LOCAL COMMUNITY LEADER MOST RECENT VICTIM OF U.S. WAR ON TERROR POLICIES 10 October 2008 LOS ANGELES – In a gross miscarriage of justice, a leader in Southern California’s Iranian American community faces denaturalization and up to 9 years in prison. On April 24, 2008, Seyed Mousavi — father of two UCLA students — was convicted of filing false tax returns, omitting group membership on naturalization forms, and violating the U.S. economic embargo against Iran. From community members to concerned law students, there has been an outpouring of support for Mousavi in what has become an extremely politicized trial. At a hearing last week attended by 120 supporters, the defense presented substantial new evidence of Mousavi's innocence but was denied a motion for a new trial. Mousavi's sentencing in Federal Court will take place Tuesday, October 14. For the last 20 years, Mousavi has been a major contributor to the well-being of the Muslim community in Southern California. He is the founder of Al-Nabi Mosque in West Covina and a non-profit organization that has built bridges across religious divides. Under Mousavi's leadership, Al-Nabi Mosque has been groundbreaking in developing English curriculum for recent immigrants and addressing unique issues facing American-Muslim youth. In addition to teaching in the school, Mousavi serves as a mentor for youth. More than 100 community members have written letters in Mousavi's defense. Though not charged with or convicted of acts of terrorism, the prosecution has painted Mousavi with the broad brush of "terrorist." The U.S. government invoked unsubstantiated assertions, xenophobia and "secret evidence" of terrorism early-on in the case. The government claims that Mousavi broke the embargo with Iran. Mousavi is alleged to have engaged in a consulting contract with a Kuwaiti company to bring cellular telephone networks to Iran. The sentence recommended by the government far exceeds what they have uniformly agreed to in cases involving corporations that have provided overtly military related products to Iran. The government also claims Mousavi was a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, though both the government of Iran and several experts deny this. The government claims that because Mousavi failed to disclose this and other alleged affiliations on his immigration documents, his American citizenship should be revoked. However, experts have disputed the charge of omission, stating that none of Mousavi's alleged affiliations would be considered "memberships" of a nature that requires disclosure on immigration applications. For more information on Mousavi's case, including court filings, letters of support and the online petition, please visit www.freeseyedmousavi.com. By: Zeinab Mousavi Recommend this article to a friend Your name: Your friend's email address: