Now instead of a Muslim Church suppose for a moment that this had been a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, or Aryan Nation. Would you still feel that it was wrong to think in terms of the nature of the group?

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“Quod scripsi, scripsi"

"Sometimes, the source of the beautiful dawning light that drives back the darkness, is your house burning"

Bull****! to what you just said....Instead of a presumption of innocence priests get a presumption of guilt. Because of the Catholic Church's history of sweeping priest pediphilia under the rug in the past the tide has now turned against the individual priest. Even false accuasations are met with swift action.

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ΜΌΛΌΝ ΛΆΒΈ (come and take them)

Al Gore didn't invent the internet, but he did invent global warming

I wonder what the reaction would have been had this happened in an Islamic nation...

I also wonder what the reaction in some of the Islamic nations will be when this gets out...

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Our nation has not always lived up to its ideals, yet those ideals have never ceased to guide us. They expose our flaws, and lead us to mend them. We are the beneficiaries of the work of the generations before us and it is each generation's responsibility to continue that work. - Laura Bush

Leftists and very small children don't seem to be able to understand that the Government isn't there to "fix" the economy, anymore than a tick is there to fix your dog.~Oftencold

They won't see this...

They're too busy killing priests and burning their churches...

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"You get the respect that you give" - cnredd

BULL****. Geez watch the news. Ask redd. He lives where they are dealing with one now.

Individuals are always a part of a community, most of which are innocent people. With a common street criminal, his community may consist of his mother, father, siblings, and other extended family, or it may be another group altogether.

The FBI wasn't dealing legally with anyone besides the two imams arrested. In matters of law, the sacredness of the place of an arrest should have no bearing on the arrest itself.

The two imams weren't arrested for being Muslim.

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"Every morning in Africa, a Gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a Lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest Gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a Lion or a Gazelle... when the sun comes up, you'd better be running." -anonymous

Who cares? We aren't talking about other countries. Why should that make a difference in how we treat Muslims - American citizens - in our country?

(p.s. - this got out - it occurred in May)

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DISCLAIMER: Extreme amounts of sarcasm can possibly result in inflammatory situations. Not responsible for keyboard violence, spittle on the monitor, irrational responses mistaken for momentary brilliance, one-sided rages against hypocrisy or individual members or unintended consequences such as poor personal hygiene and bad spelling. Please fasten your seatbelts and put your trays in an upright position.

Individuals are part of communities but you don't treat an entire community the way you would an individual. It would not make sense. Why do you suppose law enforcement has community outreach projects - community policing projects? Individuals are a subset of communities - but communities are not a subset of individuals.

If you are talking about the strict letter of the law, that is true - however, if you are talking about communities it is not true. If you choose to deliberately disrespect or work against the community as whole, then ultimately - law enforcement is going to fail because there will be no community cooperation. Look at the places with the worst crime records such as New Orleans where there is a huge distrust and hatred of the police (and often for good reason).

No one said they were - however you completely missed the point.

You were implying that drug dealers should be accorded the same respect as Muslims - that Muslims get "special considerations".

The Imams were arrested on charges related to terrorism. You did not ask whether drug dealers should be shown the same respect as terrorists but rather Muslims.

The respect shown was not to the Imams but to the members of the congregation - the community - who's help is needed for successful anti-terrorism efforts.

In that sense it's no different than successful neighborhood policing in order to keep a lid on drug dealing. The police treat the neighborhood residents - the community - with respect. If at all possible - the criminal is apprehended with the least amount of force necessary. This encourages cooperation and cooperation leads to a greater likelihood of apprehensions. But if they see "one of their own" -- even if it's someone they despise - getting the crap beaten out of them by police - for what seems to be no reason - they are going keep to themselves and not get involved.

What I wonder is....what is so wrong with that? Because they're Muslim?

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DISCLAIMER: Extreme amounts of sarcasm can possibly result in inflammatory situations. Not responsible for keyboard violence, spittle on the monitor, irrational responses mistaken for momentary brilliance, one-sided rages against hypocrisy or individual members or unintended consequences such as poor personal hygiene and bad spelling. Please fasten your seatbelts and put your trays in an upright position.

Two reasons come first to mind.

One, we don't know how many of the people in this Muslim enclave are citizens. Remember that we have many non-citizen resident, legal and illegal. (It's sort of a national suicide pact we have.)

Second, traditionalist Islamic doctrine specifically elevates the Pan Islamic identity above nationality. (Think of the Sudetenland Germans for a similar recent historical parallel.)

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“Quod scripsi, scripsi"

"Sometimes, the source of the beautiful dawning light that drives back the darkness, is your house burning"

I'm saying that criminals should all get the same consideration, and that their communities should be given equal respect, no special consideration for anyone. It is not disrespectful of a community to arrest the criminals in that community, and if it is, then the same standard applies across the board.

There's nothing wrong with that if all are treated with the same consideration.

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"Every morning in Africa, a Gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a Lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest Gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a Lion or a Gazelle... when the sun comes up, you'd better be running." -anonymous