How are mosques fighting terror?

Just knowing who is in the mosque can help. Recently, a group of 20-odd Muslim missionaries asked to spend the night at Mr. Shamsiddeen's mosque in Phoenix. Ordinarily, such a request is automatically granted. But Shamsiddeen demurred because he didn't know any of them personally and some of the young men were from Middle Eastern countries, making him uncertain of their affiliations.

"All of them, over a period of time, would have probably known someone who had been to the [terrorist] camps," he says. "Then when you ask them, they're very quiet about things, because they don't want it known. I said to them, 'I cannot be certain that one of you has not given $5 to someone who was at one of those camps.' I had to say, 'Sorry, you can't stay.' "

That sounds pretty tough to some. But it's a hard line that's spreading among US mosques. "While we are encouraging expressing our opinions freely, we want Muslims to be aware that their religion will not allow them to tolerate, to accept, or to cover up any criminal behavior," says Maher Hathout, spokesman for the Los Angeles-based Islamic Center of Southern California, the first US mosque to endorse the MPAC five-step program.

Mosques have sometimes been used by terrorists. Omar Abdul Rahman, a radical Islamic cleric now serving a life term for the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, once preached at a Jersey City, N.J., mosque. But are US mosques breeding grounds for terrorism today?

It becomes less likely each year as the Muslim mosque community emerges into the American mainstream, says Ihsan Bagby, professor of Islamic studies at the University of Kentucky and coauthor of a recent study of attitudes among Detroit area mosques. "The 9/11 attack has really propelled the Muslim community to become more involved in American society. It has translated bitterness over American foreign policy into constructive engagement."

For its part, the Federal Bureau of Investigation calls mosques essential partners in the fight against terrorism.

Some Muslims want more action.

"We don't think outrage and condemnation of terrorism by Muslim organizations have been sufficient," says Kamal Nawash, a lawyer and Palestinian immigrant. In May, he formed the Free Muslim Coalition Against Terror, which has a website where Muslims can anonymously report suspicious activity.

While the Albany case distresses US Muslims, "some have called me since the Albany arrests to say they are glad this is happening," Mr. Nawash says. "Muslims who deny we have a problem can see for themselves this isn't a fictitious attack on Islam, but that some who are out there pretending to be leaders in our communities really are prepared to do bad things."

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