Muslim Campground Raided in East Haddam

September 27, 2005

Source: Hartford Courant

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-datashak0927.artsep27,0,1947829.story?coll=hc-headlines-local

On September 27, 2005 the Hartford Courant reported, "Around town... people are wondering why federal agents seized datashak plants and seeds and 19 computer discs from a Muslim campground in Moodus. First Selectman Brad Parker said Friday's raid on the 18-acre Town Street campground, owned by Darul Uloom Shady Brook Inc., has the town abuzz. FBI agents and officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducted the raid... F. Philip Prelli, commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture, said he received no prior notification that federal agents planned a raid to confiscate the datashak, a vegetable native to India also known as amaranth. 'I don't know why they confiscated that,' Prelli said. 'We have not had any alerts on this seed or plant, and it's not illegal to grow.' Prelli theorized that perhaps the way the Muslim property owners obtained datashak seeds 'might have been' improper... Others theorized federal agents are using datashak as an excuse to confiscate records and discs from the Muslim site."