Here is a video of an American Muslim preaching classic non-extremist Islam right near ground zero not too long ago.
Category Archives: Islam in the Americas
Sdammat2 brings us Michael Coren on the ‘Victory Mosque’
Coren is truly one of my favourite TV regulars. An intellectual and with a great deal of integrity even though I do not agree with all his views. I certainly do agree with this:
“This Mosque is an act of triumphalism” -Michael Coren.
Sdamatt2 brings us this segment:
The facts behind New York City’s new ‘Victory Mosque’s’ Imam
From Hudson New York
The Mosque at Ground Zero: Who Is Behind It?
by Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
July 30, 2010 at 5:30 am
The Imam behind the controversial mosque at Ground Zero dreams of Islamizing United States, as exposed in his book, which has two titles: one in English,m and one in Arabic
In the U.S., his book is called, ‘What’s Right with America Is What’s right with Islam.”
The same book, published in Arabic, bears the title, “The Call from the WTC Rubble: Islamic Da’wah {Proseletism}from the Heart of America Post-9/11.”
Here we get exactly the Imam, who is assigned to “spread Islam right from the WTC rubble.”
Now, let us have some glimpse over the funders and backers of this mosque project. According to information, a scholar and charity head appointed to President Obama’s White House Fellowships Commission is closely tied to the Muslim leaders behind this proposed controversial Islamic cultural center to be built near the site of the Sept. 11 attacks. The White House fellow, Vartan Gregorian, is president of Carnegie Corp. of New York.
Gregorian also serves on the board of the Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum. The museum is reportedly working with the American Society for Muslim Advancement, whose leaders are behind the mosque, to ensure the future museum will represent the voices of American Muslims.
“[The Sept. 11 museum will represent the] voices of American Muslims in particular, and it will honor members of other communities who came together in support and collaboration with the Muslim community on September 11 and its aftermath,” stated Daisy Khan, wife of the founder of the society and chairman of the of the Cordoba Initiative, Imam Faidal AbdulRauf Khan, and executive director of the society.
The future Sept. 11 museum’s oral historian, Jenny Pachucki, is collaborating with the society to ensure the perspective of American Muslims is woven into the overall experience of the museum, according to the museum’s blog.
Daisy Khan’s husband, Feisal Abdul Rauf, is the founder of the society as well as chairman of Cordoba Initiative.
With Gregorian at its helm, Carnegie Corp. is at the top of the list of society supporters on the Islamic group’s website. Carnegie is also listed as a funder of both of the society’s partner organizations, Search for Common Ground and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. Gregorian was a participant in the U.N. body’s first forum, as was Rauf.
Rauf is vice chairman on the board of the Interfaith Center of New York, which honored Gregorian at an awards dinner in 2008.
Gregorian, born in Tabriz, Iran, served for eight years as a president of the New York Public Library and was also president of Brown University. He is the author of “Islam: A Mosaic, Not a Monolith.”
According to a book review by the Middle East Forum, Gregorian’s book “establishes the Islamist goal of world domination.”
A chapter of the book, “Islamism: Liberation Politics,” quotes Ayatollah Khomeini: “Islam does not conquer. Islam wants all countries to become Muslim, of themselves.”
Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, is quoted stating it “is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its laws on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet.”
Gregorian himself recommends for Muslims a system he calls “theo-democracy,” which he defines as “a divine democratic government” that, according to the book review, “would have a limited popular sovereignty under the suzerainty of Allah.”
Recently, World Net Daily reported that Rauf refused during a live radio interview to condemn violent jihad groups as terrorists. Rauf also repeatedly refused on-air to affirm the U.S. designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization or call the Muslim Brotherhood extremists.
The Brotherhood openly seeks to spread Islam around the world, while Hamas is committed to Israel’s destruction and is responsible for scores of suicide bombings, shootings and rocket attacks aimed at Jewish civilian population centers.
During that interview, Rauf was also asked who he believes was responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks.
“There’s no doubt,” stated Rauf. “The general perception all over the world was it was created by people who were sympathetic to Osama bin Laden. Whether they were part of the killer group or not, these are details that need to be left to the law-enforcement experts.”
Rauf has been on record several times as blaming U.S. policies for the Sept. 11 attacks. He has been quoted refusing to admit Muslims carried out the attacks.
Referring to the Sept. 11 attacks, Rauf told CNN, “U.S. policies were an accessory to the crime that happened. We [the U.S.] have been an accessory to a lot of innocent lives dying in the world. Osama bin Laden was made in the USA.”
Madeline Brooks, a regular contributor of Weekly Blitz and anti-Jihadist columnist, who attended a sermon this year by Rauf, quoted the Islamic leader as stating “some people say it was Muslims who attacked on 9/11.”
An unidentified group with unknown sponsors has purchased building with US$ 4.85 million cash steps away from where the World Trade Center once stood — to turn it into potentially one of the largest New York City mosques or Islamic Mecca right inside USA.
The Imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf, told the New York Times — which put the story on its front page — that he has assembled several million dollars to turn it into “an Islamic center near the city’s most hallowed piece of land that would stand as one of ground zero’s more unexpected and striking neighbors.”
The 61-year-old Imam said he paid $4.85 million for it — in cash, records show. With 50,000 square feet of air rights and enough financing, he plans an ambitious project of $150 million, he said.
Most US mosques, including many in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx are funded directly or indirectly by Saudi Arabia the country to which 15 of the 19 hijackers who bombed the World Trade Center belonged. The UAE, Qatar and Iran are other major sponsors across the USA.
The source of money matters: a significant part of the hundreds of mosques being built and already erected in this country double up as cultural Islamic centers for distributing literature– Islamist propaganda in fact—from Bay Ridge Brooklyn to Detroit, and for schooling growing Muslim minorities. They house Imams of unknown origin and education, many of whom do not speak a word in English but preach in Arabic and Urdu — radical messages, it often turns out.
While Imam Faisal is gradually moving ahead with his master plan of constructing the Mecca of Islam in NYC, unknown patrons are continuing to put huge amount of cash in gradually having a strong Islamist grip over world media.
In United Kingdom, newspapers like Islamic Times, The Muslim News, The Muslim Weekly, or radio stations like Radio Apni Awaz, Radio Dawn or TV channels like Islam Channel, Muslim TV are only few examples. According to information, Muslim “‘entrepreneurs” are gradually buying shares in several news outlets in UK with money received from unknown sources. Hundreds of millions of dollars are flowing into such projects, with the ultimate goal of virtually waging Islamic Jihad over global media.
There are a few dozens Islamic TV channels already on air. Peace TV [run by notorious Zakir Naik], ARY TV, Q-TV, Islamic TV, Muslim TV; and Islam Channel – UK:
Commenting on Britain’s most popular Islam Channel, Britain’s Office of Communications, OFCOM, in a report found that a number of presenters with extremis tendencies were regularly given the opportunity to air their opinions on the network.
The report also condemned a channel headquartered in London for being demeaning to women, saying that programs instructed women that they could not refuse to have sexual relations with their husbands. Under British law — and recently in the US in a case which was later overturned — a husband who forces his wife to have sex with him can be charged with rape.
The report added that on one program, women were told that they should not leave their homes without their husband’s consent, and should always have a male escort. Another suggested that women who used perfume were prostitutes. Concerns were also raised in the report over a religious advice program in which viewers were told that “the majority of people in hell will be women” because they are the cause of “calamities, hardship and suffering” in Western society.
The channel was accused of promoting the speeches of Anwar al Awlaki, an extremist preacher who has been linked to al Qaeda, and the views of Hizb ut-Tahrir, a fundamentalist organization which the former Prime Minister Tony Blair had tried to ban.
The Islam Channel is watched by an estimated 59 per cent of the UK’s two million Muslims. It is also available as a satellite channel across Europe and Africa.
New Islam TV – Africa:
In Africa, a company named Multichoice has launched a channel named New Islam TV, which is added in DStv bouquets, reaching millions of people. The channel offers choice news and current affairs, children and women’s programs, as well as Quran recitals in Arabic with English subtitles, Islamic values and doctrine.
Azhari TV – Egypt
Egyptian Al Azhar University is set to launch a satellite based television channel in months targeting “1.5 million Muslims and non-Muslims alike in the world.”
Head of Al Azhar, Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, commenting on this channel, which is funded by a Libyan businessman named Hassan Tatanaki said, “in the Age of Obama we realized it was time to look at new ways to deliver our message.”
Hassan Tatanaki placed an initial investment of US$ 2.7 million in this project. Several news sources claim that the real amount of investment in the channel is much higher than shown in the document. The channel will feature a daily sermon from Sheikh Mohamed Tantawi, documentaries relating to al-Azhar, talk shows and an animated series on the Koran. The channel will broadcast 75 percent of its output in Arabic, with the rest initially in English and French. Other languages will be added in 2011.
Another Islamic TV channel named Al Sufiya Wa Atasawaf will also be launched from Egypt in several months.
Al Falah TV – Malaysia
An Islamic television channel named Al Falah TV has been launched by a Malaysian company, World Islamic Television Network. Its chairman, Khairuddin Abu Hassan. said, “This channel will act as a hub for the collection of television programs from Islamic nations and export the same to Europe, the United States and East Asia.”
Geert Wilders to protest NYC Victory-Mosque
From Gates of Vienna:
Geert Wilders Will Join Newt Gingrich at Ground Zero on 9-11
Geert Wilders has been invited to come to New York on September 11th to attend the planned demonstration against the Ground Zero mosque. He and Newt Gingrich, among other people, will give speeches at the event.
Our Flemish correspondent VH has compiled a report about Mr. Wilders’ plans, based on translations from the Dutch media. First, from Elsevier:
Wilders will join protest in New York against Ground Zero mosque
PVV leader Geert Wilders will go to New York on September 11 to protest against the construction of a mosque on the site where the Twin Towers once stood. Along with prominent U.S. politicians, the PVV leader will give a speech during the protest, as reported by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reports:
“By accepting this invitation Geert Wilders supports the resistance against the construction of a mosque near the place where Islam committed the worst crime in recent years,” the PVV states. “The attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, was an attack on the entire Western civilization, including the Netherlands.”[1]
Previously Wilders had filed questions in parliament on the alleged Dutch involvement in the project. The Netherlands reportedly provided a million euro subsidy to the American Muslim organization Asma. According to the PVV, this organization was involved in the construction of the mosque, but the government denies this.[2]
Three thousand deaths
In the area where the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers took place on September 11, 2001, and nearly three thousand people were killed, there are plans to build a mega mosque.
The demonstration against the construction of the prayer house is organized by ‘Stop Islamization of America’. Besides Wilders, among others the Republican politician Newt Gingrich will give a speech, as well as relatives of victims of the attack, and members of the Fire Department.
The demonstration is being organized by the SIOA (Stop Islamization of America), and is scheduled to start at 14:00 hours at Park Place between Church and West Broadway, near Ground Zero.
The plans for the construction of the mosque are very controversial. Many New Yorkers [and many others, also outside the USA] regard the project as an insult to the people who were killed by radical Muslims during the terrorist attack.
Fraternization
Proponents of the project argue that the building will lead to reconciliation between the various believers. The center, located two blocks away from Ground Zero, will open its doors to all visitors, irrespective of religion and gender.
This week it was announced that there were no legal objections to the construction of the mosque. Mayor Bloomberg supports the construction of the mosque. He believes the government should not interfere in religious affairs. Continue Reading →
Ottawa Canada man in court today on multiple bomb and gun charges
28 year old Ottawa man in court today, Saif Cathum, on 35 charges, his home on Finn Court, Heron Gate area, had 4 home made bombs and stun gun, 2 firearms. Charges include possession of explosive substance and firearms related charges.
Information courtesy of www.cfra.com Radio 580 Ottawa
The Heron gate Area is home to a large community of Ottawa Muslims and Ottawa’s most active Mosque.
Man faces 35 charges after search finds IEDs in Ottawa home
Fri Aug 6, 5:02 PM
OTTAWA – An Ottawa man has been charged after police found and seized improvised explosive devices (IEDs), firearms and other weapons from a home near Alta Vista and Heron on Thursday, according to a police statement.
Police searched the home on Finn Court and found four IEDs, two firearms, three silencers, one stun gun, one high-capacity ammunition magazine and various firearm parts and accessories.
“I don’t know how [the IEDs] were found or what condition they were found in, but they were in a condition that would support a criminal charge,” said Ottawa Police spokeswoman Const. Kathy Larouche. “I’m assuming they were capable of being detonated.”
Larouche said high-powered weaponry, such as the items found, are not too common, but the force has come across them before.
“All you have to do is Google explosive devices, and you can pull up some recipes,” she said. “It’s scary to think that these devices can be made from everyday household items.”
The Ottawa Police Service Guns and Gangs Section and the Provincial Weapons Enforcement Unit charged Saif Cathum, 28, with 35 criminal offences, including possession of an explosive substance, unauthorized possession of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon and careless storage of a firearm.
Cathum is set to appear in court Friday.
US charges 14 Somalis with terrorism
US Charges 14 With Aiding Somalia’s al-Shabab: VOA News
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced charges on Thursday against 14 suspects accused of supporting the terrorist group al-Shabab in Somalia. Holder said the indictments reflect a “disturbing trend” of terrorist organizations recruiting in the United States.
Attorney General Holder announced four indictments charging suspects in Minnesota, California and Alabama with seeking to provide money, personnel and services to al-Shabab, which has links to al-Qaida.
Two suspects have been arrested, the rest are still at large with several believed to be in Somalia fighting for al-Shabab. The group, designated by the United States as a terrorist organization, has been battling the transitional Somali government for control of Mogadishu. It has also been blamed for recent suicide bombings in Uganda. Continue Reading →
CAIR’s ‘Summer of Censorship’ Campaign Comes to Florida for Election 2010
From Big Peace
CAIR’s ‘Summer of Censorship’ Campaign Comes to Florida for Election 2010
Posted by Adam Savit Aug 5th 2010 at 11:32 am in Islamic extremism, Justice/Legal, Politics | Comments (9)
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is investing time, money and political capital in an attempt to deflate dissenting political voices in Florida. In the space of just four days CAIR put out two national press releases condemning the “U.S. Constitution Freedom Rally” (PDF) to be hosted by the Emerald Coast Tea Party Patriots in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida on August 21. Why all the fuss (and PR money spent) over a Tea Party event in a small community? Apparently because of CAIR’s staunch foreign-inspired political opposition to ACT! for America – the country’s largest grassroots national security citizens’ organization – which they call an “anti-Islam hate group,” and its founder and the keynote speaker at the August tea party event, Brigitte Gabriel, whom they term “an extremist anti-Islam speaker.” CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper said, “Now is the time for Tea Party leaders to clearly demonstrate that their movement will not allow itself to be associated with bigotry of any kind, including Islamophobia.” Hooper appears to want to censor any critics of Islamic Shariah law, such as ACT! Director Gabriel.
Even stronger attempts to silence Shariah critics came from CAIR-Los Angeles Executive Director Hussam Ayloush just last week, in the context of a dispute over how California school textbooks should portray Islam. He said, “Involving ACT! for America in educational material on Islam is akin to allowing the KKK to educate American students on the history of African Americans or Judaism.” Ayloush went on to tell the Orange County Weekly, “ACT! for America represents a small, but vocal, minority of extremists promoting anti-Muslim bigotry and religious disharmony around the country.”
Let’s put Mr. Ayloush’s inflammatory language aside and consult the inconvenient facts. ACT! for America has a highly successful and growing base of support, with 415 chapters and 115,000 members across the country. In 2002, Brigitte Gabriel founded the American Congress for Truth (ACT) as a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is conducting research and providing educational and informational materials to the public, funded by tax-deductible contributions. Years later, she found it crucial that a separate organization, ACT! for America, be founded as a 501(c)(4) “in order to accomplish the goal of having a grassroots citizen organization that would engage in activities such as lobbying and issues advocacy.” Furthermore, both the American Congress for Truth and ACT! for America have consistently filed their Form 990 tax returns with the IRS in accord with the law.
Conversely, recalling Hussam Ayloush’s language it seems that CAIR could be more aptly described as “a small, but vocal, minority of extremists promoting… bigotry and religious disharmony around the country” than either ACT! for America or the Tea Party movement. The Washington Times reported that the number of CAIR members spiraled down from more than 29,000 in 2000 to less than 1,700 in 2006. CAIR’s finances and membership information since then remain a mystery as they have failed to file a Form 990 tax return with the IRS since 2006. With such a small pool of domestic membership, CAIR has turned to foreign sources for funding. They have received at least $6.6 million in cash and loans from foreign principals and met and coordinated with those foreign principals on more than 30 occasions; yet they have not registered as foreign agents with the DOJ in contravention of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA). And as a 501(c)(3) tax deductable organization CAIR is not supposed to devote a substantial amount of their time and resources to lobbying. Yet they seem to spend a lot of time on Capitol Hill, and a lot of money criticizing elected officials and candidates. And as an unregistered foreign agent, all of their acts “whose intent is to influence any agency or official of the Government of the United States or any section of the public within the United States” are illegal according to FARA § 611(o). Continue Reading →
CAIR on FOX with a comment or two by yours truly.
The spokesman for CAIR defending the 911 victory mosque was so awful on FOX that I thought I would add my 2 cents into the debate. In retrospect, I could have and should have said far more. But here it is. This is the same video of CAIR on FOX being debated by the Fireman from 911 but just with a few comments of mine added.
Eeyore
Shariah Comes to the Supreme Court: Elena Kagan’s Decisions
Shariah Comes to the Supreme Court: Elena Kagan’s Decisions Big Peace.Com
Posted by Christine Brim Aug 4th 2010 at 8:57 am in Justice/Legal, Obama, Uncategorized | Comments (0)
The Senate should not confirm Elena Kagan, because her views render her the first Supreme Court Justice who actively favors the introduction of Shariah law into national Constitutions and legal systems. To excuse themselves for voting for her confirmation, Senators of both parties have told themselves this vote for Kagan’s confirmation will result in a harmless swap: the substitution of one liberal justice for another.
The reality is far more threatening and unprecedented in American history. A vote to confirm Elena Kagan’s nomination will bring a liberal, pro-Shariah justice to our highest Court. And if she is confirmed, her behavior as Obama’s Solicitor General indicates she will refuse to recuse herself on any Shariah-related decision but instead will lead the charge to legitimate Shariah law in America.
Senators have told themselves they have little evidence on which to evaluate Kagan, because other than her work as Obama’s Solicitor General, she has no judicial experience.
But Kagan has made repeated and very public decisions about a judicial system – Shariah – and Senators should be obligated to take into account those decisions when they vote for her. Her 2003-2009 career as Dean of Harvard Law School is a history of those decisions, and every one of them shows her “deep appreciation” of Shariah law.
Every vote for Kagan is a vote to bring a pro-Shariah view to the Supreme Court. Here are five reasons to vote against Kagan’s nomination:
1. PRO-SHARIAH MISSION: With Kagan’s direction, Harvard’s Islamic Legal Studies Program developed a mission statement (here on 9/2008, also 6/2009) dedicated “to promote a deep appreciation of Islamic law as one of the world’s major legal systems.” That mission statement guided her actions and those whom she directed as Dean. Continue Reading →
Tim Brown debates CAIR on ground zero mosque
Al Taqiyya at its lowest
h/t F00MF
More opposition to the Cordoba Mosque at NYC
Good to see people fighting this
Anti-Defamation League does 180, opposes ground zero megamosque
NER: ‘What is a mosque? Interview with Sam Solomon
This is an interview quite similar to the one Vlad Tepes did of Mr. Solomon on June 7th of this year. Here is a written transcript of that interview from The New English Review:
What is a Mosque? An Interview with Sam Solomon
by Jerry Gordon (August 2010)
Gordon: Greetings Mr. Solomon and thank you for consenting to this interview. Let us start with the simple question, what is a mosque and what is its basic function in the Muslim community?
Solomon: A mosque, totally unlike a church or a synagogue, serves the function of orchestrating and mandating every aspect of “life” in a Muslim community from the religious, to the political, to the economic, to the social, to the military. In Islam, religion and life are not separate. They are indivisible. In Islam religion is not just a part of life, but “life” is absorbed and regulated to the tiniest detail by religion (See Figure 1). In other words every aspect of a man or woman’s life must be defined and governed by religion. So there is no concept of personal choice whatsoever, or in theological terms, there is no “free will,” but only limited preferences between prescribed courses of action. In addition, there is no concept of a personal relationship between the person and the entity being worshiped, so “worship” itself, is of a different nature than that performed in a church or synagogue.
Figure 1: Comparison of Non-Islamic vs Islamic views of one’s freedom of choice and options in life.So we see that a mosque is a seat of government. A mosque is a school. A mosque is a court. A mosque is a training center. A mosque is a gathering place, or social center. It is not a place of “worship” per se as understood and as practiced in Western societies.
Specifically, how is a mosque a threat to the community within which it is built?
Every single mosque in the world, by definition, is modeled on the mosque of Muhammad in Medina in accordance with the Sunnah. The Sunnah interprets the Qur’an by reporting exhaustively on everything that Muhammad said, did, or consented to. Therefore, his Medina mosque, the first mosque, was a place where he gave judgments, where he decided who would be executed, where he instituted policy—domestic and military— where Jihad war strategies were designed. Consequently, it was a storage place for arms, a military training base, and was where troops were blessed and dispatched. Literally they were sent to conquer – first the whole of Arabia, and then the rest of the known world. Therefore if the present-day mosque is modeled as per the Sunnah of Muhammad then there should be very serious concern. As is well-known, Muslims are required to follow the example (Sunnah) of Muhammad—and according to Sura 33:36 it is not an option or a matter of opinion: “It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allâh and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allâh and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed in a plain error.” This explains and establishes beyond doubt why arms have been found in mosques in various countries, and in different capital cities.
In addition to the undisputed significance of the Medina mosque as the role model for all Mosques, there is also the Islamic policy of establishing strategic Mosques as beachheads with interconnected networks. Taken together, these two policies do constitute a clear and present danger—and a need for concern.
For example, when Abu Hamza[1] was the Imam of the Finsbury Park mosque in the United Kingdom, he trained people, he sent out terrorists and British authorities found arms stored there. He was well within his Islamic mandate as these activities were sanctioned by Islam. He didn’t find it wrong because it is in the Islamic manuals. Another prime example of a mosque being found to have engaged in high-level political, military and intelligence activities is the Munich Mosque, which is now considered by Islamists to be on a par with some of highest-ranked Mosques in Muslim countries.[2]
What comment do you have on the significance of the Ground Zero Mosque set to open on 9/11, 2011?
First of all, the sponsors and supporters of the Ground Zero Mosque insist that the significance of the building of this mosque is that it constitutes a refutation of the radical “fringe” within Islam, and as such, is a gesture of peace and reconciliation toward America and the victims of 9/11.
But, it is ludicrous for anybody to accept that this is a gesture of peace in the Western sense—rather it is a different definition of “peace.” It is the Islamic definition of “peace” as a suspension of “struggle” which is ultimately said to emerge once opposition ceases, and Islam reigns supreme as Muhammad has stated, “Islam rises and nothing rises above it.”
The rationale of the sponsors is that acts of terrorism are being carried out by misguided “radicals” rather than true Muslims and that as a consequence, Islam itself has been victimized and defamed and needs to be defended. Their solution is to appear to decry all “radicalism”, and to take the bold symbolic act of erecting a 13 to 15-story Mosque—ostensibly representing true Islam—on the site itself, in their words, to “bridge and heal this divide.” [3]
So, if allowed to be built, this mosque would consolidate, solidify, and embody a fallacious and pernicious interpretation of what really happened at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.[4]
In one fell swoop, it will be a re-writing of American history with American cooperation, and will achieve another major Islamic goal of setting a high profile beachhead at a strategic location in the seat of American economic power. Continue Reading →
Canada: Air security won’t ask Muslims to lift veils to prove ID
From The Toronto Sun
Lifting the veil on airport security
Air security won’t ask for veiled Muslims to prove ID
By Brian Lilley and Bryn Weese, Parliamentary Bureau
Last Updated: August 1, 2010 5:16am
OTTAWA – Frequent flyers know the drill: take off your shoes, surrender your tweezers and pack your shampoo in those little plastic baggies before lining up for the naked body scanners. But lift your niqab? Apparently not.
QMI Agency can reveal that neither airlines nor security services are asking Muslim women to lift their veils and prove that the face beneath matches their photo ID.
The issue came to light through a video taken by Mick Flynn of Bradford, England. Flynn was boarding a flight at Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport when he witnessed two women with their faces covered board an Air Canada Heathrow bound flight without being asked to remove their veils.
In fact, in the video that Flynn has posted online, a man traveling with the group hands in all the passports and is the only one to interact with airline staff while two veiled women simply walk through.
“I complained at the desk — and again as I boarded the plane — asking if the pilot was happy that two women boarded without being identified,” Flynn told QMI Agency. “Both members of staff whom I spoke to were flustered and clearly embarrassed.”
Flynn’s communication with Air Canada and his video posting have resulted in a threatened lawsuit from the airline. As for answers from the company about security procedures, their response reveals holes in Canada’s air security.
“Airline passengers have already undergone multiple security checks before arriving at the boarding gate,” Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick told QMI. “A final check is made at the gate prior to boarding in order to confirm passengers on the flight.”
Air Canada says it is capable of checking identification in a private room away from the check-in counter, but said the real responsibility for security measures lies with CATSA, the Canadian Air Transport Security Agency.
Not so, says CATSA.
Greg MacDougall, a spokesman for CATSA, tells QMI that their guards are primarily looking for metal, weapons or other banned material, not ensuring that veiled faces match passport photos.
“We don’t have concerns with that. We have concerns with the fact if the person has any metal under their clothing,” MacDougall said.
A former CATSA employee, who, until recently worked as a frontline screener, tells QMI: “We were never allowed to ask anyone with a veil to lift it. It is their religion.”
Frontline workers for several airlines say that any checks, if they happen at all, would likely happen at the check-in desk, not at boarding or security.
Most airports have wide gaps between where baggage is checked and the secure portions of the airport.
Transport Canada says there should be no confusion: “The airline must be able to verify the identity of all passengers before they are allowed to board,” the department said in a written statement.
Lawyer David Harris of INSIGNIS Strategic Research says Canadians should be concerned about what he deems preferential treatment.
“Full veiling has been a boon for those participating in criminal and terrorist operations,” Harris said pointing to the story of Mustaf Jama.
Jama, a Somali national with a long criminal record, was wanted in Britain for the 2006 murder of police constable Sharon Beshenivsky. As police closed in to arrest the career criminal, Jama was able to escape back to Somalia by wearing a full veil and boarding a flight at Heathrow airport.
Harris’ call for lifting the veil is backed up by two Muslim groups often at odds with each other, the Muslim Canadian Congress and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Canada.
“You cannot allow a person wearing a mask to be in the perimeter of an airport,” says Tarek Fatah of the Congress. “If you don’t want to take off the mask, take the TTC (public transit) to Cairo.”
“Women who wear the niqab are not constrained by the religious belief from removing their veil for legitimate reasons, and security is one of them,” said Ihsaan Gardee, executive director of CAIR-CAN.
Gardee admits that Canadian officials may be reluctant to deal with this issue head-on due to concerns about political correctness. “It’s something that needs to be addressed,” Gardee said.
Gardee says it would be preferable if female staff were able to conduct any screening that involved removing the veil but adds that if female staff are not available, the women must still be forced to remove their niqab.
Obama’s Cairo speech
Yes yes I know that was ages ago. But its been a bee in my bonnet since he gave it. Before Obama was elected I was pretty sure he was a bad idea, but after he was elected I held out hope that he had a grand strategy which was to be conciliatory to a degree, and then, when Iran continued on its natural course of aggression, Obama was going to suddenly defend the free world with real gusto and get all kinds of support from the left in the US and Western world because he had gone to such great lengths to supplicate and appease the Islamic world.There would be a great shrug and an ‘I did all I could, and now, the time to fight has come’. I was not expecting, “The US will never be at war with Islam…” etc. at Nausea.
When I saw the Cairo speech I had to re think that strategy. Clearly Obama was either knowingly making up stuff about Islam and its history or he actually believed the stuff he said, which given that he grew up at a Madrassa in Indonesia he probably does, and either way he simply was not representing the nation that elected him or it’s interests.
In any case, Fjordman did a refutation of Obama’s Cairo speech here. Anything by Fjordman is well worth reading but this especially is worth the click and the time.
Eeyore for Vlad.