Patricia Hussein has asked that the progressive community come out and support her husband as well as stand with the thousands of others detained and deported.

She will read a brief press statement after the hearing.

A show of support urgently needed.

Des Plaines man to be held on immigration charges
October 8, 2004
BY NATASHA KORECKI Chicago Sun-Times Staff Reporter

A Des Plaines man accused of lying to U.S. immigration officials about his ties to a militant Pakistani political group was ordered detained Thursday by a federal judge who called the man's alleged actions "an insult to the law-abiding immigrant community."
Mohammad Azam Hussain, 36, was arrested last Thursday at his home. He is charged with making false statements in a 2003 immigration application and for trying to illegally obtain citizenship. He pleaded not guilty to those charges.
Prosecutors said Hussain failed to disclose on immigration forms his affiliation with the Mohajir Quami Movement-Haqiqi, an offshoot of the Pakistani political group MQM. Prosecutors who wanted Hussain detained, arguing he is a flight risk, said the group has taken part in violent acts while Hussain's attorney dismissed the group as "innocuous."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake Ryan alleged Hussain admitted taking part in a "death camp" in Pakistan, where he learned to use weapons and explosives as part of the requirements to gain leadership. Ryan said Hussain, who has lived in the United States since 1994, twice traveled to Pakistan in the past few months despite reporting he is financially strapped. After returning from one of those trips, Ryan said Hussain was carrying someone else's credit card and customs declarations for other individuals.
Ryan also said Hussain has strong ties with Afaq Ahmad, a founder of MQM-H, who was recently charged in Pakistan with murder and other violent acts. Ahmad was in hiding for months before his arrest but Hussain had frequent contact with Ahmad during that time, Ryan said.
U.S. District Court Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan said Hussain should stay behind bars as he awaits trial because, among other issues, Hussain was evasive about the whereabouts of his passport and because he owns a handgun but allowed his firearm owner's identification card to expire.
Der-Yeghiayan said the defense didn't respond to the government's claims that Hussain was found with other people's identification when he returned to the country and why Hussain had requested his name be changed to Syyed Azam in a citizenship application.
"Hussain has exhibited past conduct that indicates a disregard for the law, evasiveness and the ability to travel under an alias," Der-Yeghiayan said.
However, Hussain's attorneys and more than 30 supporters who attended his hearing Thursday painted a different picture of the man.
His attorney, Ralph Meczyk, said Hussain had "deep and profound" roots in the local community and had no reason to flee. He also called the MQM "an innocuous political party" that does not have an adverse relationship with the United States.
Friends said Hussain is a friendly, social person, a composer who loves to create music, and a singer who has an outstanding voice.
Hussain is married and has a daughter, and he is working an apprenticeship to become a carpenter, his friend Zunnoon Qadri said.
"I really was shocked when I heard the charges," Qadri said. "He is a hardworking man who loves his wife and his daughter."

Pakistani lied in citizenship bid, says U.S.
October 1, 2004
BY NATASHA KORECKI Staff Reporter

A Pakistani who lives in Des Plaines was arrested Thursday on charges that he lied to U.S. immigration officials about his affiliation with a militant opposition group.
Mohammad Azam Hussain, 36, was charged in a two-count indictment and arrested at his home at 1940 Howard. He was charged with making false statements in a 2003 U.S. citizenship application and with trying to illegally obtain citizenship.
Hussain, a permanent resident who has applied for full citizenship, appeared in federal court later in the afternoon, where he was informed of his charges.
Hussain pleaded innocent before U.S. District Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan, who held him in custody until a bond hearing, scheduled for 11 a.m. today.
Prosecutors say Hussain failed to disclose on immigration forms his affiliation with the Mohajir Quami Movement, a Pakistani political group.
The Mohajir Quami Movement, known as MQM, represents the Urdu-speaking immigrant urban population, which left India for Pakistan in 1947.
Though he was investigated by the FBI and members of the Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force, none of the charges are terrorist related.