september
30, 2005
FDNY Just Dodged a Major Bullet
The New York Fire Department just dodged a major bullet.
In the ultimate irony, The FDNY--whose incredible courage
during 9/11 was an inspiration to Americans everywhere--came
perilously close to having a 9/11 denier on its payroll.
You read that right. Imam Intikab Habib, 30, a native
of Guyana who studied Islam in Saudi Arabia, was slated
to be sworn in today as just the second Muslim chaplain
in FDNY history. There was just one problem--during an
interview with Newsday
earlier this week, Habib said the following about the
9/11 attacks, which, he seemed to forget, affected his
would-be employer, the FDNY, perhaps more than anyone:
"I as an individual don't know who did the attacks.
There are so many conflicting reports about it. I don't
believe it was 19 ... hijackers who did those attacks."
Don't smash your monitors just yet. There's more. "I've
heard professionals say that nowhere ever in history did
a steel building come down with fire alone." he said.
"It takes two or three weeks to demolish a building
like that. But it was pulled down in a couple of hours.
Was it 19 hijackers who brought it down, or was it a conspiracy?"
Is it me, or does he sound like a great fit for the
FDNY? Yes, I think NYC firemen like Rocco from Brooklyn
and Tommy from Queens--who probably lost buddies and family
members in the World Trade Center--would really love this
guy. Great call, FDNY!
Questioned about who he believed was responsible for
the attacks, Habib said he didn't know. He said, however,
that he did not expect to raise his doubts with rank-and-file
firefighters -- nor did he share them two weeks ago when
he participated in several Sept. 11 memorials on behalf
of the Fire Department.
The nerve.
"My position as a chaplain is that whoever did
it, it's a tragic incident," he said. "I feel
sorrow for the families who lost loved ones and for the
firefighters who died in it. Whoever did it, it was a
very wrong thing. It's always wrong to take an innocent
human life."
Gee, thanks for clearing that up, Intikab. Does that
apply to Jews and Christians too, or just your fellow
Muslims? To quote the great Bill Walton, what was the
FDNY thinking!? As noted above, Intikab studied Islam
in Saudi Arabia--the birthplace of that radical, murderous
doctrine known as Wahhabism. So it's safe to say he wasn't
learning about interfaith harmony and religious moderation
during his crash course in Saudi Islam. Just who did the
FDNY bureaucrats think they were hiring here? Mother Teresa?
And there's also the small issue of hiring an imam from
the very country which produced 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers.
Strikes me as a tad bit insensitive. The ignorance of
the FDNY in this instance astounds me.
Thankfully, after the news about his views on 9/11 leaked
out, an uproar ensued, and Habib promptly resigned
his position. While he's looking for a new job, he
may want to try Saudi Arabia. His views would probably
fit a tad bit better there than they would in the Bronx.
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