Islamic_Center_of_Irvine

Islamic Center of Irvine

Islamic Center of Irvine

Mosque in Irvine, California

The Islamic Center of Irvine (ICOI) is a mosque and Islamic community center founded by the local Muslim community in the city of Irvine, California on August 28, 2004. It is one of the largest Muslim congregations in California, with an estimated 2,500.0 worshipers attending weekly programs, and offers a variety of services from youth programs (including an annual summer camp for children) to senior workshops and interfaith sports activities. The Islamic Center of Irvine is partnered with the Islamic Society of Orange County in nearby Garden Grove, the Orange County Islamic Foundation in Mission Viejo, and the Islamic Institute of Orange County in Anaheim. The center has also teamed up with various churches and recently signed a friendship pact and held an event with Saddleback Church, one of the largest churches in the country.

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Alleged FBI spying

See also: Federal Bureau of Investigation v. Fazaga

A convicted con man, Craig Monteilh of Tustin, accused the FBI of running him as a paid informant in the center from July 2006 to October 2007, and then reneging on its deal with him. He was instructed to attend daily prayers at least three times a day and to attend the Friday Jumuah prayers. His actions made the members of the Muslim community very uncomfortable.[1][2] A restraining order was later taken out against him.[3]

Three members of the Center filed suit against the FBI and the United States in 2011 for violating several of their rights related to electronic surveillance during Monteilh's time as an informant. The case was initially dismissed by the United States District Court for the Central District of California in August 2012 after the FBI asserted state secrets privilege. The Ninth Circuit reversed this ruling in part, stating that under Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the plaintiffs' had a right to seek legal action against the FBI which overrode their use of their state secrets privilege.[4] The FBI appealed this ruling to the Supreme Court of the United States, which will hear the case during the 2021–22 term.[5]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "Craig Monteilh : The Muslim Observer". Archived from the original on 2014-08-12. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
  2. [2]
    Watanabe, Teresa; Esquivel, Paloma (1 March 2009). "L.A. area Muslims say FBI surveillance has a chilling effect on their free speech and religious practices" – via LA Times.
  3. [3]
    Heller, Matthew (February 2012). "Mr. Inconspicuous". Orange Coast.
  4. [4]
    "Fazaga v. FBI". Harvard Law Review. 33: 1774. 2000.
  5. [5]
    Stohr, Greg (June 7, 2021). "State Secrets Clash Draws U.S. Supreme Court Review". Bloomberg News. Retrieved June 7, 2021.


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