My Student, the Terrorist

[Bill Mattocks]

This is an interesting read. I don't have a a problem with some of the things the author does, but I find it interesting nonetheless. It shows how tangled things are. The 'terrorist' in this case was a student, Muslim, and most definitely of the sort who believes that Sharia Law is superior to the US Constitution and will eventually replace it, if I'm reading this right. Yes, he's a believer in Ascendant Islam. However, he seems to be guilty of only allowing a friend to stay in his apartment for a week with a suitcase full of raincoats, waterproof socks, and other clothing that the friend eventually transported to Pakistan and gave to Al Qaida. Not sure the 'student' actually even knew what was in his friend's suitcase. I've certainly let friends stay with me at times, and I never checked the contents of their luggage or asked them what they were intending to do with it.

Anyway, the guy is interesting. His case is interesting. I see things that bother me about it, and things that don't. We are at war, yes. We also have rights as citizens; he is a citizen as I understand it.

This to me illustrates the gray areas that nobody likes to talk about; there isn't a good guy or a bad guy, there aren't any right or wrong answers here.

Anyway, worth a read if you have the time; it's rather long. And like most university professors, this guy has a little trouble getting to the point; he's not the greatest communicator. But take a look if you wish.

http://chronicle.com/article/My-Student-the-Terrorist/126937/

Pale and gaunt, he stood there, having endured three years of pretrial solitary confinement. "Alhamdullilah," he said.
Yes. He had allowed an acquaintance to stay with him in his student apartment in London—an acquaintance who had raincoats, ponchos, and waterproof socks in his luggage, which the acquaintance later delivered to Al Qaeda.
One day before his case was set to go to trial, nearly four years after he had been arrested, Syed Fahad Hashmi, a U.S. citizen, accepted a government plea bargain on one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism.
Eight years earlier, Fahad and I had sat across from each other in my office. A student in my civil-rights seminar, he had come in to discuss his final research paper. Months after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, he wanted to examine the denial of civil rights and constitutional protections that Muslim groups across the political spectrum were facing in the United States.
A devout Muslim and outspoken political activist, Fahad had been a lively and overly talkative participant in class discussion. Relishing debate, he had not shied away from disagreement. I often saw him in the halls before and after class deliberating with other students, discussing the issues of the day or denouncing U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and the treatment of Muslims in America. He seemed to prefer to talk to those who did not share his political views, and to possess the overly optimistic belief that with a good argument, he could win others over. He would sometimes tire me out by his indefatigable talking, and on occasion, by leaving materials in my mailbox about converting to Islam. His utopia was a state ruled by religious law, and he held beliefs that I certainly did not share about global politics and the ascendancy of Islam.

 

[granfire]

nothing towards the basic matter, but why are raincoats and socks on the index list?

 

[K-man]

The link didn't work for me so here is another account.
http://educatorsforcivilliberties.org/aboutthecase.html
Pretty weak case if you ask me. Similar cases here have cost the Australian Government millions in compensation.