by Memorie Knox

CHICAGO (FinalCall.com)�Since Sept. 11, civil rights activists say the United States government continues to incarcerate Arabs, Muslims and Asian immigrants without charges under federal Patriot Act legislation, in the name of waging a war against terrorism.

In response to the government�s alleged actions, more than 50 women activists protested outside a downtown immigration office on Feb. 22, calling for the release of incarcerated Muslim cleric Rabiyah Haddad, who activists say is being held on technical immigration violations.

For several months, they add, he has been held in solitary confinement and has not been allowed to see his family for more than four hours a month.

Mr. Haddad�s family also faces deportation.

Amid the rousing crowd of female protestors, Salma Al Rushaid, Mr. Haddad�s wife, expressed gratitude to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan for his recent words of encouragement and support for the release of her husband.

The campaign to release her husband is growing, and so is the support for similar victims of the Patriot Act, she said.

"I am so happy to know that people are working on my husband�s case as well as the others. Hopefully, this nightmare will end. My husband is so lucky to have the community behind him so that everybody knows he is behind bars. We came to this country to stay and do good. We want to be given a chance to resolve our immigration," Ms. Rushaid told The Final Call.

Mr. Haddad and his family have lived in the U.S. since 1998. A hearing regarding his release and the family�s possible deportation is scheduled for April 10, 2002.

Activists say there are now hundreds of disappeared immigrants, mostly men like Mr. Haddad, who are, by law, being held without charges under the Patriot Act, passed after the Sept. 11 attacks and giving the government greater authority to detain immigrants.

"The Patriot Act is an oppressive law and this could be the start of the government going after other groups. In Germany, during the holocaust, they started taking groups one by one that didn�t fit the mold of what the government thought to be citizens. Our elected officials should repeal this law and make sure that everyone in this country, whether they�re immigrants or citizens, are safe and that the Bill of Rights are maintained," said Starlene Rankin, of Women in Black, an international civil liberties group.

According to Charity Crouse of Not in My Name, an organization of American Jews opposed to Israel�s Occupation of Palestine, the Patriot Act has done nothing but victimize immigrants.

"In the United States war against terrorism, it�s obvious that what�s being sought is the suppression of non-white people criticizing the government. Just as the war on drugs is known to target African Americans and Hispanics in this country, the war on terrorism is targeting Arabs, Muslims and Asians around the world. This extension of the government�s policies and laws to investigate and detain terrorists is just another effort to keep people in fear to prevent them from speaking out. People who are interested in peace in the Middle East should take this issue very seriously," Ms. Crouse said.