Responding to a growing demand for global curriculum, Link TV

(www.linktv.org), an independent television channel

dedicated to presenting diverse international perspectives,
is proud to launch the Global Link of World Educators (GLOWE)
pilot initiative. The GLOWE project uses Link TV programming to
develop global cultural understanding and media literacy. All media
is delivered free of charge, online (www.linktv.org/teachers) or
via DVD, and accompanied by standards-based, participatory
learning guides. To contact us: teachers@linktv.org

UNITED STATES CITIZEN’S FAMILY CONDEMNED

Content Learning Objective:

To improve students’ writing/critical thinking while broadening
their understanding of the Muslim American experience and
different aspects of contemporary anti-Muslim sentiment in the
United States.

GRADES: 9-12 SUBJECTS: CIVICS, LANGUAGE ARTS

TIME REQUIRED: 1-2 class sessions (or a 15-20 minute “mini-lesson”)

MATERIALS: Online media (www.linktv.org/teachers), computer(s) with Internet access,
projector or interactive whiteboard (aka SmartBoard)
Overview: United States Citizen’s Family Condemned (4:14) This is the story of Fatima Hossain,
whose husband was arrested in August 2004 and charged with conspiracy and material support of
terrorism. In 2006, Mohammed was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. Fatima was left to support
and raise six children and numerous relatives on her own. This story shows the hidden suffering of a
family when the husband and father is allegedly unjustly incarcerated.

Prerequisite Knowledge: NONE

This lesson plan was created by Sally Carless, founder of Global Village School (international):
www.globalvillageschool.org
Background Information / Teacher Resources:
Optional: you may wish to review these before presenting the lesson

Fact sheet: http://www.nepajac.org/factsheet2.pdf (Produced by the Northeast Peace and

Justice Action Coalition, the information in this factsheet is based on evidence which was
presented at trial or on information which was reported in the media.) Note: many other
Internet resources are listed at the end of this lesson.

Link TV educators have created Fast Facts sheets to supplement these learning guides with
basic background information:

Learn about Islam and Muslims - http://www.linktv.org/teachers/onenation/facts_islam

pdf version: http://www.linktv.org/sitecontent/teachers/fastfacts_islam.pdf

Learn about Women and Islam - http://www.linktv.org/teachers/onenation/facts_women

pdf version: http://www.linktv.org/sitecontent/teachers/fastfacts_women.pdf

For more information on Islam and Muslims in America, please visit the One Nation website:
http://www.onenationforall.org/

Rethinking Schools also has some excellent information:

What is Islam? http://www.rethinkingschools.org/war/readings/what162.shtml
Also available as a pdf for student handouts:
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/special_reports/sept11/pdf/Islam.pdf

1. PREPARING TO WATCH THE FILM: (5-10 minutes)

Geographical context (Optional)

Albany, NY (where the events took place), Kurdistan/Iraq, Syria, Bangladesh (places the people
in the film lived before coming to the U.S.): Using a map, atlas, globe, or the Internet, have
someone point out these locations.

Vocabulary

Imam: an Islamic leadership position, often the leader of a mosque and the community.

(Definition from Wikipedia)

2. WATCH THE FILM (5 min)

3. REFLECTION, INTEGRATION (20-30 minutes, more if desired)

Questions for research, writing, discussion, debate:

Depending on your students’ grade level, needs and abilities, skills they need to practice,
standards you need to emphasize, time constraints, etc., you can have students reflect on some
or all of the following questions either in class or as homework:

1. Free-writing Exercise: Write your response to what you saw (don’t worry about accuracy,
grammar, etc. – just get the thoughts out)
2. One could say that Mohammed Hossain pursued the “American Dream.” How did he
create a life for himself and his family? (Own business– pizza place, bought and
renovated other properties, etc.)
3. What was his proud accomplishment? When did it occur? (Citizenship, 1985)
4. (Minute 1:09) The newspaper headline above Hossain’s picture, “Commander,” proved
to be a mistranslation. The document used in the accusations actually said “brother.” Do
you think it is possible to restore your reputation after headlines like that? Explain.
5. Research the case: What else can you find out? What is happening now? What is the
status of Hossain and Aref’s appeals?
6. Research and define the following terms: warrantless wiretapping, domestic spying,
NSA, entrapment, “sting” operations, constitutional right to a fair trial, conspiracy,
material support of terrorism, citizenship (the process involved in becoming a citizen).
7. Essay: discuss one or more of the above terms in relation to Hossain and Aref’s case.

8. From what you have been able to find out, does it appear to have been a fair trial?
Present your evidence: What sources did you use? What process did you use to
determine whether the sources are reliable?
9. What do you think of the son, Abu Hamza Hossain’s argument in defense of his father?
(“it doesn’t make sense to create a whole life in the US, live here 20 years, invest all his
money and everything he had, and then plan to blow up a place”)
10. Write a letter to someone involved in the case – Mohammed Hossain, one of his family
members, the judge, prosecutor, defense attorneys, President Bush, former Attorney
General Ashcroft, etc. (It is up to you whether to actually send the letter or not.)
11. Imagine you are one of the people in the film. Write an imaginary diary entry.

Depending on the flexibility you have; the interests, talents, and learning styles of your
students, etc.; you may also wish to give students the option to create artwork, poetry, or
other projects of their choice in response to the film and/or issues that came up in class.

4. Background information, resources for further research

The following sites represent an overview of the information available in December

2009. You may wish to share some or all of them with your students, or you could have
them do their own research and use these for your own reference/preparation.
From Democracy Now! (democracynow.org) Search Results for mohammed hossain

Mosque Leaders Get 15 Years in Controversial Sting Case

March 09, 2007 | Headline
Two leaders of a mosque in Albany, New York have been sentenced to fifteen years in prison in
a case that raised major questions over the conduct of government officials. The men, Yassin
Aref and Mohammed Hossain, were convicted of aiding a government informant in a fictional
plot to assassinate a Pakistani diplomat…The case has also drawn scrutiny for coming out of
the Bush administration’s warrantless spy program…

2 Albany Muslims Convicted on Terror Charges

October 13, 2006 | Headline
In Albany, New York, two Muslim immigrants have been convicted … of aiding a government
informant in a fake plot to assassinate a Pakistani diplomat. The men’s attorneys say their
clients had no violent history and are the victims of government entrapment…

Wiretapped Suspects Seek Dismissal of Terror Charges

January 26, 2006 | Headline
Meanwhile, the lawyer for one of two US Muslims jailed on terrorism charges has filed a motion
to dismiss the entire case on the grounds their prosecution originated in the Bush
administration’s domestic spy program…

U.S. Admits It Erred in Albany Terror Case

August 18, 2004 | Headline
An Albany, the government has admitted to a judge that it incorrectly translated a key document
that was used as evidence to back the arrest of two local Muslim leaders. According to the
Albany Times Union, the government Yassin Aref and Mohammed Hossain in part because it
found a notebook in a Kurdish camp in Iraq that identified Aref as a “commander.” But now the
government has admitted that the Army mistranslated the contents of the notebook. What they
thought was the Arabic word for “commander” was actually the Kurdish word for “brother.” …

FBI Mosque Raid Criticized

August 10, 2004 | Headline
Serious questions are being raised about a raid on a mosque in Albany, New York last week
that was hailed as a victory in the so-called war on terror. … But it now appears there was no
actual plot; it turns out the 2 men from the mosque were dealing with an FBI informant who is a
convicted felon trying to get a reduced sentence in an unrelated fraud case…

Other sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Mosharref_Hossain
http://www.timesunion.com/specialreports/centralave/voices/1hossain.asp
http://www.aclu.org/national-security/federal-appeals-court-hear-nyclu-arguments-about-
secret-court-opinion-and-nsa-warr
http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/26326966/From-Sting-to-FrameUp-
The-Case-of-Yassin-Aref
http://www.yassinaref.com
from NE Peace and Justice Action Coalition:
• http://www.nepajac.org/Defending%20Muslims%20in%20Albany.htm
• Fact sheet: http://www.nepajac.org/factsheet2.pdf
• Defense committee: http://nepajac.org/Aref&Hossain.htm

“Waiting for Mercy” Film, website:

Waiting for Mercy is a new documentary by Ellie Bernstein, the woman who made the
documentary you just watched. “Waiting for Mercy tells the story of a fabricated FBI sting
operation that took place in Albany, New York during the winter, spring and summer of 2004.
The complex operation was designed to entrap Yassin Aref, 37 (a refugee from Kurdistan in
northern Iraq) and Mohammed Mosharref Hossain, 51, a United States citizen and an immigrant
from Bangladesh.” http://www.yassinaref.com/movie.htm , http://waitingformercy.com/
Mini-Lesson Option

If your time is limited, you can still provide your students with a valuable learning experience.
Depending on the amount of time you have, choose any of the above activities. We recommend
both pre-viewing and post-viewing discussions. Any additional activities you wish to include
could be assigned as homework or included in future class meetings. Here is a sample mini-
lesson:

1. Pre-viewing: Give a short overview of the film. Choose one or more of the discussion
questions above. Explain the vocabulary word.
2. View the film
3. Post-viewing: Lead a short discussion of the film. Encourage students to reflect upon
and discuss what impacted them the most, then choose one or more of the above
discussion questions.
4. Assign follow-up assignments as desired.

McRel National Content Standards

Civics, Grade 9-12

Standard 18. Understands the role and importance of law in the American constitutional
system and issues regarding the judicial protection of individual rights
Benchmark 8.Knows historical and contemporary instances in which judicial protections have
not been extended to all persons and instances in which judicial protections have been
extended to those deprived of them in the past
Benchmark 9.Understands why due process rights in administrative and legislative procedures
are essential for protecting individual rights and maintaining limited government

Standard 25. Understands issues regarding personal, political, and economic rights
Benchmark 1.Understands the importance to individuals and to society of personal rights such
as freedom of thought and conscience, privacy and personal autonomy, and the right to due
process of law and equal protection of the law
Benchmark 5.Knows major documentary sources of personal, political, and economic rights
such as the Northwest Ordinance, state constitutions and bills of rights, court decisions, and
common law
Benchmark 6.Understands how personal, political, and economic rights are secured by
constitutional government and by such means as the rule of law, checks and balances, an
independent judiciary, and a vigilant citizenry

Standard 13. Understands the character of American political and social conflict and
factors that tend to prevent or lower its intensity
Benchmark 2.Knows why people may agree on values or principles in the abstract but disagree
when they are applied to specific issues such as the right to life and capital punishment

Language Arts, Grade 9-12

Standard 1. Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process
Benchmark 1. Prewriting: Uses a variety of prewriting strategies (e.g., develops a focus, plans a
sequence of ideas, uses structured overviews, uses speed writing, creates diagrams)
Benchmark 2. Drafting and Revising: Uses a variety of strategies to draft and revise written work
(e.g., highlights individual voice; rethinks content, organization, and style; checks accuracy and
depth of information; redrafts for readability and needs of readers; reviews writing to ensure that
content and linguistic structures are consistent with purpose)
Benchmark 6. Uses strategies to adapt writing for different purposes (e.g., to explain, inform,
analyze, entertain, reflect, persuade)
Benchmark 8. Writes fictional, biographical, autobiographical, and observational narrative
compositions (e.g., narrates a sequence of events; evaluates the significance of the incident;
provides a specific setting for scenes and incidents; provides supporting descriptive detail
[specific names for people, objects, and places; visual details of scenes, objects, and places;
descriptions of sounds, smells, specific actions, movements, and gestures; the interior
monologue or feelings of the characters]; paces the actions to accommodate time or mood
changes; creates a unifying theme or tone; uses literary devices to enhance style and tone)
Benchmark 9. Writes persuasive compositions that address problems/solutions or
causes/effects (e.g., articulates a position through a thesis statement; anticipates and addresses
counter arguments; backs up assertions using specific rhetorical devices [appeals to logic,
appeals to emotion, uses personal anecdotes]; develops arguments using a variety of methods
such as examples and details, commonly accepted beliefs, expert opinion, cause-and-effect
reasoning, comparison-contrast reasoning)

Standard 4.Gathers and uses information for research purposes

Benchmark 1. Uses appropriate research methodology (e.g., formulates questions and refines
topics, develops a plan for research; organizes what is known about a topic; uses appropriate
research methods, such as questionnaires, experiments, field studies; collects information to
narrow and develop a topic and support a thesis)
Benchmark 2. Uses a variety of print and electronic sources to gather information for research
topics (e.g., news sources such as magazines, radio, television, newspapers; government
publications; microfiche; telephone information services; databases; field studies; speeches;
technical documents; periodicals; Internet)
Benchmark 8. Writes research papers (e.g., includes a thesis statement; synthesizes
information into a logical sequence; paraphrases ideas and connects them to other sources and
related topics; identifies complexities and discrepancies in information; addresses different
perspectives; organizes and converts information into different forms such as charts, graphs,
and drawings; integrates quotations and citations into flow of paper; adapts researched material
for presentation to different audiences and for different purposes)
Benchmark 9. Use standard format and methodology for documenting reference sources (e.g.,
credits quotations and paraphrased ideas; understands the meaning and consequences of
plagiarism; distinguishes own ideas from others; uses a style sheet method for citing sources,
such as the Modern Language Association, American Psychological Association, or Chicago
Manual of Style; includes a bibliography of reference material)