Remember, this is just an isolated incident, it’s not part of a wider problem
(News and Observer) A Cary man is facing a federal charge that he attempted to aid a foreign terrorist organization, according to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI in federal court last week.
Basit Javed Sheikh of Cary is suspected by the FBI of trying to provide support to the Nusra Front that is fighting in Syria’s civil war. His father, Javed Sheikh, said on Monday there “is no truth in that,†referring to the federal allegations.
But a federal grand jury in Raleigh believed there was enough evidence to indict Basit Sheikh to stand trial for the charges. He was being held by Wake County authorities on Monday, according to county records.
Law enforcement intercepted Basit Sheikh on Nov. 2 at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, an FBI affidavit states. He had told a confidential FBI source that he wanted to join the jihad, or holy struggle, in Syria, according to an agent’s affidavit. He said in August that he had secured a job “with a brigade in logistics, managing medical supplies,†the document states.
Cary is on the other side of Raleigh, where I live.
He’s also a “legal permanent resident” of the US. Why do we even have that class? Should there not be 3 classes, short term visitors, temporary workers (Sheikh supposedly worked at the post office, but there are no records of that) who need to leave after a few years, depending on the work visa length, and citizens/those trying for citizenship? Why would we want people who are permanent residents but want no part of becoming a US citizen? Anyhow, back to the story
Thomas Walker, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, which includes Wake County, stressed Monday that “this is an indictment for an individual for individual conduct, and should in no way be seen as a charge against anyone else.â€
Khalilah Sabra, director of Immigration and Civil Rights at the Muslim American Public Affairs Council, confirmed Monday that federal agents had reached out to Muslims in the Triangle to try to foster a new mutual understanding, and to talk about the U.S. State Department’s list of suspected terror groups.
“From what I understand about the most recent case, it is an isolated incident,†Sabra said Monday.
While it is certainly true that the indictment is for This Guy, the inclusion of those two quote is purposeful, meant to propagate the “lone wolf” meme, the “hey, really, this is just some single crazy guy,” that it has nothing to do with the fact that the majority of terrorist attacks around the world and people arrested on terrorism charges are practitioners of the Religion Of Peace.
That’s not to say that all, or even most, Muslims are terrorists/attempted terrorists, that they that all give aid and comfort to the hard cores groups, but that there are more than enough to say “yeah, there’s a problem”. If the media see one guy or gal carrying a rebel flag, well, then, that means that the entire Tea Party/Conservative/Republican movement is raaaaacist. The entire group is indicted for the actions or speech of a few or one.
The photo comes via The Jawa Report, which found it on a November 2 Facebook post. Make sure to read what else Rusty writes.
Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.
