Is concern that terrorists might be working in mosques really just "fear of the unknown"? Is an affiliation with MPAC really a palliative? From the Buffalo News, with thanks to Ali Dashti:
In the shadow of the large mosque at the corner of Sycamore and Sobieski streets, fear of the unknown sometimes occupies residents.Muslims have bought dozens of homes, staking their property with tall, impenetrable fences.
The women journey with groceries from the market in long, flowing dresses and burkas that cover everything but their eyes. The men wear loose-fitting robes, skull caps and untrimmed beards, and walk five times a day to the mosque, Masjid Zakaria, for prayer.
Some of their non-Muslim neighbors wonder why they build their fences so high and rarely say as much as a hello.
"To me, they're very secretive," said Tom Zeiliski, who has lived on nearby Sweet Street for many years. "For the most part, they're pretty quiet, but it kind of makes you a little uneasy when you don't know.
"Some people could be hiding in this mosque. They could be hiding people in there. You don't know," he said.
Suspicion of Muslims lingers thick in Western New York and the rest of the country, buoyed by the 9/11 attacks, the beheading of Americans and others in the name of Islam and the arrest of Yemeni Americans in Lackawanna who had trained in al-Qaida camps.
Those doubts have prodded Muslims - here and elsewhere - into an intense struggle for the soul of Islam.
Three years after Sept. 11, 2001, Muslims in the United States are trying to raise their profile as patriotic people of faith, while distancing themselves from terrorists who act in the name of their religion.
"There is," said Dr. Khalid Qazi, a physician who lives in Amherst, "a real disconnect in some places between what Islam is and what Muslims are."
Qazi, who wears a trademark bow tie and a tiny American flag pinned to the lapel of his sport coat, has led the local effort to better explain Islam and the local Muslim population.
He has presented a series of 90-minute primers on Islam to FBI employees, discussing why Muslims use the term "Allah," the ethnic breakdown of the region's Muslims and how Islam views suicide.
Muslims also have undertaken several new initiatives aimed at inserting themselves more into the mainstream of Western New York. Those efforts include:
• Affiliating with a national organization, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, which professes to be moderate and progressive.
• Publishing a 104-page membership and business directory for more than 400 Muslim professionals and Muslim-owned businesses in Western New York.
• Embarking on a grass-roots "Campaign to Fight Terrorism," urging mosques and Muslim community centers to be especially vigilant in reporting suspicious activity to authorities.
• Hosting a "town hall" forum with some of the area's top federal law enforcement officials to discuss combating terrorism.
Here is Daniel Pipes on Salam Al-Maryati of MPAC.
Suspicious isn't it.
Over-cautious people (I speak now of ones that openly confess to being arch-enemies of the "Great Satan", the US) usually have something to hide.
Who cares if it goes against their religion to spy on Mosks during prayer, they're in our country(Countries), and we don't trust them:
Get Spying !!!
It is this lack of openess, friendly hello, eyes
only from a burka that make integration difficult if not impossible with Muslim neighbours. You know that these people have NO INTENTION of INTEGRATING with the wider community.They may as well LIVE in the Middle East with their Stone Age religion, hijabs, burkas and Sharia Law. Have travelled and live myself in a town where there are a lot of Asian people.All of them with exception of Muslims, have embraced Western style of life whilst keeping their ethnic identities.There are Buddhist Monks to be seen but they are smiling,friendly and anything but threatening, Hindus in bright Saris who also smile, Sikhs may wear turbans but in every other way seem 'one of us', lots of Chinese and Japanese
students.If they wear traditional costume which many do, it is colourful and bright to adorn women not hide them away from sight in ugly tentlike garments.
Black is associated with the colour of Death and Mourning : with evil, darkness as opposed to light. There is something hostile, unpleasantly secretive about burkas, certainly anyone including
a terrorist could hide himself and weapons with this Ninja Turtle outfit.
Why are the men walking from their homes to the mosques five times a day? Why aren't they WORKING?
Fruits of the flawed ideology of multiculturalism. Having been raised and currently living in a metropolis where disparate immigration and the establishment of enclaves are commonplace, the scenario of the Muslims of Buffalo is well-worn. In my personal experience as a first generation American, the only true way to meld a foreign sect into society is for it to embrace aspects of the establishment.
Notice how half of the initiatives are focused on strengthening the separation of the Muslim community by the simple profession of its differences in Religion through Council establishment and business directory listing. Does nothing but foster even more suspicion and divide the community further. Where are the classes for learning to speak English, learning about local history, the encouragement of engaging in current community affairs and the resolution of its problems?
However, entertaining the issue of combatting terrorism with the local authorities is a step in the right direction.
Watch the movie "The Siege" starring Denzil Washington. Is this movie 9/11 prophecy?
This is rather spooky. Why they need fence and why they remain so secretive and why are they waking to mosque five times a day for prayer rather than having a fulltime day job?
This type of behaviour raises more than a few red flags. Read this from WND article by Joseph Farrah on 09/13/2004 http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40414
"An Israeli intelligence officer, an expert on suicide bombing and recruitment methods for volunteers ready to die in the name of Allah, stated he believes suicide bombings will hit Europe and the Americas much sooner than previously expected. Pro-al-Qaida agitators are now active in many pockets inside Muslim immigrant communities around the world where candidates are being selected and tactics of recruiting jihadi suicide bombers have been changed. In most cases volunteers are no longer sent to be trained in Pakistan or other so-called sympathetic environments. More often than not the entire training, indoctrination and brainwashing process is now undertaken within the target countries."
I hope Law Enforcement in those areas with large Muslim population are vigilent.
Yes, I saw the movie 'The seige' starring Bruce Willis and Denzel Washington long before 9-11 happened. I was sure even then that this scenario isnt all that impalusible.
Yesterday, I saw in my univ library, a huge poster depicting the '31 achievements of Bush and cheney' and why they must be voted out. I took objection to 'over aggressiveness in the War on terror'... Hullo? Ovwer aggressive? we? Started a debate then and there and boy, it wasn't pretty. Too many lefties still crowd our univ halls, I must admit. But the good news is the rightwingers and rightthinkers aren't remaining silent either. Though we were outnumbered, we held our ground.
Muslims could live unremarkably in this country, going about their business IF they didn't make themselves conspicuous by the behaviors that are outlined in this article. They will forever be seen as outsiders as they refuse to join, or at least, look like the rest of us.
Non-Muslims that behave as they do would treated as suspicious characters, to be check out, and perhaps censured if their behavior is harmful to the community.
Muslims must devise an atmosphere of transparency and trust. Living behind walls, whether they are made of stone or burqas, creates a divisive barrier that demonstrates that they are unwilling to be part of Western society.
Due to these behaviors, what else can they expect?
I've recalled this memory before: prior to 9/11/01, the 96th Street mosque in NYC was merely an odd anomaly in architectural style. After 9/11, I took a second look, and realized "My God, they are readying for warfare!" Concrete bunkers. Tall, impenetrable fences with electric security. Coded entrance (password?)...How could we have been so stupid? Its time to wake up and smell the Jihad.
"Muslims have bought dozens of homes, staking their property with tall, impenetrable fences."
Brilliant! This mosque is on the street named for the King of Poland, Jan Sobieski III who descended upon the Ottomans besieging Vienna on September 12, 1683. The Polish armored cavalry, the famed winged Hussars, cut the Saracens to pieces and pursued them eastward for several days.
This date, September 12, 1683, is the precise date of the greatest geographic extent of the now defunct Islamic empire. From this date forward, the Islamic empire retracted, losing territory steadily to the non-Muslim victors assailing all of its borders until the caliphate itself was flushed down the toilet of history's failed ideologies on March 2, 1924 by the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
How glorious that the name Sobieski must feature prominently in the mosque's letterhead as part of its address line. Let it be a constant reminder to its immam and his flock of their ignominous defeat at the hands of the still victorious Infidels.
P.S., The regimental descendants of the winged Hussars is a Polish armored regiment now serving in Iraq, still swinging the sword in the spirit of the ever victorious Jan Sobieski.
Oneniceguy - I'm astounded that you could ask this question:
'Why they need fences and why they remain so secretive and why are they waking to mosque five times a day for prayer rather than having a fulltime day job?"
1. Obviously, they need the fence to stave off further homicidal attacks by gangs of Muslim-hating locals. After the thousands of Muslims killed, and Muslim property burned down (after they celebrated 9/11 by dancing in the streets), one can hardly blame them for being paranoid and defensive. How many times have veiled females been given dirty looks by infidel Westerners? How many Muslims-in-costume have been told to go home, or otherwise treated with suspicion? Dont these incidents constitute hate crime?
2. Why are they so secretive? because they dont want Westerners to realise the truth about the institutionalised thuggery that is the true islam.
3. A full-time job? By Mohammed's beard, why should a Muslim work when dopey Western taxpayers continue to support them? Anyhow, how could a Muslim possibly get a job when the filthy infidels are so hate-filled and prejudiced that they refuse to work with Muslims or to allow them to wear signs of their religion --- being unemployed means plenty of time to attend the mosque - isnt that what being a 'good Muslim' is all about?
Oh wait a minute - right scenario, wrong country.
Diana, according to some aggrieved, victimized Muslim here, he wrote into our local paper to say that the high rate of Muslim unemployment in Western countries is due to the fact that we are racist, and deny them employment because we are racist. ROTFLMAO!
Yeah, right, he obviously thinks we're stupid to not see the 7, 8, 9 kids, all supported by taxpayers. Muslim male doesn't have to work. Just have the little woman pop out mobs of kids. The more kids, the more money you get from the taxpayer. With 7 or 8 kids you can get over $55k/yr tax free. To make that type of money in honest work, you'd have to have a salary of $85k+/yr before taxes. Unskilled, barely any English, arrogant and feeling all superior - no way someone like that could nab a job paying that much.
This is the way the system works in Australia. Must be the same in the US? Funny, I was always under the impression that the US wasn't as generous when it came to social benefits to bludgers, like we are in Australia. This paying people for having kids they can't support is idiocy. The Muslims are taking advantage of that, and overpopulating our country while being paid by us to do so!
Faralee, I'm an Aussie too. I live in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.
I believe it is much the same in the US, probably worse. At least we have a fair idea where to find our would-be terrorists and the 'spiritual leaders' who incite them.
I had a friend living in Chicago when 9/11 happened - he reported Muslims in Dearborn celebrating in the streets and passing out sweets. He said that his attitude went from tolerance to utter hatred in 5 minutes.
One of the things I most dislike about Muslims is that they have forced me to become intolerant. Their antisocial activities, their utter lack of any kind of gratitude or loyalty to the country that allowed them to start a new life, and their importation of such abominations as female circumcision and blood feuds, has convinced me that they should never have been allowed to come to Australia in the first place.
But of course, the government bureaucrats who encouraged this attitude and pandered to the every whim and complaint of the poor put-upon Muslims, will never be held accountable for the damge and potential danger their idiot policies have brought to a once peaceful and safe country
Here in Saudi Arabia, all the homes (called villas here) are surrounded by an exterior wall. It's a cultural thing. I think that the Saudis are afraid that other Saudis will sweep in from the desert in their Toyota Land Cruisers to steal their women and rape their goats. Oh, wait. I MAY have that backwards.
jay
Hi Diana, same here - they've made me less tolerant of them, the more I see them, the more I hear what they say, the more I see their deeds. Muslims are not like other immigrants. First, when the Chinese came, we were all suspicious and maybe ignorantly prejudiced, but they proved to be model, normal, ordinary citizens like everyone else. A few bad apples in the big barrel, just like any other ethnic group.
But Muslims just don't grow on you the same way. They just irk me more and more. Their demands, their whinging about being oppressed and victimized, their cheering of Islamic atrocities, their arrogance, their lack of respect for anything or anyone not Muslim. They will always be unAustralian. And they freely and proudly admit it too. The Sydney rapes and the attitudes of the rapists and their disgusting relatives put the final nail on the coffin for me. Thank you Paul Keating, for whoring yourself for the Muslim vote back then, and letting that puke Hilaly in. Thank you all the whoring politicians, activists, lawyers, etc. for opening the door to unqualified liars and criminals.
jay: no, I don't think you've got that the wrong way around. The goats are prettier and smell nicer.