The price of living in a free country is having to live with others who prefer that it not be free. Everyone knows the names of publicity-huntering freedom-haters like Jerry Falwell, the Westboro Baptist Church, James Dobson, and Dick Cheney.
But there are also individuals who aren't quite as famous and yet still know (often, from personal experience) that a little provocation and a few bombs always leads to massive reduction in civil liberties and individual rights. In that sense, any killer, rapist, or mass murderer can be considered a fan of less freedom and more security cameras.
Of course, these days our myopic visions are focused on the "War on Terror" as kickstarted by President Dubya Bush. Much attention right now is being focused on the Boston area mosques, where the Tsarnaev brothers may have worshipped or through which they may or may not have meet the mysterious radicalizer named "Misha".
Writing for the International Business News, Jill Heller reports:
Tsarnaev’s aunt, Patimat Suleimanova, told the news outlet that an uncle of Tsarnaev’s had contacted a mosque the family attended and requested a funeral, but had been turned down. In addition, the Islamic Society of Boston, where Tsarnaev sometimes attended prayers, has also distanced itself from the Marathon bombing suspect, telling reporters that Tsarnaev was disruptive and received warnings from mosque leaders.
Imam Talal Eid of the Islamic Institute of Boston, a research institute that sometimes organizes local funerals, told the Huffington Post that he would not consider having a funeral for Tsarnaev, and that his alleged involvement in the Marathon bombings went against the Quran.
"I would not be willing to do a funeral for him," Eid said. "This is a person who deliberately killed people. There is no room for him as a Muslim. He already left the fold of Islam by doing that. In the Quran it says those who will kill innocent people, they will dwell in the hellfire."
Journalist Oren Dorell did a bit of research on the "terrorist" affiliations of the Islamic Society of Boston. The list is not short.
But it's also not detailed enough to serve as more than a jumping-point for further investigation. And I can never resist the siren call of "further investigation"....
For those of you who like electronic databases, the Virtual International Authority File (VIAF) allows you to search for alleged "militants in the War on Terror" who have lived in the US. It is a useful resource for understanding how name missspellings and English-based computer programs don't always lead to a match or a catch.
TAREK MEHANNA
Tarek Mehanna who "worshiped at the Cambridge mosque, was sentenced in 2012 to 17 years in prison for conspiring to aid al-Qaeda". According to Oren and federal investigators in Boston, "Mehanna had traveled to Yemen to seek terrorist training and plotted to use automatic weapons to shoot up a mall in the Boston suburbs".
But Glenn Greenwald disagrees and sees the Mehanna case as one in which "the architects of the policies he felt compelled to battle" will be the ones revealed as criminals by the long march of history. It is certainly worth a read and the elegance of your consideration. Greenwald is one of the most committed civil libertarians still signing his name these days, and his writings make me "proud to be an American".
See also the Free Tarek website for more about the specifics on how Tarek's arrest came about. Don't miss this thoughtful interview with Mehanna's family to find out why Howard Zinn's books may soon be swept off the bookstore shelves.
AAFIA SIDDIQUI
Aafia Siddiqui worshipped at the Cambridge mosque while completing her PhD in neuroscience at Bradeis. According to Oren, "she was arrested in Afghanistan in 2008 while in possession of cyanide canisters and plans for a chemical attack in New York City". Siddiqui is currently serving an 86-year-sentence for "trying to grab a rifle while in detention and shooting at military officers and FNI agents". Ultimately, the FBI got serious about pursuing her after "Khalid Sheikh Mohammed gave up Aafia's name as being a major Al Qaeda operative". Aafia's family maintains a Justice for Aafia website, while her supporters maintain a Justice for Aafia Coalition, and Stephen Lendman defends her with details.
Judy Bello can't believe that Aafia was "convicted of separate counts of attempted murder and assault for every American in the room, sentenced to 86 years in prison and incarcerated in Carswell Medical Center in Texas" when she did not so much as shoot a fly. In fact, it was she who was shot and had to have a kidney and part of her intestine removed. It is a strange and complicated case- one in which a mother and her children just vanished into part of the post-terror gulag.
DZHOKHAR TSARNAEV
More recently, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has earned a Respect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev facebook page created by his friends, like Troy Crossley, and supporters who cannot imagine why "Jahar" would ever do something so nihilistic. A petition to President Obama urging a fair trial for Dzhokhar has also appeared on Change.org.
ABDUL RAHMAN AL-AMOUDI
Abdul Rahman al-Ahmoudi was a powerful player in American Muslim politics and lobbying. As the founder of the American Muslim Council, he broke bread with some of Washington's most eminent politerati. In July 2000, al-Amoudi and other leaders met with then-presidential candidate Dubya, offering to support his bid for the White House in exchange for Bush's commitment to repeal certain anti-terrorist laws.
Daniel Pipes has, of course, no kind words to say about al-Amoudi in his article describing the crimes for which al-Amoudi is spending 23 years in prison. But Daniel Pipes has never been much of a diplomat. It's important to remember that anyone attempting to act as a moderating influence between extremists and the US government will be required to make contact with extremists.
If the US government plans to ensure that no American citizen communicates with radicalized Muslims, even for the purpose of trying to de-radicalize them, then we can expect a blooming of homegrown jihadist bombs in the future. The truth remains that the US has honed its skills in bombing and torture much more than its skills in public and private diplomacy. That's what we're known for- it's what you call a "reputation".
Reputations determine how facts are interpreted and assimilated by an audience. Our reputation for "winning hearts and minds" is akin to that of a heroin-addled prostitute sporting a "Jesus Saves" tshirt on the international scene. What on earth do I mean by that? Simply this- if you let us into your bed (or country), you'll find yourself host to a few diseases (or armed bases) that you couldn't have guessed were part of the bargain.
