Witness: Charity followed harsh form of Islam

By Associated Press and News Sources Published: Sep 1, 2010 at 1:52 PM PST Last Updated: Nov 28, 2010 at 4:35 PM PST
Pete Seda, the co-founder of the American branch of an Islamic charity called Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation
This Nov. 30, 2007, photo shows Pete Seda, the co-founder of the American branch of an Islamic charity called Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation Inc., at a friend's house in Ashland, Ore. (AP Photo/The Ashland Daily Tidings, Orville Hector)

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – A prosecution witness testifying in the trial of an Oregon man accused of smuggling money to Muslim fighters in Chechnya says an Islamic charity followed a harsh form of the religion. The trial started Monday with jury selection in Eugene.

The witness for the government, author David Gartenstein-Ross, did acknowledge to a defense attorney that he also told investigators that Pete Seda – the man being prosecuted – actually hates terrorism. Gartenstein-Ross also said Seda believes terrorism gives Islam a bad name.

Seda is described as a well-known figure in Ashland, where he had a tree trimming business and regularly spoke out on the peaceful side of the Islamic way of life. He was the co-founder of Ashland's Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, which closed down more than three years ago after alleging that the government tapped its telephone calls without court approval. (In March 2010, a federal judge ruled the charity was indeed "subjected to warrant-less electronic surveillance," with plaintiffs eligibility for up to $1 million in damages.)

The government's witness is a former Al-Haramain worker in Ashland. He told the Associated Press in 2007 that the charity promoted "radical Islamic doctrine by distributing the 'noble Quran' to U.S. prison inmates."

Seda is on trial in federal court in Eugene on charges he smuggled $151,000 to Saudi Arabia in March 2000 while working for the charity. Those charges were brought in 2005. Also in 2005 President Bush acknowledged the wiretapping program, saying it was started so authorities "could quickly set up eavesdropping operations on suspected terrorists"

Prosecutors claim Seda, also known as Pirouz Sedaghaty, was trying to send the money to Muslim fighters in Chechnya trying to take control of the country.

In 2007, as part of the charity's suit against the U.S. government, Seda's attorney – Larry Matasar – told a U.S. judge that the Ashland man with Saudi Arabian ties was "just the opposite of a danger to the community."

At that time two residents of Ashland – a minister and a radio show host – who had known Seda for about 20 years also testified. They said Seda "always promoted understanding between different religious faiths and a peaceful vision of Islam," according to Associated Press reports.