Monitoring Muslims and Targeting Hamas: The Role of U.S. Department of Justice in Serving ‘Israel’

Leaders of Hamas, both living and dead, have not escaped criminal charges from the United States, which has supported Israeli extermination operations in Gaza since October 2023.

On September 3, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice filed criminal charges against Hamas leaders, including the current head of the political bureau, Yahya Sinwar, and the late Ismail Haniyeh, as well as Mohammed Deif, the overall commander of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in connection with the Operation al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023.

According to the Associated Press (AP), the charges were originally prepared in February 2024 to give the U.S. adequate time to arrest Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who had passed away. However, they were unsealed weeks after “Israel” assassinated Haniyeh in Tehran and following other regional developments.

Despite Israeli Occupation’s unprecedented assault on Gaza, which had resulted in over 41,000 deaths and more than 94,000 injuries by the end of August, the U.S. Department of Justice has not filed charges or pursued actions against the Israeli government or military leaders involved in war crimes.

This raises questions about the role of the Department of Justice in the aggression and its record of targeting Muslims in general.

Ministry Arms

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), officially established by Congress in 1870 during President Ulysses S. Grant's administration, is headquartered in Washington, D.C. Its motto, in Latin, translates to “Who prosecutes on behalf of [Lady] Justice or Who follows on behalf of [Lady] Justice.”

The DOJ is led by the Attorney General, who is the chief legal advisor to the federal government, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Its mission includes promoting justice, ensuring the rule of law, protecting the public from criminal threats, investigating federal crimes such as terrorism and corruption, safeguarding civil rights, and representing the government in legal matters.

The Department also oversees the federal prison system, ensures court judgments are enforced, develops crime-fighting strategies, supports local law enforcement, and protects consumers from illegal business practices. It enforces environmental protection laws related to forests, waterways, and wildlife.

The DOJ supervises several key agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which investigates federal crimes; the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which combats drug trafficking and distribution; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), which focuses on firearms and explosive issues and also the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), which handles internal audits and investigations and prosecutes DOJ officials who violate laws governing government conduct.

Additionally, the DOJ includes U.S. Attorney’s Offices serving the 94 federal judicial districts.

Targeting Muslims

Despite being the largest U.S. institution responsible for upholding justice, the Department of Justice (DOJ) faces significant criticism and allegations. Among those targeted by the DOJ are Muslims in the U.S., regardless of their affiliations.

As of 2022, there were approximately 5 million Muslims in the U.S., making up about 1.1% of the population of 330 million, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). On November 17, 2020, CAIR strongly condemned the use of personal data from popular religious apps by the U.S. government, specifically the FBI, to target Muslims worldwide. CAIR called for a congressional investigation into the potential unjust surveillance of American Muslims by the DOJ, advising the Muslim community to avoid using such targeted apps.

Surprisingly, the DOJ has been directly involved in monitoring American Muslim officials. On September 20, 2023, twelve American Muslims, including a former mayor from New Jersey, filed a lawsuit against the DOJ to stop the use of a secret FBI tracking list.

The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Massachusetts, claims that including these individuals on a terrorist watchlist effectively relegates them to second-class citizenship for life. The plaintiffs argue that this classification subjects Muslims on the list to perpetual suspicion and imposes severe consequences on all aspects of their lives.

The lawsuit also states that the twelve Muslim plaintiffs have suffered public humiliation, surveillance, travel harassment, job denial, and effective expulsion from the U.S. 

Former Prospect Park, New Jersey, Mayor Mohammed Khairullah, one of the plaintiffs, stated that the DOJ must eliminate this discriminatory list and similar ones, which predominantly include Arab and Islamic names. He expressed concern that if he did not take action now, future generations of his family could be relegated to second-class citizenship because of their ethnic and religious backgrounds.

Other Roles

The Department of Justice (DOJ) also has various roles, including managing the U.S. conflict with Russia.

“For the second time in two months, we’ve disrupted state-sponsored hackers from launching cyber-attacks behind the cover of compromised U.S. routers,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “We will continue to leverage all of our legal authorities to prevent harm and protect the public — whether the hackers are from Russia, China, or another global threat.”

On September 5, 2024, the DOJ charged two employees of the Russian state news network RT with money laundering. They were linked to a scheme involving a U.S. company hired to create digital content to influence the upcoming November presidential election and faced sanctions against senior editors.

The DOJ is also active in tracking major Iranian businessmen in the U.S. On March 1, 2024, the DOJ charged a 39-year-old Iranian businessman. He was involved in a hacking campaign targeting U.S. federal agencies and sensitive data held by American defense contractors. The businessman, Alireza Shafiei Nasab, was part of hacking activities between 2016 and 2021, affecting over 200,000 devices, many containing confidential defense information.

Department Interrogation

The U.S. Department of Justice has faced criticisms and accusations of corruption and inefficiency. On September 3, 2024, Congress interrogated the DOJ over the closure of a secret investigation into former President Donald Trump's ties with the head of the Egyptian regime Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives launched an inquiry into allegations that Trump received $10 million from the Egyptian regime during his 2016 presidential campaign and whether allies had subsequently halted the investigation.

The Washington Post reported that the interrogation stemmed from the sudden halt of the investigation due to concerns from then-Attorney General William Barr. The case was closed shortly after the DOJ began investigating whether Trump had accepted the money in violation of laws prohibiting foreign contributions to political campaigns.

The Washington Post's report raised serious speculation that political appointees, including William Barr, obstructed efforts by prosecutors and FBI agents to investigate Trump’s political and financial corruption, suggesting their involvement in the matter.