The questioning of 5,000 Middle Eastern men by the U.S. Department of Justice for information about Osama bin Laden’s al-Quaida terrorist group.

MSU will be hosting a forum today for those who are seeking information about the governmental questioning.

The forum will be held at 8 p.m. in B-104 Wells Hall. Several local groups are coordinating the event, including Citizens for a Peaceful Lansing.

Amin Tejani, a member of Citizens for a Peaceful Lansing’s task force, said many of the people being questioned are working with government officials.

“It is a full coordination, but we want to ensure that it’s done in a dignified manner,” he said.

Tejani said those being questioned are not suspects, but are just like other Americans who want everyone’s safety and security protected.

“We want to make sure our civil liberties aren’t the first casualty of this war,” he said. “When the Oklahoma City bombing happened, the authorities didn’t go around looking for the profile that looked like Timothy McVeigh.”

Julie Navarre, another Citizens for a Peaceful Lansing member, said she hopes the forum will provide answers for MSU’s international students and scholars. And she said she wonders what the government can accomplish with its questioning.

“I think if people had information to give, they would have already given it,” Navarre said. “I would just be surprised if it would bring anything out that is new.”