Editorial “Trying bin Laden kin as civilian” states:
“Abu Ghaith, husband of bin Laden’s oldest daughter, Fatima, was charged on Friday with conspiring to kill Americans over propaganda videos in which he warned terror attacks against the United States rivaling those of Sept. 11, 2001, on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that killed nearly 3,000 people. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf.”
“Deeming him an enemy combatant is difficult to justify in his case, given that U.S. officials believe he has not played a significant role in several years, partially because his role in al-Qaida has been limited since 2002 (he was under house arrest in Iran starting that year before fleeing to Turkey, where he was tracked down by the CIA, and then being arrested by the FBI in Jordan late last month);…”
“The war on terror is not mere law enforcement. While criminals are sometimes violent, the differences between even the most vicious domestic criminals differ from al-Qaida in significant ways: Al-Qaida operates from foreign soil, sometimes with the help of foreign governments; the terror network has declared war on the United States and al-Qaida has proven its ability to kill thousands of Americans and has expressed a desire to obtain weapons of mass destruction with the goal of killing many more.”
WATCHDOG: Being related to a villain and not liking the USA alone should not be sufficient grounds for being placed in what amounts to a concentration camp and tried by a military court. We want to be careful to avoid what might be a slippery slope and ultimately undermine the freedom of others.
