The enemy is still amongst us

A few unconnected news items that make for disturbing reading

1. Abdurahman Alamoudi founded the Muslim chaplain program for the U.S. military. He was caught en-route to Syria with Libyan cash, according to this MSNBC report. Some of his proteges are under investigation for espionage activities at Guantanamo Bay.

[He]is a prominent American Muslim leader, welcomed by presidents and founder of the Muslim chaplain program for the U.S. military.

However, in an audiotape of a conversation obtained by NBC News, Alamoudi seems to embrace violence. Speaking Arabic, Alamoudi criticizes Osama bin Laden — not for acts of violence, but for his choice of targets, specifically the bombing of the U.S. embassies in Africa. A translator quotes Alamoudi as saying, “Many African Muslims have died and not a single American died.” In fact, 12 Americans were killed. Alamoudi adds, “I prefer to hit a Zionist target in America, or Europe, or elsewhere.”

2. Rod Dreher reveals the extremist connections of so-called moderate Muslim groups in this Dallas Morning News column. (Registration required)

When I asked the man how he squared his profession of tolerance and moderation with having radicals on the ISNA [Islamic Society of North America] board, Dr. Syeed became hostile, sputtering that my question reminded him of Hitlerian persecution. That is blustering nonsense, of course, and an attempt to silence legitimate questions about ISNA's agenda through intimidation and misdirection.

3. In Seattle, FBI investigators uncovered a cache of weapons belong to Islam convert James Wilburn, acording to the SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER. It is not known what he was planning to do with his arsenal but there are disturbing parallels with that other Islam convert, the DC sniper John Muhammad.

Among the items found in the storage locker: a sniper outfit, a range-finder scope, silencers, gas masks, road spikes, knives, guns and "a black leather bag full of ammo," according to an affidavit filed by Special Agent Fernando Gutierrez of the FBI's domestic terrorism squad.

4. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported the arrest of Ashraf Al-Jailani, another suspected al-Qaida operative in Kent, Ohio.

Ashraf Al-Jailani, a Yemen- born geochemist arrested a year ago in Akron, sat mute as FBI Special Agent Roger Charnesky described him as an al-Qaida "first-stringer, highly educated, highly trained and highly motivated."

These four items came from looking at the news for one day. So, who is it thinks the Patriot Act goes too far? Organizations like CAIR, ISNA, ACLU and most of the Democratic presidential candidates.

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