Friday, July 22, 2005
Bleg: I'd really like an answer to this question.
Would a Jihadist claim to be a follower of Bahai as a cover story, or would that be simply unthinkable?
I encountered an interesting character on the bus today; he claimed to have been in the US for several years, as a Bahai refugee from either Iran or Pakistan. Hard to tell the details because his English was almost nonexistent. Sort of quick phrase-book stuff.
In max-suspicion mode, Bahai seems like a good cover story for a recent arrival. But if it's just unimaginable, then this guy is a true refugee; I know that Bahai-ists (or whatever they're properly called!) have been seriously persecuted in Iran, and I don't want to make this guy's life unnecessarily hard.
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Later: No answer; just as well. I'll stick with instinct and do nothing, though I might regret it. I knew some real Jihadi types back in the '70s in Oklahoma, and this guy was not like them in any way. Just a lost soul who deserves to find whatever freedom he can. I won't erase the question, though. Given the way the Web works, I'm sure the question will sooner or later trickle up or down to somebody who should consider it. ¶ 2:14 PM
I encountered an interesting character on the bus today; he claimed to have been in the US for several years, as a Bahai refugee from either Iran or Pakistan. Hard to tell the details because his English was almost nonexistent. Sort of quick phrase-book stuff.
In max-suspicion mode, Bahai seems like a good cover story for a recent arrival. But if it's just unimaginable, then this guy is a true refugee; I know that Bahai-ists (or whatever they're properly called!) have been seriously persecuted in Iran, and I don't want to make this guy's life unnecessarily hard.
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Later: No answer; just as well. I'll stick with instinct and do nothing, though I might regret it. I knew some real Jihadi types back in the '70s in Oklahoma, and this guy was not like them in any way. Just a lost soul who deserves to find whatever freedom he can. I won't erase the question, though. Given the way the Web works, I'm sure the question will sooner or later trickle up or down to somebody who should consider it. ¶ 2:14 PM
