Islamist Demagoguery in the US

• The Grand Mufti incited the Arab mob to murder of Jews in Hebron in 1929.
  
• Arafat was known for talking peace in English, and then inciting Palestinians in Arabic.
• Ahmadinejad accused the US in February of blowing up a Shiite shrine in Iraq.
  

Now the demagoguery is found inside the US as well.

On the issue of the 6 flying Imams on US Air, The Investor’s Business Daily was one of the first to suggest that there was something premeditated and malicious going on—by the Imams, not the airlines. They noted that there was more than one witness to the suspicious behavior of the men--contrary to what some claimed--and that the Imams requested seatbelt extenders even though they had not apparent need for them.

In their editorial, IBD describes a pattern and an effort by Muslim passengers to undercut airport security while claiming they are the victims of Islamophobia:

Two years ago a dozen Syrian men caused panic aboard a Northwest Airlines flight by passing bags to each other as they used the lavatory. As the plane prepared to land, they rushed to the back and front of the plane speaking in Arabic.

Then there's the case of Muhammed al-Qudhaieen and Hamdan al-Shalawi, two Arizona college students removed from an America West flight after twice trying to open the cockpit. The FBI suspected it was a dry run for the 9/11 hijackings, according to the 9/11 Commission Report. One of the students had traveled to Afghanistan. Another became a material witness in the 9/11 investigation
Even so, the pair filed racial-profiling suits against America West, now part of US Airways. Defending them was none other than the leader of the six imams kicked off the US Airways flight this week.

Turns out the students attended the Tucson, Ariz., mosque of Sheikh Omar Shahin, a Jordan native [and one of the six Imams]. Shahin has been the protesters' public face, even returning to the US Airways ticket counter at the Minneapolis airport to scold agents before the cameras.

…Omar Abdul-Rahman, a blind sheikh, is serving a life term for plotting to blow up several New York landmarks. Imam Ali al-Timimi, a native Washingtonian, is also behind bars for soliciting local Muslims to kill fellow Americans. Imams in New York were recently busted for buying shoulder-fired missiles. Another in Lodi, Calif., planned an al-Qaida terror camp there.

Pajamas Media has also looked extensively into the incident of the Imams and has copies of the actual police report and a letter from one of the witnesses to US Air. PM notes that according to police reports, the loud praying by the Imams was not what set off the suspicions of the passengers and that the action taken by the captain of the plane was based on the information of more than just one witness. Pajamas Media agrees with IBD that the incident was a premeditated stunt by the Imams.

Among the suspicious actions of the Imams that PM notes to support that theory:

• The Imams were overheard speaking of Bin laden and condemning the US for “killing Saddam”
  
  
• When the Imams left the plane, the seatbelt extension was found unused on the floor
  
  
• A witness says that the Imam who claims a steward helped him attach the extension is lying.
  
  
• Two Imams sat near the front of the plane, two in the middle, and two in back—sitting in seats not assigned to them
  
  
• The men prayed both at the gate and on the plane—even though Moslems pray only once at sundown, not twice.

Keith Ellison--the first Muslim elected to Congress--had originally as part of his 'Thanksgiving Message' on his website:

It is certainly cause for concern that six respected religious leaders were removed from a flight, particularly when they maintain all they were doing was praying. Muslims stand and face Mecca for prayer five times per day. If no rules were broken by the imams when they did his, then the question is: why such an uproar?

We all must work for a greater level of respect for the differences among us, and work towards a future where greater understanding leads to fewer incidents like this.

All mention of the incident with the Imams has since been removed from his website.

Meanwhile, on Monday, CAIR had a statement on their site which said in part:

Despite US Airways' assertions, the incident has generated cries from Muslim groups. The Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is considering legal action on behalf of the Imams and is still mulling its PR response, but is leaning towards launching an extensive campaign to educate Americans about the difference between terrorists and the Muslim religion.

Considering the fact that the incident took place on November 20, two weeks ago, the fact that CAIR has yet to come up with its official "PR response" may be a hopeful sign that the attempt to exploit the situation to undermine the airline--and the kinds of security measures that need to be taken--will be unsuccessful.

James Taranto writes about a radio show host who suggested requiring Moslems to wear identification. After receiving many calls supporting the idea, at the conclusion of the show the host revealed that his suggestion was just a hoax and that the enthusiasm of his listeners for the idea demonstrated what Jews suffered in Nazi Germany.

Taranto disagrees and writes:

unlike German anti-Semitism, Americans' fear of Muslims is not fundamentally irrational. It is a fact that not long ago 19 Muslims exterminated some 3,000 people in America, and that in doing so they were acting on the basis of their religion, as they understood it. It is of course also true that not all Muslims understand their religion in the same way.

The fact is that there is a ongoing threat within the US which the US has every right and need to respond to in the interests of security. Americans should feel free to exercise that right and advocates for Moslems should respect that right as well, even as Americans respect the rights of minorities--Moslems included.

Update: In an article yesterday entitled Tale of Fibbing Imams, Investor's Business Daily goes into more detail on the various lies told by the Imams about the circumstances surrounding what happened.

Technorati Tag: Imams.