WHERE IS BILAL HUSSEIN

By Michelle Malkin

Where is Bilal Hussein--and who is he working for?

A year ago, I blogged about a controversial, Pulitzer Prize-winning photo taken by an unidentified Associated Press stringer in Iraq. More background from the blogosphere here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Do take the time to re-read them all. The context is important.

One member of the Pulitzer-winning AP team was AP stringer Bilal Hussein. Hussein's photos have raised serious, persistent questions about his relationship with terrorists in Iraq and whether his photos were/are staged in collusion with the enemy. I've learned of an intriguing news development that strengthens those lingering suspicions.

This afternoon, in response to a tip from an anonymous military source in Iraq, I contacted both the AP reporter embedded with the Marines in Ramadi, Todd Pitman, as well as AP's media relations office headquartered in New York concerning Hussein's whereabouts. No word from Pitman. But at 6:20pm EDT, I received the following e-mail response from AP:

We are looking into reports that Mr. Hussein was detained by the U.S. military in Iraq but have no further details at this time.

Jack Stokes
The Associated Press
Corporate Communications

According to my tipster, Hussein was captured earlier today by American forces in a building in Ramadi, Iraq, with a cache of weapons.

I am still awaiting a response from the DOD's Combined Press Information Center and a Public Affairs Officer in Ramadi.

While we wait (and remember that the AP has a history of dragging its feet), a quick refresher on the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo controversy and Hussein's work:

Pulitzer Prize-winning photo by unidentified "AP stringer".

The above image of an execution of Iraqi election workers, in broad daylight, on Haifa Street in Baghdad was taken in November 2004. D. Gorton, a former New York Times White House photographer who covered the Carter and Reagan administrations, provided an excellent summary and analysis of the controversy surrounding the photo at The Weekly Standard. Gorton concluded:

So this is where the story stands now: A photo "stringer" who is identified as an Iraqi national, who remains anonymous, makes an exclusive picture that is not corroborated by any other photographic news source. The image fits into a press meta narrative about the situation in Iraq prior to crucial national elections. The published photo sets up an immediate outcry in the blogosphere and is met by an institutional defense by the AP. That is followed by a series of misstatements by the AP on the distance the photographer was from the scene, culminating in a piece by AP's director of photography, who avoids addressing that very issue of proximity.

Whatever the truth is, it may eventually come out. The terrorists know whether or not they were complicit with the photographer. As the insurgency winds down they may broker their way into an amnesty in which, no doubt, many tales will emerge--tales that could confirm the worst suspicions of complicity in murder.

In the meantime the AP is left with almost no reasonable defense of the photographer's actions, uncorroborated as they are. They can release all of the photographer's pictures of that day. They can even produce the photographer. But it's difficult to see what they could do to assure their integrity in this matter.

AP director of media relations Jack Stokes defended the photographer against questions about staging this way: "Insurgents want their stories told as much as other people and some are willing to let Iraqi photographers take their pictures."

As it happens, AP stringer Hussein has been a prolific photographic story-teller for the "insurgents:"

A typical example of photography from the "insurgents'" perspective by Bilal Hussein/AP

And another up-close-and-personal snapshot of a day in the life of the "insurgents:"

AP/Bilal Hussein

Many more graphic photos of Hussein's work here, including this chilling photo in the middle of the Ramadi desert taken by Hussein as triumphant terrorists posed with the body of just-executed hostage Italian national Salvatore Santoro on Dec. 15, 2004:

Insurgent propaganda photo by AP/Bilal Hussein

It's clear the photographer wasn't fearful at all for his own life. The Yahoo! archive of Hussein's photos for AP is here. And plenty more here.

In November 2004, AP published a glowing profile of Bilal Hussein that was--surprise--critical of the American forces' assault on Fallujah.

Rusty at The Jawa Report (hat tip - OTB) updated the "continuing saga of insurgent propaganda" earlier this week and pointed to an excellent investigation of phony MSM war photography published by the National Journal's Neil Munro, who featured Bilal Hussein's questionable work prominently:

Thanks to digital technology, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the most photographed in history. Photographers with digital cameras have provided, almost instantaneously, an enormous flood of accurate, dramatic, and even shocking images to people around the world. But the daily downloads of news photos include some that are staged, fake, or so lacking in context as to be meaningless, despite the Western media's best efforts to separate the factual from the fictional....

The photo editors for Time and The New York Times' Web site declined to comment. Other publications printed images of damage from the missile strike that seem entirely accurate. For example, Newsweek and The Washington Times published wide-angle photos of locals standing beside houses that had obviously been severely damaged. The New York Times print edition published the same wide-angle photo on January 18.....

The problem sharpens when no Western reporter is on the scene, but a photographer, usually an Iraqi stringer, is. Photo editors, or even local Western bureau chiefs, have trouble judging the veracity of the images that come from such an event. Last October, for example, The Washington Post printed a striking image of four caskets, purportedly containing dead women and children, and a line of mourning men on a flat desert plain outside the town of Ramadi, west of Baghdad. The photo, provided by the Associated Press, accompanied an article that began this way:

"A U.S. fighter jet bombed a crowd gathered around a burned Humvee on the edge of a provincial capital in western Iraq, killing 25 people, including 18 children, hospital officials and family members said Monday. The military said the Sunday raid targeted insurgents planting a bomb for new attacks.

"In all, residents and hospital workers said, 39 civilians and at least 13 armed insurgents were killed in a day of U.S. airstrikes in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, a Sunni Arab region with a heavy insurgent presence.

"The U.S. military said it killed a total of 70 insurgents in Sunday's airstrikes and, in a statement, said it knew of no civilian deaths." ....

The funeral photograph was taken by Bilal Hussein, an Iraqi stringer working for the Associated Press. AP officials declined to make Hussein available for an interview, and National Journal was unable to contact him directly in Iraq....

A series of Hussein's photographs illustrate another dilemma for photo editors -- whether to publish images that may have been created for the photographer. Last September 17, in Ramadi, Hussein took pictures after a battle at a dusty intersection. At least one U.S. armored vehicle had been damaged and towed away, leaving behind its 40-foot dull-gray metal track tread. Hussein's photographs showed the locals piling debris and auto tires onto the tread, and then celebrating as they lit a fire. Without the fire, smoke, and added debris, the photo would have presented a pretty uninteresting image of people looking at a leftover tank tread. With the smoke, fire, and debris, the image seemed to convey that a major battle had just taken place.

Weeks later, USA Today published a similar Hussein photograph from a different incident in Ramadi, which featured celebrating Sunnis, burning car tires, and a tank tread pulled over on its side.

Lyon said that AP bars photographers from asking people to change a scene, but that a crowd's spontaneous decision to change a scene in front of a cameraman presents a different situation. "You have this [dilemma] every day all around the world," he said. "There's nothing new there."

Well, here's something new: As I noted earlier tonight, Bill Roggio's investigation of a possible faked insurgent information operation in Ramadi published today warrants a response from AP. Roggio's report caught my eye especially when I saw one of the photos he posted...

Guess who I discovered took the picture?

You guessed it: AP stringer Bilal Hussein (scroll down on right-hand side).

So where is Bilal Hussein now?

And if he has in fact been detained by our troops, what exactly was he doing when he was taken into custody?

Working for the AP? Or someone else?

Stay tuned...

IMMIGRATION PROTEST IN LA

While the mainstream media today is giddily reporting the “clout” of illegal immigrants and showing us photos of passionate flag-waving, there’s another view that doesn’t find its way onto pages of the press. We look to last week’s student protest in Los Angeles.

None of these photos made it to print. But fortunately, we have digital photography and the Internet to archive.

Is that the consulate or the courthouse?
(No american flag visible)

(Photo: doyoulikeit/Buzznet)

He pledges allegiance…

(Photo: doyoulikeit/Buzznet)

Is that a lazy peace sign or a gang gesture?
(We’re sure her parents are sooo proud)

(Photo: doyoulikeit/Buzznet)

Just hard-working, law-abiding citizens…

(Photo: doyoulikeit/Buzznet)

“This is our land…?”
(Do you think you can make it as productive as Mexico?)

(Photo: doyoulikeit/Buzznet)

Smiling L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, proud of his amigos*

(Photo: doyoulikeit/Buzznet)

Mexican with meat cleaver or Aztec art?

(Photo: doyoulikeit/Buzznet)

Nazi Minutemen? Somebody needs remedial history.

(Photo: doyoulikeit/Buzznet)

What country are we in?

(Photo: doyoulikeit/Buzznet)

Future leaders of America…
(Heaven help us)

(Photo: doyoulikeit/Buzznet)

Can you imagine what their class yearbook looks like?

Many more photos found here. And be sure to read the comments: Gives you an idea of those supporting the protesters.

RELATED:
Illegal Immigrants Rally For Mexico
Will Illegal Aliens Take America by Force?
SF Mayor Gavin Newsom: Vows to Ignore The Law, Again
Immigration Reform: The Writing Is On The Wall,
And It’s In French
Immigration: “The Revolution Has Come”
(Sure looks like it)

Technorati Tags: California, Los Angeles, Villaraigosa, Immigration, Illegal Aliens, Special Interests, Mexico

THE SIGNS YOU DID NOT SEE

THE SIGNS YOU DIDN'T SEE...

By Michelle Malkin

...on the front pages of the NYTimes and Washington Post:

From James Hudnall...

From Robert Bluey in Washington, the translation is: "Open the door or I'll break the window"...

From Bryan Preston's Texas correspondent, the requisite Nazi smears...

Three from Allah Pundit in NY...first up, the lead singer of the open borders band "Outernational" wearing a t-shirt that reads "AMERICA IS SCARY"...

...next, a cozy merger of open borders Jihadists, reconquistas, and Socialists...

...last from Allah Pundit, a revealing look at the real agenda of NYC protesters. It's not just about amnesty for peaceful "undocumented workers." It's about sabotaging U.S. immigration policy and stopping immigration enforcement against anyone...

And Mary Katherine Ham snapped this expression of gratitude for America in D.C.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled MSM open borders propaganda...

NOW BATTING FOR YOUR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT: THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

ILLEGAL ALIEN VOTER RECRUITMENT

By Michelle Malkin

Photographed at the Dallas illegal alien demonstration yesterday:

Kim Priestap at Wizbang:

The fact that the Dems are recruiting at these protests isn't a surprise. It fits into their big picture of race and politics (which is why the flyer's visual puts Texas and Mexico together). The Democrats classify people based upon race and then work to corner the racial voting collectives. At this point, the white vote is already split down the middle, half voting Democrat, half Republican. The Dems have cornered the black voting collective with over 90% voting Democratic. If Democrats manage to corner the Hispanic vote like they have cornered the black vote, Republicans won't win the White House for a very long time. This is the Democrats' dream, so they are trying very hard to collectivize the Hispanic community by turning the immigration issue into another civil rights issue.

Sen. Ted Kennedy is scheduled to address the crowd--future constituents--in Washington, D.C., today around 4:30pm EST.

As they say: "Today they march, tomorrow they vote."

***

Flashback: The Clinton-Gore Citizenship USA debacle.

Flashback: Voter fraud that's legal

Flashback: "He thinks illegal aliens can vote? What an idiot"

Background: Noncitizen voting

NOW WE HAVE MUSLISMS FOR OPEN BORDERS! GEE I WONDER WHY!

MUSLIMS FOR OPEN BORDERS

By Michelle Malkin

Illegal alien protest in Detroit. Sunday, April 9, 2006. Second from right is guest speaker Dawud Walid, 34, of Detroit, executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations-Michigan.

March 27 illegal alien protest in Detroit. Marchers carry a banner for the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services . Background here.

---

Many interesting characters are showing up at the illegal alien demonstrations against immigration enforcement. Black Panthers. A.N.S.W.E.R. agitators. And...America-bashing Muslim activists.

Via the Christian Science Monitor:

"If you watch TV and read the papers, you would think this [immigration reform] is primarily an issue only for Latinos or only illegals or only poor immigrants. [Monday] will show differently," predicts Abdul Malik Mujahid, a Chicago-based Islamic cleric who says 7,000 Muslims will march there Monday to protest the "climate of fear" since 9/11.

("Climate of fear" flashback from Al Gore.)

Here's Mujahid's bio:

Mujahid is the President and Director of Sound Vision Foundation Inc. He is an Imam in the Chicago area. A graduate of Darul Uloom Shah Waliullah in Islamic Studies and the University of Chicago in Political Science, he has learned television production as director and producer at the Chicago Access Corporation. He is the producer of Sound Vision's programs. He was also responsible for the concept and design of Al-Qari, the leading Quran learning multimedia software. Mujahid has served as the National Coordinator of Bosnia Task Force, USA. It was in this capacity that he initiated the formation of the Islamic Shura Council of North America. He also serves as National Coordinator of Kosova Task Force, USA, an alliance of 10 national organizations of Muslims in America. Mr. Mujahid also serves at the executive committee of the Council for a World Parliament of World Religions.

LGF has lots of background on the militancy of SoundVision's audience. See also Daniel Pipes: "SoundVision.com Visitors Applaud Jerusalem Suicide Bombing."

CAIR and friends have opposed immigration enforcement, border security, and national security profiling initiatives vigorously since 9/11.

Lest you bury your heads in the sand about the radical sabotage of our immigration laws embraced by the CAIR-La Raza-A.N.S.W.E.R.-SEIU-Big Business alliance, I am posting as a reminder the deadly results of our open borders policies--summarized by Steve Camorata of the Center for Immigration Studies:

*Foreign-born militant Islamic terrorists have used almost every conceivable means of entering the country. They have come as students, tourists, and business visitors. They have also been Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) and naturalized U.S. citizens. They have snuck across the border illegally, arrived as stowaways on ships, used false passports, and have been granted amnesty. Terrorists have even used America’s humanitarian tradition of welcoming those seeking asylum.

*At the time they committed their crimes, 16, or one-third, of the 48 terrorists in the study were on temporary visas (primarily tourist visas), another 17 were Lawful Permanent Residents or naturalized U.S. citizens, 12, or one-fourth, were illegal aliens, and three of the 48 had applications for asylum pending.

*Although the 9/11 hijackers entered on temporary visas, LPRs as well as naturalized U.S. citizens have played key roles in terrorism on U.S. soil. For example, Siddig Ibrahim Siddig Ali, ringleader of the plot to bomb New York City landmarks in 1993, is an LPR, and Ali Mohammed, who wrote al Qaeda’s terrorist handbook on how to operate in the West, is a naturalized U.S. citizen.

*The nation’s humanitarian tradition of offering refuge to those fleeing persecution has also been exploited by a number of terrorists. In addition to the three terrorists who had asylum claims pending when they committed their crimes, three other terrorists, such as Gazi Ibrahim Abu Mezer, who tried to bomb the Brooklyn borough subway in 1997, used a false asylum claim to prevent deportation prior to taking part in terrorism.

*Violations of immigration laws are very common among terrorists. Not only were 12 of the 48 terrorists illegal aliens when they committed their crimes, at least five others had lived in the country illegally at some point prior to taking part in terrorism. At least five others had committed significant violations of immigration laws prior to their taking part. For those that were illegal aliens, most entered legally on temporary visas and then overstayed. However, some snuck across the northern border, such as Abdel Hakim Tizegha, who was involved in the Millennium plot.

*In addition to overstaying a visa, terrorists have violated immigration laws in a number of different ways. Some terrorists have engaged in fraudulent marriages to American citizens, such as Fadil Abdelgani, who took part in the plot to bomb New York City landmarks, and Khalid Abu al Dahab, who raised money and helped recruit new members for al Qaeda from within the United States.

*Terrorists also violated immigration laws by providing false information on their applications for permanent residence, such as Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, who inspired several terrorist plots.

* Still other terrorists have violated the law by working illegally in the United States. At least eight terrorists held jobs for extended periods while living in the country illegally before taking part in terrorism, including those involved in the 1993 Trade Center attack, the plot to bomb New York landmarks, and the Millennium plot.

* A lack of detention space has allowed several terrorists who had no legal right to be in the country to be released into the country. For example, Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center Attack, did not have a visa to enter the country, but he applied for asylum when he arrived at JFK airport and because of a lack of detention space he was paroled into the country.

* Past amnesties for illegal aliens have facilitated terrorism. Mahmud Abouhalima, a leader of the 1993 Trade Center bombing, was legalized as a seasonal agricultural worker as part of the 1986 amnesty. Only after he was legalized was he able to travel outside of the country, including several trips to the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, where he received the terrorist training he used in the bombing.

* Past amnesties have not hindered terrorism. Mohammed Salameh, another conspirator in the 1993 Trade Center bombing, applied for the same amnesty as Abouhalima and was denied. But, because there is no mechanism in place to force people who are denied permanent residency to leave the country, he continued to live and work in the United States illegally and ultimately took part in the 1993 attack.

* Several terrorists should probably have been denied temporary visas because they had characteristics that made it likely they would overstay their visa and try to live in the United States illegally. Under Section 214(b) of immigration law, individuals who are young, unmarried, have little income, or otherwise lack strong attachment to a residence overseas are to be denied temporary visas. Several of the 9/11 hijackers, including the plot’s leader Mohammed Atta, fit these criteria.

* The visa waiver program, which allows individuals from some countries to visit the United States without a visa, has been exploited by terrorists. French-born Zacarias Moussaoui, who may have been the intended 20th hijacker on 9/11, entered the country using the visa waiver program. Other terrorists such as Ahmed Ajaj, Ramzi Yousef, and Ahmed Ressam attempted to use false passports from visa waiver countries to enter the United States.

* The vast majority of terrorists in the study (41 of 48) were approved for visas by an American consulate overseas prior to entering the country. Of the seven who did not have visas, three snuck into the country and four arrived at a port of entry without a visa.

* At least two terrorists, Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and Ali Mohammed, should have been denied visas because they were on the watch list of suspected terrorists.

This is about our security.

Never forget.

***

Don't miss today's Guard the Borders Blogburst.

And support Jihad Watch.

Debbie Schlussel has much more.

HERE WE GO AGAIN

By Michelle Malkin

They're baaack. Illegal alien public relations experts are advising their followers to put aside the Mexican flags and tone down their radicalism, but many reconquistadors and their friends can't help themselves. Hat tip to John A. for the protest photos today from Dallas:

Black Panthers came out to show solidarity with the open borders lobby...

And the Che cultists were out in full force again, too...

There's no photo, but the Dallas Morning News described this:

Although the stars and stripes predominated, some people opted to paint themselves in red, white and green, the colors of the Mexican flag. A girl no older than 6 had her shirt painted: “Hell, no, we won’t go. Mexicans stick together.”

And via Yahoo!:

Similar sentiments at the anti-immigration enforcement rally in St. Paul, Minn.:

St. Louis:

The Dallas Morning News also reported that counter-protesters were assaulted and forced to leave under police protection:

Police told counterprotesters that they could protect them only to a point, and offered to escort them out through an underground parking lot. Six people left with police who were carrying shields and wearing helmets and shin pads.

“They’re obviously outnumbered here. If they choose to leave, we can arrange that,” said Dallas police Lt. William Humphrey.

Miles Walters, 16, a sophomore at Richardson High School, said he was scared when people started throwing water bottles and hunkered under a building for protection. “I wasn’t expecting it to be this bad,” he said. “Because we take pride in our country they hate us and call us racist.”

More:

A small group of counterprotesters shouted from a parking lot at Ross Avenue and Harwood Street: “USA, USA, You’re gonna go home, you’re gonna go home.”

Said Elijah McGrew, 48: “They are breaking the law and no one should get amnesty. If I break the law, I don’t get amnesty.”

Also in the group was Ben Blewusi, who said he came to the U.S. legally from Ghana in 2004.

“Illegal immigration is a crime in every country. I believe they are a drain on the economy and don’t pay taxes, and employers take advantage of them and enslave their labor. And as a result it drives down wages for legal migrants and U.S. citizens,” Mr. Blewusi said.

Near City Hall, more than 100 chanting protesters broke off from the main march and headed toward another group of counterprotesters. Police moved in around the counterprotesters, some of whom had hurled plastic water bottles at the large procession.

If you are holding a counter-protest, send your photos and I'll post them.

Tony J. attended a pro-immigration enforcement rally along with a few hundred in Denver on Friday:

I'll be covering the illegal alien demonstration tomorrow in Washington, D.C. Power Line is soliciting video from citizen journalists across the country.

Meanwhile, keep an eye on what government school officials are doing in your neighborhood.

In Tuscon:

The superintendent of the Tucson Unified School District is under fire for sending school buses to pick up student following an immigration reform protest.

But Superintendent Roger Pfeuffer defended his decision, saying police asked for the buses because a crowd of students in front of the Federal Building in Tucson was growing, water supplies were low and the temperatures were rising.

Rep. Jonathan Paton, R-Tucson, criticized Pfeuffer in a letter, asking for an explanation of the busing issue.

Paton also wanted to know about a student assembly at Tucson High Magnet School in which Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, said, "Republicans hate Latinos."

Paton said he wanted to find out if the assembly was mandatory, and he criticized district officials for allowing "political propaganda."

Pfeuffer said the assembly was not connected with recent walkouts by students protesting for immigration reform and said Huerta's appearance was part of a series of events commemorating Cesar Chavez Day held each year.

Yesterday, I noted my home county's decision to give school credit to students who attend the April 10 illegal alien event in D.C. Here's contact info for the Montgomery County Board of Education:

boe-at-fc.mcps.k12.md.us

Also watch your city officials. Some people are acting as if sanctuary extremists like the politicians in San Francisco are something new:

Mayor Gavin Newsom said Thursday that The City will not comply with any federal legislation that criminalizes efforts to help illegal immigrants.

The mayor also denounced a bipartisan congressional proposal that would beef up border security and allow as many as 12 million illegal immigrants to gain legal status.

Newsom, who has not been afraid to wade into controversial national issues such as gay marriage, appeared with a group of elected officials on the steps of City Hall to support immigrants, “documented as well as undocumented.”Newsom also signed a resolution sponsored by Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval, and passed unanimously by the Board of Supervisors, urging San Francisco law enforcement not to comply with criminal provisions of any new immigration bill.

Nothing new about it at all:

9/13/02 - Malkin column - End sanctuary for illegal immigrants
About that elevator guy
Sanctuary’ Laws Stand in Justice’s Way - Heather Mac Donald
Special Order 40 - Heather Mac Donald
The Other Wall - Michelle Malkin Senate testimony
The Illegal Alien Crime Wave - Heather Mac Donald
Illegal Alien Sanctuary - Front Page magazine

***

John Hawkins at Right Wing News has more photos from the Minneapolis demonstration and responds to the Che sign waver in Dallas with some questions for GOP leaders:

So, John McCain, Mike DeWine, Lindsey Graham, Arlen Specter, Sam Brownback, George Bush, & Bill Frist...Can you explain to us again why in the world we'd want to put the sort of person who was carrying this sign on the "path to citizenship?"

Also, could you explain again why we're better off having this person here in a guest worker program than a decent person who respected our laws enough to wait in line to enter this country legally?

Heck, if you're really in a generous mood, you could explain to us why we should believe there will be a security crackdown on illegals later, after the amnesty and guest worker programs are pushed through, when tens of thousands and in some cases, even hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens can gather in our streets, apparently without the slightest fear of being deported?

***

Previous:

Amnesty: Dead for now
School credit for pro-illegal kids?!
Fly our flag high
Flag wars
H.S. bans display of American flag
Another American flag down
The American flag comes second
Free rides for student protesters
How 'bout media guest workers?
Welcome to reconquista
Teddy Kennedy is very happy
Bush's shadow boxing
Minutemen attacked
Bush's open-borders platitudes