Readers, please help me!
I can't decide which clip art to use for pointing out a puff piece:
"Imam's legal woes leave his followers frustrated."
The South Weekly section of the Boston Globe has a story about the beleaguered Imam Muhammad Masood of the Islamic Center of New England: Poor Masood - he can't work at the ICNE, he can't support his family of eight, people are feeling frustrated and resentful. Frustrated? How about us readers? We're frustrated too!
There's a whole lot more to this story. I realize that not every newspaper article can or should contain every last detail, but how did the reporter manage to overlook so much?
Some of the details that the reporter might have mentioned:
- Not a peep that the ICNE does have an acting imam, Khalid Nasr.
- The article states that Masood is supporting a family of eight (three were born here). Most of Masood's children are young adults, they're working and supporting themselves.
- No mention that Masood's brother Imam Hamid got "whisked out of the United States" (voluntarily) and flew to Pakistan with his family very early Monday morning.
- Overlooked that both imams are brothers of Hafiz "Jihad has been ordained by Allah" Saeed, the founder of a notorious terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT).
- The Daily Times reported that Masood's brother Hamid was BMOC at an LeT safe house in Moon Chowk, Lahore, Pakistan.
- Not a peep that Masood was called before a Federal Grand Jury on Boston in January 2007.
- The story notes that charges of a link to Muhammad Khalil with Masood were dropped, but negelcts to mention that Masood's brother-in-law Abdul Hanan (also arrested last November 2006) did come to the U.S. via Khalil and worked for him in Brooklyn.
- The Sharon interfaith clergy apparently had no clue that Imam Masood had a brother who was an imam in Worcester or a brother-in-law who was an imam in Lowell. That's a bit odd, no?
- No mention that Masood replaced Imam Talal Eid, in what was an extremely controversial and divisive move by the ICNE Board in spring 2005.
- Questions about Masood's visa irregularities were raised by ICNE members years ago. Despite what the Globe article says, it's not true that 100% of the ICNE are behind Imam Masood.
Imam Masood and his wife and some of their children are living rent-free (with their utilities paid for) on a beautiful 52-acre estate in leafy, affluent Sharon,Massachusetts (the Lexington of the South Shore). The MAS has held fund-raisers for Masood, reportedly raising $40,000 at one fundraiser alone. A Sharon interfaith group has also raised money for the family. It must be very difficult for Masood and his family to be in limbo, but compared to probably anybody else in the country facing deportation, they're the luckiest ones.
Squaring the Boston Globe had a suggestion for a puff piece photo:
http://squaringtheglobe.blogspot.com/2007/06/errors-of-omission.html
Posted by: Dennis | June 07, 2007 at 04:17 PM
I like the left side graphic ... blowing in the wind..
Posted by: michael Iwanowicz | June 07, 2007 at 09:55 PM
Pink powderpuffs perfect. :-)
Posted by: Sissy Willis | June 10, 2007 at 04:24 PM