This sort of treatment is difficult and unpleasant, but imagine how it would feel to be a young Muslim on the receiving end of such a grilling. Imagine what might have transpired if this chap had answered "Yes, I do believe in the words of the Prophet Muhammad". Imagine how this might affect someone who has grown up with the suspicion and abuse that Muslims living in the west have increasingly had to endure.

A considerable proportion of Islamist terrorists and terrorist would-bes are western-born Muslims who feel that they are defending Islam. They have been told that the West, America in particular, considers them to be the enemy simply by merit of their religion. Young men and women are tracing modern Islamophobia back to the crusades and perceiving themselves to be fighting for survival. These beliefs have been made quite clear, perhaps most explicitly in the "martyrdom" videos released by the 7/7 London bombers.

Here we have one of many incidents where a uniformed representative of the United States government is giving the clear impression that they perceive Islamic beliefs is inherently suspect. This man was not being interrogated to reveal what he had done or who he had consorted with, he was being asked what he thought and believed. Let that sink in for a minute.

During the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the IRA pursued an explicit policy of "the worse, the better", knowing that by provoking the British army and the RUC into heavy-handed reaction, they could rally support for their cause and rouse antipathy towards the British government. The British army and the RUC were often referred to as "the IRA's recruiting sergeant".