This letter is in response to a Sister who has been writing to him:
As salaamu alaikum w.w.:
Thank you for your letter dated 4/20 and for the information that it contained. I ask Allah (S.W.T) that this response of mine reaches you as you, your husband, children, and friends enjoy the best of health and well-being and that all of y ou lead happy, fruitful lives.
I may have been a few days late in responding to you. This is contrary to my habit of responding to my mail immediately. In the free world as well as in the past seven years I’ve spent in prison, this has been my practice. However, this past April has been hard on me – particularly with the fluctuations in the weather, my constant concern with my mother’s well-being, the rejection of my appeal, and on top of all that in the later part of the month I’ve been afflicted with sickness and a bad case of allergies and neck pain. I don’t know what the cause was of all my ailments, but in any event, the combination of all of these factors has made me somewhat lazy.
Nearly eight years have passed since I last worked in the Foundation. These years I’ve spent in conditions that can’t be described. Alhamdulillah, the circumstances in which I lived during the time I spent in the field of relief work for more than fifteen years were exceptional. For nine years I worked for the BIF-USA, working hard day and night. I don’t know how to explain how that period of time passed except by saying that I wasn’t the only person who bore those tremendous responsibilities. It was through teamwork and the contributions of hundreds of brothers and sisters who worked for the foundation internationally.
Really I don’t know about thousands of donors who contributed their share in assisting the poor, the widows and the orphans over three continents. It’s true that the amount of services and the income of the BIF can’t be compared to those of the large international relief organizations. Nevertheless, with the help of Allah (S.W.T.) and through the blessing of the efforts that we were able to put forth, as well as through the wise and precise planning that guided the distribution and utilization of our finances, the results of most of the projects that the foundation managed in the various regions of the world in which it operated were spectacular.
Because I was more busy working in the field than dealing with donors, I don’t remember the sister Siddique. Also given that Siddique is a popular name among the Pakistani community here as well as the name of a well-known family, I think the BIF probably received donations from dozens of Siddiques. I don’t think that the Ms. Siddique whom you mentioned in your first mail in regard to donating to BIF is the same Ms. Siddique we have been hearing about in the news.l In any event, the stories that have been reported in the news have been self-contradictory and difficult to believe. I ask Allah (S.W.T) to set her free, to relieve her of her ailments and to reunite her with her children. If you hear anything new about her case, please tell me, and we should keep her in our prayers.
To return to your questions in your last card: The first article written on the BIF was on the first of October, 2001 in the New York Times. I think it was written by Judy Miller. I believe you are familiar with this writer, her background in dealing with Muslims, her personal inclinations and how her career as a journalist came to an end. Anyway, if you happen to come across the article, I would like a copy please. [NOTE: New York Times Oct. 2, 2001 "A Nation Challenged: The investigation; U.S. set to widen financial assault" by Judith Miller with Kurt Eichenwald.]
At that time, I was in Europe. Upon my return to the U.S. in the middle of October, we contacted an attorney’s office to inform them that we were ready to open all of our files and to cooperate in their investigation. Again in December our attorneys went to the U.S. Attorney’s office to repeat their offer. It was Ramadan at the time, so we agreed that after Ramadan season (during which donations increase) and after the conclusion of the solar year, we would sit together to see if the U.S. Attorney needed to have any issues clarified. However, during my trip to Bosnia in the beginning of December, they attacked like wolves on 12/142001, storming our offices and my home in Chicago with the intention of frightening our donors and drying up the resources that were being used to provide for the poor. The story has been published and is well-known to everybody. As the tragedy unfolded, I returned to the U.S. on 12/20/02. They received me well at the airport – then the FBI interviews began with the attorneys and some of the employees of the BIF. All of this took place over a very short period of time.
At this point my attorney’s office called me strongly urging me to conduct a newspaper interview for the sake of public relations, with Laurie Cohen of the Chicago Tribune. This was done with the aim of presenting the true picture of the nble charitable work of the BIF to the American People. I don’t know how it happened, but our defensive move quickly turned into an all-out attack against us with a lengthy piece being printed in January or February of 2002 (I would like you to send me these two articles if you can find them). Chicago Tribune/Laurie Cohen.
[NOTE: "How Saudi wealth fueled holy war: Charity leader funded fighters to spread and defend Islam" by Tribune Staff Reporters Sam Roe, Laurie Cohen and Stephen Franklin, Chicago Tribune, February 22, 2004 / "U.S. ties charity leader to terror: Donations made to group here aided Al Qaeda, indictment alleges" by Matt O'Connor and Laurie Cohen, Kim Barker and Noreen Ahmed-Ullah, Chicago Tribune, October 10, 2002]?
“Chicagoan accused of aiding al-Qaeda official” by Viola Gienger, Cam Simpson and Laurie Cohen, August 7, 2002, Chicago Tribune]?
Regarding your conversation with the secretary, this was one of hundreds of calls that we received from supporters and donors. We never felt at any time that we were in danger. I had an enormous misconception that someone who has nothing to hide should have nothing to fear. Our work was truly transparent and open and not sullied by any sort of dirt, but we didn’t realize that a preconceived plan was being carried out to eliminate us and put an end to our charitable activities. This plan was hatched several years in advance, but when the September 11th attacks took place, it was accelerated in order to eliminate all sorts of Islamic charities across the globe. We were some of the weakly victims who were easily devoured for reasons not apparent to the eye.
As for my arrest on 4/30/2002, it had a number of reasons behind it, the most important of which being:
1) The BIF raised a complaint (filed a lawsuit) in court in Chicago to reclaim assets stolen from us by the government. The case began to run its course in favor of the Foundation in the first few sessions in court. This caused the government significant discomfort.
2) The FBI requested to sit with employees of the BIF individually, so they complied based on the recommendation of the BIF’s attorneys. When my turn came, the FBI insisted to my attorneys that they needed to meet with me. I was hesitant about the matter after their earlier insistence that there was no need for me to meet with them. This hesitation on my part bothered them. (This I came to learn later on during the court proceedings).
3) I decided to take a sudden trip to renew my residency permit in Saudi Arabia which I had maintained for seven years. The government knew that I used to visit Saudi Arabia because of my legal residency there, because my whole family lives there, and because my wife’s family lives there. My decision to take this sudden trip caused them to worry that I was about to flee (of course, that’s what they claimed in court).
4) They took advantage of a document (affidavit) signed in support of the petition that the Foundation had submitted in court to reclaim the Foundation’s files. In the beginning, they claimed that I lied in this document which was written by attorneys working for the Foundation. It contains statements that the Foundation does not support any military activities or anything of that nature. The government relied on a document among 600,000, which was a receipt for an X-ray machine, which was signed by a representative of the Chechen mujahideen in 1995. The machine had been donated by one of the Foundation’s employees’ father who had no association with the Foundation whatsoever. On top of that, the machine was given to a hospital on the Chechen border for the purpose of treating anybody in need at that time.
These are the reasons that resulted in my arrest being expedited and my being treated in a savage manner. All of this goes back to one primary cause which relates to the period of my life in which I lived as a student in the 1980’s in Pakistan and contributed to help out the poor, downtrodden people of Afghanistan.
During the time I spent in MCC-Chicago in solitary confinement, [while] the government insisted not to let me get out on bond, the judge dropped the charge of perjury. This was after about four months. Nevertheless, I was not released. That same night, the government charged me with a new charge similar to the first, obstruction of justice. After less than a month, Attorney General Ashcroft came to Chicago to hold a press conference in order to manipulate public opinion. He announced that new charges had been filed (six counts).
This began a new stage in which a different judge was appointed on account of the new charges. I formed a defense team, while the government continued to press superceding indictments against me every month. Then came the trial date which had been set on February 10th of 2003, and all this time I was still in solitary confinement. I was not allowed any visits except with my wife and kids. All of these visits were conducted behind glass. I was treated in a barbaric, indescribable manner, entirely different from how other prisoners were treated. I had no way of consulting with anybody else concerning my case, how to defend myself and how to free myself from my predicament in the easiest way.
Three days before my trial was scheduled to begin, my defense team came to me with the proposition that I plea guilty to any charge I choose because the government doesn’t want to take my case to trial. At the same time, they didn’t want to let me go. The solution was that I plea guilty to mail fraud.
At that time I didn’t know what the RICO Act was or even what the conspiracy laws were. My only concern was to be released to my six children, the youngest of whom was one year old, while the oldest was eight years old. I hoped to be able to lighten the burden of the disaster that had befallen me, not only on myself but on my family as well. I was also concerned abut depleting all of my funds on my defense team whose fees had already cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars. At the same time, I was certain that I would be unable to receive a fair trial due to the high-profile nature of my case and because of the general atmosphere in America at that time as the U.S. was preparing to invade Iraq after having invaded Afghanistan more than a year earlier.
My defense team gave me the impression that my sentence would not exceed five years if I were to agree to plead guilty, the bulk of which I had already served. My remaining time would be spent in a prison camp close to my children where I would be treated in a humane manner.
I didn’t know until I began to attend the sentencing hearings where the government asked the judge to give me the harshest punishment available, to classify me as a terrorist on top of the mail fraud charge. The judge did not agree to classify me as a terrorist supporter, but she imposed all other 6 enhancements sentencing me to 136 months. All of this time I remained in solitary confinement.
My wife and children relocated abroad because there was nobody in Chicago to look after them nor were there any relatives in the area. Our friends and acquaintances fled from us out of fear. I remained in this state for a year and a half until I was moved to Oxford, Wisconsin in October of 2003, to a medium-high security institution.
There I began a new phase of torment of a different variety. Although I was now in the general population, as the only Arab Muslim in the prison and also because of the nature of my case they treated me in a manner different from other prisoners, displaying their racism and hatred of Islam. I spent seven months in the SHU out of the 27 months I spent there, all on the basis of trivial infractions that were false to begin with. They also took 42 days of “good time.” (The “SHU” stands for Special Housing Unit, where prisoners are confined to their cells. Good time refers to the 15% of a prisoner’s sentence shortened as a reward for good conduct).
In January of 2006, I was returned to MCC Chicago for my first appeal. I remained there until May of the same year after my sentence was reduced by 16 months. I was then returned to Oxford, Wisconsin until December 2006 when I was moved to this miserable place with these draconian restrictions. thus began a new phase in my relationship with my family which was severely affected by the dramatic reduction in the number of my phone calls, the delays in delivering my mail due to translation as well as other reasons.
While I was in Oxford, two of my friends visited me a number of times, but these visits came to an end after I was moved to Terre Haute. This was beside the visits I used to receive from CAIR at MCC Chicago, the last of which took place three years ago. Since arriving here, I haven’t had anybody from CAIR visit me or correspond with me. Of course, this is part of human nature: fear and apprehension of the unknown. I am not particularly affected by any of this, particularly given that all of my worries and concerns are focused on my mother: on her health and on meeting her before she passes away, then on my children in terms of planning their futures. By the way, I have six kids, three girls and three boys. Their ages now range in age from 7 to 14.
Concerning my keeping up on the news, I follow most of the major stories in the big newspapers (in Arabic and English). I have no problem following the news in the printed press. Sometimes I listen to the BBC and NPR and watch the nightly news on NBC. As you know, the news items themselves are repeated over and over around the world, and there are no free, truthful, independent mainstream media outlets.
Regarding the CMU, I think F.O.I. [Freedom of Information?] has more detailed information, and it would really be wonderful if you could ask them for any news related to the CMU; I’m currently not in need of any other news.
As far as press interviews are concerned, I have no objection to the idea in principle. However, I have agreed with my attorney to print my book, and I like to go back to him to consider any questions posed to me or requests for interviews so that I can get his legal opinion concerning anything that would be published. In the past, I have conducted some press interviews where my words were manipulated and altered in a way that was not helpful to me, rather it hurt me. Please note the address of my attorney who is currently handling my case.
Jeffrey Brandt
629 Main Street, Suite B
Covington, KY 41011
Tel: 859-581-7777
Fax: 859-581-5777
Coming back to your question concerning my current state of affairs… yes, I am still contemplating what the next appropriate step will be in dealing with my appeal. I have some ideas abut this that I intend to tell you in the future. I’m very sorry about the lengthiness of this letter.
Perhaps, I have answered all of what you requested of me, and perhaps this will be of some benefit in my site on the internet. I don’t know if you would be able to operate such a page on my behalf or to have the sister in [Oregon] make a new page for me. (Can you ask her to write me please). I would like you to get in touch with my defense attorney and to take a look at the following addresses and give me your opinion:
To conclude, I request that you pray for me and for my family regularly and give my salaams to your husband and to all of your friends and loved ones who are concerned with following the cases of the oppressed and persecuted like myself.
was Salaam,
Yours,
Enaam Arnaout
