[Fred25]

Here’s the story.........

Oct 24

Suspicious men seen on Squaw Peak trail

By Judi Villa

The Arizona Republic

Oct. 24, 2001

The Squaw Peak Hiking Association is urging members to avoid the mountain's Summit Trail because two groups of Middle Eastern-looking men were seen there with "heavy, identical orange backpacks."

"While the contents of these heavy backpacks are not known, what is worrisome is that they could contain hazardous agents, explosives or firearms, should the owners have bad intentions to those on the mountain," the group said in a news release.

However, FBI spokesman Ed Hall said there is no evidence to suggest that the mountain would be a terrorist target.

"I have no information of anything that would keep somebody from hiking Squaw Peak," Hall said Tuesday.

Muslim community members liken the group's warning to racial profiling and say it's fueled by paranoia, not logic.

"There is no reason for anybody when they see a Middle Easterner here or there to panic," said Ihsan Saadeddin, spokesman for the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix. "There are 8 million Middle Easterners in this country, and they cannot be treated like this."

The hikers group says it has received "six independent reports of suspicious activity"; three were reported to authorities. An e-mail sent to members says two of the men drew suspicion by singing in Arabic at 4 a.m. and raising their fists in the air.

The group is asking for a police presence on the mountain.

"It's good for people to be cautious and to be alert and to report suspicious things," said Marwan Ahmad, publisher of Arizona Muslim Voice, "but if this group of men was Caucasian, doing the same and carrying the same backpacks, would there be a press release?"

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Here’s a different related story......

Phoenix newspaper

[Skel]

An e-mail sent to members says two of the men drew suspicion by singing in Arabic at 4 a.m. and raising their fists in the air.

Sounds like a group of Klingons.

[arm958]

"It's good for people to be cautious and to be alert and to report suspicious things," said Marwan Ahmad, publisher of Arizona Muslim Voice, "but if this group of men was Caucasian, doing the same and carrying the same backpacks, would there be a press release?"

This kind of non-logic is, fortunately, falling on deaf ears these days. However, if the caucasians were also raising their fists and singing in Arabic (as the "Middle Eastern Looking" hikers were reportedly doing), it might pique my curiosity a little bit.

[TADSLOS]

"There are 8 million Middle Easterners in this country, and they cannot be treated like this."

Oh yes they can be and we must treat them as suspects if we are going to survive as a nation.