CAIR and the Flying Imams, is it just a case of “jihad by lawsuit” or something more? An Introduction

Flying Imams, is is just a case of slight misunderstandings? Is it just an example of “jihad by lawsuit”? Or is the case and strategy something more with a much broader intent? [My God, the Islamification of America is happening right before our faces and faster than we can even type, see The Submission Train. Talk about corporations - in this case Dell - being "cowed", good gawd a'mighty! At Dell, the question is do Christians get equal time to pray; can Wiccan's hold their meditation rituals? A totalitarian government could not hope to do us more harm or to shut down our productivity. Speaking of that, which are the least productive nations on earth, from a business perspective? Hmmm...] On April 27, 2007, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) held a “town hall meeting” on the Public Relations (PR) and legal strategies they plan to implement on behalf of the “Flying Imams”. The Center for Vigilant Freedom received taped audio of the “town hall” meeting and has prepared transcripts of the audio materials. The transcripts and audio have been made available to the public at CAIR’s Flying Imams Legal Strategy. I have read the transcripts and share with you one American woman’s opinion or view of the strategy CAIR is using to “win” the imams’ lawsuit and perhaps many more. My opinion will be presented over a series of posts. In these litigious times, I must “submit”, I mean, "assert" that my analysis is presented under the Freedom of Speech guaranteed at this time under the Bill of Rights in the Constitution of the United States of America and certainly it is my right to express a critique or view - even if I err in my analysis or as a woman cannot comprehend the complexities of the strategy. Certainly the transcripts and the strategy are open for discussion and, if successful, could set the stage for endless lawsuits to wear down our resistance to the implementation of Shari'a Law one "pray in" or one "foot-washing station" at a time. Back to, back to... The meeting was held at the Muslim ADAMS Center in Virginia and was advertised as “CAIR hosts Town Hall Meeting on Airport Profiling.” Speakers were Nihad Awad, CAIR Executive Director; Khadija Athman, CAIR Civil Rights Manager; and Imam Magid from the ADAMS Center. I have analyzed the transcripts and am preparing my “take” on the tapes and the strategy. As you may recall, on November 20, 2006, at the Minneapolis International Airport, before boarding the aircraft, 6 imams proceeded to pray, to chant, and to kneel with their heads on prayer rugs for camera crews whom someone most assuredly had conveniently called in advance. Once aboard the aircraft, several of the imams asked for seat-belt extensions, they spoke in Arabic and were overheard by Arabic speakers on the plane, and one or more of the imams moved around and changed from their assigned seats to a seating pattern like that used by the terrorists of the 9/11 attacks. The behavior of the imams clearly was intended to “push the envelope” to see how far they could go in loud behavior, in praying in an exhibitionist manner (praying for the cameras), and calling attention to themselves – in a word, a form of intended intimidation of the flight crew and terrorizing/frightening of the passengers. [see Webster’s New World Dictionary for terror, terrorize, terrorism] Based upon the occurrences of 9/11 and the foiled plot to blow-up 9-10 British Airways planes bound for the United States along with the bombings in London, Madrid, Bali, and other places, passengers have been placed on high-alert. When the imams’ behavior was considered strange enough to be out of the ordinary, passengers alerted the crew. The plane did not take off. The imams were ordered to leave the aircraft. From there on out, passengers were subjected to further searches of the plane and of their luggage. Hours later the plane left for its destination without the imams. On April 27, 2007, CAIR held its Town Hall to discuss “airport profiling” but no profiling took place at the airport. The imams engaged in behavior designed to “profile” themselves and then simply dared anyone to do anything about them or their behavior. Arguably, the plan of the imams was to stage their own “sit-in” taken from the NAACP playbook of the early-1960s. What the imams and apparently CAIR did not realize is that there is no airport profiling and the imams would have been able to travel peacefully had they not intentionally brought attention to themselves through calculated behavior designed to frighten or “terrorize” the passengers and crew. Contrary to the allegations made by the “town hall” meeting speakers in the transcripts (see link above), Muslims do not and have not been forced to sit in the back of the bus, drink from Muslim designated fountains, eat at “Muslim only” lunch counters, or live with any of the segregationist laws that existed nationally before the Civil Rights Bill of 1964. If Muslims in America choose to segregate themselves, as they do in France for the purpose of “living as a nation within a nation” so as not to assimilate, that is their choice. I know the Amish do that as do selected Jewish sects but the choice is theirs and their desire is not to make other Americans “conform” or “submit” to their established life-styles nor do they engage in activities to call attention to themselves or to subvert our secular laws. They are not engaging in “jihad by lawsuit.” [claim to that phrase does not belong to me] Muslims in America have all the freedoms of our open society and we non-Muslims only get a little cranky when organizations such as CAIR paint “white” Americans as racists and as somehow “oppressing” Muslims in America. Pure hogwash! The only oppression of Muslims that takes place in America is that imposed upon Muslim women by Islamic/Shari’a Law found in the Qur’an and by other Muslims who see all women as second-class and not worthy of the freedoms of Muslim men. My guess is that in America most Muslims live and let live, go to mosque to show the colors, and pretty much stay away from the radical rants. Much like Baptists go to church and just let the “fire and brimstone” preacher rant then go about their merry way sinning happily from week to week or as many Catholics attend confession, go to mass, and practice birth control. Americans do not live and breathe “racism” as our Mainstream Media or our “race baiters” would have one believe, and Muslims have more freedom here, in America, than they will ever have in any Islamist nation on earth. The point for me is that the “moderate” Muslims – if there are any – must speak up and must not try to change our secular nation into an Islamic nation under Shari’a Law. Period. Little “tricks” such as the ones the imams pulled at the airport and on the plane are not endearing Muslims or Islam to the average American. The stunts with the public foot-washing stations that are used to wash any and every part of the body and are paid for with passenger fees added to their ticket price are said to be necessary on “religious” grounds. That doesn’t wash in America. The stunt of taxi drivers not taking passengers who carried alcohol or who had been drinking on religious grounds won’t wash either. Ramming these changes upon our culture on “religious” grounds stinks to high Heaven. To repeat, the Center for Vigilant Freedom has received taped audio of the “town hall” meeting and has prepared transcripts of the audio materials. The transcripts and audio can be found at CAIR’s Flying Imams Legal Strategy. Passengers have a right and a duty to report suspicious behavior on airlines but that right is under attack, A Passenger’s Right to Survive, by a CAIR lawsuit claiming that the imams were discriminated against. To couch the lawsuit of the Flying Imams against US Air and against passengers as discrimination reminiscent of our 1960s Civil Rights Movement is insulting and makes a mockery of our hard-won accomplishments. Further, I see the imams’ stunt as a set-up, a self-initiated ploy that backed passengers and crew against the wall between safety and political correctness. Safety and security won out! There is a God! As you read the transcripts and/or listen to the audio materials, keep in mind that our Civil Rights Movement was real with real issues to address, issues that had been institutionalized by legislation. CAIR and the flying imams make a mockery of our efforts at equality and insult Rosa Parks and her few small acts asking only for respect, equality, and opportunity. Many Muslims in America today come on visas, receive excellent educations, many of these educations funded by Saudi Arabia. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 has resulted in what its sponsors assured those who voted for the bill would never happen – institutionalized discrimination in the form of affirmative action (quotas) which, by the way, benefits Muslims over any white Americans – and this institutionalized discrimination against white Americans will have to be “corrected” so that we have genuine equality. That correction will come over time. That CAIR and the flying imams mock our struggles and use our hard-won efforts against us demeans them and shows how very little they know of America or Americans and of our generosity and fairness. At least, that equality and fairness is the ideal. In my opinion, with stunts in which the flying imams conspired, all of our efforts are set back. They make a mockery of us all. To quote a friend from the Center for Vigilant Freedom, “CAIR’s contempt for the average American and especially for black Americans is reprehensible.” America is an extremely tolerant nation but we can be pushed too far. It seems as though, right from Shakespeare, CAIR doth protest too much. Through the lawsuit against the airlines and against passengers, CAIR plans to stifle you and leave you helpless in addition to elevating Muslim Imams and other Muslims to special, “above the law”, status. The John Doe Motion protecting passengers from law suits was removed from the "hate crimes" legislation in HR 1592, with the help of Rep. John Conyers, thereby making all Americans vulnerable if they follow their instincts and do what common sense dictates when they are faced with a threat to life and the lives of fellow passengers or for that matter when faced with threats they see growing around them in their neighborhood. The removal of the John Doe Motion strips us naked and leaves each of us, our loved ones, and our community open to attack plus the removal of the John Doe motion makes us the “criminal” if we report suspicious activity; in effect, Representative John Conyers and his colleagues have moved closer to putting us all in jeopardy and certainly making us less safe. In my opinion, the removal of the John Doe Motion from HR 1592 is an absolutely crucial piece to the success of CAIR's strategy to win the lawsuit for the 6 flying imams and to opening you and your family to personal lawsuits and to the weakening of our "national security" efforts since 9/11. Next, Nihad Awad’s presentation – Not enough victims - (or some similar title) Again, just one woman's opinion and/or analysis/view of the transcripts and CAIR's strategy. Addition/correction: please see Protecting "John Does" for information of protecting passengers from lawsuits. The bill is HR 1640, Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2007.