Muslim woman searched by US airport security because she wore a headscarf

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to clarify whether Islamic head scarves, or hijab, will now automatically trigger additional security measures for Muslim travelers.

CAIR made that request after a Muslim woman traveler taking a flight Tuesday from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Los Angeles (LAX) reported that TSA personnel first requested that she take off her hijab, then put her through a “humiliating” public full-body pat-down search when she refused. After the pat-down, the Muslim traveler’s luggage, coat, shoes, laptop, and cell phone were searched and tested for bomb-making chemicals.

When the traveler, a resident of Maryland, questioned TSA staff about the way she was being treated, she was allegedly told that a new policy went into effect that morning mandating that “anyone wearing a head scarf must go through this type of search.”

CAIR press release, 6 January 2010

See also Dawud Walid, “Religious profiling won’t help anti-terror security”, Detroit News, 6 January 2010

Update:  See also “Muslim woman treated like ‘terrorist’ at U.S. customs”, CTV News, 6 January 2010

And “Another hijab-wearing Muslim traveler reports mistreatment”,CAIR press release, 7 January 2010

Atlanta police sued over hijab dispute

A Muslim woman is claiming in a federal lawsuit that she was dismissed from the Atlanta Police Department’s civilian honor guard because she refused to remove her traditional headscarf.

Helen Lane says in a federal lawsuit filed this week that the head of the voluntary guard laughed at her when she told him she would wear her hijab at a September 2006 funeral. She said she felt “humiliated, hurt and was traumatized” by the laughter. Lane, who is seeking $250,000 in damages, said she was told by another Atlanta official that “the hijab was like a swastika.”

The city has denied the allegations and the honor guard has since been disbanded.

Associated Press, 28 December 2009

New York Assembly member calls for racial profiling

A local member of the New York Assembly will be reintroducing legislation that would allow law enforcement officials to use ethnic profiling among other techniques to spot potential terrorism suspects.

“There is no question that the government has a compelling interest in protecting the lives and safety of its citizenry from terrorist attacks,” says Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a Democrat of Brooklyn. “The history of modern terrorism has taught us that these attacks are repeatedly executed by young Muslim men of Arab or South Asian origin. This is not a time for political correctness.”

MyFox New York, 29 December 2009

See also “In the Wake of the NWA Bomber: Calls to Profile ‘Mooslims'”, LoonWatch, 30 December 2009

Joe Kaufman exposes latest cunning terrorist tactic – clearing up litter

submitted photoA small group of demonstrators led by Americans Against Hate Chairman Joe Kaufman last Friday accused Broward County and the Town of Davie of supporting an organization with ties to Islamic terrorists.

A street sign in Davie sparked the anger of the demonstrators who protested in front of the Broward County Governmental Center in Fort Lauderdale on a rainy Friday afternoon.

The sign, at the southwest corner of College Avenue and Nova Drive, credits the Miami office of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) for its participation in a Broward County program to clear litter from an “adopted” street.

“Too many people have been quiet about their concerns over Muslim extremism,” said Rabbi Andrew Jacobs of Ramat Shalom synagogue in Plantation. Stopping it must begin locally, in Broward County, he said.

Muhammad Malik, executive director of CAIR-Florida’s Miami office, said the organization wanted to bring out people to pick up litter from the street, like any other group.

South Florida Sun Sentinel, 22 December 2009

See also Mondoweiss and LoonWatch

Two-thirds of Protestant pastors in US consider Islam ‘dangerous’

Two out of three Protestant pastors believe Islam is a “dangerous” religion, according to a new survey from a Southern Baptist-affiliated research group. The survey of more than 1,000 Protestant clergy by LifeWay Research, released last week found that 45% strongly agree with the statement “I believe Islam is a dangerous religion” and another 21% agree somewhat with it.

USA Today, 21 December 2009

CST and JC are ‘collaborators in the war against the Jews’, claims Pamela Geller

Mad Pamela Geller has denounced Jewish organisations in the UK for opposing Stephen Gash’s recent Stop Islamisation of Europe demonstration outside Harrow Central Mosque:

The Community Security Trust (CST), a leading Jewish group in Britain, urged the Jewish community there not to support the demonstration. The CST said in a statement that it “has drawn attention to the Islamaphobic comments on SIOE’s website, and compared the group to the English Defence League, and the BNP’s Nick Griffin, who have attempted to gain support from Jews through pro-Israel and anti-Muslim statements…. A demonstration against Harrow mosque under the banner ‘Stop the Islamization of Europe,’ is as stupid and offensive as a demonstration against Harrow synagogue, under the banner ‘Stop the Zionization of Europe.'”

Once again leftist Jews were lying and deceiving to advance the aims of the enemies of Jews and Jewish life…. Rabbis attacked the SIOE campaign also. They said that SIOE’s “only purpose” was “to spread hatred and fear,” and wrote: “We share the desire of the Muslim community of Harrow to respect our mutual traditions, to learn from each other’s cultures and ways of life, and to live together in peace.” Even the Rabbis abandon Israel when the going gets rough. These morally ill rabbis have lost their basic instinct of self-preservation.

The Jewish Chronicle even went so far as to gloat when attendance was small. Did the Chronicle ask why so few people attended this demonstration in a town where the majority does not want this mosque? The majority knows what’s happening in their country and fear it….

Much like the Jewish councils of World War II Germany that helped assist in what would become the extermination of the Jews, we are witnessing Jewish groups like the CST aiding and abetting Islamic jihad and Islamic anti-Semitism.

Front Page Magazine, 22 December 2009

Southern California mosque vandalised

Rahmat P. Phyakul, board chairman and one of the founders of Al-Fatiha Masjid, reported to CAIR-LA that vandals shattered windows and glass doors of the mosque’s office and prayer hall on Monday, December 7. A plaque with Quranic verses was tossed on the floor, the sound system was destroyed and donation boxes were broken into.

The mosque has suffered prior incidents of vandalism. In the past, a passerby shouted anti-Muslim slurs at worshipers. The slurs reportedly included: “You, terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, F… your God, F…. you Allah.” Prayer rugs in the mosque were also covered with urine.

“We urge law enforcement authorities to utilize all their resources to immediately and fully investigate the vandalism at Masjid Al-Fatiha as a possible hate crime, especially because of the nature of the vandalism,” said Affad Shaikh, civil rights manager for CAIR-LA.

Phyakul added: “For those who have committed hate crimes against people of any faith, especially Muslims, they should know that they cannot silence us, shut us down or cause us to go away. This is our country, and we are here to stay and we are willing to stand for the truth and peace under any circumstances.”

CAIR press release, 13 December 2009

A Congressional campaign based on religious hatred

Torgerson for Congress

Over at The American Muslim Sheila Musaji exposes the hate campaign being waged by Minneapolis attorney Lynne Torgerson, who is standing against incumbent Keith Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected to the US Congress, in next year’s congressional elections.

Torgerson’s website features an extended, bigoted rant against Muslims. She writes:

“The Quran actually teaches Muslims to kill people not of their faith, which are labeled infidels, which includes Christians and Jews, as well as people of other faiths…. Further, evidently, the goal of Islam is to Islamize the entire world, or, global Islam. I believe there is a term, ‘umrah’ [sic] that reflects this goal…. Islam also oppresses women.”

Torgerson asks “what do I know of Islam?” (A good question, you might think.) She answers: “Well, I know of 911. Nineteen (19) men from Saudi Arabia, all Muslim, hi-jacked planes, and flew into the two (2) World Trade Towers murdering thousands of people, and tried to fly into our Pentagon, and some believe they also tried to fly an airplane into our White House. From this, what I perceive is Islam conducting an act of war against my country….

“What else have I heard about Muslims? Fort Hood. What was the result of the teachings of Islam on a Muslim, who was an officer in the United States’ military? Well, the result was him killing, I believe, 13 American soldiers, and injuring many others. Not one person killed or injured was a Muslim. In another book I am currently reading, entitled Muslim Mafia, it is suggested that Muslims want to infiltrate our police departments, our governments, etc., with the goal of Islamizing America….

“And who does all of this bring us to? Keith Ellison. Who is Keith Ellison? He is my opposing candidate for the Fifth Congressional District seat. Keith Ellison is a Muslim….”