by Raymond Ibrahim<\/p>\n
Private Papers<\/i><\/p>\n
A<\/span>s a 6\u20193\u201d, 250-pound weightlifter of Middle Eastern descent, who sometimes wears a full beard, seldom wears a (perfunctory) smile, and who\u2019s last name is \u201cIbrahim\u201d \u2014 a name that sometimes appears in rather \u201cunflattering\u201d headlines, such as the recent attacks in Glasgow \u2014 I don\u2019t mind telling you that, well, sometimes I get askance looks of \u201cconcern\u201d whenever I board airplanes.\u00a0 Do I take any special delight in that? Not really. Do I understand it?\u00a0 Totally.<\/p>\n Since 1984, 20 of the 27 airplane hijackings have been carried out by Arabs, Pakistanis, Turks, et. al. \u2014 all people of \u201cMiddle Eastern\u201d appearance. Moreover, since 9\/11, the lion\u2019s share of dramatic and fatal terrorist attacks carried around the world \u2014 such as the Bali nightclub bombing, where 202 were killed, or the Madrid train bombings, where 191 killed, or the Chechen hostage crisis, where 344 civilians, including 186 children were killed, or the London train bombings, where 52 were killed, or the Sharm al-Sheikh bombings, where 64 were killed \u2014 have all been committed by Muslims. This is not to disparage but simply state a fact.<\/p>\n It is understandable, then, why I, a non-Muslim, whose last name is nonetheless\u00a0Ibrahim<\/i>, may be a source of special attention in an airport or airplane. Yet so long as I am not unduly harassed or slighted and am treated professionally \u2014 and, most importantly,\u00a0since I have nothing to hide\u00a0<\/i>\u2014 I am always happy to comply. It simply makes sense. Even so, I don\u2019t believe that I have ever been treated differently than the majority \u2014 no doubt because I don\u2019t go out of my way to be conspicuous.<\/p>\n A practicing Muslim associate of mine \u2014 call him Ishmael \u2014 once told me that, while riding the train, he noticed a bearded man dressed in traditional Pakistani garb, swaying back and forth in his seat in recitation while holding a Koran. At the next stop, Ishmael exited the train and chose to wait for the next one, adding, \u201cI pray and recite from the Koran, too, but since 9\/11 I know better than to engage in easily misconstrued activities\u201d \u2014 activities from a fellow Muslim which worried him enough to board another train.<\/p>\n It is in this backdrop that one should best appreciate the current debate about the \u201cJohn Doe\u201d provision and the infamous case of the \u201cflying imams.\u201d Unlike myself and Ishmael, these six imams, exploiting religious freedoms granted them that their own religion, Islam, does not grant others, and no doubt fully aware of the scene they\u2019d inevitably cause, decided to fall prostrate in prayer in the middle of an airport, chanting \u201cAllahu Akbar\u201d \u2014 the usual last words of Islamist suicide bombers prior to detonation \u2014 and then when they boarded the plane, began talking loudly in Arabic, with only words like \u201cOsama bin Laden\u201d being intelligible to English ears.<\/p>\n Why is it that Ishmael and myself and countless other people of Middle East and\/or Islamic backgrounds are cognizant enough to know that discreet behavior in airports and airplanes goes a long way in ensuring a hassle free flight, while these imams decided to take an \u201cin-your-face\u201d approach?<\/p>\n Ironically, airports provide non-denominational \u201cmeditation\u201d rooms, but, as I\u2019ve heard before, many \u201cpious\u201d Muslims \u2014 such as the \u201cflying imams,\u201d one can be assured \u2014 feel their prayers are sullied if recited next to Christians, Jews, Buddhists, or Hindus \u2014 that is, infidels. So they take to the middle of the terminal floors.<\/p>\n More ironic still, CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) is trying to make it so that any American who observes such \u201caberrant\u201d behavior and decides to report it \u2014 you know, to avert another 9\/11 \u2014 can be sued. So now, supposedly Muslims who were raised in stoic environments \u2014 whether run by dictatorial, authoritarian, or theocratic governments \u2014 and who themselves support the draconian dictates of\u00a0sharia<\/i>\u00a0law (stoning adulterers and murdering \u201capostates\u201d); Muslims whose attire is markedly different from their Western hosts and who must therefore be used to constant stares \u2014 supposedly these same Muslims are now \u201churt\u201d and \u201ctraumatized\u201d and need monetary compensation because some concerned citizens thought, due to their totally inappropriate behavior in an airport, that they may have had nefarious intentions and thus reported them to the authorities. This is CAIR\u2019s approach at trying to foster better \u201cAmerican-Islamic relations\u201d \u2014 its own namesake \u2014 threats, fear, and intimidation.<\/p>\n Of course and for the record, should the imams wish to avoid a similar incident next time they board a plane, behaving \u201cnormally\u201d (yes, there is such a thing) \u2014 like everyone else, both Middle Eastern and non-Middle Eastern, Muslim and non-Muslim \u2014 is a sure bet that they most likely won\u2019t be harassed.<\/p>\n Raymond Ibrahim is the editor of the\u00a0Al-Qaeda Reader<\/i>, translations of religious texts and propaganda.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Raymond Ibrahim Private Papers As a 6\u20193\u201d, 250-pound weightlifter of Middle Eastern descent, who sometimes wears a full beard, seldom wears a (perfunctory) smile, and who\u2019s last name is \u201cIbrahim\u201d \u2014 a name that sometimes appears in rather \u201cunflattering\u201d headlines, such as the recent attacks in Glasgow \u2014 I don\u2019t mind telling you that, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[227,755],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p466Sb-1pZ","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6219,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/crucified-again-venn-institute-interviews-raymond-ibrahim\/","url_meta":{"origin":5455,"position":0},"title":"Crucified Again — Venn Institute Interviews Raymond Ibrahim","author":"victorhanson","date":"July 18, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Raymond Ibrahim [Note: The following interview was conducted by the\u00a0Venn Institute\u00a0with Raymond Ibrahim] Raymond Ibrahim is a widely published author, public speaker, and Middle East and Islam expert, and author most recently of\u00a0Crucified Again: Exposing Islam\u2019s New War on Christians. Follow him on Twitter\u00a0@RaymondIbrahim5 Venn Institute: Most Americans see persecution\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Raymond Ibrahim"","block_context":{"text":"Raymond Ibrahim","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/our-contributors\/raymond-ibrahim\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Crucified-Again-Cover.jpg?fit=797%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Crucified-Again-Cover.jpg?fit=797%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Crucified-Again-Cover.jpg?fit=797%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Crucified-Again-Cover.jpg?fit=797%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1864,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/how-taqiyya-alters-islams-rules-of-war-defeating-jihadist-terrorism\/","url_meta":{"origin":5455,"position":1},"title":"How Taqiyya Alters Islam’s Rules of War: Defeating Jihadist Terrorism","author":"victorhanson","date":"January 31, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Ibrahim Middle East Quarterly\u00a0(Winter 2010) Islam must seem a paradoxical religion to non-Muslims. On the one hand, it is constantly being portrayed as the religion of peace; on the other, its adherents are responsible for the majority of terror attacks around the world. Apologists for Islam emphasize that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Raymond Ibrahim"","block_context":{"text":"Raymond Ibrahim","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/our-contributors\/raymond-ibrahim\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11999,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/book-review-sword-and-scimitar-fourteen-centuries-of-war-between-islam-and-the-west-by-raymond-ibrahim-da-capo-press-2018-pp-297\/","url_meta":{"origin":5455,"position":2},"title":"Book Review: Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War Between Islam and the West by Raymond Ibrahim. Da Capo Press, 2018. Pp. 297","author":"victorhanson","date":"September 26, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Please\u00a0read\u00a0this\u00a0book\u00a0review\u00a0from\u00a0my\u00a0colleague Terry Scambray \/\/ New Oxford Review Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War Between Islam and the West\u00a0by Raymond Ibrahim.\u00a0 Da Capo Press, 2018.\u00a0\u00a0 Pp. 297 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We judge individuals by what they say and what they do.\u00a0 We judge cults, religions and ideologies the same way; that\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1457,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/conspiracy-theory-shuts-down-great-pyramid\/","url_meta":{"origin":5455,"position":3},"title":"Conspiracy Theory Shuts Down Great Pyramid","author":"victorhanson","date":"November 15, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Ibrahim Jihad Watch According to the\u00a0Associated Press, \"Egypt's antiquities authority closed the largest of the Giza pyramids Friday following rumors that groups would try to hold spiritual ceremonies on the site at 11:11 A.M. on Nov. 11, 2011\u2026. The closure follows a string of unconfirmed reports in local\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Egypt"","block_context":{"text":"Egypt","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/the-world\/the-middle-east\/egypt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3424,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/libya-what-to-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":5455,"position":4},"title":"Libya, What To Do?","author":"victorhanson","date":"March 20, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Ibrahim National Review Online As with Egypt, American sympathies instinctively side with Libya's oppositional forces as they seek to overthrow the tyrant Qaddafi \u2014 and rightfully so. But where US foreign policy is concerned, prudence is in order. This is especially the case considering that the Obama administration\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Libya"","block_context":{"text":"Libya","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/the-world\/the-middle-east\/libya\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7282,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/raymond-ibrahim-on-cbn-news-will-egypts-el-sisi-protect-christians\/","url_meta":{"origin":5455,"position":5},"title":"Raymond Ibrahim on CBN News: ‘Will Egypt’s el-Sisi Protect Christians?’","author":"victorhanson","date":"May 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Ibrahim \/\/ CBN News\u00a0 On April 24, CBN News Senior International Reporter Gary Lane interviewed me about Egypt. 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