Here we are, nearly 6 years after the horror of September 11, and I find many of my opinions have changed in relation to Islam and Islamic Extremism and Wahhabism and Islamofascism.
I used to tell myself that Islam wasn't the enemy, that there are a large number of moderate muslims who do not subscribe to bin Laden's export of violence and death-to-innocents party line. I thought that those moderate muslims would step forward and be heard, defend themselves and their faith, arguing that they aren't like that.
But you know what? I'm sick and tired of waiting for the moderate muslims to step forward and be heard. Where are the muslims who denounce bin Laden? Where are the muslims who will call him a murderous bastard who has co-opted the faith and perverted it? Where are all the reasonable voices?
I have to tell you, the silence is deafening.
I flat-out don't hear those people coming forward. In fact, the only people I hear defending the Islamic faith are Christians who are preaching tolerance and patience and understanding. And the only Muslim voices are the ones issuing fatwas and calling for suicide bombers to strike at certain targets over perceived insults.
The silence is deafening from the moderate muslims. Have they nothing to say? This is what has been bothering me, bubbling in the back of my mind like a pot left to boil far too long.
I can only come up with two possible reasons for this vacuum.
One: They are afraid to speak, fearing a fatwah calling for their own heads
Afraid to be lumped in with the rest of the infidels, they keep silent. They know full well about the swift sword of Islamic extremism and how easily it beheads those who disagree with it. In cowardice, they keep their tongues behind their teeth and refuse to disavow the murderers and their goal of a global caliphate. The problem is, that in the minds of many, their failure to disavow the murderous criminal and his gang of villains is tantamount to complicity. Which brings me to the next theory.
Two: They see nothing wrong with the fatwahs over cartoons and "insults to Islam" or bin Laden's endgame, nay - they support him, if passively.
They don't speak up because they have no desire to argue against that with which they agree. They may call themselves moderate muslims, but in fact, they seek the same goals as the extremists and therefore are not as moderate as they claim. In which case, they too are the enemy.
Look, it is like this: there is no muslim voice out there denouncing bin Laden. None that I've ever heard anyway. And to my mind, there has to be a reason for that. (And don't even bring up CAIR - they're nothing but a bunch of terrorist apologists.)
Let's look at it another way. Suppose a prominent American, let's just say Rosie O'Donnell for the sake of example, were out there advocating the extermination of Norway. Suppose she took it further and said that they are corrupt and lead dirty fishy lives, and then said that all the Scandinavian countries must go, their children's bones ground to make bread. Let us further suppose that as an act to further these goals, she organized, trained, and funded an army to destroy 400 fishing boats and a port. She hasn't done so and this example is nothing more than an example, but just suppose.
Do you not think that millions of Americans would denounce her for this? Of course we would. She'd be persona non grata and Public Enemy #1. We would do our absolute damnedest to make sure that the Norwegian got satisfaction from her for these murders.
So, I ask again, what's with the deafening silence?
What do you have to do to get a moderate muslim to speak up? Hello? HELLO? Is this thing on...?
Cox and Forkum posted a cartoon on Friday that tells an important story. I didn't get it posted on Friday because of that thing that pays the bills (I'm not one of those paid bloggers, I do this shit for fun).
Here it is:
If you are not aware, you can read the back story at these twolinks.
Or, I'll just catch you up here. Once upon a time, six imams flew to Minnesota for a religious conference. They got there without incident. However, when they were trying to fly back, they apparently scared the bejeebus out of some other flying patrons.
Among the issues was the fact that they prayed as a group in the terminal, were vocally discussing Osama bin Laden, etc., and then played musical chairs onboard, claiming first class seats they weren't ticketed for, congregating in the aisle, and generally making a nuisance of themselves.
The passengers overheard some things that made them uncomfortable and they reported it to the flight attendants who reported it to the pilot, who made the decision to boot the Flying Imams off the plain as a possible security risk. And then CAIR got involved. This would be the CAIR that is the equivalent of the NAACP - great ideals, bad follow-through. CAIR seems to be bent on aiding and abetting the enemy, playing the equivalent race card, and saying poo' poo' pitiful us, see how we suffer?
So now, these six Flying Imams are suing US Airways. Sonsabitches. And, if their lawsuit finds any traction at all, the consequences will be heinous. You will no longer be able to refuse service to anyone at will. You'll only be able to refuse service to wasps, lest you offend someone and be sued to kingdom come.
The message is clear. We've been told over and over and over again that security is everybody's job. It is your duty to report anything suspicious. And yet, now you should know that if you do, and you act on that perceived threat, you will be sued. Isn't that just peachy?
It is so ridiculous! I really feel for US Airways. They did the right thing. What other option did they have? They could have made an announcement over the PA system, I suppose. Something along the lines of:
"Ladies and Gentlemen: some of you have perceived a possible threat to the safety of this flight. We can not afford to do anything to examine or remove this possible threat due to the litigious nature of some. As such, we would invite you to deplane at this time, should you feel that your life is in jeopardy. We will do our absolute best to find you a flight that meets with less personal risk to you and your families. If this flight doesn't end up being our last, we will look forward to flying with you again."
I assure you, the race up the aisle would be fast and hard.
I was going to let this be, but a bitchy note from "Anonymous" dictates that I do a follow up on those flying imams who got kicked off of a US Airways flight last week.
For the record, my original post was written based on the 6 or 7 news items I found about the incident initially. Those articles had conflicting information, some claiming the men in question had prayed in the terminal, some on the flight. I continue by my assertion that they get over themselves, however. New details of these men's actions only make me more suspicious. I am supremely pleased that the passengers, crew, and airline acted on the side of prudence and kicked those fellows to the curb.
What additional suspicious activity?
Glad you asked.
It seems that they did do their praying in the terminal, but they acted kinda funny once on board. For example,
Three of the men asked for seat-belt extenders, although two flight attendants told police the men were not oversized.
...
Rather than attach the extensions, the men placed the straps and buckles on the cabin floor, the flight attendant said.
What's more,
[W]itnesses told law enforcement that the men spoke in Arabic and English, criticizing the war in Iraq and President Bush, and talking about al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.
And, particularly odd is this:
The imams who claimed two first-class seats said their tickets were upgraded. The gate agent told police that when the imams asked to be upgraded,they were told no such seats were available. Nevertheless, the two men were seated in first class when removed.
I don't care who you are, you should be seated in the seat that the airline has assigned you unless crew moves you or authorizes the move. It is particularly strange to me that they snagged the front seats a la September 11. Ask yourself this, when was the last time that you requested an upgrade, were denied, and then took the seat of your own volition anyway? It isn't done and it ought not be done.
Would you feel comfortable on that plane?
Passengers and flight attendants told law-enforcement officials the imams switched from their assigned seats to a pattern associated with the September 11 terrorist attacks and also found in probes of U.S. security since the attacks -- two in the front row first-class, two in the middle of the plane on the exit aisle and two in the rear of the cabin.
"That would alarm me," said a federal air marshal who asked to remain anonymous. "They now control all of the entry and exit routes to the plane."
But the CAIR I'm-A-Victim Campaign wants you to only take away this message:
Mahdi Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, called removing the imams an act of Islamophobia and compared it to racism against blacks.
"It's a shame that as an African-American and a Muslim I have the double whammy of having to worry about driving while black and flying while Muslim," Mr. Bray said.
These folks want Congress to pass a law against identifying this sort of suspicious behavior so as to protect the feelings of the offended Muslim Imams.
Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, Texas Democrat, said the September 11 terrorist attacks "cannot be permitted to be used to justify racial profiling, harassment and discrimination of Muslim and Arab Americans."
"Understandably, the imams felt profiled, humiliated, and discriminated against by their treatment," she said.
Poor babies. Humiliated and profiled all on one day.
This is stupid. I don't care what color you are or what religion you practice. This is suspicious behavior and should be monitored. I suppose Sheila Jackson-Lee would prefer we wait to raise the hue and cry until there's a hole in the earth and charred bodies strewn everywhere.
I am glad that the passengers, crew, and airline did what they did. We must all practice constant vigilance.
On one hand, I am really proud that if the crew and passengers felt uncomfortable and threatened that they did something about it.
On the other hand, I am royally pissed that CAIR feels that these people have been victimized.
These men stood and performed an act on a plane in unison. Just because it was a religious act they feel that they should be protected. Screw that! They can pray in their seats just like everybody else. How would they feel if all of the Christians on the plane stood up and did something? How about all the Jews?
This is stupid. Stay in your damn seat like a normal person. If your flight interfers with your religious obligations, make other damn travel arrangements.
