Muslims Sue CBS Over Defamatory Report
In a CBS "60 Minutes" report on May 4 titled "Terrorist Hunter" an anonymous woman called "Sarah" was shown in disguise outside a Herndon, Va., office building that she claimed was "the heart of a terrorist funding ring."
That office was one of many raided by U.S. federal authorities in March of 2002, apparently based largely on allegations propagated by "Sarah," identified in the lawsuit as the SITE Institute’s Director Rita Katz.
More than a year after the raids, which triggered an outrage among the Muslim American community, no criminal charges have been pressed against anyone individual or organization.
The lawsuit argues that those allegedly defamed in the "60 Minutes" program were not given an opportunity to respond to the charges prior to broadcast.
The plaintiffs are seeking a judgment in the amount of $80 million in compensatory and punitive damages.
The North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) repudiated Wednesday, May 7, the allegations propagated by the CBS report.
Sarah claimed she had donned a Muslim garb, hid a tape recorder underneath and went mosques to record imams calling for jihad “against Jews, against the United States.”
She alleged that the "most radical mosques" were all owned by NAIT.
Sarah had also alleged that when she visited NAIT offices in 555 Grove Street, Herndon, Virginia, she removed some "documents" from the trash and thus "stumbled upon the heart of a terrorist-financing ring."
A NAIT spokesperson dismissed the claims " unconscionable, and libelous.
"Not only was it shoddy journalism in that it was completely one-sided, it was false and portrayed our entities in a false light. We will demand retraction from 60 Minutes and CBS."
He had threatened that "if a retraction is not forthcoming, we will have no recourse but to sue for retraction and damages."
In a letter to Don Hewitt of CBS News, Nancy Lugue, NAIT lawyer, stressed "there was no attempt whatsoever to provide any balance to allegations" by the so-called Sarah, whose credentials are never described.
