Syrian music star sings praise of suicide bombers

The Washington Times ^

[ProudEagle]

Washington Times Article

[ProudEagle]

Interesting reading. At least the Times reporter had the gumption to dig deeper.

[gracex7]

This is just infuriating! It would seem we have been lulled into a false sense of security again...why didn't anyone on that plane loudly complain IMMEDIATELY or CHALLENGE what these jerks were doing?

I'm beginning to think that Michael Savage is right about not getting on a flight that has more than 3 Arab-looking men on board.

[demlosers]

Passenger Annie Jacobsen reported earlier this month in Women's Wall Street that the Syrians consecutively filed in and out of restrooms, stood nearly the entire flight in congregations of two and three, carried a McDonald's bag into the lavatory and passed it to another Syrian, and carried cameras and cellular phones to the restroom.

Just before landing, seven of the men jumped up in unison and went inside the restrooms. Upon returning to his seat, one man mouthed the word "no" as he ran his finger across his throat.

The men were flying on a one-way ticket via Northwest, and returning on a one-way ticket aboard JetBlue.

---

"why didn't anyone on that plane loudly complain IMMEDIATELY or CHALLENGE what these jerks were doing?"

I would have.

[Texas dog]

The flight crew knew of the abnormal behavior;

why didn't they LAND THE PLANE?

[ProudEagle]

The real question is why didn't our "government officials" in all of their post 9/11 hype catch the fact that these individuals were traveling on expired visas. I'll tell you why. Political correctness. No one at the fabulous TSA is going to profile 14 Syrian men traveling with cash paid one way tickets and check visas when they could be having much more fun fondling white, christian, 70 year old Jane Doe from Ottumwa Iowa. Now I see another thread here where they think they've caught an Al Qaeda kingpin who crossed the U.S.-Mexican border scot free. Oh and let's not forget the Iowa State Trooper who possibly averted another "Muslim" sniper attack. Kudos to law enforcement who managed to do their jobs in spite of the insanity that has taken over this nation.

To answer your question, the flight crew didn't land the plane out of fear of bad publicity or possible lawsuits by the American Communist Lawyers Union because they would have offended the poor babies, and we all know their rights are more important than our citizens and country's safety. The evil airline would have been held culpable for attrocities against these virgin seekers.

We learned nothing from 9/11.

[bondjamesbond]

God Bless MEMRI. They listen to these people when they talk in their own language. If you don't send them a check every year, you should. Mine is going out today.

The fact that this Syrian Band also sang songs about heroic suicide bombers puts their activities on this flight in a different light. Meanwhile, we sit in our seats and wait for the plane to crash...

[valkyrieanne]

An ideological jihadi musical group could *also* have been doing a dry run. The two don't have to be mutually exclusive (i.e. terrorists OR musicians.) Why not both?

[television is just wrong]

They didn't want to have box-cutters used on them, or a bomb strapped on. I guess.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

They didn't want to have box-cutters used on them, or a bomb strapped on. I guess

Super. That's just the attitude terrorists want so they can park a few more planes in office buildings.

[Paleo Conservative]

How about an excerpt next time?

[nyconse]

The Air Marshalls have come out in support of Annie and requested the pilot's call during the ordeal be made public. The Air Marshalls said she was not over-reacting.

[GWB00]

The money and the attention should be on beefing up security here and chasing down Al Q.

I agree we should continue to hunt Al Qaida. However, you are fooling yourself if you believe that we can dedicate billions to hardening the homeland. Think of all of the stadiums, arenas, schools, universities, shopping malls, government and civil buildings, sea ports, airports, train stations, amusement parks, ice skating rinks and parks. How do we protect these places 24/7? You can't protect all of these targets without having a martial law. You need to go after them on their turf and yes, some will get into this country. However, the courts continue to make it difficult for us to pursue those we suspect here inside the country.So money is not the issue.

Compared to the Farm Bill ($400 billion) and the Medicare Prescription Drug Bill ($500 billion) this war has cost us very little in treasure. We are a rich nation and can afford this war and we need to fight in every theater there exists. Quite frankly, I wish we were in Syria and Iran. However, the cutting back on the military has prevented us from doing this. We need more money invested in kicking some a$$ not less in trying to hide and protect ourselves at home.

[evets]

Alert! Beware of Syrian 'musicians' boarding aircraft.
(especially groups with 'instruments'.)
... so I hear.

[DoctorMichael]

".............The Syrian singer of a band that was detained by the FBI's Terrorism Task Force for suspicious activity during a recent flight to Los Angeles has written about the "glorification" of suicide bombers to liberate Palestine.

    Singer Nour Mehana's latest album includes the song "Um El Shaheed," or "Mother of a Martyr," said Aluma Dankowitz of the Middle East Media Research Institute.

    The song tells the story of a woman who mourned her son's death until she realized that "he died for a good cause and he should be glorified for what he did," said Miss Dankowitz, who translated the song for The Washington Times.

    Mr. Mehana, widely known as the Syrian Wayne Newton, sings to the mother that her son's goals are heroic and she should be happy he is dead.

    "The song opens with the depiction of a mother crying over her son. He has said goodbye to his friends and family and is not going to come back. He went with a weapon in one palm and his heart in another palm and he's not going to come back," Miss Dankowitz said. "He went to fight to free Palestine, Golan Heights and South Lebanon."

    The song ends with chants of "Allahu akbar," or "God is great," a common Muslim expression. Those were the last words shouted by a September 11 hijacker before the plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field and have been the last words of many suicide bombers in Israel.

    One staffer who attended the briefing said officials were "very cagey" on details, which he described as "very frustrating."

    However, the officials confirmed air marshals found the activities unusual and suspicious.

    "They are trying to have it both ways and say yes, our people are smart enough to see something and that's why they called for authorities, but they deny it was as scary as it has been portrayed," the staffer said............."

[TheSpottedOwl]

Homeland security is a joke. Never, and I mean NEVER let these people back into the states.

[Maria S]

"She is being described by officials, in the media and here on FR as over-reacting and possibly bigoted, with a clear implication of feminine hysteria."


Thanks for saying what I was just thinking! I was surprised to see how many people have ridiculed this woman! Women, contrary to what some men may think, DO have an extra sense about some things...and noticing what was going on and how these men were acting WAS telling Ms. Jacobsen that things were not as they should be.

[Maria S]

http://www.heatherwilhelm.com/Heather_Wilhelm_dot_com--Nour_Mehana.html


"Mother of a Martyr"
By Heather Wilhelm
www.heatherwilhelm.com
EXCLUSIVE
July 27, 2004

Nour Mehana, the "Syrian Wayne Newton," has finally hit the big time. After
days of fevered speculation, Mehana has been outed as the mysterious Syrian
music-maker who, along with his band, set Northwest Airlines Flight 327 into a
tizzy over a feared terrorist "dry run."

For many, this discovery was a massive relief. In fact, one look at Mehana's
publicity photos set many minds at ease. This man, a terrorist? A man who
sings with a goofy Syrian band, plays in shady casinos, and has a cheesy
porn-style mustache? That silly woman Annie Jacobsen! Aren't we all so silly
and paranoid?

Mr. Mehana has a nice little song on his recent CD, by the way. It's
called "Um El Shaheed."

In English, that's "Mother of a Martyr."

I noticed "Um El Shaheed" on Nour Mehana's web site. "Shaheed," I knew,
meant "martyr," but that was as far as my Arabic could go. Since
martyrdom seemed an odd topic for a casino crooner, I called the Middle East
Media Research Institute. I spoke with Aluma Dankowtiz, who is fluent in
Arabic, to find out exactly what Mr. Mehana has to say.

"Mother of a Martyr" glorifies the death of a young Palestinian. Mehana sings
to a grieving mother that she should not be sad, because her son, who died as
a martyr, is a hero. She should be happy that her son is gone, Mehana croons,
because freeing Palestine and the Golan Heights are heroic goals. The song,
which starts slow and solemn, ends with a triumphant chorus, celebrating the
martyr's glorious death: "Allahu Akbar...Allahu Akbar...Allahu Akbar!"

Feel better? Somehow, after "Mother of a Martyr," that Wayne Newton porn-
style mustache becomes slightly less comforting. Hey, is anyone ready to jump
onto a plane with Mr. Mehana and his wacky band?

Come on, don't be shy!

Nour Mehana is, apparently, a religious man; according to one website
biography, he spent his pre-singing years reciting the Holy Koran. And
if "Mother of a Martyr" is any indication, Mehana also supports the Palestinian
intifada--and, along with it, martyrdom doctrines.

"Mother of a Martyr" does not, in any sense, prove that Mr. Mehana is involved
with terrorists. It does not mean that he was making a dry run on Flight 327.
However, it does suggest that Mr. Mehana embraces certain ideals of
martyrdom--similar to the very ideals that drove the 19 hijackers into the
World Trade Center.

Break out those tambourines!

Contrary to the protestations of America's chattering classes, the ideals of
martyrdom and jihad do not exist only on the Islamic fringe. Rather, these ideals
have generated a surprising amount of support in some regions of the Muslim world.
This support is broadcast loud and clear on Al Jazeera, in dozens of newspapers, and by
singers like Nour Mehana, whose glorification of martyrdom somehow doesn't
seem to bother those monitoring our friendly skies.

Johnelle Bryant, an official with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, met up
with Mohammed Atta several times before September 11. After Atta threatened
to slit her throat, talked about blowing up major United States cities and
landmarks, and came back to her in a disguise pretending to be someone else,
Ms. Bryant had this to say: "I felt that he was trying to make the cultural
leap from the country that he came from. I was attempting, in every manner I
could, to help him make his relocation into our country as easy for him as I
could."

Doesn't the condescending reaction to the "cheesy" Syrian band seem
disturbingly similar? Of course those Syrian band members were milling
about the plane--they didn't know any better! Plus, they play at casinos--they
must be truly clueless! In the blink of a news cycle, Nour Mehana was
transformed into a cartoonish, hapless non-threat, despite the fact that
his support for martyrdom doctrines is literally broadcast to the world.

American authorities say they checked Nour Mehana and his band out. But
as recent news reports have announced, authorities couldn't even catch the
fact that almost every single member of this travelin' band had fishy paperwork.
Thirteen of the Syrians who boarded Flight 327 has expired visas. No one
seemed to notice. Something is seriously wrong with this picture, and it goes
far beyond some questionable lyrics.

I traveled to Turkey about seven months after September 11, 2001. While
wandering through Istanbul's grand bazaar (where my husband, regrettably,
decided to wear an Indiana Jones-style hat, subjecting us to countless "Hey
Cowboy! Hey American!" catcalls), I found a beautiful bracelet for my mother.
"What does the writing on the bracelet mean?" I asked the man behind the
crowded counter.

He pulled an English-speaking colleague over to help me. The man handed
me the bracelet, smiling. "Ah," he said, as I smiled back. "It is beautiful,
isn't it?" He grinned even wider. "It says that there is no god but Allah…and that
he shall lead us to the victory!"

I dropped the bracelet back into his hands, shaking my head. He laughed.
"Ah! You," he said, pointing at me, "are not ready for the victory!" His smile
was wry. I laughed with him, agreed that I certainly was not ready for the
victory, and headed back into the bazaar.

My discussion with the vendor in Istanbul was a joke. We laughed together,
recognizing the absurdity of the situation. We were both, it turns out, on the
same page. I had a wonderful experience in Turkey. Sadly, however, our
joke could just as easily have been a sincere conversation.

Britain and France have recently started to deport controversial Islamic clerics.
A town in Michigan recently held a vote as to whether a mosque could play its call
to prayer over the city. The Nour Mehana saga has sliced open a problem that
will challenge America for years to come. America is, after all, a country of free
speech. We celebrate diversity. Essentially, because of what America stands for,
we have to let foreign musicians who sing about the glory of Palestinian martyrs
onto our airplanes, no questions asked.

Or do we?

It's worth thinking over. Whether it was a dry run or not, I still believe Annie
Jacobsen's story. Many strange things occurred on that flight, and one
of the strangest was that no one had the guts to ask the harmless Partridge
Family to sit down.

Nour Mehana, despite his affinity for Palestinian martyrs, may happen to be
a really nice guy. But it shouldn't be controversial to check him carefully, enforce
the rules, and make his band sit down when the "Fasten Seatbelt" sign turns on.
If I'm right, the implications are huge. If I'm wrong, I've insulted Syria's Wayne
Newton. I'm willing to take that risk.

**
Heather Wilhelm is a freelance writer. She is writing her Master's thesis
on Islamic fatwas, martyrdom doctrines, and the need to view
Al Qaeda through a religious lens.



P.S. The following made my blood BOIL!!


"Johnelle Bryant, an official with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, met up
with Mohammed Atta several times before September 11. After Atta threatened
to slit her throat, talked about blowing up major United States cities and
landmarks, and came back to her in a disguise pretending to be someone else,
Ms. Bryant had this to say: "I felt that he was trying to make the cultural
leap from the country that he came from. I was attempting, in every manner I
could, to help him make his relocation into our country as easy for him as I
could."