Flying Imam Roundup

I've been periodically following this story for a couple of weeks.

The biggest ally radical Islam has in its jihad against us is us; I mean we are our own worst enemy. We allow our notions of tolerance, fair play, etc. be used against by cold-blooded killers.

For example, terrorists and insurgents are trained to loudly accuse U.S. soldiers of mistreating them when they're captured. It's part of their playbook. So, in order to show how benign we are, we "handcuff" our military so that we don't offend the sensibilities of the terrorists who would gladly cut our children's throats.

This strategy is even more successful when these complaints are gleefully re-echoed by the media and other blame-America first types. Remember the "Koran in the toilet" stories which made headlines in the NYTimes, Wash. Post, Chi. Tribune and broadcast media? Sure you did. But, I'll bet you never heard the follow-up: that after extensive investigations the claims were never shown to have any basis in fact -- they were lies.

The Flying Imam story is another example. It looks like these Muslim "scholars" staged this stunt to weaken our defenses. They want to complain that they're being discriminated against by the airlines. Their complaints are being (once again) loudly trumpeted by the media. They want us to ignore Muslims who wander around airplanes and sit near the cockpit -- even though their assigned seats are elsewhere. They want us to ignore them when they ask for seat extenders -- which make good weapons -- even when they don't need them. Etc. Etc. If they're successful, we'll be ripe for another terrorist attack. Except, if it does happen again, we'll have enabled them in their murderous designs.

Here are excerpts from a couple of good pieces on this story from Investor's Business Daily and Opinion Journal.

... The imams acted more like provocateurs than victims. At the gate before boarding, they angrily cursed the U.S. Then they bowed to Mecca and prayed "very loud," chanting "Allah, Allah, Allah," according to the gate agent and another witness.

On the plane, they didn't take their assigned seats and instead fanned out to the front, middle and rear of the plane. One even "pretended to be blind" to gain access to another passenger's seat, according to a flight attendant.

Some ran back and forth speaking to each other in Arabic. Adding to suspicions, most of them asked for seat belt extensions even though they didn't need them — or even use them.

Yet the ringleader, Omar Shahin, claimed before the police report was released that they "did nothing" unusual. "It's obvious discrimination," he insisted.

Read the whole Investor's Business Daily piece here.

And from Opinion Journal:

"Allahu Akbar" was just the opening act. After boarding, they did not take their assigned seats but dispersed to seats in the first row of first class, in the midcabin exit rows and in the rear--the exact configuration of the 9/11 execution teams. The head of the group, seated closest to the cockpit, and two others asked for a seatbelt extension, kept on board for obese people. A heavy metal buckle at the end of a long strap, it can easily be used as a lethal weapon. The three men rolled them up and placed them on the floor under their seats. And lest this entire incident be written off as simple cultural ignorance, a frightened Arabic-speaking passenger pulled aside a crew member and translated the imams' suspicious conversations, which included angry denunciations of Americans, furious grumblings about U.S. foreign policy, Osama Bin Laden and "killing Saddam."