N.Y. bars former Islamic chaplain from state prisons for Sept. 11 remarks
By The Associated Press
02.07.03
ALBANY, N.Y. — An Islamic chaplain has been barred from ministering to state prison inmates for reportedly making comments sympathetic to the Sept. 11 terrorists.
Warith Deen Umar, 58, who retired from his $67,919-a-year prison job in 2000, won't be allowed in the system he has tried to visit at least three times, state prisons spokesman James Flateau said yesterday.
"The comments that he has made since leaving our employ are nothing short of reprehensible, disgusting and rejected by virtually all Americans regardless of race, creed or color," Flateau said. "There is no room in this prison system for anyone who expresses those kinds of viewpoints. So yesterday, the commissioner (Glenn Goord) ordered that he be barred from ever entering a correctional facility again for any purposes."
Yesterday, Umar, the former head Islamic chaplain in the state prison system, disputed the published report that led to his banishment.
"Sept. 11 was a terrible thing to happen," said Umar. The attack "was something that was very bad and I felt saddened for those people who had to suffer," he said.
"It was also an indication and a sign that America's foreign policies have gone astray and have created havoc in the world and I think that we need to condemn all kinds of killing and suffering and fighting and war," Umar said. He said he now fears for the safety of himself and his family.
On Feb. 5, The Wall Street Journal quoted an unpublished memoir by Umar as saying: "Even Muslims who say they are against terrorism secretly admire and applaud" the hijackers. The Journal reported that Umar told the newspaper that the Quran doesn't condemn terrorism against oppressors of Muslims, even if it results in the deaths of innocent people.
Umar said yesterday that his comments in the Feb. 5 editions of The Wall Street Journal were taken out of context.
"We believe our story is accurate and fair," said Journal spokeswoman Karen Miller Pensiero. She said the newspaper had asked Umar to specify his complaints. "If he should provide specific information about any inaccuracies, we will carefully consider it," Pensiero said.
Umar's published comments led to his ban from state prisons a week after he said he was terminated from a $37-an-hour contract as a chaplain in a federal prison in New York. He said his federal contract ended when the newspaper questioned officials about Umar's comments the reporter said were made in an interview.
Gov. George Pataki called the comments attributed to Umar "outrageous and deplorable."
"New Yorkers, including our strong and vibrant Muslim community, have tremendous respect for religious freedom, but we will not tolerate any individual who supports or encourages cowardly acts of terrorism or hatred or racism in any form," Pataki said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer called on the state to suspend all prison imams hired by Umar "and see if they have done the same things and anyone who has done anything similar should be fired."
"My worry is that within our own prison system, we are potentially creating recruits for al-Qaida and may have done so already," Schumer said. He also wants the federal system examined.
Umar said yesterday that although he understands the sentiments behind the terrorist acts and the complaints with American foreign policy that fueled them, he doesn't condone terrorism. Umar also denied saying the terrorists were martyrs.
"I said they considered themselves martyrs if they were very conscious of what they were doing and not completely deranged, they probably considered themselves martyrs... . I never honored them and never said that nor would I say that," Umar said.
"I think they were terrorists, and I think they were wrong about doing what they had to do. I think it could have been done peacefully," he said, adding, "but I can't speak for them."
Asked if he condemned the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist acts, he said, "If people oppress the Muslims ... then they (Muslims) had the opportunity and the obligation to fight back."
"The Quran," he said, "doesn't condemn and forbid terrorism ... if one has to fight, you fight to win and everybody in this world who has had to fight uses terror... . America is a big terror country."
Since Sept. 11, 2001, the state has tried to fire two other imams or Islamic prayer leaders for pro-terrorist comments, Flateau said. One was dismissed; another imam appealed and was instead suspended for 90 days and then retired shortly after.
Flateau said it would be a "dangerous philosophy" to assume remaining imams shared Umar's "extremist views." He said the imams would be judged on their actions like any employee.
There are now 40 Muslim chaplains on the state payroll in the prison system serving 9,862 Muslim inmates, or about 15% of the prison population. Many of them were hired by Umar, but Flateau said no action is being taken against those chaplains.