Toward a New Theory of Islamic Constitutionalism – By Faisal Kutty
September 18, 2009 – 5:54 pm | No Comment

By Faisal Kutty
Writing in Persuasive Authorities
I had the honour of spending a few days last week with a number of constitutional scholars at the International Association of Law Schools conference on Constitutional Law held jointly …

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ACLU Files Lawsuit Challenging Unconstitutional “No Fly List”
July 7, 2010 – 8:23 am | One Comment
ACLU Files Lawsuit Challenging Unconstitutional "No Fly List"

ACLU Files Lawsuit Challenging Unconstitutional "No Fly List"

June 30, 2010

List Blocks People From Flying Without Explanation Or Due Process

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org

NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit on behalf of 10 U.S. citizens and lawful residents who are prohibited from flying to or from the United States or over U.S. airspace because they are on the government’s “No Fly List.” None of the individuals in the lawsuit, including a disabled U.S. Marine Corps veteran stranded in Egypt and a U.S. Army veteran stuck in Colombia, have been told why they are on the list or given a chance to clear their names.

“More and more Americans who have done nothing wrong find themselves unable to fly, and in some cases unable to return to the U.S., without any explanation whatsoever from the government,” said Ben Wizner, staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project. “A secret list that deprives people of the right to fly and places them into effective exile without any opportunity to object is both un-American and unconstitutional.”

The ACLU, along with its affiliates in Oregon, Southern California, Northern California and New Mexico, filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI and the Terrorist Screening Center in U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. The plaintiffs on the case are:

  • Ayman Latif, a U.S. citizen and disabled Marine veteran living in Egypt who has been barred from flying to the United States and, as a result, cannot take a required Veterans’ Administration disability evaluation;
  • Raymond Earl Knaeble, a U.S. citizen and U.S. Army veteran who is stuck in Santa Marta, Colombia after being denied boarding on a flight to the United States;
  • Steven Washburn, a U.S. citizen and U.S. Air Force veteran who was prevented from flying from Europe to the United States or Mexico; he eventually flew to Brazil, from there to Peru, and from there to Mexico, where he was detained and finally escorted across the border by U.S. and Mexican officials;
  • Samir Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed, Abdullatif Muthanna, Nagib Ali Ghaleb and Saleh A. Omar, three American citizens and a lawful permanent resident of the United States who were prevented from flying home to the U.S. after visiting family members in Yemen;
  • Mohamed Sheikh Abdirahman Kariye, a U.S. citizen and resident of Portland, Oregon who was prevented from flying to visit his daughter who is in high school in Dubai;
  • Adama Bah, a citizen of Guinea who was granted political asylum in the United States, where she has lived since she was two, who was barred from flying from New York to Chicago for work; and
  • Halime Sat, a German citizen and lawful permanent resident of the United States who lives in California with her U.S.-citizen husband who was barred from flying from Long Beach, California to Oakland to attend a conference and has since had to cancel plane travel to participate in educational programs and her family reunion in Germany.

According to the ACLU’s legal complaint, thousands of people have been added to the “No Fly List” and barred from commercial air travel without any opportunity to learn about or refute the basis for their inclusion on the list. The result is a vast and growing list of individuals who, on the basis of error or innuendo, have been deemed too dangerous to fly but who are too harmless to arrest.

“Without a reasonable way for people to challenge their inclusion on the list, there’s no way to keep innocent people off it,” said Nusrat Choudhury, a staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project. “The government’s decision to prevent people from flying without giving them a chance to defend themselves has a huge impact on people’s lives – including their ability to perform their jobs, see their families and, in the case of U.S. citizens, to return home to the United States from abroad.”

In addition to Wizner and Choudhury, attorneys on the case are Kevin Díaz and cooperating attorney Steven Wilker with the ACLU of Oregon; Ahilan Arulanantham, Jennie Pasquarella and cooperating attorney Reem Salahi with the ACLU of Southern California; Alan Schlosser and Julia Harumi Mass of the ACLU of Northern California; and Laura Ives of the ACLU of New Mexico. The Council on American-Islamic Relations consulted with Raymond Knaeble and directed him to the ACLU.

The ACLU’s complaint is available online at: www.aclu.org/national-security/latif-et-al-v-holder-et-al-complaint

More information about the ACLU’s lawsuit is available online at: www.aclu.org/national-security/aclu-challenges-government-no-fly-list-0

Long Awaited Air India Bombing Inquiry Report Released
June 17, 2010 – 1:07 pm | One Comment
Long Awaited Air India Bombing Inquiry Report Released

By Faisal Kutty
The long awaited report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Investigation of the Bombing of Air India Flight 182 is finally out today.
Confirming what many security experts have believed …

Youth and Community Members to 3rd Orphan Walk 2010
May 13, 2010 – 4:39 pm | No Comment
Youth and Community Members to 3rd Orphan Walk 2010

North American Muslim Foundation
invites
Youth and Community Members to 3rd Orphan Walk 2010
Walk for the Orphans of our Global Village
Saturday May 29th, 2010
Starting From: Scarborough Civic Center at 9 am
Ending At: NAMF Islamic Center at 12 …

FRAGRANCE CLUB
April 29, 2010 – 12:28 pm | One Comment
FRAGRANCE CLUB

Hi everyone!
It’s that time of year again!
Our spring sale will be starting May 1st.
We look forward to seeing you all soon!
www.lisascosmetics.ca
Thanks
Asif and Farah
FRAGRANCE CLUB INC.
1380 Rodick Road,Suite 110
Markham, ON L3R 4G5
Tel: 905-305-6770 x2, Fax: …

MAPCanada Business Expo 2010 (and CEA’s Business Case Competition): May 15 2010, 10AM – 5PM, Metro Hall
April 18, 2010 – 5:40 am | No Comment

As Salaamu Alaikum,
MAPCanada Business Expo 2010 (and CEA’s Business Case Competition)
May 15th, 10AM – 5PM
Metro Hall,
55 John Street, Toronto 
The theme for this year’s Expo is 
Research and Innovation.
 
Presentations include (but not limited to):
 
• Our Competitive Advantage: …

IRFAN-Canada Responds to Speculation About CRA Suspension
April 16, 2010 – 3:14 pm | Comments Off

IRFAN-Canada Responds to Speculation About CRA Suspension
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – April 15, 2010) – The International Relief Fund for the Afflicted and Needy (Canada) responded today to misinformation by third-parties regarding the decision released April 13, …

Smile Fundraising Dinner
April 8, 2010 – 4:31 pm | No Comment
Smile Fundraising Dinner

Smile. is mandated to develop community based awareness of the limitations faced by children with disabilities and critical illness. Smile. is guided by the principle of equity and is focused on the …

University of St. Thomas Law Journal Symposium – Islamic Law and Constitutional Liberty
April 8, 2010 – 4:05 pm | No Comment

The Spring 2010 Symposium of the University of St. Thomas Law Journal will explore the intersection of constitutional democracy and Islamic law. Two broad themes lie at the heart of …

University of Notre Dame International Law Society Symposium
April 8, 2010 – 3:48 pm | No Comment
University of Notre Dame International Law Society Symposium

“Reflections on a Global Crisis: Current Issues in International Law and Economics”
April 9, 2010.
Norte Dame University, School of Law
Reception to immediately follow close of the panel

SECULARISM, ISLAM, & DEMOCRACY: Muslims in Europe and the West
April 6, 2010 – 3:06 pm | No Comment
SECULARISM, ISLAM, & DEMOCRACY: Muslims in Europe and the West

AAUP, ACLU, PEN American Center, and Slate present
SECULARISM, ISLAM, & DEMOCRACY:
Muslims in Europe and the West
Featuring Tariq Ramadan (first U.S. appearance since he was barred …

Dr. Mustafa Barghouti: Palestinian political dynamics and the realities for Middle East Peace
March 18, 2010 – 6:31 am | No Comment
Dr. Mustafa Barghouti: Palestinian political dynamics and the realities for Middle East Peace

Dr. Mustafa Barghouti: Palestinian political dynamics and the realities for Middle East Peace
Toronto, Ontario, Saturday, March 20, 2010, 07:00 PM

ADDRESS
MacLeod Auditorium (Room 2158)
Faculty of Medicine
University of Toronto
1 King’s College Circle
Toronto, ON M5S1A8
TICKET INFO

Admission $15, $10 …

Top Sunni Islamic Legal Scholar Dies
March 14, 2010 – 5:45 am | No Comment
Top Sunni Islamic Legal Scholar Dies

By Faisal Kutty
The top Sunni Muslim cleric and legal scholar Sheikh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy died of a heart attack on Wednesday (March 10, 2010) in Saudi Arabia.
The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, one of the leading …

Spring Law Journal Symposium discusses “Islamic Law and Constitutional Liberty”
March 9, 2010 – 10:44 am | No Comment
Spring Law Journal Symposium discusses “Islamic Law and Constitutional Liberty”

By Chato Hazelbaker
Monday, April 12,2010 the University of St. Thomas School of Law will host the spring University of St. Thomas Law Journal Symposium. Held in the Schulze Grand Atrium at the School …

Law School Rankings and Diversity
March 4, 2010 – 7:23 am | No Comment
Law School Rankings and Diversity

By Faisal Kutty
A new study just published in the Southern California Review of Law and Social Justice confirms what many of us have known for years.
The study by two sociologists suggests that the …

Maher Arar Launches New Online National Security Magazine and Appeals to the Supreme Court
February 27, 2010 – 8:05 am | No Comment
Maher Arar Launches New Online National Security Magazine and Appeals to the Supreme Court

By Faisal Kutty
The second issue of Prism Magazine is now available online. The not-for-profit journal launched last month by Maher Arar describes itself as a “security practices monitor”.
The journal has an impressive list …