Muslim Man Wins Right to Distribute Muslim Newspaper
McKEESPORT, PA, Aug 2 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - A Muslim man who was stopped last May by the city of McKeesport in Pennsylvania in distributing the Muslim Journal newspaper, earlier this week won the right to do so after successful representation by the Pittsburgh chapter of American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
According to the ACLU, Muslim newspaper sellers A.B. Abdul-Raab and Gerald Coleman were threatened by a McKeesport Building Inspector and Zoning Administrator Scott Joseph of possible arrest if they continued sell the Muslim Journal without a permit.
Joseph, in a letter to Abdul-Raab, explained that he could distribute the newspaper free of charge, however, if he wanted to sell the newspaper he would have to purchase a 10-day "seasonal permit" for $250.
In a letter to McKeesport Mayor Wayne Kucich, Vic Walczak, Executive Director of the Pittsburgh chapter of ACLU, said that Joseph's actions violate Abdul-Raab's rights granted in the First Amendment guaranteeing freedom of speech. He added that Abdul-Raab hasn't been able to distribute the paper since May because of Joseph's threat of arrest.
Walczak had asked the mayor to send him a response by Monday guaranteeing that threats against the Muslim Journal vendors would end, and that no permits need be obtained or fees required for the distribution of the newspaper. He also asked the mayor to reimburse $480 in lost profits over the last eight weeks to Abdul-Raab. Walczak had warned that failure to respond to his letter by Monday would result in legal action.
Late Monday afternoon, Walczak informed IslamOnline that he received a reply from the city indicating that Abdul-Raab may resume distribution of the paper immediately and that no permit would be required. The city indicated that a permit and fee are only required if the distributors insisted on a donation, not if they merely asked.
Walczak said, "From the ACLU's perspective [and that of relevant case law], this distinction is meaningless. Whether they ask or demand payment makes no difference: the permit requirement and 10-day $250 fee violate freedom of speech. They don't call it
free speech for nothing!"
The Muslim Journal is a nationally distributed Chicago based newspaper taken out by the Ministry of Imam W. Deen Mohammed.
