The Council on American Islamic Relations is demanding that the federal government shut down all terror watch lists after a Muslim mayor from New Jersey was uninvited to a White House reception for a Muslim holiday.
It’s also demanding an apology.
Mohamed Khairullah has been the mayor from Prospect Park, New Jersey, since 2005.
“What are we going to do about the targeting of Arabs, Muslims, South Asians, by federal agencies that are basically not telling us why we are being harassed at airports, border crossings and now for me to be denied entry into the People’s House is baffling,” Khairullah said.
Khairullah says that the Secret Service would not clear him for entry into the White House, and he was told to return home. He says that he has been previously harassed at airports.
He is accusing the Secret Service of racially profiling him, saying, “There’s no doubt in my mind that at this point, my crime is my race, my religion and my name.”
Khairullah says neither the White House nor the Secret Service has explained why he wasn’t allowed into the event.
The Secret Service would only confirm in a brief statement that he was turned away but offered no additional information.
“While we regret any inconvenience this may have caused, the mayor was not allowed to enter the White House complex this evening,” said a spokesperson for the USSS. “Unfortunately we are not able to comment further on the specific protective means and methods used to conduct our security operations at the White House.”
When asked about the incident, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a media briefing Tuesday that she would bring it up with the Secret Service but went on to applaud the administration for meeting with 400 other Muslims.
“The President was very proud to welcome nearly 400 Muslim Americans to the White House to celebrate Eid yesterday,” Jean-Pierre said. “It was a meaningful event, an opportunity to celebrate along Muslim leaders from across the country who were here.”
Selaedin Maksut, the executive director for the CAIR branch in New Jersey, called on President Joe Biden to meet with Khairullah and apologize to him.
“We are asking that the White House take this as an opportunity to, once and for all, to disband the watchlist — to no longer have government agencies use this discriminatory list in their vetting — or in their spying — of American citizens,” Maksut said.
Here’s more about the Muslim terror list:
Muslim mayor in New Jersey says Secret Service racially profiled himwww.youtube.com
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