Muslim's Upset Over FBI Pics Of Suspicious Ferry Passengers
A few days ago, I posted a request by the FBI for information on two Washington State ferry passengers who showed an interest in the layout and mechanics of the ferries. The pictures of those suspicious men would lead one to believe they were middle-eastern. Now, Muslims have their burqas in a bunch over the pictures.
Now the FBI's release of photographs of two men of unknown origin, who the agency says were observed acting suspiciously aboard as many as six different Washington ferry routes in recent weeks, is creating new worries in the community.
Muslim- and Arab-American leaders are upset that the FBI didn't consult them — as it has done in other instances — before releasing the photos on the Internet and to news organizations. They worry that the action may fracture the relationship the agency and the community have carefully built.
The FBI has stressed that the release of the photos is a rare move, taken only after it had exhausted other efforts to identify the men. The agency also has said the men's actions could be innocuous, but it needs to question them.
The photos were snapped by a ferry captain last month after crew members alerted him to suspicious activity. The men seemed inordinately interested in the operation of the vessel, took photographs of the interiors of the boats and went into areas tourists and commuters don't normally go, the FBI has said. The agency has received many tips but has not yet found the men.
Dozens of Muslims and Arabs have complained to community leaders about the photographs. The fallout has led to a meeting planned today between Muslim- and Arab-American community leaders and law-enforcement officials.
"We need to get some type of apology from them and figure out how to get back to where we were," said Rita Zawaideh, head of the Arab-American Community Coalition.
Terrorists are usually Middle-Eastern Muslim men between the ages of 18 and 30. Until that changes, those are people we should look out for. If the Muslim community is so concerned about being profiled, they should ditch the terrorist handbook also known as the Quran and live like human beings.
