US human rights activist says FBI targeted him over advocacy for Palestine
A US human rights activist stated that the FBI placed him on a secret watchlist because of his pro-Palestinian activism. His experience has brought to the fore, once again, the ongoing tension between civil liberties and measures of national security taken in the United States of America.
Osama Abuirshaid told Anadolu that this June he found out he is on the watch list of the FBI, adding he was taken off another watchlist in 2017 but recently added back. “The watch list targets what they refer to as ‘suspected’ or ‘known terrorists.’ Very broad in scope. Nobody knows the criteria to put anybody on that list,” he said.
Abuirshaid said he cannot check in online or at an airport’s self-service kiosks, and that he must undergo a separate security screening in which he is peppered with questions of a personal nature and all of his bags are searched.
“I missed so many flights. I’ve been subjected to so much harassment,” he said.”I missed so many flights. I’ve been subjected to so much harassment,” he said. According to Abuirshaid, a federal agent at the airport explicitly connected his placement on the list with his activism for Palestine and against what he calls “genocide in Gaza.”
He views the listing as a means of silencing his voice in his continuing advocacy about the rights of Palestinians and his criticism of US policy over Gaza. There’s no other way for me to understand it other than that the government is trying to silence me and deter me from advocating for Palestine rights,” Abuirshaid said.
He said the targeting of US citizens came amid shifting public perceptions about Palestinians, a period of increased activism in schools and public spaces. “Israel can intimidate, it can silence, but it can’t win unless we give in to its pressure.”
Lawsuit gets underway
The activist filed a lawsuit over his placement on the watchlist with the help of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Los Angeles office. CAIR Los Angeles Legal Director Amr Shabaik said it has cases of several pro-Palestinian advocates being put under FBI surveillance since Oct. 7. He said what the federal agents are doing is utterly illegal.
The watchlist of the FBI is controversial and has been ever since its existence was leaked by a Swiss hacker back in 2019. According to a report, millions of American Muslims’ personal data are part of it, which guarantees enhanced monitoring of those listed at airports and other public places.
CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell had told Anadolu the watchlist has led to dire consequences for some American Muslims, ranging from closed bank accounts to intrusive questioning while traveling.
