Muslim-Americans held at border lose suit

Judge says agents did not violate rights of those detained after Islamic gathering

A federal judge has ruled against a group of Muslim-Americans who asked him to guarantee they will not be harassed at the border after attending the Reviving the Islamic Spirit convention in Toronto this weekend.

Last December, some who attended the conference said they were treated like terrorists and detained for hours at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge. On Thursday, District Judge William M. Skretny refused to tell U.S. Homeland Security officials they cannot conduct the same kind of inspections of people returning from this year's conference. He also granted summary judgment in favor of Homeland Security, dismissing the lawsuit filed by four Muslim-Americans from Western New York and one from Brooklyn.

The ruling upset Hassan Shibly, 19, of Amherst, a University at Buffalo political science student who still plans to travel to the conference today. "I'm very disappointed. This is a grave loss," said Shibly. "The court is ruling that it's OK to single out somebody for attending a religious conference. It's like throwing out the First Amendment."

Shibly and his mother, Dr. Sawsaan Tabbaa, a dentist, filed the lawsuit with three other Muslim-Americans and the New York Civil Liberties Union. They plan to appeal.

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