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December 28, 2004

Anaheim mosque leader agrees to leave United States

ANAHEIM, Calif. - An Orange County mosque leader from Egypt who authorities said had given speeches that could be considered supportive of terrorist organizations agreed Tuesday to leave the United States voluntarily, giving up his fight to remain in the country.

As part of the agreement with government attorneys, Wagdy Ghoneim avoids deportation in exchange for admitting he was in the United States in violation of his immigration status, said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement.

He must leave the United States by Jan. 7. By agreeing to voluntary removal, Ghoneim, the imam at the Islamic Institute of Orange County, is eligible to reapply for entry into the country.

Ghoneim, 53, was arrested at his Anaheim home last month on an immigration violation, but authorities had declined to disclose details about the case.

At the time, his lawyer and supporters said the arrest was a mistake and that he expected to be released soon.

Ghoneim has been held without bond since then "based upon Department of Homeland Security concerns that his past speeches and participation in fund-raising activities could be supportive of terrorist organizations," Kice said, declining to provide further details.

His agreement to leave the country comes a day after Southern California Muslims met with Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Newport Beach, to protest his detention.

About two dozen Muslims presented a petition with more than 1,000 signatures to Cox, urging him to investigate the arrest of a man described by local Islamic leaders as a respected scholar.

Ghoneim, a native of Egypt, arrived in Detroit in 2001 on a visitor's visa. He was later authorized to remain in the United States on a visa for religious workers until June 20, 2004, according to documents provided to his attorney by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

His attorney has said that Ghoneim applied for an extension of his visa and was awaiting word from immigration authorities on whether he would be allowed to remain in the United States when federal agents arrested him.

During their meeting with Cox, representatives from the Muslim Public Affairs Council and the Council on American-Islamic Relations criticized an earlier hearing held for Ghoneim, during which the government suggested that the imam is a national security risk and presented information from anti-Islamic websites that mentioned his name.

"When ICE attempts to submit testimony that is downloaded articles from anti-Islamic websites, you cannot get a fair trial from biased articles," said Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

"We should be working in partnership with law enforcement and government. To use Muslims as scapegoats for political agendas, that is not helping us win the war on terrorism."

Cox told Ghoneim's family that he would investigate the case. "We want to make sure national security is conducted within the rights of all Americans," he told them. "… I'm going to use this opportunity to learn, very thoroughly, how ICE is proceeding in cases like these." (Source: Mercury News/ Los Angeles Times)