Tension grows between Calif. Muslims, FBI after informant infiltrates mosque

“Four American vets stood up, men from Battle Company of the 173rd Airborne who had been under fire with Tim and me many times in eastern Afghanistan. They filed out of their pew carrying two folded American flags that had been sent by Senator John McCain, himself a veteran of Vietnam. The young men presented my country’s flag to the Hetherington family and then to Idil [Hetherington’s girlfriend whose parents emigrated from Somalia]. I missed most of that beautiful moment because I was crying too hard, but later I did savor one comforting thought: this may be one of the…

Muslim Woman Sues Religious-Freedom Commission For Discrimination – The Daily Beast. One of the more explosive claims in the suit comes from an internal email that said hiring a Muslim to investigate religious freedom in Pakistan was akin to “hiring an IRA activist to research the UK twenty years ago.”   … In response, USCIRF commissioners claimed they were within their rights to base their decision on her religion, arguing that the anti-discrimination clause of the 1964 Civil Rights Act did not apply to the commission.  Strangely, the commissioners weren’t entirely wrong. Indeed, it’s possible that Ghori-Ahmad’s suit would not…

I hate the security theater that is TSA. Having said that, I would like an option in an update to the app to recognize those who do their job with professionalism and respect. I think we need to point out problems, but also praise whatever good we can. FlyRights Reports Profiling and Harassment by Airport Security Right From Your Phone. Not every encounter with the TSA results in harassment or an uncomfortable “enhanced” screening, but if you feel you’ve been unjustly targeted by airport security for searches or other invasive procedures, now you can file a report directly from your…