Date Posted: Friday, August 21, 2009

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Judge Faults Freezing of Assets in Terror Case

WASHINGTON, DC (MASNET) August 21, 2009 – MAS Freedom (MASF) as the civic and human rights advocacy entity of the Muslim American Society (MAS), together with human and civil rights advocates around the world in welcoming the August 20, 2009 U.S. federal court ruling that the government closure of the Islamic charity and relief organization, KindHearts, in 2006 was unconstitutional.

The ruling, issued Tuesday by James G. Carr, chief federal judge in northern Ohio, found that the Office of Foreign Asset Control of the U.S. Treasury Department acted unconstitutionally in shutting down the Columbus, Ohio-based Islamic charity that was part of a terrorism investigation.

Judge Carr's ruling determined that the government must establish "probable cause" in such cases, which the previous presidential administration refused to do in issuing warrants that effectively closed down a number of Muslim charities and humanitarian organizations that provided relief to suffering Palestinian families.

It is not known at this time whether KindHearts will be able to resume operations in the United States.

"This ruling is a radical departure from the Bush administration doctrine of shooting (at Muslim charities) first, and asking questions later," stated MAS Freedom Civil and Human Rights Director, Ibrahim Ramey.

Ramey added, "Kind Hearts, and we believe, other Muslim humanitarian organizations, were never guilty of terrorist activities, as the U.S. government falsely alleged. We now call on the Obama administration to begin the process of repairing the damage to our community caused by the reckless and illegal use of the courts under the previous administration, especially now, at the beginning of the sacred month of Ramadan, our government must understand that humanitarian actions on behalf of poor and oppressed people is not a crime, but a blessing."