Thread: Divided loyalties / Troubling case of Americans

Divided loyalties / Troubling case of Americans arrested in Pakistan

Monday, December 14, 2009 at midnight

For as long as America has been taking in immigrants – in other words, as long as there has been America – there have been concerns about divided loyalties. At one point or another, members of just about every group of newcomers – the Greeks, Italians, Irish – has been accused of leaving their heart in their home country and willing to put the interests of the place they left behind ahead of American interests.

We’re glad to report that, for the most part, these fears have been unfounded. Often, they’re nothing more than the paranoid fantasies of nativists who are afraid of immigrants and the changes they bring and who are thus eager to apply sinister motives to every new arrival. However, there’s a disturbing story developing in Pakistan that raises new concerns about loyalties divided by culture.

Last week, Pakistani officials reported the arrest of five young Muslim-American men, at least two of whom are foreign-born immigrants and all of whom carried American passports showing they now live in Northern Virginia. They had somehow made their way to the Pakistani town of Sargodha. This was no holiday visit, or college field trip. According to authorities, the youths had gone to South Asia with plans to wage jihad against American interests in Pakistan and possibly Afghanistan by linking up with militant groups in the region. They were rejected by the real terrorists there, who considered these wannabe jihadists too Westernized to be trusted.

Too Westernized? How ironic that these young men who obviously don’t feel completely American were certainly seen that way by our enemies. It was probably lucky for the Americans that they were turned away. Of course, now they’re in the hands of authorities and being questioned both by Pakistani officials and the FBI about why they were in Pakistan and what they had planned. We’re eager to learn the answers to those questions.

This kind of cultural alienation – in which young Americans can be radicalized against America by what they hear, see and read – is troubling, indeed. But there’s another, more encouraging side to the coin. The case of the Sargodha 5 came to light after the families of the young men went to a local Muslim community organization to report their sons missing and someone there contacted the FBI, which began to investigate. By all accounts, the Muslim community in Northern Virginia cooperated fully with federal authorities once the inquiry started. It was the patriotic thing to do.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009 ... s-arreste/

This has been a growing problem for years I live in a area with large numbers of Hispanics, the second generation seems in many cases to dislike America more then their parents. I will say that when throwing in the religious issue of Muslims its a whole different ball game & presents a problem that will never be corrected IMO.

These people live in La La land