At Mosque, Relief and Thanks

Inside the King Fahd Mosque, as sunbeams danced off marble walls and deep chants in Arabic filled the hall, dozens of Muslims bowed, prostrated themselves and offered silent prayers. A dominant emotion here Thursday was gratitude--to be alive, to be protected by God, to still have a place to pray after FBI agents this week foiled an alleged plot by the Jewish Defense League to bomb the Culver City mosque.

But as Muslims huddled after the noon prayer to talk, another emotion spilled out: not quite vindication, but something close.

“Any time anything bad happens, they say it’s Muslim people, but we should not blame religion,” said Muhammad Jallo, 46, a West African native attired in a long blue robe and Islamic cap. “Just like the people who wanted to bomb the masjid--how can we say it has anything to do with Jews? This is wrong.”

Across the country, Muslims expressed similar sentiments. But the alleged plot also set off another round of acrimony between Muslim and Jewish organizations, despite the fact that all parties long ago dismissed the JDL as a marginal, extremist group.

Muslim Groups Demand Action

In a stream of news releases, national Muslim organizations seized on the alleged bomb plot to urge fair play: Treat JDL Chairman Irv Rubin and his associates with the same severity that Muslims and Arabs have experienced, particularly since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Rubin and another JDL official were arrested Tuesday on federal conspiracy charges.

The Muslim Public Affairs Council called on the Justice Department to freeze the JDL’s assets, just as federal authorities recently shut down the Holy Land Foundation, one of the nation’s largest Islamic charities, on charges that it funneled money to terrorist organizations.

The Los Angeles-based council, which federal authorities alleged was Rubin’s initial target, also called for the closure of all JDL offices. Mimicking the language used against Islamic groups, the council said the JDL operated “alleged terrorist cells” in 11 countries and more than 20 U.S. cities. (The Anti-Defamation League estimates that Irvin’s group has no more than a dozen followers locally and 200 nationwide.)

The alleged JDL plot made clear that “Jewish terrorism is just as dangerous as Muslim terrorism,” said council Vice-President Aslam Abdullah. He called on authorities to profile those who “look like Rubin,” just as thousands of Arabs and Muslims have been questioned at airports on suspicion of terrorism.

In an even sharper statement, the Council on American-Islamic Relations demanded that the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee and other pro-Israeli groups stop fomenting what it called “an atmosphere of Islamophobia” that may have incited Rubin and other alleged plotters.

Omar Ahmad, board chairman of the Washington-based council, said pro-Israel groups have “orchestrated an ongoing anti-Islamic smear campaign seeking to marginalize our community.”

The council said the ADL and American Jewish Committee had unsuccessfully tried to bar its members from testifying at public hearings on hate crimes in Los Angeles, Orange County and Santa Clara, as well as Florida and New York.

David Lehrer, ADL regional director, confirmed that his group had attempted to bar the Muslim speakers. But he justified the actions by saying these leaders do not clearly and unambiguously condemn terrorism by such organizations as Hamas, the militant Palestinian organization that has claimed responsibility for recent suicide bombings. Lehrer called “bizarre and outrageous” charges that the ADL may have incited Rubin.

“It would be nice if leaders of CAIR would be as unequivocal in their condemnation of hate as the entire Jewish community has been in the face of the actions of the JDL,” Lehrer said.

On Wednesday, when charges against Rubin were made public, four major Jewish organizations immediately arranged a news conference to uniformly condemn the alleged plotters. The ADL, American Jewish Committee, Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the Board of Rabbis of Southern California decried the alleged acts as antithetical to Jewish teachings.

Bomb Materials, Weapons Seized

Rubin, 56, and Earl Krugel, 59, JDL’s West Coast coordinator, were arrested late Tuesday after explosive powder was delivered to Krugel’s home in Reseda, authorities said. Other weapons and bomb-making materials were seized during a raid at Krugel’s home, authorities said.

Rep. Darrell E. Issa (R-Vista), whose office was also allegedly targeted by the JDL, said he was heartened by Jewish groups’ swift condemnation. Those in the Arab and Muslim communities “who think sometimes there’s a double standard” can be assured the government is interested in protecting all citizens, said the congressman, who is of Lebanese descent.

Referring to Rubin and Krugel, Issa said, “In my personal belief, I don’t think there can be two people as dumb or as hateful.”

Back at the King Fahd mosque, there was little talk of politics. Instead, Imam Tajuddin B. Shuaib, the mosque’s religious director, spoke of thanks. In the silent pauses between his oral prayers, Shuaib said, his heart swelled with thanks to “God, the government and the FBI for their vigil and diligence.”

Sonia Arcangeli, a 31-year-old Marina del Rey resident, spoke first of dread. Ever since emigrating here from Tunisia via Italy in 1998, she says, she feared an American might throw acid on her face because she is Muslim. But Wednesday night, after news of the foiling of the alleged plot reached mosque members breaking their Ramadan fast, she said she was filled with elation. “I was happy and excited,” she said. “God could have taken me, but didn’t.”

And Usman Mahda, the mosque’s community liaison, spoke of appreciation.

“You have a different appreciation of this mosque when you stand here and say, ‘It could have been gone,’ ” Mahda said. “And for what? We’re not terrorists here. We’re law-abiding, God-worshiping people.”

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Times staff writers Richard Winton, Jean Pasco and David Rosenzweig contributed to this report.