FBI to Assign Agents to South Florida Mosques

October 3, 2005

Source: Sun Sentinel

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-cfbi03oct03,0,1273141.story

On October 3, 2005 the Sun Sentinel reported, "The FBI has promised to assign agents to mosques as liaisons to build better relations between law enforcement and Muslims.

South Florida Muslim leaders said they welcome cooperation with the FBI, hoping the newly forged relationship will prevent Muslims from being harassed and profiled by law enforcement... 'The FBI is trying to make it clear in these meetings that the problem is not the community,' [said Walid Phares, professor of international relations and the Middle East at Florida Atlantic University]... The agents asked Muslims to be on the lookout for radicals who advocate violence against the United States... The 20 mosques in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties serve about 70,000 Muslims, according to [Altaf Ali, head of South Florida Council for American-Islamic Relations]."