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**EMBARGOED Until 6:00AM EDT** Contact: Mike Rosen

July 8, 2008 512-633-4550

**Congressman McCaul Urges Musharraf to Free American Children Held in
Islamic Institution**

AUSTIN -- In a face to face meeting in Islamabad, Congressman Michael
McCaul (R-TX) urged Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to help free two
American citizens from an Islamic religious institution in Pakistan --
the type which have been directly linked to the spawn of anti-American
terrorism in the region that is the front line of the global war on
terror. In their July 4 meeting President Musharraf assured Rep. McCaul
that the teenagers would be released. The US Ambassador to Pakistan also
gave assurances that they would be released, as early as this week.

"This demonstrates why we need to focus our resources on the epicenter
of the war on terror in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region," said Rep.
McCaul. "The madrassas come to America and recruit children to
indoctrinate them into Islamic extremism."

"These American boys should be released immediately. Pakistan has a
policy to exclude foreigners from these madrassas including Americans.
However, the policy has failed so far."

Just hours after Congressman McCaul's meeting with President Musharraf,
Pakistan's new civilian government announced it would continue
Musharraf's madrassas' reform policy which includes expulsion of foreign
students, registration with the federal government, control of their
funding and standardization of their curricula.

Noor Elahi Khan, 17, and Mahboob Elahi Khan, 16, of Atlanta, GA, are
being held at the Jamia Binoria Institute in Karachi, recognized by both
the U.S. and Pakistani governments as one of the most radical madrassas
in Pakistan. Exit visas issued by the Pakistani government are holding
up their departure. The boys enrolled in Binoria in August 2004, and
have expressed the desire to leave Pakistan since their arrival. Despite
attempts to free these children, and Pakistan's policy that madrassas
must expel any foreign students, including Americans, Mufti Muhammad
Naeem, the head and founder of the Binoria madrassa, continues to hold
these Americans in a show of political strength against the government.

According to Naeem, the Khans are among 80 Americans enrolled in his
madrassa. It is believed that there are 600 American boys being educated
in 22 madrassas in Pakistan. The sole curriculum is to memorize the
Koran. Well into their high school years the Khans have been denied a
formal education.

TIES TO TERROR

Madrassas have come under intense international scrutiny for their
anti-Western sentiment and links to terrorism since 9/11, and since the
London subway bombings three years ago today, July 7, 2005. Three of the
four suicide bombers who carried out the London plot were British
nationals of Pakistani descent. Two attended madrassas in Pakistan. The
Binoria madrassa is known to recruit Americans most aggressively. It
prominently displays a banner supporting the Taliban. And it is
documented that Osama bin Laden spoke to students at Binoria before the
9/11 attacks.

While these religious schools purport to serve a purpose and educate
Islamic children, great concern has grown over the increasing number of
"political" madrassas. They mass-produce extremists with a political
agenda, including a narrow view of society and no tolerance of Western
culture. They radicalize Muslims and are seminaries for jihad.  

"Most disturbing is that Americans and other westerners who are trained
in these madrassas to hate America, have unfettered access to the United
States. They leave the madrassas with intent to come back home to spread
their message of hatred toward our country. Worst case they intend to
kill us," Congressman McCaul said.

"The 9/11 terrorists had to work to infiltrate the United States to plan
their attack. These madrassas are creating a new breed of terrorist that
can come back to our country, work in our businesses, live next door,
and teach our children with no questions asked. They are potential time
bombs planted in our communities waiting to explode."

BACKGROUND

Documentary filmmaker Imran Raza, who is of Pakistani descent,
discovered the Khans in the Binoria madrassa in 2005. He embarked on his
documentary "Karachi Kids",
[www.karachikids.com](http://www.karachikids.com/), immediately after
the London subway bombings. Raza has spearheaded the effort to remove
the Khans from Binoria and bring them back to America.

Congressman McCaul visited Pakistan with U.S. Representatives Gene Green
and Henry Cuellar. They also visited wounded U.S. military personnel at
Landstuhl Medical Center in Ramstein, Germany. And they toured the front
line of the war on terror with U.S. troops in Afghanistan charged with
rooting out Taliban and al Qaeda terrorist cells which have sought safe
haven in that region.

Congressman McCaul is a member of the House Homeland Security and
Foreign Affairs committees. Before he was elected to Congress, McCaul
served as chief of Counter-Terrorism and National Security in the U.S.
Attorney's Office in Texas, and led the Joint Terrorism Task Force
charged with detecting, deterring and preventing terrorist activity.

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