Border rancher: 'We’ve found prayer rugs out here. It’s unreal'

slick said:

India is the 3rd largest Muslim country on the entire planet. It is far more likely that a Muslim border hopper will come from
India than Egypt, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Morrocco,Tunisia or any other country that is 99% Muslim. In other words
for the sluggish minded it is not relevant what percentage of a country is Muslim. Iraq is 97% Muslim while India is 14% Muslim
however India has 6 times the Muslim population of Iraq therefore it is 6 times more likely that a Muslim
border hopper would come from India than from Iraq. Now that wasn't too hard to comprehend was it.

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You said: "India has 6 times the Muslim population of Iraq therefore it is 6 times more likely that a Muslim border hopper would come from India than from Iraq."

I don't know why you said that, but you did. Not only that, but you said it with a certain smugness that is often employed by the self-deceived.
You deceived yourself into thinking you were making a good point, and that you were on topic. Neither is the case.

That fact that you were not on topic makes your point moot, I am afraid.

You answered, in your charming way, 'what the likely home country is for a person of the Muslim faith'. Which is nice, if only it had relevance.

I think you may have gotten off on the wrong foot when you launched with the creative 'Muslim border hopper' terminology.


The claim is that 3000 (+/-) border crossers are from India. For some reason, even though 86% of the population of Indian is non-Muslim, you are trying to make these individuals likely culprits in the made-up story about prayer mats.

I am afraid that if you want to claim these Indian migrants are Muslim you will need to provide more proof than what you and others have come up with so far.

rjay said:

You said: "India has 6 times the Muslim population of Iraq therefore it is 6 times more likely that a Muslim border hopper would come from India than from Iraq."

I don't know why you said that, but you did. Not only that, but you said it with a certain smugness that is often employed by the self-deceived.
You deceived yourself into thinking you were making a good point, and that you were on topic. Neither is the case.

That fact that you were not on topic makes your point moot, I am afraid.

You answered, in your charming way, 'what the likely home country is for a person of the Muslim faith'. Which is nice, if only it had relevance.

I think you may have gotten off on the wrong foot when you launched with the creative 'Muslim border hopper' terminology.


The claim is that 3000 (+/-) border crossers are from India. For some reason, even though 86% of the population of Indian is non-Muslim, you are trying to make these individuals likely culprits in the made-up story about prayer mats.

I am afraid that if you want to claim these Indian migrants are Muslim you will need to provide more proof than what you and others have come up with so far.

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I suppose there are some such as yourself whose logic discounts statistics & probabilities. Figured as much, suit yourself.
BTW I did not mention prayer rugs as not every Muslim seeking a stake in America brings a prayer rug along for the arduous journey.
I would suspect though that Muslims from India would be more likely to leave India than the Hindu majority, non the less it's
concerning that 14% of 3,000 entered the country illegally that's plenty of illegals 420 the border controllers need to deal with.
I don't see why anyone would ever expect me to back off from the truth.

If you find an abandoned prayer rug, the dead or dying owner should be nearby

rjay said:

…

Now I understand why when unknown people claim to have found prayer rugs near the border, you find it so scary. Glad you could clear that up.

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Yah, here's the problem with finding abandoned Islamic prayer rugs @ the US/Mexico border:

"A prayer rug or prayer mat is a piece of fabric, sometimes a pile carpet, used by Muslims, placed between the ground and the worshipper for cleanliness during the various positions of Islamic prayer. These involve prostration and sitting on the ground. A Muslim must perform wudu (ablution) before prayer, and must pray in a clean place.

…

"Features and use[edit]

"The prayer rug has a very strong symbolic meaning and traditionally taken care of in a holy manner. It is disrespectful for one to place a prayer mat in a dirty location (as Muslims have to be clean to show their respect to God) or throw it around in a disrespectful manner. The prayer mat is traditionally woven with a rectangular design, typically made asymmetrical by the niche at the head end. Within the rectangle one usually finds images of Islamic symbols and architecture. In some cultures decorations not only are important but also have a deep sense of value in the design of the prayer rug."

(My emphasis - more @ the URL - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_rug)

So a prayer rug is, by tradition, treated as holy. Just as a Muslim would not abandon a copy of the Koran, he or she is not going to abandon his prayer rug. It is required for prayer, for cleanliness' sake.

Re: If you find an abandoned prayer rug, the dead or dying owner should be nearby

southwest88 said:

Yah, here's the problem with finding abandoned Islamic prayer rugs @ the US/Mexico border:

"A prayer rug or prayer mat is a piece of fabric, sometimes a pile carpet, used by Muslims, placed between the ground and the worshipper for cleanliness during the various positions of Islamic prayer. These involve prostration and sitting on the ground. A Muslim must perform wudu (ablution) before prayer, and must pray in a clean place.

…

"Features and use[edit]

"The prayer rug has a very strong symbolic meaning and traditionally taken care of in a holy manner. It is disrespectful for one to place a prayer mat in a dirty location (as Muslims have to be clean to show their respect to God) or throw it around in a disrespectful manner. The prayer mat is traditionally woven with a rectangular design, typically made asymmetrical by the niche at the head end. Within the rectangle one usually finds images of Islamic symbols and architecture. In some cultures decorations not only are important but also have a deep sense of value in the design of the prayer rug."

(My emphasis - more @ the URL - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_rug)

So a prayer rug is, by tradition, treated as holy. Just as a Muslim would not abandon a copy of the Koran, he or she is not going to abandon his prayer rug. It is required for prayer, for cleanliness' sake.

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HEY! Don't disturb the perfectly good fauxrage and fear mongering!:roll:

CriticalThought said:

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/border-rancher-weve-found-prayer-rugs-out-here-its-unreal

Dumbest article of the year.

Unamed rancher?
What do cartels have to do with Middle Eastern terrorists?
Mexicans cannot be Muslim?
Muslims carried a rug across hundreds of miles of desert just to leave on a random person's property?
How exactly do we know these are "prayer" rugs?

This story smells of desperation to me. I would decidedly call it fake news.

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There's a high probability that the "rancher" is John Barron.

It was game over in the first few seconds of the video when she said she has no proof. She also stated Czechoslovakians too; I guess she's not aware of that former nation's status. I'm surprised she didn't add Yugoslavians to the list as well.

ElChupacabra said:

It was game over in the first few seconds of the video when she said she has no proof. She also stated Czechoslovakians too; I guess she's not aware of that former nation's status. I'm surprised she didn't add Yugoslavians to the list as well.

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That's the kicker; no evidence and just the testimony of a single rancher who probably liked the attention after one too many lonely cold nights on the desert.

trixare4kids said:

When the sources wish to remain anonymous or are unnamed by the author, you're right to say it's probably :bs.

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Geez Trixie, I've cleaned and loaded all of my guns and have spent over a year waitin' for them damn Mooslums to come a-terrorizin' my neighborhood. Not a damn one in sight! WTF!!! Can't Trump do anything right?

VanceMack said:

Do tell...what is it about that that you find funny?

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Because it is absolute BS that has been repreated for years.

This lacks evidence.

Starting as early as 2005, politicians have claimed to have discovered discarded prayer rugs — and perhaps even Qurans or “a lot of stuff written in Arabic” — at the southern border, hinting without evidence that Islamic migrants were entering the United States through Mexico and could pose a terrorism threat.

Mr. Trump’s tweet revived this long-running and still unproved rumor. He was citing an interview in The Washington Examiner, a conservative newspaper, with one anonymous female rancher who lives on the border.

“I’ve never seen any Middle Easterners — I’ve seen prayer rugs out here — but I’ve never seen any myself,” the woman, whose face is obscured, said in a videotaped interview.

Asma Afsaruddin, a professor of Islamic studies at Indiana University, said that prayer rugs were meant to be kept clean and doubted that they would be deserted by practicing Muslims.

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Lisa said:

Because it is absolute BS that has been repreated for years.

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Have you seen the numbers and nationalities of people the Immigration officers have caught at the southern border?

You should maybe read and learn the facts before you speak.

PoS said:

This is probably what she meant by "prayer rugs"

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Ah the fun side of the Wall!!

Checkerboard Strangler said:

I found Muslim terrorist prayer rugs underneath the freeway overpass by my home, next to an empty six pack or Coronas and an old waterlogged mattress and some heavy cardboard shipping containers!!!! :lamo

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I see you note that the rugs were connected to the Corona virus. Trump nailed it when he said Muslim Mexican rapists were bringing disease. Some of them, tho, he supposed were good people.

VanceMack said:

but since India is the largest group form the middle east with 2,943 detained,

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India is not in the Mideast. It's South Asia.

South Asia - Wikipedia

Pakistan too. In case you were wondering.

The video even starts with an admission that she has no proof.

She cites a number of nationals sneaking across the border who have no need to do that as they come in legally and overstay their visas like Russians and Germans. The Chinese largely come in via West Coast either illegally by ship or legally and overstay. So, that makes no sense as to why they cross the southern border. And the Czechs? Well, I think it's been about 40 years Czechoslovakia fell apart as a nation.

The Muslim terrorist comment just cracks me up. Let me explain why.

First, nothing in Islam requires a prayer rug. Not in the Koran or teachings. No where is it stipulated to have one on your person at all times as you will need to pray 5 times a day. All that is required is a clean place to pray. Not all Muslims even have prayer rugs. In fact, it is considered disrespectful to place a prayer rug on the ground, much less simply discarding it.

Second, the rug itself is a piece of intel if it were discarded. The patterns used can be traced back to areas or even specific villages where they were made. That intel would enable us to raid or spy on these areas or villages in the future. So, if there were Muslim terrorists crossing the southern border; they would not have prayer rugs as not only are the NOT required, but they could provide useful intel to us, their enemies. Simple operational security.

Third, is the fact that Muslim terrorist organizations no longer have any real ability to attack US mainland targets by sending waves of suicide bombers outside of the US into the US. They have been weaponizing those who already live here. And in rarer cases, weaponizing military personnel who manage to take advantage of "special relationship" that we have with some Islamic nations like Saudi Arabia. They have largely operated in their own lands or in Europe; realistic operations with higher degrees of success.

No, this is total BS. Especially with one particular hunch that I have...

Back in 2005 this came up, again with no evidence. It was debunked and only crackpots would bring it up from time to time. However, it has gained traction today...why?

Because of the premise of the June, 2018 movie that is all over the streaming sites right now, a sequel to a popular movie, popular to special forces wannabes and white nationalists who need someone to blame, the sequels whose premise is that Islamic terrorists are coming over the border and bombing small US border towns: Sicario 2.

Yup, I believe this coming up again because of a stupid, damn movie that starts with prayer rugs being found in the desert....

Perhaps you could offer the data?

CriticalThought said:

The absolute fact is that is not true. But I would love to see you back it up now that you have put it out there.

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I don't think it was thousands, but Obama did mention Islamic terrorists trying to enter through our borders..

Obama on the Senate floor April 3, 2006:

“because we live in an age where terrorists are challenging our borders, we simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, and unchecked.”

Was he being racist? I don't think so.

RetiredUSN said:

I don't think it was thousands, but Obama did mention Islamic terrorists trying to enter through our borders..

Obama on the Senate floor April 3, 2006:

“because we live in an age where terrorists are challenging our borders, we simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, and unchecked.”

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Obama did not claim thousands of Muslims were apprehended at the border each year. Only Vance has ever claimed that.

VanceMack said:

The absolute fact is that the Border Patrol has apprehended literally thousands of Muslims in a given year from the middle east crossing the southern border. Why is it shocking to you that some might have accidentally left a prayer rug or two behind?

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Seeing as that is the post to which he replied, how does your reply make any sense?

VanceMack said:

Have you seen the numbers and nationalities of people the Immigration officers have caught at the southern border?

You should maybe read and learn the facts before you speak.

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