Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Imam Jamil al Amin (formerly known as H. Rap Brown), charged with killing two police officers. People in the Muslim community who have worked with Jamil for 20 years and more find the accusations hard to believe. PNS commentator Nadya Salaam is a freelance journalist based in Oakland, CA.

The man portrayed as Jamil Al-Amin (formerly known as H. Rap Brown) in the national media is totally unrecognizable to those who know his work over the last 20 years.

The news media condemned him immediately after two Georgia deputies were gunned down March 16 while trying to serve a bench warrant on the popular Imam (Muslim prayer leader). The warrant was for failing to appear in court to face charges of car theft, impersonating a police officer and lack of car insurance.

These charges stemmed from a "Driving While Black" traffic stop in rural Georgia in May 1999.

The Imam and his attorney had attempted to resolve this controversy. The car was on loan from a used car lot, and the car dealer confirmed that he was responsible for the insurance. The Mayor of White Hall explained that he had made the Imam an honorary police officer on the three-person police force and it was this badge that Georgia police saw in his wallet.

Georgia authorities still insisted that Jamil spend six months in jail. He refused and did not attend the trial.

Mainstream commentators reject the idea that all this is the work of a conspiracy, arguing there would be little reason to go after a 56-year-old ex-Black Power advocate, grocer and leader of a small Muslim congregation in Atlanta.

However, the real story goes far beyond that.

As one of the best known 1960's black activists, Imam Jamil has been falsely accused of violent acts twice before. In 1967, as chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), he was addressing a rally against school segregation when unidentified armed men fired on the crowd, wounding Jamil -- but he, not the snipers, was charged with inciting a riot.

An assassination attempt directed at Imam Jamil in 1970 resulted in two companions being killed by a car bomb. Imam Jamil went underground. But New York police, in a dramatic rooftop chase, shot and captured him. He served five years in prison.

After his conversion to Islam and release in 1976, he sank roots into the Atlanta community. The Imam and his supporters gained a strong reputation for pushing out drugs and working among the homeless.

Jamil is now a member of the 4-Imam decision-making body for the Muslim community in the United States. Widely known for his peaceful, intellectual demeanor, he is a frequent speaker at major Islamic conferences around the world.

Yet police agencies have continued to harass Imam Jamil. The FBI actively investigated him from 1992-1996 over the World Trade Center bombing and gun running, but the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to file charges due to lack of evidence.

Atlanta Police investigated him from 1990 to 1997, in connection with the deaths of 14 drug dealers. In 1995, a man accused Imam Jamil of shooting him -- but later recanted, saying police had pressured him to name Imam Jamil as his assailant.

Muslims of all ethnicities are deeply concerned about police harassment and brutality, particularly after the death of Senegalese Muslim Amadou Diallo in a barrage of N.Y. police bullets.

With over 8 million members, Islam is this country's fastest growing religion. About 85 percent are African Americans and immigrant families from Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Now a steadily growing number of white middle class people are converting to Islam.

These new Muslims state that they are attracted by Islam's simplicity and stress on egalitarianism. As Islam becomes more widespread, it is possible that the Imam Jamil case is the first big struggle the Muslim community faces from a society that is on a very different social and political track.

The case raises many issues for all of society, not just Muslims.

First, as the deputies and many of the officials involved are Black, it telescopes the fact that justice, not race, is the main issue.

Second, is grassroots activism, like Imam Jamil's anti-drug and homeless work, such a threat to the system that community activists could become targets of rogue elements in law enforcement.

Finally, the Imam's history forces us all to reassess that turbulent time that many would prefer to forget. The question of how to go forward, never resolved, continues to be a burning one for people concerned about social change.

In his 1994 book, Revolution By the Book, Imam Jamil advocated personal transformation, community empowerment and grassroots activism grounded in clear philosophy and ethical personal practice.

Whether it is rooted in faith-based philosophy or not, reevaluation and a new strategy are long overdue. In the meantime, America's latest political prisoner must be defended and activists across the country must join ranks to make sure that justice is done.