03/13/2009
Politicians like Sen. Joe Lieberman are maddening (but common). He is bright enough to see the danger arising from hostile Somalis residing in America, yet his lifetime immigration voting grade is D- and his recent record rates an F-.
On Wednesday, Sen. Lieberman chaired a hearing titled "Violent Islamist Extremism: al-Shabaab Recruitment in America." The Senator’s cognitive dissonance about unfriendly immigrants was further indicated by the characterization in his opening statement of the Somalis here as "victims" of "small group of extremists who are essentially terrorizing their own community."
There is an increasing threat of homegrown terror stemming from segments of a deeply isolated and alienated Somali-American community, a U.S. Senate committee hearing concluded Wednesday.
The hearing, conducted by the Senate Homeland and Governmental Affairs Committee, focused on the attempted recruitment of young Somali-American men by al-Shabaab, "a violent and brutal extremist (Somali) group" with significant ties to al Qaeda, according to the U.S. State Department.
"Over the last two years, individuals from the Somali community in the United States, including American citizens, have left for Somalia to support and in some cases fight on behalf of al-Shabaab," noted the committee’s chairman, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Connecticut.
[Domestic terror threat growing, Senate committee warns, CNN, March 11, 2009]
The hearing [Senate page here has a video and witness testimony] included some common-sense cultural observations …
"The (tough) adjustment to American society has reinforced their greater insularity compared to other more integrated recent immigrant communities and has aggravated the challenges of assimilation for their children," [Andrew Liepman] said. [ … ]
Many refugees, he said, "lack structure and definition in their lives" and are "torn between their parents' traditional tribal and clan identities and the new cultures and traditions offered by American society."
That’s right, and furthermore it’s cruel to plunk primitive tribal people (who have never ridden in a car or switched on an electric light) into 21st century American cities. Better to resettle them in more similar African cultures, where they won’t experience extreme social alienation from the mainstream society.
Of course, Islamist terror doctrine being readily available in mosques and on the internet makes their presence in our country dangerous for us Americans.
Another aspect to the Senate hearing was the Rorschach nature of reporting about it. CNN (above) reasonably emphasized the threat. But the Los Angeles Times headlined with a pro-Islam viewpoint: American Somali youths aren’t seen posing major risk.
Reporting from Washington — There is no evidence that radicalized Somali American youths who have disappeared over the last two years are being trained abroad to attack the United States, intelligence and law enforcement officials told members of a Senate panel Wednesday.
You can watch the whole hearing and make your own decision whether Somali immigrants pose a threat. However, the disturbing political correctness from government officials about "small segments" of immigrant communities can’t disguise the danger of the Islamic fifth column. Small numbers of committed jihadists can kill thousands, as 19 hijackers did on 9/11.
This is a content archive of VDARE.com, which Letitia James forced off of the Internet using lawfare.
