Day: February 8, 2008

Somali woman in New Zealand knifes airline pilots

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Here’s some news from the other side of the world —-for February 9th—-it’s tomorrow there you know!

A Somali woman who would have been just fine and not attacked airline pilots on a flight today (tomorrow) if only the bad authorities had brought her extended family to New Zealand, will hopefully get some taxpayer funded mental health treatment and then be returned to Africa so she can be with her extended family there.

The Somali woman who allegedly knifed airline pilots on a flight from Blenheim to Christchurch today was lonely, alienated from her community and frustrated by failures to reunite with her family.

People have known since her arrival in New Zealand (in 1994!)  that she wasn’t quite right.

But in this woman’s case “it was apparent that from the time of her arrival that she had some very significant adjustment problems that often demonstrated themselves in angry outbursts.”

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There were attempts to determine if the problems were psychiatric or behavioural and generally the feeling was her problems were behavioural.

The point of this post is not to say that Somali women pull knives on pilots, while other people don’t.  I’m sure all sorts of people from all races and cultures have been so inclined.    The point is that we need to stop being so squeamish about returning some refugees to their home country if they aren’t fitting in to western-style societies.  

P.S.  In case you are wondering how the pilots are doing, the article doesn’t say, it’s all about the Somali woman and her problems.

Walkersville, MD says no to Ahmadiyya Muslim Convention Center

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update 2/09/08:  Here is another good article on this topic at Red Maryland blog.  Be sure to read the comment from a Walkersville resident. 

Last night, the Board of Zoning Appeals of Walkersville, in Frederick County, MD turned down the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s request to make a special exception and allow the construction of a worship and convention center on 224 acres adjacent to town.  

The annual convention of the AMC could draw 10,000 or more people to the town of about 5000 clogging roads and putting pressure on services.    Up until now this Pakastani Muslim splinter group had held its convention in a convention venue near Dulles Airport with all the normal amenities of such a facility–bathrooms, parking, water, hotel rooms—so it has always puzzled me why they needed a large piece of farmland for a one time a year event.

The Frederick Post has this account of last night’s proceedings.   The article begins:

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community will have to look for another site for its worship and recreational center.

As I sat in on one of the deliberations this week, I thought every little town in America needs to  have its zoning in good order if a community wishes to avoid having  a large separate community set up within its confines.  

Call me an Islamophobe but I never once heard the AMC disavow Shariah law for themselves.   Separate Shariah law is actually being considered in Great Britain and if we are to dodge that bullet we need to be alert to its possible establishment here.

If I’m wrong and the AMC has publically disavowed Shariah law, please send me a comment with a link to that official statement.