Pakistani man says police violated his civil rights

Jace Radke

Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2004 | 9:50 a.m.

The Council on American Islamic Relations has filed a complaint with Metro Police internal affairs alleging that a 25-year-old Muslim Pakistani national had his civil rights violated by officers at a casino parking garage when he was questioned and his car was searched.

CAIR attorney Engy Abdelkader would only identify the Pakistani man as, "Mr. John Doe" and said that officers asked the man if he felt men and women were equal, what in his opinion is the right way for Muslims to deal with non-Muslims and how he relates to terrorists and their use of Islamic text.

"The general public expects local law enforcement officials to uphold and preserve the freedom of speech, religion and assembly, as well as privacy rights, and the rights to counsel, due process and protection from unreasonable searches and seizures," the complaint states. "Mr. Doe is entitled to the right to be free from government disclosing private facts about him and from government inquiring into matters in which it does not have a legitimate and proper concern."

The man was detained for several hours by police and hotel security, but was not charged with any crime, Abdelkader said.

According to the complaint the Pakistani man was stopped by security personnel inside the New York-New York parking garage on the evening of Oct. 17. He was planning to attend a show at the casino with friends who were staying there, but he never made it out of the parking garage, Abdelkader said.

After hotel security questioned him and searched his car, Metro Police were called, and plain clothes officers arrived at the garage, the complaint states.

The officers questioned the man, and found children's books on Islam and notebooks of Arabic grammar in his car. The man told authorities that he was an Islamic Sunday school teacher, and that the grammar books were for a class in the Arabic language he had been taking.

Later an agent with the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement questioned the man about his immigration status.

The man was able to prove that he came to the U.S. on a student visa and had obtained a bachelor of science and computer science degree from Arizona State University in December 2003, Abdelkader said.

"In my opinion this was egregious because there was no indication of criminal activity," said Abdelkader, who added that CAIR is exploring legal action but has not yet filed a lawsuit.

Abdelkader said that the man who was allegedly harassed does not want his name released to the media.

A Metro Police spokesman said that the department policy does not allow for comment on internal affairs cases until the investigation is completed.

The complaint goes on to allege that the man was stopped by a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper in July 2003 near Hoover Dam for a traffic violation. The trooper allegedly photographed the man, and when he was stopped by security at New York-New York a security supervisor had a copy of the photo.

Alan Feldman, a spokesman with MGM Mirage, the company that owns New York-New York, said that the company had received a police bulletin on the man asking that authorities be called if he was spotted.

Feldman said that he didn't recall the details of why there was a bulletin featuring the man who was detained, and said that if he did recall he wouldn't comment on the details.

Feldman said that MGM Mirage properties frequently receive law enforcement bulletins for people of interest to the police who may be in Las Vegas.