A Little B-Ground:I have known and worked with and studied with some of the local muslim population here in N Texas. I think it is second only to Dearborn, MI, with regard to muslim population: immigrant citizen, native-born, and legal aliens of various types.
UTD has a potful of all sorts of foreign students, to include a hefty contingent of muslims.
There are some pretty radicalized local mosques, as can be divined (yuk, yuk) from their leaders' statements and their activities.
N Texas is where several muslims were indicted & convicted of funneling $$$ to terrorist organizations by means of "charities."
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That said, I was put off at first by the article. "They're convicting him for shooting an AR15!?" was my first thought. Especially after, "Isn't it mind-boggling that someone can be placed in prison for merely going to a shooting range? ... I mean, for God's sake, we live in Texas ..."
Then I re-read the article and came across the following bits:
Syed Maaz Shah, 20, a Pakistan native... Mr. Shah entered the U.S. in 2005 on a student visa and as such was prohibited from possessing a firearm
So, he was not a citizen and did break the law against foreigners here on student visas owning a firearm. And it wasn't just the shooting of the AR15, it was possessing it that earned him the conviction.
Prosecutors said that when Mr. Shaw was arrested, he told agents he went on the campouts to prepare for "what may come" and described American forces in Iraq as "invaders."...Extremist materials were found on Mr. Shah's computer...
Biting the hand that lets your *expletive deleted*ss in the door and educates your happy self is bad form, old boy.
Shiraz Syed Qazi, 26, also in the U.S. on a student visa, was sentenced last week to 10 months in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm during the campouts.
Adnan Babar Mirza, a 29-year-old Pakistani native, is scheduled for trial in October on federal conspiracy and firearms charges.
A third co-defendant, Kobie Diallo Williams, a 33-year-old U.S. citizen, will be sentenced in October after his November 2006 guilty plea to conspiracy charges related to raising money for the Taliban and gun charges.
Hokay, here it gets clearer. Syed Maaz Shah was hanging out with all these other Pakis and an American who were running about, made their hatred of the USA known, and raised money for known terrorist organizations.
From my reading between the lines, the FBI had these guys under surveillance for some time, kept tally of provable crimes, took note of their terrorist-sympathies, and nabbed them when they had enough for any serious conviction.
So, Syed Maaz Shah & his buds were likely playing islamo-mall-ninja in the woods, conspiring to do some nefarious crimes, and were nailed with the easiest & handiest charges the FBI/DA could muster.
The only interesting bit is Syed Maaz Shah's appeal to Texans' fondness for firearms and RKBA sympathies. It seems a jury in Houston was not fooled.
I'd say he earned his stay in the Graybar Hotel.
