Police Raid of Masjid Al-Haqq
A security officer present at the police raid of Masjid Al-Haqq has recently testified before the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners about the details of the police raid. The raid took place on the night of the death of Imam Luqman Abdullah. CAIR-MI has raised this issue with political and law enforcement officials calling for an investigation into this event. See below for CAIR-MI official inquiry into full police raid, as well as affidavit of security officer Jihad Abdul El-Jihad who was present during the raid.
December 21, 2009
Mayor Dave Bing
City of Detroit
Executive Office
Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
2 Woodward Ave., Ste. 1126
Detroit, MI 48226
RE: Raid of Detroit mosque, Masjid Al-Haqq, located at 4017/4019 Clairmount, Detroit, Michigan, on October 28, 2009
Dear Mayor Bing,
As you are well aware, Muslim leader Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah of Detroit Masjid al-Haqq was fatally shot during a series of raids conducted by federal and local law enforcement officials on Wednesday, October 28, 2009.
We would like to bring to your attention a related and alarming incident that took place later that night. According to a preliminary investigation conducted by our office, as well as a number of witness statements obtained by our office, Masjid al-Haqq was the target of a full blown raid on the night of October 28, 2009. The raid was conducted by the Detroit Police Department at a time when members of the mosque were performing their routine Maghrib prayer. Several police officers assaulted Jihad El-Jihad outside the mosque, and subsequently entered the mosque with their guns drawn. Jihad was acting as security guard at the time of the raid. Such actions by the police have the potential to produce a chilling effect upon the exercise of First Amendment rights.
Please see attached affidavit of Jihad El-Jihad, a member of Masjid al-Haqq who, as stated above, was acting as security guard at the time of the raid. Please also see enclosed DVD, which is a video recording of an official statement given by Jihad El-Jihad before the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners on December 18, 2009.
We respectfully request a thorough and expeditious investigation into the exact circumstances of the raid of Masjid al-Haqq and potential civil rights violations committed by the Detroit Police Department.
Your interest in this matter is certainly appreciated, and we remain ready to respond to any questions that you may have regarding it.
Respectfully submitted,
Lena F. Masri, Esq.
Staff Attorney
Council on American-Islamic Relations
Michigan Chapter
21700 Northwestern Hwy, Suite 1199
Southfield, MI 48075
T: 248.559.2247
C: 248.390.1203
F: 248.559.2250
lmasri@cair.com
www.cairmichigan.org
CC: Chief of Police Warren C. Evans, 1300 Beaubien, Police Headquarters, Detroit, MI 48226;
Honorable John Conyers, 669 Federal Building, Detroit, MI 48226
Video of Testimony of Security Officer Present at the Raid