printThe individual I mentioned in “Lunatic Government Occupies Airports” has surfaced again. Adam Yahiye Gadahn, now a propagandist for Al-Qaida in Pakistan, is originally a Pearlman from California.
Gadahn has called on Americans and other unbelievers to convert to Islam. You can read more about it here. I mentioned him in that column in the context of rational profiling at airports. I said that,
“If young Jews were as well-represented among suicide bombers and airline hijackers as Muslims are, I’d want the TSA’s canine teams to sniff them out instead of being sicced on Joe Scarborough’s baby girl. Remember Adam Yahiye Gadahn of Al-Qaida, Pakistan? He turned out to be a Pearlman from California. Had Gadahn, aka Pearlman, represented the tip of a Jewish Jihadist iceberg, I’d recommend that young Jews be frisked. So far, this (partly) Jewish John Walker Lindh has proven to be an extreme exception to the rule, like the Tamils.â€?
A few readers wrote to correct me. For the purpose of the column, I had treated Gadahn as a Jew. But, they said, only his grandfather (and father too, until conversion, it would appear) were Jewish. That’s perfectly true: By rabbinical law, Gadahn was not Jewish. By Hitlerian law, he was and still is Jewish.
Although his Jewish lineage is indeed weak, had I not introduced him in the context of profiling, I’d have been accused of conveniently ignoring the possibility that young Jews, especially members of the left-liberal faith, could join a terrorist group and might need to be profiled. As I suggested to a law professor from the “Volokh Conspiracy,” I needed to rule out that eventuality.
What you call a Lunatic Government may begin to appear more sane as time goes on. Just as the “terrorists” are using a Jew to promote their message and to smuggle bombs onto planes, they will eventually recruit sweet little Johnny for the deed. You know him. He’s that wholesome neighbor, the son of yuppies, who nobody would ever guess could be involved in such horrendous plots of murder. Maybe non-Muslims will participate if the price is right.
Another thing to consider is the larger picture. The Muslim countries will one day have nuclear weapons. Nobody can stop the flow of knowledge. It’s just a matter of time. We had better start building better relations now. Who knows, maybe it’s too late anyway.
I think that Tenderthighs misses the central point here. The young Mr. Pearlman, whether he is a “Jew “by tradition ot a “Christian” by tradtion, is nonetheless quite representative of of western society’s embrace of liberal dogma.
The entire objective of the education system and media culture presently in place is to undermine and nullify the moral reachings which lie at the heart of Judaism, Christianity and western civilization. Despite the fact that our host Ilana and I have different tastes in films, despite the fact that she is a Jewish woman and I am a Christian man, we are nevertheless capable of carrying out our discussions and deabtes a polite manner. This framewoek (typically referred to as “western civilization”) is something which is utterly rejected and denounced by both Muslims like Mr. Gadahn and his numerous allies amongst the western left ( like George Galloway).
As for Tenderthighs’ utopiam pipe dream of reaching out to the Umma and building better relations, all I can say is how typically liberal it is. Let’s completely ignore 1400 years of continual jihad, forced conversions, mass murder, slavery, and dhimmitude. They’re just like us, no?
And unfortunately we can’t afford to ignore the possibility of the innocent dupe. Remember a few years ago when a pregnant Irish girl was found getting on an airplane with a bomb in her luggage? Turned out her Libyan boyfriend had sent her home to “meet his family with the joyful news”.
Heavy sigh. I wish more people involved in the discussion of this clash of civilizations had experience with boxing and other serious combat sports. Then they’d know deep down that no matter how superior you are in strength and skill to your opponent, if you do nothing but parry his attacks you’re going to get hit.
Carolus, whether you think that my point is Liberal or not, it’s realistic. Do you doubt that non-Muslims or “Liberal” apologists will aid in terrorist actions in the future when it becomes more difficult for people with brown skin to do so? Do you doubt that Muslim countries will eventually have the technology to blow up any country in the world?
I’m not a fan of Muslim society. For the most part, it’s dogmatic, sexist, murderous and anti-intellectual.
I’m not asking you to ignore 1400 years of Jihad. I’m asking the opposite – to face it. Let me ask you, since you don’t believe they’re just like us: What is your solution to the problem and do you believe that religious fanaticism is the sole cause of what we’re seeing or just the catalyst?
It is your government that has proped up these regimes through investment and oil contracts when their are alternative sources available.
I’m far from utopian pipe dreams. I suppose if we simply “stay the course” things will somehow get better, right?