Farouk Abdel-Muhti dies at 57

[Djinn]

Mods - while this touches on the I/P - was hoping it could stay here as it mainly deals with civil liberties post 9/11, particularly with those with Arab/Muslim backgrounds, more than Israel/Palestine

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The struggle for Palestinians' human rights has lost one of its leading fighters in the US. Farouk Abdel-Muhti, a member of the Pacifica radio station WBAI family, died yesterday, apparently of a heart attack, while he was giving a speech last night in Philadelphia. In his speech, he called for unity among groups fighting for social justice. His death comes just three months after he was released from jail where he was detained for two years without charge. He was 57 years old.

Farouk Adbel-Muhti was born in 1947 in Ramallah, a Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank of Jordan. Like many Palestinians, Farouk lived the uprooted life of a stateless refugee, traveling from country to country until finally settling in New York in the 1970s. He made it his home and has lived there ever since.

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In March 2002, Farouk began working regularly at Pacifica Radio station WBAI. He used his contacts to arrange interviews with Palestinians in the Occupied Territories on the morning radio program "Wake-Up Call."

One month later, three New York police officers and an INS agent, all in civilian dress, came to his Queens apartment without a warrant. They claimed they wanted to ask Farouk some questions about September 11th. They said they believed there were weapons and explosives in the apartment. When Farouk's roommate, Bernard McFall refused to open the door, they threatened to break it down, entering without a warrant.

http://www.democracynow.org/static/farouk.shtml