APEX -- Still reeling from the indictments of eight Triangle men on terrorism charges, members of the Muslim community got a chance to question law enforcement officials during a "town hall" meeting Saturday at an Apex mosque.
The event brought together federal, state and local law enforcement agents, as well as lawyers and public officials, in an exercise aimed at restoring trust between the two communities.
More than 100 Muslims from across the Triangle attended the gathering, sponsored by the Muslim American Society. Among them were the wife, daughter and son of Daniel Boyd, who was indicted July 27 on federal charges that he and seven others conspired to commit terrorist acts. Boyd is in a Virginia prison awaiting trial.
Many in the Muslim community feel they are being unfairly targeted and subjected to profiling and surveillance because of their faith. But the guest speaker at Saturday's event urged Muslims not to surrender to fear, but to engage the democratic system.
Nawar Shora, a Washington, D.C., lawyer with the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, said Muslims should volunteer to sit on community boards and task forces to ensure that their concerns are addressed.
"We need to take charge of our own destiny," said Shora. "We need to learn from Jews and African-Americans. We are not the first community to be pigeonholed and labeled."
Community members heard from a lawyer for the FBI about the USA Patriot Act, which expanded the ability of law enforcement to search phone, e-mail, medical and financial records of suspects. Mark Rich, division counsel with the FBI in Charlotte, said the law includes legal protections and does not give investigators license to violate civil rights.
Not everyone felt confident that such forums were useful for allaying fear and building confidence.
"A lot of people won't come because they don't have faith in this," said Burhan Ghanayem of Durham.
Ghanayem, a retired scientist, said the backlash following the terrorist acts of Sept. 11, 2001, left many American Muslims so bruised and vulnerable that they haven't had the chance to recover.
Compounding the problem is a generalized fear of the police on the part of Muslim immigrants from countries where government and law enforcement agencies cannot be trusted to follow the rule of law.
Still, the forum drew good will from many already committed to public dialogue.
"Our greatest desire is that you can participate in building the very positive image our community has strived hard to achieve," Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly said.
