Word: magarian
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Dates: during 2001-2001
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...surprised by his opponents, whose ranks include not only members of the ACLU, but some dedicated Christian conservatives. That?s despite the fact that the obvious target of any surveillance activity will be Islamic groups and mosques - not Baptist churches or reform synagogues. "Freedom of religion," says Gregory Magarian, assistant professor of law at Villanova University, "is a very popular, very unifying political cause. It breeds otherwise unlikely alliances...
...There?s a chance, of course, says Magarian, that the government will use this new power judiciously, no one?s rights will be threatened and opposition will be virtually non-existent. After all, religion, Magarian says, echoing Ashcroft?s own statements, cannot be a special kind of shield against legitimate criminal investigations. "If you run a religious organization and the government has true probable cause to believe your group is helping terrorists, you shouldn?t be able to hold up religion to keep the government inquiry...
...problem comes in, continues Magarian, when religion itself becomes the reason for an investigation. "Religion can?t form the basis for launching an inquiry in the first place," he says. "That kind of singling out flies in the face of our laws. If there are any concrete disadvantaging treatments or consequences - including chilling of expression or practices of worship -" there will probably be legal challenges...
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