Res Ipsa Loquitur

Atta was apparently applying for a substantial 'farm' loan to convert a plane into a crop duster. But he had a problem with the loan officer right off the bat.

The meeting got off to a rocky start when Atta refused to deal with Bryant because she was but a woman.

I've had that happen before, in a variety of settings. The correct response is to be polite but firm, and treat the customer just like everyone else....because that's your job. Besides, it really pisses off the true misogynists.

When it was explained to him that, alas, he wouldn't get the 650 grand in cash that day, Atta threatened to cut Bryant's throat.

Do you:

a) Press the silent alarm, and insist on filing charges for terroristic threatening and/or assault?
b) Educate the speaker about the advisability of bringing a knife to a gun fight?
c) Lean slightly forward, look the speaker directly in the eyes and say in a firm voice "You and what army?"
d) All of the above.

D is the better answer, though any of A-C are acceptable. Continuing the paperwork to give the speaker a loan is not.

He then pointed to a picture behind her desk showing an aerial view of downtown Washington - the White House, the Pentagon et al - and asked: "How would America like it if another country destroyed that city and some of the monuments in it?"

As Ms. Bryant said, here's an opportunity to help him make the "cultural leap" into our society. Which is the better response?

a) "About as well as you would like it if America turned Mecca into a sea of glass."
b) "About as well as you would like it if Tyson's turned Mecca into their latest hog breeding & processing facility."
c) "America wouldn't like it at all, and would in fact hunt down & kill everyone responsible if it takes until the end of time."
d) Give an impromptu lecture on what happened to the Japanese after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, ending with the quotation about how those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

While B is my personal favorite, D is probably the better response. Feel free to add your own in the comments.

Now I'm being mostly facetious here, but the point is respecting other cultures is all well & good until a culture is centered around destroying your own.

That's where you have to draw the line.