June 13, 2002

More on Padilla. Al Muhajir's

More on Padilla.

Al Muhajir's journey to the Middle East may have begun at two mosques in Florida's Broward County. Darul Uloom Institute was one of the places where he attended Saturday morning courses in 1995.

"He used to dress with a shawl over his head. He always had his head covered," said Maulana Shafayat Mohamed, leader of the institute. "It is very unique. It is one out of a million who would do that...."

The institute is known for its liberal approach to Islam. It is more inclusive of women than mainstream Islam and encourages more interaction with the community at large.


It's still not clear when the association with al Qaeda began, but it seems he was well on his way to "fundamentalism" long before he travelled to Egypt. John Reid and John Walker Lindh also were said to draw attention to themselves by their uncharacteristically strident, strict behavior in relatively liberal Islamic environments. What accounts for such "one out of a million" conduct? Is it simply the overcompensating zealotry of the convert? Or have they been deliberately so indoctrinated by those wishing to enlist them in the jihadi cause? If not, when did the enlistment occur? The possibility of a prison connection can't be discounted. Accordingly, Broward county is "providing the FBI with the names of Padilla's cellmates, a list of his visitors and a list of imams who were authorized to enter the jail during the period al Muhajir was incarcerated there."

(By the way, Glenn Reynolds and others have raised the question of why so many commentators persist in calling this fellow by his pre-Islamic name: speaking for myself, it's mostly because I can't always remember how to spell "Muhajir." "Padilla" is easier.)

Posted by Dr. Frank at June 13, 2002 10:17 AM | TrackBack