Arizona Republic
Valley and State
Oct. 24, 2001-
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?"
,P.Copyright 2000, The Arizona Republic. All rights reserved. ------------
Probaly not raghead, but since it wasn't a group of caucasians who flew those planes into the WTC we're going to keep an eye on the comings and goings of all your ilk.
They can always GO HOME to the $hithole they came here from.
Don't let the door hit ya,
Where the good Lord split ya!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/556003/posts
Send this along to any muslims you might know. I want them to protect themselves.
If a bunch of Caucasian men had hijacked planes and driven them into buildings---yes. Duh!
This is all I've been hearing from the Arab-american communities. It seems hard to even find one who openly supports any kind of retaliation for Bloody Tuesday. Does anyone else think we may have more enemies on the home front than we first thought?
"but if this group of men was Caucasian, doing the same and carrying the same backpacks, would there be a press release?"
Last I heard, Arabs are caucassian. As for white Americans, well, they don't appear to be in the habit of killing innocent civilians for the hell of it.
Yes, if it had been Caucasians who hijacked those airplanes and blew up our citizens!
With all due respect, Mr. Saadeddin, ______ YOU AND THE CAMEL YOU RODE IN ON!! Until "the good Muslims" in this country are seen, in large numbers, uncategorically denouncing events of 9/11, and helping turn in terrorists, then all Muslims, especially Middle Eastern Muslims, are suspects. The group in question here may have been some Boy Scouts, but given recent events, their being stopped and questioned would NOT have been the least bit out of line. Any activity by Middle Eastern Muslims that appears the least bit suspicious should be photographed and questioned by local patriots.
If there is another significant mass-murder by Middle Eastern Muslim terrorists, all bets are off on PC treatment of that group in the U.S.
...firearms, from 5+ miles. Must be some of those tank exploding, Sears tower to Wrigley sniping .50's that the congressmen keep trying to ban.
AHH HA HA AH AH AH HAHA. That strikes me as so damn funny. Like the two ton elephant in the living room and no one says a word.