Why a New Jersey mayor was uninvited from a White House celebration
The White House organized a belated celebration for Eid al-Fitar earlier this week and invited hundreds of prominent American Muslims. Then, it uninvited one of them: Mohammad Khairullah, the mayor of Prospect Park, N.J. He's the longest serving Muslim mayor in this country, and he was given no explanation as to why.
Khairullah told NPR's Leila Fadel on Morning Edition that he contacted the Council on American Islamic Relations shortly after he was disinvited to the event. The council informed him that he was on a "secret list," which was leaked earlier this year.
"I was added to the list in 2019, which put things together in my mind because all my traveling difficulties started in 2019," Khairullah said. "So it's at this point, for some reason, I am on a secret list that the government is denying exists and it's caused me and my family trouble."
At a White House press briefing this week, when asked about Khairullah being uninvited from the event, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly deferred to the U.S. Secret Service.
For its part, the Secret Service put out a statement from spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi: "While we regret any inconvenience this may have caused, the mayor was not allowed to enter the White House complex this evening. Unfortunately we are not able to comment further on the specific protective means and methods used to conduct our security operations at the White House."
The White House is also noting its ongoing efforts to counter Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination. On Tuesday administration officials held a listening session with Muslim community leaders, including the government affairs director of CAIR.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
On what the "secret list" is
Leila Fadel: Now, this secret list you're referring to is a watch list, and the 2019 leaked list you're talking about was a hack. And on that list, the majority of those names are Arab Muslim sounding names based on what was on those hacked list. Do you think this is a situation of profiling?
Mohamed Khairullah: The fact that the list is mostly Arabs and Muslims, the fact that we have no way to address why we are on the list is definitely profiling and a lack of due process. And that's why a federal judge deemed that list to be unlawful. However, our federal government continues to use that list despite the fact that it was deemed unlawful.
Leila Fadel: There will be people listening to you who say these types of lists and this type of secrecy is necessary for the national security of this country, even if it is uncomfortable for you. What do you say to those people?
Mohamed Khairullah: As an elected official, I've been mayor for 17 years. I've been very close to former presidents, elected officials. This is not a very smart list. It's not an intelligent list. It's a dragnet that's not very effective. It uses racial profiling, ethnic profiling. So if the attempt is to prevent me from meeting people, I've met these people plenty of times when the list was not used.
So I think we need a more intelligent way of protecting the nation rather than somebody writing a report about me that I can't know about, or and I'm assuming that's how I got on. And I can't defend myself. I can't defend my name. I think inconvenience has to be justified, not just throw in a dragnet that's going to inconvenience 1.5 million people.
On the White House's response
They have been silent. When asked at the press conference, they referred the matter back to the Secret Service. However, this is a list that was created back in 2003 by President George W. Bush. So it is something that the executive branch can do something about. And we hope that the Biden administration can finally disband this list and correct the course of how things are going and this racial profiling.
On how being on the watch list has affected him
So the first time I started experiencing difficulties was when we were going on a trip to Istanbul, which we didn't think [much] about. But when we returned from Istanbul, at JFK, the agents were there at the door and they still said, "Oh, you are being randomly selected."
So we went with them and I had to end the conversation, because the agent flat out asked me, "Did you meet any terrorists?" As if the answer was going to be yes or no, to which I said, "Listen, at this point I'm ending this conversation, I need a lawyer." And obviously because of that, he said, "Do you understand? I'm going to take your phone. We're going to strip search you." So, I'm like, do what you got to do, but this conversation is over.
On what it's like to be selected for a search at US airports
It's humiliating, to say the least. I mean, I could tell you when I was coming back from Canada in 2021, I was detained and in a glass room and my toddler daughter would stand at the door asking me why she can't be with me. And I'm being held there for about two or three hours. There's no explanation. And how do you explain to a child that your government is detaining your dad for reasons that he can't explain, that the government won't explain? It's just baffling. It's in a country where we have institutions and we have a great constitution that protects the liberties of people to be targeted because of my name, ethnicity and religion is just unbelievable. And that's basically what my crimes are.
To be 100% randomly selected every single time I go to the airport is just not a coincidence.
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Transcript
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The White House organized a belated Eid celebration on Monday and invited hundreds of prominent American Muslims, then uninvited one, Mohamed Khairullah, the mayor of Prospect Park, N.J. He's the longest-serving Muslim mayor in this country. He was given no explanation as to why. To talk about this, the mayor is with us now.
Good morning.
MOHAMED KHAIRULLAH: Good morning, Leila, to you and your listeners.
FADEL: Thank you for being here. I want to start with why you think this happened to you.
KHAIRULLAH: So when I received the call from the White House and I was told it's the Secret Service and there's no explanation, I contacted the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which informed me that I was indeed on a secret list that was leaked recently in January, and that I was added to the list in 2019, which put things together in my mind because all my traveling difficulties was started in 2019. So at this point, for some reason, I am on a secret list that the government denying exists. And it's causing me and my family trouble.
FADEL: Now, this secret list you're referring to is a watchlist. And the 2019 leaked list you're talking about was a hack. And on that list, the majority of those names are Arab-, Muslim-sounding names, based on what was on those hacked list. Do you think this is a situation of profiling?
KHAIRULLAH: Absolutely, 100%. The fact that the list is mostly Arabs and Muslims, the fact that we have no way to address why we are on the list, is definitely profiling and a lack of due process. And that's why a federal judge deemed that list to be unlawful. However, our federal government continues to use that list despite the fact that it was deemed unlawful.
FADEL: Have you ever been charged with a crime?
KHAIRULLAH: Absolutely not. I - you know, when I ask at the airports, it's all random. But to be 100% randomly selected every single time I go to the airport is just not a coincidence.
FADEL: What does it feel like to be constantly selected in this way, to be searched, to be questioned, to be denied entry to a Eid celebration at the White House?
KHAIRULLAH: Well, it's humiliating, to say the least. I mean, I could tell you, when I was coming back from Canada in 2021, I was detained in a glass room. And my toddler daughter would stand at the door asking me why she can't be with me. And I'm being held there for about two to three hours. There's no explanation. And how do you explain to a child that your government is detaining your dad for reasons that he can't explain why, the government won't explain? It's just baffling. It's - in a country where we have institutions and we have a great Constitution that protects the liberties of people, to be targeted because of my name, ethnicity and religion is just unbelievable. It's basically what my crimes are.
FADEL: That's what you think is happening here? Your name and your religion is why you think this is happening to you?
KHAIRULLAH: Absolutely. Why is the list mostly Arabs and Muslims?
FADEL: What would you say - what would you want the White House to do? Have you heard anything from them at all?
KHAIRULLAH: Well, no, they have been silent. The - obviously, when asked at the press conference, they referred the matter back to the Secret Service. However, this is a list that was created back in 2003 by President Bush. So it is something that the executive branch can do something about. And we hope that the Biden administration can finally disband this list and correct the course of how things are going and end this racial profiling.
FADEL: You know, there will be people listening to you who say these types of lists and this type of secrecy is necessary for the national security of this country, even if it is uncomfortable for you. What do you say to those people?
KHAIRULLAH: Well, listen; as an elected official, I've been mayor for 17 years. I've been very close to former presidents, elected officials. This is not a very smart list. It's not an intelligent list. It's a dragnet that's not very effective. It uses racial profiling, ethnic profiling. So if the intent is to prevent me from meeting people, I've met these people plenty of times when the list was not used. So I think we need a more intelligent way of protecting the nation, rather than somebody writing a report about me that I can't know about. Or - and I'm assuming that's how I got on. And I can't defend myself. I can't defend my name. I think inconvenience has to be justified, not just throwing a dragnet that's going to inconvenience 1.5 million people.
FADEL: If you got a call today from the White House and they said, come, let's talk about this, would you go?
KHAIRULLAH: To talk about this? Yes. I wouldn't go just to go but, yes, to talk about this. I think this needs to be addressed. It needs to be resolved.
FADEL: And when did your troubles at the airport actually start? And if you could, describe the types of questioning that you've received upon reentry to the U.S.
KHAIRULLAH: So the first time I started experiencing difficulties was when we were going on a trip to Istanbul, which we didn't think about it as anything. Like, this could be anything. But when we returned from Istanbul at JFK and we were the last to leave the airplane, the agents were at the door. And they still said, oh, you are being randomly selected. So we go with them. And...
FADEL: They were waiting for you, and they said you were randomly selected?
KHAIRULLAH: Yeah, and we were the last to leave the plane. So we go with them. And at the end of the conversation - and I had to end the conversation because the agent flat-out asked me, did you meet any terrorists? As if the answer was going to be yes or no - which I said, listen; at this point, I'm ending this conversation. I need a lawyer. And obviously, because of that, he said, do you understand I'm going to take your phone? We're going to strip search you. So I'm like, do what you got to do. But this conversation is over.
FADEL: Mohamed Khairullah, the mayor of Prospect Park, N.J.
Thank you for taking the time.
KHAIRULLAH: Thank you, Leila.
(SOUNDBITE OF BLACK HILL AND SILENT ISLAND'S "HIDDEN VALLEY")
FADEL: The White House has given no explanation as to why Khairullah was not allowed at the Eid festivities. The press secretary said the decision was up to the Secret Service. The Secret Service acknowledges barring the mayor from entering the White House and says it regrets the inconvenience but couldn't comment on, quote, "specific protective means and methods used to conduct our security operations."
(SOUNDBITE OF BLACK HILL AND SILENT ISLAND'S "HIDDEN VALLEY") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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