The FBI did their job

If I were to pick the one element of the modern zeitgeist that I find most illuminating, it is the unconditional alliance that the cultural and political left has formed with Islam. The left has long hated western civilization and has cited racism, ethnocentrism, sexism, homophobia and reactionary conservatism as justifications for its indignation. And yet, even though Islamic cultures are rife with all those flaws, the cultural left falls all over itself to show its tolerance of and support for Islam. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, I suppose. And so, with its tail wagging happily, the left happily nuzzles the pants legs of radical Islam.
Locally the forces of political correctness and compassionate exhibitionism have rallied around the cause of Sami Omar Al Hussayen, a University of Idaho computer science graduate student who was arrested recently and charged with visa fraud. More ominous were the suggestions that he is linked to terrorist organizations. Al Hussayn has raised money for the Islamic Assembly of North America, which the FBI alleges funnels a portion of its revenues to radical Islamic groups. He also set up or administered 14 websites for the IANA, some of which carried messages that, according to the FBI, "promoted terrorism through suicide bombings and using airplanes as weapons."
This might be a case of guilt by association. But, while one may not be punished legally for one’s associations, were Al Husseyn a white guy named Bob Smith who donated money to and administered websites for white supremacist groups, I guarantee you that Mr. Smith and his family would not enjoy the same level of support and encouragement from the left that Al Husseyn and his family are being treated to.
Naturally, after Al Husseyn’s arrest, the usual suspects howled outrage and accused the FBI of violating civil rights and committing ethnic profiling and worse. It might be helpful to keep in mind that we are currently under siege by Islamic extremists and to defend ourselves, we have to investigate Islamic extremists. When one is investigating Islamic extremists it’s highly likely that the investigators will run across an occasional Muslim. This is roughly the kind of profiling that occurs when one is trying to catch a steelhead. If it is your goal to catch a steelhead, then you cast your line where steelhead lurk.
It is not inconsistent to simultaneously presume the legal innocence of the accused while trusting good faith on the part of the FBI. The presumption of innocence is after all simply a legal burden placed upon the government forcing it to prove its case. This presumption does not mean that the FBI has jailed an innocent man. It only means that the government has not yet proven its case in court. Evidence presented in court this last week indicates that the FBI would have been remiss in its duties if it did not pursue someone with Al-Husseyn’s resume.
Many who knew Sami Omar Al-Hussayen assure us that he was a really good guy and did not fit their image of a terrorist. This is not too surprising. Sami Al-Arian, the University of South Florida professor who was arrested recently for his alleged connections to terrorists was so convincing in his denunciations of terrorism that he managed an invitation to the White House after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Al-Arian publicly denounced the attacks, but Bill O’Reilly of the Fox News Channel discovered videotape of Al-Arian in Cleveland preaching "Jihad is our path. Victory to Islam, death to Israel. Revolution, revolution, until victory rolling to Jerusalem," words hardly consistent with his public face.
Found in the belongings left behind by the terrorists who hijacked the planes on 9/11 were instructions on how to blend into American society. In other words, to succeed as a terrorist, one must not appear as a terrorist. It’s the ruse used by all successful con men.
The day may come when Sami Omar Al Hussayen is exonerated. It may be that, within his culture, one may be careless in his associations and Bob Smith would not be held accountable in Saudi Arabia for rubbing elbows with Aryan Nations skinheads. But in this country, one is known by the company he keeps and the FBI was right to focus on this guy.