MUSLIM CHARITY LAWSUIT

Civil-rights lawyers are suing the National Security Agency, charging that it illegally wiretapped conversations between the leaders of a local chapter of the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation in Ashland, Ore., and two of its lawyers, reports The Associated Press. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday by American Civil Liberties Union lawyers in the U.S. District Court in Portland, Ore., requests that electronic surveillance by the federal agency be shut down, arguing that the government illegally wiretapped conversations between the Islamic charity, which was indicted in February 2004 for allegedly laundering $150,000 to aid Muslim militants, and two Washington lawyers, Wendell Belew and Asim Ghafoor. The complaint seeks $1-million in damages for each of the plaintiffs. The National Security Agency did not comment on the lawsuit.

Also: A coalition of 10 U.S. Muslim organizations on Tuesday requested a meeting with Treasury Secretary John Snow to discuss concerns that Muslim charities have become a target of the government’s antiterrorism efforts, reports Reuters. In a letter to Mr. Snow, the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections said government closures of Islamic charities have hindered American Muslims’ ability to fulfill their religious obligation to help those in need. The coalition referred to action last month against KindHearts, an Islamic nonprofit group in Toledo, Ohio, whose assets were frozen pending investigation into possible links between the charity and the militant Palestinian group Hamas. The group has denied any affiliation with Hamas