These men were not arrested or cited. They were questioned. I also have been questioned about my activities and allegiances after people have seen me in airports working on a website that prominently mentions “jihad.” When CAIR and these Muslim men try to make a big deal of this, the underlying agenda is clear: they are trying to inhibit law enforcement personnel. They’re trying to make sure that police and other investigators will be too intimidated and hamstrung by PC sensibilities to question young Muslim men about their actions, no matter where, no matter how suspicious.
Remember also that CAIR was involved in the attempt by six imams who were taken off an airplane after other passengers complained about their behavior to sue those passengers. If they had succeeded, people would have been afraid to report suspicious behavior by Muslims, for fear of getting sued. This is of a piece with that.
“Muslim Men Claim Henderson Police Detained Them for Praying,” from LasVegasNow, March 5 (thanks to herr Oyal):
LAS VEGAS – Henderson Police are investigating some of their own officers regarding a complaint filed by a group of Muslim men who stopped to pray in a parking lot.
The incident happened in December. The Muslim men were passing through Las Vegas on a road trip. They stopped at a convenience store parking lot in Henderson to perform their sunset prayer. According to documents obtained by 8 News NOW, a concerned citizen called the police, saying seven Middle Eastern males were acting suspiciously by a gray minivan with California license plates. The caller reported several of the men were kissing the ground.
Minutes later, Henderson Police officers arrived on the scene. One of the Muslim men recorded the incident with his cell phone.
Watch Cell Phone Video from the Incident
“We don’t (have) you at gunpoint,” one of the officers said. “We’re not going to throw you down on the ground or handcuff you right now. We just want to make sure that you guys are good people.”
“We are praying,” one of the men replied. “You know, this is a Muslim prayer. Is that enough for you to say that this is suspicious activity?”
“Well, that’s why I’m checking it out,” the officer replied.
“Do you think it is,” the Muslim man asked.
“I think there’s somebody out there that called us and said, ‘Hey check this out,'” the officer said. “Did I see you guys praying? No. Do I know what you were saying? I don’t know if you guys repeat the same thing, or if you’re actually over there saying, ‘I hope that I kill a police officer today.’ I don’t know that you’re not saying that.”
After almost 45 minutes, the Muslim men were on their way. They were not arrested or cited. They are now vowing to fight what they consider an unlawful stop.
Cue the obligatory mainstream media CAIR reference with no hint that CAIR is an unsavory Hamas-linked group that has opposed every anti-jihad effort ever devised by man:
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, has filed a formal complaint with the Henderson Police Department.
Read the Letter from CAIR to Henderson Police
“What the men really want to see is change within the police department and (a change in) law enforcement attitude toward people engaged in religious activity,” CAIR Los Angeles Chapter staff attorney Ameena Qazi said. The Muslim travelers also want compensation for damages and emotional distress….