pakistan -- and would likely be a target for radicals.
The family's attorney, John Vandenberg, is requesting asylum for Moiez, citing the dangers he will face if he is returned to the politically unstable nation, as well as the hardship it will cause his family.
"He is essentially the only healthy member of the family," he said.
Today, in York, Pa., at the same facility where Sadiq was held in 2003, Vandenberg and the family will be asking an immigration judge to allow Moiez to remain free and with his family while the case and the asylum plea are decided.
Moiez's detention came about a year away from his earning a degree in civil engineering at the University of Delaware and weeks before he was to be married.
He is set to wed Fatima Khan, 21, a Canadian citizen, on Jan. 1.
Zuneera said those who fear her brother is somehow a radical are wrong. She said that in 2008 he was exploring his faith, not seeking out extremists.
"He doesn't know any other place. This is what he calls home. He calls himself an American," she said.
"I miss him terribly. He is my rock," said Zuneera, who also attends UD.
None of the posts by Moiez flagged by authorities expressed any overt hatred for America or Americans or threatened any acts of terrorism or violence, according to the family and their attorney.
Perhaps the most troubling post for officials -- on the blog of American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki -- reads, "Let us know what we can do. I believe all the brothers and sisters that responded to this message are willing to go to any length for Islam and will do what you think is best."
In another, dated weeks later, he writes about the difficulty of establishing a "tranquil place" for Islam and how it "is not going to get built in a non-Muslim country which is at war with Islam," responding to a post by al-Awlaki encouraging the faithful to leave America.
At the time, al-Awlaki had not yet been widely identified as a dangerous radical. That would come after the November 2009 fatal shootings at Fort Hood, Texas, when it was revealed that the shooter had connections to al-Awlaki.
By then, Moiez Masood had "moved on with his life," said Vandenberg, and was no longer posting on that blog.
Shagufta Masood said her son is not a threat and is a loving person.
"He never even has anything bad to say to anyone," she said.
Elma Page, who taught Moiez and Zuneera when they were in middle school, agreed.
"I am devastated to hear this young man is in jail," said Page, who is now retired. "He was just an outstanding student and an upstanding human being."
Vaqar Sharief, president of the Islamic Society of Delaware, said he knows the family and Moiez well because they are active in the community and at the mosque. "He is a very good kid."
"The whole community is standing behind him," he said.
However, others, including members of the 9-12 Delaware Patriots, believe the entire family should be deported. "The law is working as it should. We need to enforce the law," said Russ Murphy, founder and executive director of the group.
As for tearing the family apart, 9-12 Patriots member Bob Cuncic said it was their parents who "made a mistake."
"This is their problem. If they are here illegally, then that should be the end of the story," he said.
Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations -- who called on authorities to release Masood Sadiq in 2003 -- said this new case appears to be part of a troubling trend in which law-enforcement officers target American Muslims and proceed on the theory they are presumed anti-American until proved innocent.
"It is symptomatic of the post-9/11 experience of the American Muslim community," he said.
Hooper expressed little hope that Moiez would be granted bail at today's hearing.
"We [American Muslims] are fair game for these tactics and if you raise objections, they bring out the hot-button issue of terrorism," he said.
Shagufta Masood said she does not know what to expect. "Every day, I feel in danger that something is going to be taken away from me."
Ironically to stay on here in the US, these types will trash talk about Pakistan(their motherland)
Pakistani family fights to keep cornerstone | delawareonline.com | The News Journal
It starts with a knock on the door, someone flashes a badge, a flurry of people in uniforms rush in, then a family member is marched away in handcuffs, sometimes forever.
Shagufta Masood and her family have now experienced that twice.
The first time was Oct. 22, 2002 -- her wedding anniversary -- when immigration officials took away her husband, Masood Sadiq, for overstaying his visa.
It happened again Nov. 12. This time, it was her oldest son, Moiez, weeks before he was to be married.
The first incident ended well, or at least as well as the family could have hoped. Two and a half months after he was detained, Masood Sadiq was granted a humanitarian deferral of his deportation. Immigration officials agreed with Shagufta's pleas that sending the family back to Pakistan would be a death sentence for their two youngest children -- Zuneera, who has a rare blood condition, and Saad, who has cerebral palsy.
It could be a different ending for Moiez.
This time, in addition to being out-of-status like his father was, officials have expressed concern that Moiez, 21, might have radical Islamic leanings because of four blog posts he made in 2008 tied to a man who later became known as an Islamic radical.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, citing policy, declined to comment on the case.
Shagufta Masood, 47, struggles to describe experiencing the situation twice.
"I am just emotionless. I don't have any emotions. I am not sad. I am not happy. I don't feel alive. I'm just a dead person," she said.
Shagufta was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2003 and has suffered through a variety of related ailments. She fears for herself and her family without Moiez. Since 2003, she has come to depend on Moiez to help her as her health deteriorates and to help her care for Saad, now 14, and Zuneera, 19.
Saad, who now far outweighs his ailing mother, often needs help with basic tasks and moving around. Zuneera still needs blood transfusions every three weeks.
Masood Sadiq is often working at a convenience store to keep the family in their Newark-area home.
According to the terms of his 2003 deferral, Sadiq, 50, must report in person to immigration officials every three months.
"Without [Moiez], it is going to be a disaster," he said.
The family fears for Moiez if he is sent back to Pakistan. He has not seen that nation since he was 2, has few family ties there and cannot speak the language.
Sadiq and other family members said if he were sent back, he would undoubtedly be regarded as an American -- even though he was born in Pakistan -- and would likely be a target for radicals.
The family's attorney, John Vandenberg, is requesting asylum for Moiez, citing the dangers he will face if he is returned to the politically unstable nation, as well as the hardship it will cause his family.
"He is essentially the only healthy member of the family," he said.
Today, in York, Pa., at the same facility where Sadiq was held in 2003, Vandenberg and the family will be asking an immigration judge to allow Moiez to remain free and with his family while the case and the asylum plea are decided.
Moiez's detention came about a year away from his earning a degree in civil engineering at the University of Delaware and weeks before he was to be married.
He is set to wed Fatima Khan, 21, a Canadian citizen, on Jan. 1.
Zuneera said those who fear her brother is somehow a radical are wrong. She said that in 2008 he was exploring his faith, not seeking out extremists.
"He doesn't know any other place. This is what he calls home. He calls himself an American," she said.
"I miss him terribly. He is my rock," said Zuneera, who also attends UD.
None of the posts by Moiez flagged by authorities expressed any overt hatred for America or Americans or threatened any acts of terrorism or violence, according to the family and their attorney.
Perhaps the most troubling post for officials -- on the blog of American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki -- reads, "Let us know what we can do. I believe all the brothers and sisters that responded to this message are willing to go to any length for Islam and will do what you think is best."
In another, dated weeks later, he writes about the difficulty of establishing a "tranquil place" for Islam and how it "is not going to get built in a non-Muslim country which is at war with Islam," responding to a post by al-Awlaki encouraging the faithful to leave America.
At the time, al-Awlaki had not yet been widely identified as a dangerous radical. That would come after the November 2009 fatal shootings at Fort Hood, Texas, when it was revealed that the shooter had connections to al-Awlaki.
By then, Moiez Masood had "moved on with his life," said Vandenberg, and was no longer posting on that blog.
Shagufta Masood said her son is not a threat and is a loving person.
"He never even has anything bad to say to anyone," she said.
Elma Page, who taught Moiez and Zuneera when they were in middle school, agreed.
"I am devastated to hear this young man is in jail," said Page, who is now retired. "He was just an outstanding student and an upstanding human being."
Vaqar Sharief, president of the Islamic Society of Delaware, said he knows the family and Moiez well because they are active in the community and at the mosque. "He is a very good kid."
"The whole community is standing behind him," he said.
However, others, including members of the 9-12 Delaware Patriots, believe the entire family should be deported. "The law is working as it should. We need to enforce the law," said Russ Murphy, founder and executive director of the group.
As for tearing the family apart, 9-12 Patriots member Bob Cuncic said it was their parents who "made a mistake."
"This is their problem. If they are here illegally, then that should be the end of the story," he said.
Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations -- who called on authorities to release Masood Sadiq in 2003 -- said this new case appears to be part of a troubling trend in which law-enforcement officers target American Muslims and proceed on the theory they are presumed anti-American until proved innocent.
"It is symptomatic of the post-9/11 experience of the American Muslim community," he said.
Hooper expressed little hope that Moiez would be granted bail at today's hearing.
"We [American Muslims] are fair game for these tactics and if you raise objections, they bring out the hot-button issue of terrorism," he said.
Shagufta Masood said she does not know what to expect. "Every day, I feel in danger that something is going to be taken away from me."
