Thursday, October 7, 2010

Faisal Shahzad Warns America

By Alan Caruba

Faisal Shahzad was sentenced to life in prison on October 6th for trying to kill a lot of innocent Americans in Times Square on May 1, 2010. He was completely unrepentant and we need to understand the funhouse-mirror mentality of Muslims who believe that Allah, through the Koran, has granted them, not just the right, but the duty to kill infidels who offer any defense against their outrages.

There is no question that the U.S. has had to be active militarily in the Middle East ever since the former Iraq dictator, Saddam Hussein, invaded Kuwait on President George H.W. Bush’s watch.

The former director of the CIA, ambassador to China, and then leader of the free world understood that, if no action was taken, Saddam would be into Saudi Arabia next. Saddam had previously spent eight fruitless years in a war with Iran. It is one of history’s ironies that his son, George W. Bush was president on September 11, 2001 when the homeland was attacked by Muslim terrorists.

According to Iran’s president, Mamoud Ahmadinejad, and most of the people in the Middle East, 9/11 was an “inside job”, staged by the CIA or even the White House for the sole purpose of justifying the invasion of Afghanistan and later Iraq. You have to be able to believe the unbelievable to be a Muslim and the more absurd the better.

That’s the background to the story of Shahzad who was born in Pakistan in 1979 and, on December 22, 1998, was issued a student visa in Islamabad to come to America. In a stunning article by Jessica Vaughan, “Faisal Shahzad: So Easy, Anyone Can Do It”, the author spells out why America, before and ever since 9/11, has been allowing Middle Easterners to come here and plot to kill us.

Vaughan, a former U.S. consulate officer who dealt with the issuance and denial of visas, spelled out why Shahzad was a poor candidate for the bounties America would bestow upon him. To begin with, he failed to demonstrate that he had the academic qualifications to study here.

“He was applying as a transfer student, and his transcript from his correspondence course with Southeastern University, a now defunct fourth-rate academic program, show a GPA of 2.78, including several D’s and an F in basic statistics.” Moreover, there has been no information released regarding how Shahzad claimed he would pay for his education, “another common deal-buster for student visa application.”

Vaughn speculates that since Shahzad’s father was “supposedly a prominent military officer” the consulate did not want to deal with his or his government’s complaints if his son was refused a visa. Oddly, the visa was for four years when two would have sufficed for him to complete his degree requirements.

What emerged was a pattern of behavior that should have gotten Shahzad on the next plane home to Pakistan, but did not. In 2001 he began working for a temporary staffing agency even though his student visa did not include permission to work. A year later he was issued a H-1B visa. This particular visa is intended to bring in the best and the brightest to work here, not some middling, ordinary worker.

For reasons unknown, in 2004, Shahzad came under the scrutiny of the local Joint Terrorism Task Force. Despite this, his U.S. born wife filed a green card petition for him and it was approved in January 2006 even though the marriage was quite sudden, a red flag as some foreigners marry to establish grounds to stay.

Vaughn notes that “the green card application process is firmly rigged in the alien’s favor, with few applications refused or challenged, especially those involving marriage to a U.S. citizen.” In October 2008, Shahzad applied for U.S. citizenship. The fact that most immigrants wait six to ten years before applying didn’t raise any suspicions seven years after 9/11. And this one was from Pakistan, a hotbed of jihadist activity.

The U.S. is in a virtual state of war with Pakistan. It is blocking a major supply route to ours and NATO troops in Afghanistan and it is harboring the Taliban. It is a nuclear state so the stakes are quite high.

On April 17, 2009 Shahzad was sworn in as a U.S. citizen. In the vast bureaucracy of the immigration process, the fact that he had earlier aroused some suspicion was lost.

After that, it gets very dicey. On June 2, 2009, Shahzad left for Pakistan and did not return until February 3, 2010. Three months later, he attempted to kill Americans in Times Square.

At his sentencing, he told the court, “Brace yourselves, because the war with Muslims has just begun. Consider me the first droplet of the blood that will follow. We are only Muslims trying to defend our religion, people, homes and land, but if you call us terrorists, then we are proud terrorists and we will keep on terrorizing you until you leave our lands and people at peace.”

This does not, of course, explain why Muslims have been committing acts of terror worldwide in London, in Madrid, in Mumbai, in Bali, and everywhere else they seize the opportunity to use terror to advance their ultimate goal of global domination. Claiming to be victims is bizarre.

Every step of the way, the U.S. made it easy for Shahzad to betray a nation that offered him an opportunity that countless thousands around the world want; the chance to become an American.

We need to pay attention to the warning Shahzad gave us. Somewhere in the huge bureaucracy of our immigration, our homeland security, and our intelligence services, those issuing visas and those charged with protecting us need to make it far more difficult to permit anyone from the Middle East to arrive, to blend in, and to plot the next terrorist act.

We are all just that much more vulnerable because in 2008 we elected a president who has made it clear that one of his objectives is to “reach out” to the Middle East in order to convince Muslims we are their friends. They are not our friends, nor even friends to one another.

© Alan Caruba, 2010

11 comments:

TexasFred said...

One thing I did notice on this case, it didn't tale long to proceed to trial and justice was swift and sure..

I would have preferred an even more extreme sentence, but you take your wins where you can...

Rich Kozlovich said...

Alan,

I just don't understand how anyone can investigate Islam and come away with the idea that it is a religion of peace. From the outset it was cast as a tribal military organization bent on the conquest of its neighbors. The fact that they took on the trappings of religion in order to recruit followers and inspire obedience is immaterial. The first followers of Islam were Arabs, who were marauders, raiders, murders, rapists, liars and thieves before conversion. After conversion they could continue in this view and get the blessing of heaven, if they did it in the name of Islam.

Christendom eventually took this course of violence and forced conversion, but Christ didn’t command that. Mohammad led armies to impose religious conversion. Violence has defined Islam right from the very beginning. Why is this so hard for so many to understand?

I can say this emphatically. I don’t know one person who wishes to live under Sharia, and make no mistake about this; that is their goal, and if that ever came about you could kiss goodbye inclusion, understanding, religion freedom, freedom of speech and a host of other freedoms accepted as part of a normal society.

If anyone liked the atrocities imposed on the poor people of Afghanistan by the Taliban then they will love Sharia. Islam is a criminal organization masquerading as a religion.

Rich

Nanette said...

Hi Alan: A Question..are mosques, like churches, subjected to tax exempt as non profit organizations? If so, how are they allowed to partake in political rants and stir up their "congregation" they way they do? There are many of these types of rants to be found on Youtube or even in emails...they're certainly "in your face" about their beliefs and hatred of America, infidels, etc. How are they able to get away with this?

Guy in Ohio said...

I wonder if this guy will be safe in prison....? I'd like to think that he would face the same perils in prison that child molesters and other such scum face...

Alan Caruba said...

@Nanette. The short answer is I do not know. No doubt mosques are regarded as places of worship and whatever is said is protected speech unless it involves a criminal activity of some sort.

Alan Caruba said...

@Guy. Shahzad will find lots of friends in any prison to which he is assigned. There will be Muslim chaplains and plenty of fellow Muslims to keep him company and safe.

Guy in Ohio said...

That's a great point Nanette. The mainstream churches of America have recently been threatened with the loss of their tax exempt status if they endorse or express support for political candidates. Of course, I'm guessing that would only apply if they endorsed a Republican, but that's another story ...

Regardless, when churches are being warned not to become involved in politics, and it certainly makes me wonder if Mosques are being subjected to the same scrutiny.

Ronbo said...

Alan:

Very likely this Islamic terrorist will be sent to the supermax at Florence, Colorado, which features lock down in single cells for 23 hours a day, no contact with fellow inmates and limited contact with the outside world.

It's like being buried alive in a clean version of Hell.

ARTICLE HERE

tehniyat said...

Islam is not a supporter of terrorists!!! You guys just need to get your facts right! We Muslims don't go on abusing your religion(s).
And whoever says that Quran forbids moderation, then get your facts straight dude, ISlam is another name for moderation on!!! You guys are just biased! And I believe none of you has ever visited Pakistan either!
It's the lack of security at the US govt level to let anyone enter into their territory and plan a bomb attack watsoever!!
We Muslims are civilized people.Just because we have got Al Qaida ruining our name, it doesn't mean that each and every Muslim is a terrorist! And yes is the country most Pakistan affected by these so called Jihadis!!!
You guys just look at yourself.It happens in your country that any school or college going guy takes out a gun and kills his fellow students and/or teachers and commit suicide!!! You all need to see good psychiatrists! And we all know how dumb the American people are, how such a small number of their kids make it to the colleges or universities. It is us, the Pakistanis, Indians, Middle Easterns who have taken your country to the heights of glory!
And for all those who think we Muslim women are oppressed! You guys are wrong!!! I am a Muslim AND a Pakistani woman, I don't hide my face in a veil, I m not oppressed or tyrannized, I have studied from a University with a degree in Multimedia Arts, I work in an advertisement agency,i enjoy life and i don't go on abusing anybody else's religion!
You guys need to get mature and stop blaming us Muslims for everything.....

Alan Caruba said...

@Techniyat: I can understand your frustration, but the Jihadists have given most Americans no reason to think of Islam as anything other than a threat. Obviously 1.3 billion Muslims are not all Jihadists, but this is a problem that Islam must solve (and quickly) before all Muslims are regarded as a threat.

Rich Kozlovich said...

It is impossible for me to understand how someone who claims to be a Muslim woman living a western life style can claim that westerners are defaming their religion.

In a Muslim country where Sharia is paramount she would be beaten (or worse)if she attempted to live the life style she is describing.

We here in the west feel she has the right to live the life she chooses, including her religion. If she converted to another religion or even became an atheist…..functionally….we could care less. The fact that she can publicly outline her views shows the superiority of western values….values that would not be permitted in a Muslim dominated country. To claim that we don’t “go around abusing your religion(s)” is an adventure in fiction.

Islam isn’t another name for moderation; it means “submission”, and everywhere they dominate the population submits to the point of returning to the middle ages….Afghanistan under the Taliban was a perfect example.

It has been documented that in Muslim dominated countries other religions are not only vilified, their adherents are persecuted. One man was beaten to death for drinking water from a source that Muslims claimed was for them alone. I don't know what planet this woman is from, but it must be a planet of the blind.

We don't blame Muslims for everything, we blame them for what they are, what they do. Muslims give Muslims a bad name; they don’t need any help from anyone else.

As for growing up and becoming mature….a sign of maturity is the ability to see reality, versus clinging to prepubescent delusions.