Good news!

Yay! A judge announced that Imam Mohammad Qatanani, a local Muslim cleric, will be allowed to stay in the United States. Imam Qatanani had been charged with having ties to Hamas, and failing to disclose a related prior conviction in Israel. Some of the evidence presented included a signed confession from Mr. Qatanani, obtained after he’d been detained and tortured in Israel for three months. The confession was in Hebrew, a language he does not speak. He did not realize that he’d been convicted during his detention, and therefore did not report it when he applied to be a United States citizen.

According to Judge Alberto Riefkohl, the case presented by the Department of Homeland Security lacked evidence and credibility. I’ve been following this case, and I’m glad that it has such a happy ending. Imam Qatanani is beloved not only in the Islamic community, but has also been supported by many non-Muslims; rabbis, pastors, lawmakers, FBI agents, and other concerned citizens in the Paterson area were vocal in their support of Mr. Qatanani, and they, too, shared in the joy of learning that he will not be deported from the United States.

I don’t understand how our government can condone and participate in actions like this. Not only do we have Guantanamo Bay, which is more of a disgrace every day, we also allow people to be taken to other nations specifically for torture, and accept from other nations information received by people who are mistreated, if not the victims of outright torture. Every day, in addition to the possibility of death, our troops face being kidnapped, tortured, and forced to give false confessions in hostile nations. We view this with the utmost condemnation, as well we should. So how can we believe that this is okay when the person being tortured is not American (by birth, at least)?

I’m glad that Imam Qatanani’s story has a happy ending, and that after all the physical, emotional, and legal hurdles, he can go back to focusing on his family and his work in the community. I’m just sad that this goes on at all, and that there are probably people in this situation with fewer resources or supporters, whose stories don’t end as happily.