Massachusetts College Bans Veils Burqas: Tarek Mehanna Terror Plotter? Son of Ahmed Mehanna Charged with Terror Plot

A Massachusetts College has banned clothing that obscures the face, including veils and burqas. Former student Tarek Mehanna is the son of a professor at the school. He was arrested in October on some very scary charges.

Tarek Mehanna (2000)

A Muslim man, and an alumnus of The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Services, was charged with "plotting terror strikes." The College announced a campus-wide ban on veils, niqabs, burqas, which they say is unrelated to Tarek Mehanna's arrest.

Tarek Mehanna is the son of Prof. Ahmed Mehanna, who works at the Boston campus. The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is getting ready to get really noisy on the issue. Ibrahim Hooper is rushing to the defense of the Muslim women on campus - it is a sacred mission to keep Muslim women hidden. Some of the women are probably rejoicing that a modicum of personal freedom may be coming their way.

This from WCVBTV5:

Mehanna, of Sudbury, was arrested Oct. 21. He is accused of conspiring with two men to randomly shoot mall shoppers and kill U.S. public officials and soldiers in Iraq. Mehanna's family has denied the charges and Mehanna has drawn strong, public support from friends and students he taught at a Muslim school in Worcester.

Mehanna's father, Ahmed Mehanna, teaches at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy's campus in Boston. He did not respond to requests for comment.

Tarek Mehanna, 27, the son of a well-liked Boston pharmacology professor, was arrested by federal officials at his parents' sumptuous suburban home Wednesday, charged with lying about trips to the Middle East and accused of plotting an assassination attempt and the mall attack....

Tarek Mehanna, a 2000 graduate of Lincoln-Sudbury High School, was by all accounts a regular guy who earned a doctorate from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences where his father is on staff. He taught math and religion to children at his Worcester mosque's Alhuda Academy.

The mosque mentioned above is where the Mehanna family worshipped. The charges against Tarek Mehanna are not small. He is charged with plotting terror "for years," - even before the attacks on September 11, 2001:

Federal terrorism investigators are alleging that Tarek Mehanna researched and planned attacks both in the U.S. and abroad for years. They claim he began researching terrorist training camps in Pakistan as far back as 2001, before the Sept. 11 attacks.

According to court affidavits, Mehanna allegedly discussed with two other men, identified as Ahmad Abousamra and Daniel Maldonado, crimes ranging from an assassination of unnamed U.S. leaders to opening fire on civilians inside a crowded shopping mall.

Authorities claim Mehanna flew to Yemen in 2004 to find a terrorist camp and communicated with Maldonado and Abousamra through code words, such as "making peanut butter and jelly," to signify fighting in Somalia and "culinary school" for terrorist camps.

Ahmed Mehanna said his son is a "loyal citizen:"

He said he has not seen his son since Tarek's arrest and subsequent court arraignment, where his son briefly refused to stand for the judge and tossed a chair to the floor....

Asked whether he thought his son could be a terrorist, he said, "Terrorist? That's news to me."

 The College can count on an expensive lawsuit coming their way by CAIR. I can see Attorney General Eric Holder stepping in and putting a thumb on the new College rules. Let's hope this school is well-funded and will be supported by people of Massachusetts, if necessary. I applaud the school for this action. It is a brave step in a dangerous world.