Dear Friends,

By now you all know that Safouh Al-Hamoui, owner of Seattle Mediterannean Market, has been detained by the INS. He and his wife Hanan and daughter Nadine (19 yrs.old) have been in the INS detention center (jail) in Seatac since the first day of Eid Al-Adha. In spite of this ongoing horror, they are thankful, because their lawyers have obtained a stay for 2 weeks, and so they are not being deported today. THEY FACE DEPORTATION IN 2 WEEKS if we do not help them NOW.

Safouh and his family have been a important part of Seattle's Arab American commnity for over 10 years. His children attend schools and universities in Seattle, and he and his wife Hanan recently became grandparents. The hardship they now face has been a devastating hit to our community.

The total cost for their team of attornies is $15,000. Many of you have asked me how you can help; our goal is to try to defray half of this expense and Safouh's family will try to cover the other half. A down payment of $7,500.00 is due by WED, March 6, 2002. Any contribution you make towards meeting this goal will be greatly appreciated and is desperately needed. Safouh's attornies have been working tirelessly since the day he and his family were detained and we have every faith that they will do their absolute best to keep him and his family together in Seattle. Now is our chance to support this effort.

If you would like to help the Al Hamoui family, please contact naseemtu@hotmail.com or rita@caravan-serai.com immediately.

Thank you and may God bless and keep our community safe.