Officials arrest Islamic leader

The Palestinian-born imam was convicted on a terrorism charge.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Federal authorities arrested an Islamic religious leader Friday as they began the process of deporting him for supporting terrorist groups.
Imam Fawaz Damra, the leader of the state's largest mosque, was arrested without incident at 6 a.m. as he left his residence in the suburb of Strongsville, according to a federal official.
Damra, 44, was convicted in June 2004 of concealing ties to three groups that the U.S. government classifies as terrorist organizations when he applied for U.S. citizenship in 1994.
Conviction upheld
That conviction was upheld in March, clearing the way for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to begin deportation proceedings.
In Damra's trial last year, prosecutors showed video footage of him and other Islamic leaders raising money for an arm of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which has been listed as a major terrorist group by the State Department since 1989.
Jurors also were shown footage in which Damra called Jews "the sons of monkeys and pigs" during a 1991 speech and said "terrorism and terrorism alone is the path to liberation" in a 1989 speech.
"It is clear that this person, Mr. Damra, believed in terrorism, supported terrorism," said Brian Moskowitz, an agent with the immigration agency's office in Detroit. "This is not a man of peace or a man of God."
Damra's conviction for naturalization fraud wasn't enough to warrant deportation because he has legally lived in the United States for five years. Immigration officials, therefore, are seeking to remove him because he raised funds for terrorist organizations, Moskowitz said.
Damra's family could not be reached for comment. The phone numbers once listed for his home were reassigned to a new customer or went unanswered Friday. A message seeking comment from Damra's attorney Mark Flessner was not immediately returned.
Criticism
Haider Alawan, a Damra supporter and a member of his mosque, criticized officials for arresting Damra without warning and said the local Islamic community is upset with how he's been treated.
"What kind of a threat is he? He's been out all this time?" Alawan said. "Now his wife are children are back home crying and not knowing what to do."
Damra is being held in Detroit by federal authorities. A bond hearing is expected to take place next week before an immigration judge in Detroit. The immigration office will request that Damra be detained, Moskowitz said.
The Palestinian-born Damra, who is the imam, or spiritual leader, at the Islamic Center of Cleveland, immigrated to the United States in the mid-1980s.
The Islamic Center's board president, Dr. Jalal Abu-Shaweesh, said Damra was not present Friday to lead prayers. He said the mosque leadership would not comment on Damra's legal problems or who might replace him.
Damra's support
Damra garnered 70 percent of the mosque's support during a no-confidence vote before his trial. A new board of trustees there chose to keep him on in September as well.
"They are prosecuting him for something he may have done 20 years ago. They're hunting him down for that and they don't bother anyone else," said Saeid B. Amini, an attorney who has worked for Damra on non-criminal matters. "We are disappointed. It is a witch hunt."
U.S. District Judge James Gwin sentenced Damra to two months in prison and four months in home detention in September 2004. He also stripped Damra's citizenship but told prosecutors they couldn't begin deportation proceedings until after an appellate ruling.
A three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals unanimously denied Damra's appeal in March. The judges said Damra clearly raised funds for a terrorist organization.
"For us this is an important case," Moskowitz said. "This country opens its arms and welcomes foreigners who want to come here and respect our laws. When you get someone who knowingly defrauds us and use the freedoms we give them to support terrorism, that is totally unacceptable."