08 January 2005	Saturday	26 Ziqa'ad 1425

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 7: Fearing a strict scrutiny after returning from Haj, the two representative groups of American Muslims _ the American Muslim Voice (AMV) and Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) _ have sought a clarification from the US administration.

The clarification has been sought in the wake of reports that those American Muslims who have left for Saudi Arabia to perform Haj, would be fingerprinted or singled out for special security measures. Some 10,000 American Muslims perform Haj every year.

The AMV and CAIR expressed the concern amid reports that a good number of Muslims were singled out last month for security checks and fingerprinted after attending an Islamic conference in Canada.

Several of the Muslim detainees told CAIR they had objected strenuously to being fingerprinted, but were informed by officials of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that "you have no rights" and that they would be kept under detention held until they agreed to the fingerprinting procedure.

A senior official later admitted that the Muslim citizens were fingerprinted because of their participation in the Canadian conference. To assist returning pilgrims, CAIR has established a "Haj Hotline" for those who believe their constitutional rights would be violated by CBP officials.

In 2003, thousands of Muslim Americans returning after performing Haj faced increased scrutiny at airports, with US officials putting a special emphasis on cities with a significant Muslim presence, eg Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco.