Tarik Shah

Tarik Ibn Osman Shah
Born
Tarik X Ibn Edward Jenkins

(1963-01-24) January 24, 1963 (age 61)
New York City, New York, US
OccupationJazz musician
Known forCareer jazz bassist and sideman with Betty Carter and Duke Ellington Band; Sentenced to 15 years in prison after FBI sting for allegedly making an oath to support to al-Qaeda

Tarik Shah (January 24, 1963) is an African American Muslim with a career as a professional jazz musician. As the sole student of Slam Stewart, Shah began playing the upright bass at age 12 and went on to play with Betty Carter, Ahmad Jamal, Abbey Lincoln and Art Taylor among others. He is a composer, a jazz educator, and lyricist.[1] An expert in martial arts, Mr. Shah was arrested in May 2005 at the age of 42 in New York City, accused and eventually charged with providing aid for terrorist activity based on evidence from an FBI sting. He initially pled not guilty to all charges.[1][2] After 31 months of solitary confinement, he was convinced a fair trial was unlikely given the Islamophobia following 9-11. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.[3][4][5]

According to the complaint, both also made a formal oath of loyalty, called a bayat, to al-Qaeda in a meeting with an undercover F.B.I. agent that was secretly recorded. An indictment handed up by a federal grand jury Monday accused the men of conspiring to provide material support for terrorism, specifically for al-Qaeda. It was less than a page long and added no details.[6]

Mr. Shah's case is represented as an example of the U.S. government's use of agent provocateurs who entrap or set up "innocent or unaware Muslims who had no interest in terrorism" targeting individuals for "preemptive prosecution." They hung out at mosques and bookstores frequented by faithful Muslims to develop rapport leading to friendship. They offered money "to anyone who will join them in jihad."[7]

In 2007, Reuters reported that Shah pleaded guilty to "one count of conspiring to support al Qaeda. In exchange, prosecutors dropped one of the terrorism charges against him."[3]

Two undercover FBI agents (a.k.a. informants) were involved in Shah's entrapment case. Yemeni informant Mohamed Alanssi targeted Shah on December 1, 2001, months after 9-11, at Farhane’s Islamic bookstore in New York City. Theodore Shelby, an ex-convict and former Black Panther using the name Saeed, "was sent by the government to approach Mr. Shah under the guise of seeking bass lessons."[8] Saeed became the subject of the 2015 film (T)ERROR, winner of a Sundance Special Jury Prize for Breakout First Feature Film in 2015, which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Documentary in 2017.[9][10] It is the only documentary to capture an active, FBI undercover sting. Shah's case is offered as previous case.

  1. ^ a b Kilgannon, Corey (2007-03-06). "Jazz Pianist's Muse: His Jailed Brother". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  2. ^ Rashbaum, William K. (2005-06-29). "2 Suspects in Qaeda Case Plead Not Guilty". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  3. ^ a b Kearney, Christine (2007-11-07). "N.Y. musician gets 15 years for backing al Qaeda". Reuters. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  4. ^ Adler, David R. "Solo: The Trial of Tarik Shah". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  5. ^ Bauer, William R. (2003-03-01). Open the Door: The Life and Music of Betty Carter. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-06791-6.
  6. ^ Rashbaum, William K. (2005-06-29). "2 Suspects in Qaeda Case Plead Not Guilty". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  7. ^ "Victims of Preemptive Prosecution | PDF | Criminal Law | Justice". Scribd. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  8. ^ Feuer, Alan (2007-05-08). "Tapes Capture Bold Claims of Bronx Man in Terror Plot". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  9. ^ Schwartz, Mattathias (2016-02-19). "The Informant and the Filmmakers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  10. ^ "THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS AND SCIENCES ANNOUNCES WINNERS AT THE 38th ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY AWARDS" (PDF).