The “nice guy” terror threat September 7, 2007
Posted by Scarecrow in 12/09/06 OJJPAC.trackback
The “nice guy” terror threat
by Steve Salvi, OJJPAC.org
December 9, 2006
The US government’s war on terrorism at home faces a dilemma that US military troops faced in Vietnam (and face in Iraq). What is the problem? It’s determining who the terrorists are before they attack.
When your enemy doesn’t wear a uniform (or carry a rocket-launcher) and can easily blend into a community, you don’t really know who they are. People who smile at you during the day may use the cover of night to kill you. This was common during the conflict in Vietnam.
I think Americans tend to believe that people who are nice, courteous, helpful and friendly couldn’t possibly be a threat to America. We want to stereotype terrorists as people who are social outcasts, discerningly mean, discourteous, and unhelpful–and obviously threatening. Bad guys wear black hats, right?
But the “bad guy” stereotype is just not true. A case in point is the recent indictment and guilty plea by Kobie Williams, a Muslim who worked at Rice University.
Students at Rice University described William’s as a very nice guy–always willing to help. It was said that Mr. Williams wouldn’t hurt a fly. One student wouldn’t even believe the charges, even though William’s has already pleaded guilty.
According to the indictment, William’s is very different from what his friends and acquaintances believed or want to accept post indictment and plea.
The guy whom some thought was harmless, had plans to travel to the Middle East and kill American troops. William’s had already engaged in weapons training and given money to the Taliban.
William’s also allegedly conspired with Adnan Mirza, a Pakistani national (who gained legal entry into the US via a student visa) to carry out the plan. Both men are now in custody.
A related story in the Huston Chronicle (read story here) also discusses another alleged accomplice, 19-year-old Syed Maaz Shah. Shah reportedly entered the US on a student visa and was a “A” student University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). The only problem is that the FBI now says that he was also plotting against the US and remained in the US after his visa was revoked. Even after Shah was ordered to leave the US, he was able to continue to go to school at UTD [Why?]. To add insult to injury, Shah was able to get a scholarship to pay for tuition and living expenses–which financed his continued illegal presence in the US and his plot against the US government.
If Americans want to ensure the viability of the United States thirty years from now, citizens and government officials need to develop a far more sophisticated understanding of the social, economic and political threats we face inside and outside the USA. Better understanding must be followed with timely implementation of effective solutions. The US can otherwise expect catastrophic consequences likely worse than we experienced on September 11, 2001.
The William’s story identifies specific threats–the existence of Muslim religious extremism in the US, student visa abuse, and denial by a segment of the American public that “nice and helpful” people can pose national security threats. These are lessons that should have been learned after the “nice and helpful” fellows flew two jets into the World Trade Center five years ago.
You can email Steve with your comments at Salvi@ojjpac.org 12-9-06
http://www.ojjpac.org/news.asp
Please visit Realterror to comment on this article!
