A matter of trust...

Mistaken identity...    “Let me get my wife,” my customer insisted. He, a man in his fifties, couldn’t decide whether to buy a dress shirt I had specially priced at $12.50 without her input.

Almost ten minutes later, past our closing time, he opened the door for her to enter. At least 300 pounds and only 5’ 3” or 4”, she moved slowly on her walker, the tubes from her oxygen cannister firmly in place. After inching her way to a chair near the entrance, she sat as he looked at more shirts and ties. Baffled by his indecision, I mentioned to her the shirt I had offered him.

With a sweetness that struck me as extraordinary due to her condition, she explained, “I used to buy his clothes. Now he has to. Also, he’s very upset. He needs something for his younger sister’s funeral. She was killed in a car wreck yesterday.”

Knowing that helped me to help him. I found the clothing he needed and manipulated the price as a comfort to him. He was most appreciative. She smiled as she pulled money from her purse to pay me. Handing it to him, he gave it to me, and offered an humble, “Thank you.”

Admittedly, I held my breath as she struggled to get out of her chair, then struggled to push her walker twelve feet to the front door. “We’ll be back,” they assured me.

As I locked the door behind them, I paused. Always, when it comes to funerals, I work with the bereaved. I figure that we can return to business as usual when the grief passes. And it will; at least, for most of my customers, it always seems to.

For me, however, there’s a grief I can’t seem to shake. Its recurrence appears to be inevitable due to horror stories that continue to mimic ones that were beginning to settle under memory’s blanket. Dramatically, covers are torn away by newer atrocities. None are accidental.

In that regard, here in the United States, there is a growing question about who to trust, and another regarding reliable identification. What allows me to know, absolutely, that any American Muslim has not been radicalized? Although that question disturbs many and may seem unfair, after U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan murdered 13 innocents in cold blood, I’ve had to question how many more intelligent and seemingly prosperous Muslims have hidden their radicalization.

And to what end? Why does a prominent organization such as CAIR rush to defend Muslims accused of terrorist acts? (Please see pages 236-39; 176-78; 235 in the Muslim Mafia, ISBN 9781935071105) Their members, dressed in suits, appear to be exemplary executives or lawyers, i.e., ordinary Americans.

How do we ferret out those who would harm us from those we can trust? To whom, we must ask, do they give allegiance? In some cases, the answer is obvious, although seemingly deniable.

One such instance is Rep. Keith Ellison, who, when elected to Congress, chose to be sworn in by placing his hand on Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the Koran. (Please see Muslim Mafia, pages 195-198) Unfortunately, Ellison’s trail of support CAIR is well documented. That’s unfortunate because CAIR’s connection with the Muslim Brotherhood has also been undeniably revealed (ibid., pages 292-295).

That said, the question remains. How do we know who to trust, i.e., who is not practicing Mohammad’s taquiyyah (deception)? Should all elected officials who are Muslim be made to swear on an Old or New Testament? On our American Constitution? Should they be required to speak out against those in the ummah (community of Islam) who desire or intend to make the United States into Dar el Islam as part of a future caliphate?

Do my questions befuddle or incense? If so, why? I welcome moderate Muslims who want to debate and discuss Islam and its merits in our democratic (rather than theocratic) society. To all of them, I would plea: “Help me get out the truth about your religion, about how you despise the Muslim Brotherhood and its credo.” (The credo: "Allah is our goal, the Prophet is our leader, the Quran is our constitution, the Jihad is our way, and the death for Allah is our most exalted wish."  PMW Bulletins: Translation of important Muslim Brotherhood book: Jihad is the Way by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik  Feb. 9, 2011)


To date, there are no takers. That’s why my concern with homegrown American terrorists continues to grow. An interesting article from (of all places!) the Good News Magazine (Please see: What's Behind Islamic Terror? - Good News Magazine | United ...
www.ucg.org/news-and-prophecy/whats-behind-islamic-terror ), written especially for an American Christian audience, addresses the problem:

...Gartenstein-Ross says homegrown terrorists "are very valuable to al-Qaeda, since they are Westerners (from America or Europe), fit in with Western society better than Middle Easterners do, have the right travel documents, have the command of the English language or the relevant European language, and know how to not raise suspicions."


Typically, homegrown extremists are indoctrinated inside the United States (or another Western nation), with help from extremist Web sites or jihadist clerics. Then many, but not all, travel to an al-Qaeda training camp in the Middle East or Pakistan for terror training and logistical support. Some are then assigned to go on a suicide assignment. This is how Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab almost blew up the airliner bound for Detroit last December.


Counterterrorism officials believe the accelerated radicalization among American Muslims has been driven by a wave of English-language online propaganda and the spread of radical ideology in American mosques. There are a growing number of mosques in the United States, totaling 1,200 today, reported Joel Rosenberg in Inside the Revolution (p. 141). Between 50 and 80 percent are believed to be under control of extremists or dominated by their theology.
Rosenberg also quotes findings from a 2007 study by the Pew Research Center on the attitudes of Muslims in America. The study found that 5 percent of them had a "favorable" view of al-Qaeda. "Moreover, nearly three in 10 (27 percent) said they either didn't know or refused to answer the question about their view of al Qaeda. Out of 2,350,000 Muslims, this means there are at least 117,500 Muslims inside the U.S. who like what Osama bin Laden and his colleagues are doing and have a favorable view of their terrorist network."


Further, "if those who refused to answer the question were disguising their own support for al Qaeda, there could be another 600,000 or more Radical Muslims or Radical-leaning Muslims or sympathizers inside the country" (p. 144). Clearly, America has a large "pool" for potential homegrown terrorists.


                              B. Koplen   4/11/12



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