Posted on 12/17/2005 10:42:32 PM PST by STARWISE
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- Muslim leaders who gathered Saturday to discuss their role in combating extremism within the Islamic community complained that two scheduled speakers missed the event after being detained at Los Angeles International Airport.
"People are upset," said Salam Al-Marayati of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, which organized the conference. "On one hand the U.S. government is asking us to do more, but on the other they are preventing us from doing our work."
British citizens Mockbul Ali and Waqqas Khan had arrived on a flight from London at 4 p.m. but only cleared customs after 8 p.m., said Erin Robertson, a spokeswoman for the British Consulate-General in Los Angeles.
Robertson said it wasn't clear why the men were delayed. Calls to U.S. Customs and Immigration officials late Saturday seeking comment were not immediately returned.
Maher Hathout, founder and senior adviser of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said Saturday that American Muslims needed to actively define their role in society so other groups, including extremists and media organizations, didn't define it for them.
"The real battle is for the soul of Islam," Hathout said. "Islam needs to be reclaimed from extremists, but only Muslims can do that."
Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, whose CIA agent wife's cover was allegedly blown by the Bush administration, was among those who spoke at the conference.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
Hope someone reports what he's saying now.
Quit bitching and playing the victim and do something, or admit what I suspect is the truth: You don't give a damn because this extremism you're supposedly so upset over doesn't actually bother you.
"You don't give a damn because this extremism you're supposedly so upset over doesn't actually bother you."
It's a lot like Dims, parroting the phrase "We support our troops," when it's been fairly obvious for some time that that just is not true.
Yep. It's ghastly because it's truly ironic, in a sense that the ones who say "We support the troops" are quite obviously the ones who don't. Notice how the right doesn't have to create a bizarre phrase like that--our support is obvious. They, on the other hand, are basically saying, "Who you gonna believe, me or your lyin' eyes?"
Both are biding time by deflecting criticism, in order to make further inroads.
Good!
Glad to see SOMEone is taking his job seriously.
"British citizens Mockbul Ali and Waqqas Khan had arrived on a flight from London at 4 p.m. but only cleared customs after 8 p.m., said Erin Robertson, a spokeswoman for the British Consulate-General in Los Angeles."
Why do US muslims need input from British citizen muslims? It makes perfectly good sense to carefully screen any muslim entering the US.
Virtually all terrorism worldwide is done by muslims; hence watch them. Period. The watching can recede when the incidence of muslim terrorism recedes, not before.
If US muslims truly desire to reform their political-faith, get busy. I don't trust them, because they have shown their propensity to commit terrorism.
Sweet. And funny!
Paying Wilson to talk is not a great way for the Muslim Public Affairs Council to make friends and influence people.
All Wilson would know about Democracy would be his fee for buying some.
Then Wilson continued on to his strong point - bashing Bush..
"LOS ANGELES - Former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, whose wife had her CIA cover blown with possible involvement of the White House, called Saturday for Congress to investigate President Bush's authorization of secret spying in the United States."
"I can understand how an administration in the heat of battle might see fit to do what they did," Wilson said in a phone interview while attending a conference of Muslim community leaders in suburban Long Beach. "But to do it for so many years without referencing the American legal system makes it worthy of congressional oversight and investigation."
I gather that Slippery Joe is getting worried that Bush may have overheard what he's really up to.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/13431976.htm
IsLame needs to be destroyed. It has brought nothing but death destruction, and slavery. Let them reclaim sand!
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