“Five years after Arab terrorists attacked the United States, only 33 FBI agents have even a limited proficiency in Arabic ....”

I strongly take exception to the way the statement is made by a goverment cheering organ like the Washington Post. If they had journalistic integrity they should, at worse, have said, “Five years after the alleged Arab terrorists...”

May I remind this ugly atupid cheering organ, calling itself a free newspater, that no one has yet provided credible evidence that Arab or Muslim terrorists are responsible for 9 /11. In fact, there is a growing evidence that 9/11 was an inside staged event.

As to the Arab linguists issue, I know few Arab-Americans who applied for the open jobs, but none of them was offered a job. Simply, the FBI and CIA do not trust them, and those among them who have dignity would not apply to work for the most two hated American institutions. I am one who believes that these two institutions were involed in planing and staging the 9/11 events.

As an Arab linguist with native proficiency, I trained many American students at several universities around the country. I had students who reached a high level of proficiency in two years. When the CIA came to the University of Minessota campus to recruit applicants, one of my best students went for an interview. That was in 1983, long time before 9/11. Do you know what was one the questions they asked him? They asked him whether he had any person from Arab background whom he would consider a friend. When he answered in the affirmative, the interviewr told him that because of that he might have a problem getting clearance. My dignified student told the interviewer that he was not interested in going through with his application. My student came and told me the story of that interview. Since then I realized that CIA is an ugly institution built on wrong attitudes and intentions. What applies to the CIA does apply to the FBI. They do not seek normal human beings; they seek thugs who are ready to be brainwashed to do dirty work in the name of serving their country! After they use people, they are willing to dumb them as a piece of garbage at the first minor mistake they might do. We know from history as well as from spy novels that many of them even end getting liquidated. These are no places where a decent person can hope to have a secure and fulfilling career.

As a fluent speaker of Arabic, citizen and DoD employee with clearances, I contacted the FBI after 9/11 and offered my services. A year later they returned my call and offered me piece work in Turkish!! Three years ago I received an e-mail from DoD saying they had combed their personnel files and discovered that I was an Arabic speaker and would I be interested in working “on the reconstruction of Iraq.” I said “yes” in principle. I have never received a response.

I also seem to recall that several Arabic linguists were thrown out of military intelligence these past few years under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” (another big gov’t lie).

That’s what ya get.

I read the Capt. Yee’s incident. It is most unfortunate that a good man was wrongfully accused by the government because of his religion.

If I were a muslim or arab, I too would avoid all the potential allegations which could be deadly if I have no financial resources to fight the government. Note that one needs immense amount of money to litigate the government. If one has no money, then he/she is in the slaughterhouse.

I agree with #28241 by Raza.

No Arabic speaker would want to be on the FBI’s radar screen right now. Once in the great intelligence-gathering system, always in the system, and you’d never know when the sights would be turned on you.

Three words: Captain James Yee

No American Muslim would want to go through what Capt. Yee went through as a Muslim chaplain in the army. Until the FBI/Homeland Security is under the neocon control where a Muslim can get locked up with no evidence and no legal rights, the FBI will have to make do with an Arabic dictionary.