Become An Informant Or Face Deportation And Even Terrorism Charges

[Tee Kay]

I can't say I'm surprised. You know, the "with us or against us" thing...

 

[Yeekim]

That isn't a contradiction at all. He is saying that it is important to obey the law, but that it is also important for him not to deceive those within his community. It's like a Catholic priest who says that they want people to respect the law, but won't tell the police of anything said in confession. It isn't a contradiction.

Is there a tradition comparable to confession in Islam though?

All the contrary. You guys are masters of lies. He said he would have no problem to cooperate as long as it didn't mean to deceive this people. In other words he will report a crime, but he will not deceive someone going to his church in order to find him on the fact of committing a crime and report it.

In other words, he will dutifully call a police should he witness a terrorist attack, but he refuses to inquire whether someone intends to carry one out, closing both eyes tight and looking the other way from anything suspicious?

Maybe contradiction was a bad way of saying this. What I am saying is that the guy faced a dilemma: his loyalties were divided and he chose one over another.

 

[Camikaze]

Dunno. But being an informant when you are meant to be in a position of trust would be comparable, I assume. At least, this Imam's words would seem to suggest so.

Even if not, then would it not be fair enough to think that a respected and trusted figure in a community spying on them, when they may or may not have done anything wrong, is a bit of a tough ask of that person?

 

[onedreamer]

In other words, he will dutifully call a police should he witness a terrorist attack, but he refuses to inquire whether someone intends to carry one out, closing both eyes tight and looking the other way from anything suspicious?

Maybe contradiction was a bad way of saying this. What I am saying is that the guy faced a dilemma: his loyalties were divided and he chose one over another.

There is no contradiction and no dilemma. Your duty as a citizen is to report crimes, not to investigate them.
Besides you are failing to see what this story is really about. He did not refuse to inquire his people at all, he said he would do it if it was made public, but refuse to do it with deceit, which is what an informant does. The FBI didn't ask him to ask these guys if they are terrorists, they asked him to use deceit in order to find out, and then to report it to FBI without the involved people knowing it. This action is strongly in contrast with the role of a religious person, I really fail to see any dilemma.

 

[Yeekim]

This action is strongly in contrast with the role of a religious person.

Which is what I am saying!

I really fail to see any dilemma.

You prefer to say "action requested of him was in strong contrast with the role of a religious person", I see.
That's what the whole thing was about. He is trying to say "Look, I can be completely loyal both to US and to my religious community at the same time!". Well, he can't, since (however small) part of his religious community are wanted terrorists. They forced him to choose and he chose his religion and his community. Which is all nice and good and hopefully he shall receive his reward in the afterlife. But he can't say as if the US is still morally or legally obliged to provide him asylum.

We can discuss whether forcing the choice upon him like that was a good thing to do, but there was a non-negligible chance he might have finally been forced to choose anyway. Say, by accidentally learning whereabouts of a wanted terrorist.

 

[amadeus]

Wow. So if I pal around with the yakuza, will the Japanese government offer me permanent residency and scholarship money?

 

[onedreamer]

Which is what I am saying!

Again twisting words, aren't we ? No, it isn't what you said. You said that the man's word were in contradiction because he said he would report a crime but he wouldn't investigate to find out if someone committed a crime by means of betrayal. You say these two actions are the same things, I say they are completely different, and let me add that I would refuse doing it even by being neither islamic, neither immigrant, nor religious. So no, we aren't saying the same thing.