Arabs in U.S. could be held, official warns

Detroit Free Press ^ | July 20, 2002 | Niraj Warikoo

[The Energizer]

A member of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission said in Detroit on Friday he could foresee a scenario in which the public would demand internment camps for ArabAmericans if Arab terrorists strike again in this country.

If there's a future terrorist attack in America "and they come from the same ethnic group that attacked the World Trade Center, you can forget about civil rights," commission member Peter Kirsanow said.

[CIB-173RDABN]

"There will be a groundswell of public opinion to banish civil rights. So the best thing we can do to preserve them is by keeping the country safe."

One reason the administration keeps down playing the role of Islam in Sept. 11th attack is to keep the public anger focused elsewhere. I do not know how successful that stategy will be if there is another attack as massive as the 9/11 attack.

[TomGuy]

Did Peter Kirsanow commit a "career altering" oooppps?

He is right, except "public opinion would so strongly favor demand the idea [detainment] that it would be difficult to prevent." Peter Kirsanow seems to "get it", but how long until many other government officials (elected, appointed, career) do?

[jimtorr]

"""They had their own political agenda," said Kary Moss, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, referring to Braceras and Kirsanow. ""

I read into this remark that the rest of the comission members had a different political agenda.

[uncbob]

American Arab leaders could forestall problems by coming out STRONGLY against the terrorists and telling ALL ARAB Americans to report any suspicious activity, instead of constantly bitching about profiling etc .

They aren't exactly doing themseleves a PR favor

[jimtorr]

Frankly, this particular verbiage was a little disgusting to me:

Braceras, another Bush appointee, said:"There's no constitutional right not to be inconvenienced or even embarrassed."

Somtimes the truth is unpleasant. Braceras is absolutely correct.

[sinclair]

Peter Kirsanow seems to "get it", but how long until many other government officials (elected, appointed, career) do?

I'm not worried about the government "getting it". I want the Islamics to "GET IT!"

[jimtorr]

""American Arab leaders could forestall problems by coming out STRONGLY against the terrorists and telling ALL ARAB Americans to report any suspicious activity........""

If they would just do this, and appear just as concerned about the danger of terror attacks on the USA, there would be far less fear of ethnics and Islam.

[B4Ranch]

http://www.mt.net/~watcher/campbran.html

http://www.mt.net/~watcher/campnevada.html

[Delmarksman]

"We have very close allies in the Arab world who are integral partners in the war against terrorism"

Yeah my @ss. If you call having a telethon for terror, Support, we don't need no such partners.

There's a couple 100,000 acres of marshland in the Glades. The Sheepflies and mosquitos are particularly hungry this time of year. Around here the Greenhead flies are already well over an inch in length and growing. Somebody's got to feed 'em.

Speaking of feeding, we need to stop feeding the other countries BILLIONS of dollars a year. There are enough hungry mouths in the USA.

[DoctorMichael]

..........would be far less fear of ethnics and Islam............

Exactly.

...........said he was merely saying public opinion would so strongly favor the idea that it would be difficult to prevent. There would be a "groundswell of opinion" for the detainment...........

Vaguely worded threat? I HOPE so.

Maybe he's trying to communicate the idea that "you guys better get with the program. We're NOT going to tolerate the US being turned into the Bosnia or Beirut".

[livius]

I think you're right about it's being a warning.

The problem is, however, that while most of the money and organization (to say nothing of the terrorists themselves) come from the Middle East, the thing that is really the connecting link between all of them is that they are Muslims. Islam, with its mosques that function as terrorist recruitment and information centers, its imams that spout hatred and organize bombings, is really the problem. And, as we have seen in the Lindh and Padilla cases, you don't have to be an Arab to be an Islamic terrorist.

I think Kirsanow is very right when he says that any future terror attack is going to lead to calls for the internment or expulsion of people from the Middle East. But the real problem is not nationality or ethnic background: it's Islam.

[A. Morgan]

Bingo! Steve Emerson's "American Jihad" was not a piece of fiction.

[Dark Wing]

ping

[TADSLOS]

A member of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission said in Detroit on Friday he could foresee a scenario in which the public would demand internment camps for ArabAmericans if Arab terrorists strike again in this country.

It'll happen, along with mass deportations.

[willyone]

The public be dammed will be the govt. attitude. That and increasing the number of visas for Middle eastern young men. The govt. only cares about us when they need more money or votes. The rest of the time they consider the citizens a pain.

[Guillermo]

Big difference b/w the Arabs here today and the Japanese here in WWII.

There was never, not one single incident during WWII of a Japanese who was living in here committing an act of sabotage. Not one. They were unequivocally on our side.

Now, the 19 Arab terrorists were living here. They were residents of the US. The Arab community in this country was/is in denial. What we heard from them was "It was the Joos". Their civil rights groups continually defend known terrorists and criminals. They told Arabs to NOT cooperate with the FBI.

I'm not saying that all Arabs who live here are terrorists. What I'm saying that a huge number of Arabs who live here sympathize with them.

No more should be let in, non-citizens should be deported, and the ones who have managed to become citizens should be watched like hawks.

No more foreigh Arab/Saudi money funding their terrorist centers aka Mosques.

[HennepinPrisoner]

The president has said...that the teachings of Islam are the teachings of peace and good."

Yeah...FOR OTHER MUSLIMS. But it preaches hatred and evil towards non-Muslims.

[HennepinPrisoner]

Hamad and others expressed concern about mass interviews of Arab men, secret immigration hearings and profiling of drivers and airplane passengers.

He should be concerned....after all, we may foil the attempts of his cohorts to carry out another attack.