In its on-going discussion of the investigation and arrest of 17 Canadian terror suspects, the Globe & Mail went out of its way to make what it considered to be an important point: that the suspects came from a broad strata. What broad strata of society might the Globe & Mail being talking about? Take a look:
From an unmarried computer programmer to a university health sciences graduate and the unemployed, the 17 suspects charged in a foiled terrorist plot represent a “broad strata” of Canadian society.
“Some are students, some are employed, some are unemployed,” RCMP assistant Commissioner Mike McDonell said Saturday…
…Most of the group, who were remanded into custody until their next court appearance on Tuesday, wore street clothes although some appeared in white jump suits.
The majority sported the traditional Muslim male beard.
While everyone else has noticed the obvious about the suspects, that they are all Muslim, the Globe & Mail thought that their diversity of employment was a far more important point to stress.
Ed Morrissey noticed the Globe & Mail’s “don’t pay attention to the man behind the curtain” moment, and made these comments:
The only broad strata at work is the network of multicultural apologists that will attempt to make themselves feel good by ignoring the obvious connection between these suspects, the one that even a child could detect from the list of suspects and their involvement in Islamist websites. That broad strata will go to their deaths rather than admit that radical Islam comprises a threat against Western civilization. Unfortunately, they will take the rest of us with them.
Michelle Malkin noticed it, too.
Yes, the same “broad strata” from which the 9/11 hijackers, 1993 World Trade Center bombers, USS Cole bombers, etc., etc., etc., came.
The 12 adult suspects, again:
1. Fahim Ahmad, 21, Toronto;
2. Zakaria Amara, 20, Mississauga, Ont.;
3. Asad Ansari, 21, Mississauga;
4. Shareef Abdelhaleen, 30, Mississauga;
5. Qayyum Abdul Jamal, 43, Mississauga;
6. Mohammed Dirie, 22, Kingston, Ont.;
7. Yasim Abdi Mohamed, 24, Kingston;
8. Jahmaal James, 23, Toronto;
9. Amin Mohamed Durrani, 19, Toronto;
10. Steven Vikash Chand alias Abdul Shakur, 25, Toronto;
11. Ahmad Mustafa Ghany, 21, Mississauga;
12. Saad Khalid, 19, of Eclipse Avenue, Mississauga.Such a diverse lot! A veritable Benetton ad. Can’t think of a similarity among them!
Nope, not a one.
Just Your everyday run of the mill civillians!
_________________________________________
You know some construction workers some media bosses some dems.
some lettuce pickers, some college professors and some Al Quaeda’s nothing unusual or out of the ordinary here!
Absolutely nothing on Wizbang or Wizbang politics on an AMENDMENT put forth by the President?
Hmmmm.
An Amendment? First I’ve heard of it. Why? Is it important?
I believe that the broad strata was the different astrological signs under which each was born. You may want to check that out.
jp2, get your own blog instead of posting out of place.
jp2 seems to think that the Gay Marriage Amendment is a new issue.
As for pointing out that the Canadian terror group was made up of a broad strata of people, that is in fact more newsworthy than the obvious statement that they were all Muslims, since that broad strata gives lie once again to the assertion that poverty breeds terrorism.
Broad Strata? Were there any females? How can you have a “broad strata” without women? Where were the broads in the strata?
lol, Tim!
The “broad strata” comment is aimed at socioeconomic explanations (see also: poverty causes terrorism). We may think it obvious that material explanations are bogus, but they still hold some sway with some quarters. They’ll come around.
Broad strata could be interpreted as a play on words here. Strata is a “layer” as in a cake or when you look at a cliff and see obvious and distinct “stratification” or layers in the rock. You can interpret this as a writer who is trying to say that all of these people were of the same ilk (coming from the same layer, having a similar characteristic) while appearing to be PC enough to get it past his editors.
This wording is also difficult to translate exactly and a translater might attempt to go into what he thinks is the writer’s intent and translate “strata” to “slice” or “cross section” which would completely different in that a cross section contains many strata.
Saying that they came from a “broad strata” (or correctly, “a broad stratum”) sort of implies that there is something that unites them as all the same type in some way or another. The items that describe the “broad” part … differences in education and occupation are what people have noticed. What the author left unsaid is the description of what makes them of a common “strata”.
Oh. and my purpose for mentioning “difficult to translate” means that if a foreign news outlet wished to translate the article into another language, they would probably make the same mistake several english speakers have in reading it in their native language. English is a subtle and powerful language. Sometimes you have to pay attention to what is said and not what you think was said.
Hmmmm.
Oh! The Amendmen to ban gay marriage?
Hadn’t you heard jp2? Bush is supposedly retracting his support for it. Which should make the social and religious conservatives turn an interesting shade of puce.
Is it just me or does it seem that Bush is working his way through some sort of list and just going out of his way to piss off each group of people on that list?
Hmmmm.
Bush:
“Aggravate fiscal conservatives: Medicare Prescription Drug plan, check.”
“Aggravate education conservatives: No Child Left Behind but without charter schools, check.”
“Aggravate judicial conservatives: nominate Harriet Miers, check.”
“Aggravate border security conservatives: promote comprehensive amnesty, check.”
“Aggravate religious and social conservatives: abandon gay marriage amendment, check.”
Wierd.
What a pathetic article. Ostrich syndrome in full gear.
Hey now give old JP-0 a break he must want to get “married”.
Yep old jp2s getting hitched!
The last time the media talked about a “broad strata” it was those nineteen guys who hijacked four planes on 9/11. They came from a broad strata of Middle Eastern society, although they did seem to have one thing in common…..what was it?
Yep old jp2s getting hitched!
Probably is. Yep old JP2 is just an old Brokebacker/Barebacker Thread Hijacker.
It must really suck to be him/her.
Congrats jp2 on getting hitched!
The only thing “broad” about these almost-murderers is their allegiance to violent jihad, as taught by their Imam and Qur’an.
Radical/moderate Muslims do not exist, only devout/part-time ones.
OK, so it was a broad strata of Muslim males with the same barber.
Political correctness is going to kill a lot of people.
Hmmm.
Google:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=tancredo+church+%22illegal+alien%22+volunteers&btnG=Google+Search
Ahhhh. Here we go:
Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), of 1996
There we go. Sooooo. Since the liberals here are arguing that Busby was only looking to volunteer illegal aliens, can we arrest her now?
Hmmm.
Gaaaaaah! Sorry folks. Wrong thread.
Oops.
oho, silly americans, you notice canuckis talk left but eavesdrop on phones and internet and grab muslims baddies and stuff in gaol. what you americans do? shoot shitty out of iraq, is good, but at home talk, talk, talk, search elderly white granmas from iowah (iowa, iowuh, ioway, what? what?) for bombs in purse while smiling, sweating, guy named ahmed-muhammad-ali walks? you crazy, like algore.
Note also that a fair number of these folks went to the same store front mosque and at least one was an active sermonizer.
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/world/14741038.htm
Aside from the Toronto Sun tabloid (which I didn’t look at, but I’m just assuming…), I don’t think any noteworthy Canadian publication has tried to stir up anti-Muslim sentiments. Both the mayor of Toronto and the chief of the RCMP were quick to point out that it’s a political problem, not a religious or cultural one. It’s simple, you can Venn diagram it: every radical “Islamofascist” is a Muslim; so is every Sufi, and they’re practically pacifists. By saying it’s a problem inherent within Islam, you’re either uninformed or a liar. This violence is extraneous to their religion, and has to do with geopolitics, ignorance, jealousy, poverty, alienation, and a large combination of other co-factors; the only thing you can infer from this about Islam, is that some Muslims get Islam wrong. I know generalizations are easier than nuance, but when you’re talking about one of the most diverse cities in the world, there is no place for generalities.
Why are so many Americans wetting their beds over this? Canadians I know and respect are equally appalled by the vandalization of the mosque in response to the foiled attack. We caught the bad guys, and life goes on. Discussion ends. If some Muslims blow something up tomorrow, sure, some idiots will demand the mass deportation of people of Middle Eastern heritage, but it’ll fall on deaf ears because we aren’t lunatics. Remember when Air India Flight 182 blew up over 20 years ago? Well, a bunch of Sikhs did it. Guess what we did to the Sikh community? Nothing. Guess how much shit Sikhs have blown up in Canada since then? Nothing.
Ain’t all ya’ll God-fearin’ sorts supposed to turn the other cheek anyway? Love your enemy? Oh, right, it’s just about hating the gays…
Bemused,
You are inverting the relationship to create a strawman.
Who is saying all muslims are islamofascists?
A subset of muslims are.
And to ignore, willfully, the one of 3 common factors these men share, and that they share with other terrorists (and wannabes) around the world is assinine.
They were all male. They were all in Canada. They are all muslim.
And they framed all of their plans based on their understanding of islam.
Does this make sufis terrorists too? No more than some folks in Utah would make me, a Catholic, a polygymist (or however it is spelled).
If folks like you would understand its not about hate, but about not ignoring the elephant in the middle of the room…
Nice display of your of your own bigotry there, btw
You’re right, SCSI. But not only were they Muslims, they had beards. Bearded men, already on Stephen Colbert’s Dead To Me list (or are they just On Notice?), should be put in cages.
And if ridiculing the Christian Right for being a pack of bigots is bigotry, then hating Islamofascists for being intolerant makes you…an Islamofascist? Seems like you’re arguing for some sort of transitive relationship…? (Kidding.)