Friends and family of a US Muslim leader deported to his native West Bank say they are worried for his safety after both Israeli and Palestinian authorities said they had no knowledge of his whereabouts. The US government said it deported Fawaz Damra, 47, on Thursday for his support of Islamic Jihad, a group the State Department classifies as terrorist. But since then, Damra's family in Ohio and the West Bank have had no word from him.
"Hello, Mom?"
"Fawaz! We been so worried about youse! Where are you?"
"Newark." |
Damra, who was imam of Ohio's largest mosque, was convicted in June 2004 of concealing his ties to Islamic Jihad when he applied for US citizenship in 1994. An immigration judge ordered his deportation a year ago and he was jailed until leaving the US Damra immigrated to the US in the 1980s. "We want to know where the heck he is," said Don Bryant, president of the Greater Cleveland Immigrant Support Network and a family friend of Damra. "We are outraged with the way this was handled. He was taken away on a witch hunt." Immigration authorities said Friday that Damra was flown to Amman, Jordan, on Thursday, then crossed the Allenby Bridge to the West Bank. A friend of Damra's, Haider Alawan, said Palestinian government officials told Damra's relatives they did not know his whereabouts. |
