From Huffington Post
by Hunter Stuart
Is the FBI using its notorious no-fly list as a way to retaliate against Muslim Americans who refuse to spy for them? It might be, according to a new lawsuit.
Muhammed Tanvir, of Queens, N.Y., says he was asked by the FBI to spy on the Muslim community to which he belongs and was put on the no-fly list when he refused, Courthouse News reported on Thursday.
Now, with the backing of the Center for Constitutional Rights, he’s suing officials in the FBI, the TSA and the Department of Homeland Security.
Tanvir’s lawsuit notes that he is a lawful permanent resident who works at a dollar store in the Bronx and does not pose a terror threat. Tanvir wants the FBI’s alleged practice of punishing Muslims who refuse to cooperate with the agency’s spying programs declared unconstitutional, Courthouse News notes.
The FBI declined to comment when contacted by The Huffington Post.
However, Tanvir’s story is not so unusual.
Kevin Iraniha, a pro-Palestinian activist with a master’s degree in international law, said he was mysteriously questioned by the FBI after a trip he took to the Middle East, according to journalist and Middle East expert Shirin Sadeghi. He later found himself on a no-fly list while trying to fly to San Diego from Costa Rica, Sadeghi explained in a blog for The Huffington Post.
