My name is Asad Dandia although friends know me as Ace. I am an American citizen, born in Brooklyn, where I have lived my whole life with my family. I am 20 years old, and I am a practicing Muslim.

I am currently a student at a CUNY community college, and I hope to become a social worker. Since November 2011, I have been active in a community-based charity and religious outreach group originally called Fesabeelillah Services of NYC (FSNYC), and now known as Muslims Giving Back.

Giving charity is one of the core principles of Islam, and as a Muslim, I feel it is my duty to help the needy members of my community, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. In other words, my charity work is a central part of my religious practice.

I believe it is especially important for Muslim youth to contribute to society. Many Muslims of my generation are first or second generation Americans, so it is our responsibility to set the standard, to be active and positive contributors to our society, and to leave behind a legacy of good work for the next generation of American Muslims to take up. Our charitable work is gratifying and empowering, and helps us be better practicing Muslims, by allowing us to fulfill an intrinsic tenet of our faith.

FSNYC began as a charity serving low-income people in New York City. We helped the homeless, donated money to families in times of need, and fundraised to support these and other charitable activities.

In March 2012, a man named Shamiur Rahman messaged me on Facebook. I didn’t know at the time that he was working as a police informant. Rahman told me he was trying to become a better practicing Muslim, and that he wanted to get involved with FSNYC. He asked me whether there were “any events or anything” he could attend soon. We had several friends in common, and I was happy to help him in his quest for religious self-improvement, so I introduced him to my friends in FSNYC. He started to attend all our meetings and became a part of my circle of friends. On several occasions, I invited him to my family’s house, where he met my parents and ate with our family. Once, he spent the night in my family’s home.

Rahman would ask everyone he met for their phone number, often within minutes of meeting them. He also often tried to take photos with or of people he met through me.

The next month, two friends separately told me that they had heard that NYPD informants had infiltrated FSNYC. I was advised to step down to avoid being targeted, but I decided not to step down because I knew that I had not done anything wrong. Still, I stopped publicizing FSNYC’s activities and following up on many matters regarding the organization.

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