| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front |
| American Arabs Support Terrorism Against America |
| 2004-01-07 |
| In a shocking revelation, an FBI whistleblower claims some Arab-Americans translating Arabic intercepts for the FBI spoke approvingly of the terrorist attacks on America more than two years ago. Former FBI translator Sibel D. Edmonds says translators of Middle Eastern origin working for the FBI’s Washington field office maintain an "us"-versus-"them" attitude that’s so strong it may be compromising al-Qaida investigations. She cited examples of mistranslations and security breaches within the FBI’s language division, where translators with Top Secret clearance interpret sensitive terror-related information for agents. "The issues and problems within the FBI’s translation units range from security failures to questions of loyalty to competence of translation personnel to systemic problems within their low-to-mid-level management practices," Edmonds said. She made the explosive charges Monday in a letter to the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, an independent panel investigating the 9-11 attacks and U.S. intelligence leading up to them. Edmonds, a translator who worked closely with FBI counterterrorism and counterintelligence agents at an office within blocks of the Washington field office, said she overheard some translators express sympathy for the 9-11 terrorist attacks. "During my work with the bureau, I was seriously taken aback by what I heard and witnessed within the translation department," she said. "There were those who openly divided the fronts as ’Us’ — the Middle-Easterners who shared certain views — and ’Them’ — the Americans who were the outsiders [whose] arrogance was now ’leading to their own destruction.’" Not long after the attacks, Edmonds said one translator said: "It is about time that they get a taste of what they have been giving to the rest of the Middle East." She says the remark was made in front of the unit supervisor, also of Middle Eastern origin. "These comments were neither rare nor made in a whisper," Edmonds said. "They were open and loud." She says such attitudes call into question "the integrity and accuracy" of information Arabic translators are feeding agents. Edmonds says agents who don’t speak Arabic have no way of knowing whether the information they receive from translators is tainted. "They simply have to trust the information given to them by translators," she said, "and based on that, decide to act or not act..." It is not only Arab Americans who are largely traitors. Pretend you are an anti-semite while in a Pakistani American’s taxi, and you will hear a murderous diatribe against Jews. The "us versus them" idea can work both ways. |
| Posted by:Paris Airhead |
| #11 And this is just about interpreters working for the FBI. Consider this part of the tip of the iceberg. I'm sure that there are many similar stories waiting to be told about other levels of the US intelligence, diplomatic and military organizations which allowed 9/11 to happen. Maybe in 50 years the rest of the story will be available. |
| Posted by: Tresho 2004-1-7 6:37:51 PM |
| #10 #5 At the same time there are dozens of Arabs Jews in other words,Jews that emigrated from Arab countries to the USA,particular from Syria, that volunteered to be translators for the FBI, and all of them were told "No, thank you", without explanation, Maybe somebody can explain this idiotic policy. Typical bureaucratic overreaction to the Jonathan Pollard spy case. In a nutshell, a Jewish intelligence analyst sold classified intel to Israeli intelligence (allegedly passed on to the Soviets). From that case, it is inherently obvious to the most casual observer that Jews can't be trusted with Middle Eastern intelligence affairs. |
| Posted by: not a troll 2004-1-7 4:10:43 PM |
| #9 Our government is so rotten, it's only due to the miracle of its origin that it works at all. We need a thorough and complete house-cleaning, from top to bottom, with enough nasty stuff happening to the crooks, panderers, and downright traitors to slow the next generation from creating more. I doubt it'll happen without an armed rebellion, because the government has too much control over what people can and can't do now. It's been done incrementally, but the controls are in place. The good news is, there's a growing sense of patriotism and citizenship among many Americans, and the possibility of a rebellion, either peaceful or otherwise, is increasing rapidly. In addition, more and more Americans are seeing the problems with our government, and demanding that something be done about them. Maybe we can clean house without having to kill 10% of our population, but I tend to be a bit cynical. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2004-1-7 2:35:23 PM |
| #8 ..they can warn the terrorists what forms of communication not to use. That would be treason, beyond the shadow of a doubt. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-1-7 1:43:03 PM |
| #7 What is worse is the fact that if these "translators" know the methods being used to "listen in" then they can warn the terrorists what forms of communication not to use. |
| Posted by: Barry 2004-1-7 1:32:23 PM |
| #6 Maybe somebody can explain this idiotic policy. Don't wait for one from the government. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-1-7 10:10:20 AM |
| #5 At the same time there are dozens of Arabs Jews in other words,Jews that emigrated from Arab countries to the USA,particular from Syria, that volunteered to be translators for the FBI, and all of them were told "No, thank you", without explanation, Maybe somebody can explain this idiotic policy. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2004-1-7 8:52:45 AM |
| #4 At the same time there are dozens of Arabs Jews in other words,Jews that emigrated from Arab countries to the USA,particular from Syria, that volunteered to be translators for the FBI, and all of them were told "No, thank you", without explanation, Maybe somebody can explain this idiotic policy. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2004-1-7 8:52:34 AM |
| #3 Sadly, this isn't a new story. I don't know if the earlier reports came from the same source, but in at least one case the FBI translator's spouse was a member of the organization the translator was listening to. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-1-7 8:05:42 AM |
| #2 So what is are the Feebs going to do about?If true these people are guilty of treason and need to be shot. |
| Posted by: raptor 2004-1-7 6:07:29 AM |
| #1 So what is are the Feebs going to do about?If true these people are guilty of treason and need to be shot. |
| Posted by: raptor 2004-1-7 6:06:02 AM |