MichiganRadio

The Death of an Imam ANN ARBOR, MI (Michigan Radio) -

Eleven people have been indicted in the FBI's investigation of a Detroit mosque leader who was fatally shot nearly three weeks ago.

The slaying of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah by FBI agents is stirring up controversy in the Muslim community. The FBI says he was a radical separatist involved in criminal activities. But those who knew him paint a different picture.

Eighty supporters of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah rallied outside Detroit's FBI offices earlier this month. They held up signs that read 'Stop FBI terror' and 'Stop hassling and killing Muslims.'

"We're here to call for an independent investigation into the assassination of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah," says Abayomi Azikiwe, one of the rally organizers, "We do not believe that the imam was involved in terrorist activities or criminal activities that would warrant his death by the FBI to the tune of 18 shots."

It's not yet confirmed how many times Abdullah was shot. But the protesters echoed concerns of many in the Muslim community that the FBI's treatment of Abdullah was heavy-handed.

Abdullah was killed October twenty-eighth during an FBI raid on a warehouse in Dearborn. He allegedly pulled a gun on FBI agents who were trying to arrest him.

The FBI says Abdullah was a Muslim separatist, intent on establishing an Islamic state within the United States. The agency says he and his followers engaged in criminal activities in the name of Islam and advocated violence against authorities. That description contrasts sharply with how his family and some Muslim leaders remember him. They say Abdullah was a peaceful man who helped provide food and shelter in his poverty-stricken neighborhood.

"He loved and cared about people in the hood. That was his main focus," says Omar Regan, one of Abdullah's sons, "He loved and cared about people that, that the middle class and upper class have forgotten about."

Imam Abdullah El-Amim heads the Muslim Center, Detroit's largest black mosque. He says Abdullah was often critical of the government, but he scoffs at the idea he would try to overthrow it.

"They's just some poor people in the poorest part of town in a poor mosque that didn't even have running water and heat. They couldn't even overthrow that block!" says Imam Abdullah El-Amim.

This perception has led some Muslims leaders to accuse the FBI of engineering a criminal case against Abdullah and his followers. The FBI used undercover informants to infiltrate the mosque. These informants suggested and provided the means for the men to carry out much of the alleged criminal activity.

None of the men are charged with terrorism. The complaints against them include conspiracy to deal in stolen goods and unlawful possession of firearms. However, the FBI complaint details numerous occasions when Abdullah championed terrorism. The imam and many of those arrested also have prior criminal convictions ranging from weapons violations to armed robbery.

Muqtedar Khan is Director of Islamic Studies at the University of Deleware. He worked in Michigan for many years. He didn't know Abdullah, but was shocked to hear of the imam's actions.

"My first reaction was, why was he carrying a gun?" says Muqtedar Khan, "Especially given this atmosphere and this environment. He shouldn't be armed in a warehouse and if the FBI came he should have immediately disarmed himself. What's he trying to do, get into a gun fight?"

But Khan understands the outcry from Muslim organizations. He says they are upset over other cases where FBI informants enticed Muslims to commit illegal acts. Still, he believes Muslim leaders need to educate their communities about the dangers of espousing radical views.

A recent town hall meeting at the Muslim Center was a step in that direction. Two hundred people attended the meeting to condemn Abdullah's death. Speakers urged those in attendance not to engage in radical discourse, and to be wary of informants.

The FBI has been trying to improve its relationship with local Muslims. But Lena Masri with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, says the Abdullah case has undermined those efforts. She spoke at the end of the meeting as some kids began to play basketball.

"We are becoming unfortunately accustomed to seeing Muslims taken from Mosques, arrested, family members deported, and we're having shootings as happened here. We're very upset," says Lena Masri.

The FBI says it does not target people based on religion. But as recent events stoke fears about extremism, that kind of reassurance to Muslims increasingly falls on deaf ears. © Copyright 2012, Michigan Radio