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Authors: Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

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BOOK: My Year Inside Radical Islam

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Rather than facing trial in the United States, Pete left the country and is now living as a fugitive overseas. I spoke with Soliman by phone in late 2005 and he told me that Pete is in Iran and not doing well there, lonely and almost out of money.

After Pete was indicted, the local press was filled with an outpouring of community support for him. Rabbi David Zaslow had long been Pete’s biggest public defender, and was undeterred by the indictment. After it came down, he was quoted in the
Medford Mail Tribune
saying that Pete has “been an outspoken spokesman against violence and terrorism, and he has earned my respect.”

Probably the most ridiculous defense of Pete and Al Haramain that I have seen is a column published in the
Washington Times
in late November 2003 called “Stereotyping Hurts the War.” Written by Lynne Bernabei, a Washington, D.C.based attorney who represents Al Haramain, and Georgetown law professor David Cole, the column describes Al Haramain in the following manner:

[T]he Al Haramain Islamic Foundation, Inc. of Oregon has been unfairly accused of links to terrorists. Al Haramain Oregon is a Muslim charity dedicated to distributing Islamic information and Qur’ans to Muslims throughout the United States, and to educating the public at large that Islam is opposed to terrorism in all forms. Its mission, in part, is to spread the word that true Muslims abhor violence against the innocent. It would, therefore, seem to be a natural partner in the war against terror. Its articles of incorporation, filed with the Oregon Secretary of State in 1998, provide that it is dedicated to peace and the fight against terrorism. One of the group’s most vocal supporters is a local rabbi, with whom Al Haramain has engaged in joint public education activities. As an Islamic charity, however, Al Haramain (Oregon) has been suspected and labeled as a terrorist by many who accuse first, and find out the truth later.

Having been on the inside of the group, I found the description of Al Haramain as “a natural partner in the war against terror” downright laughable. Lynne Bernabei is a paid advocate for Al Haramain; David Cole has no similar excuse for such slovenly research.

S
oliman al-But’he
was indicted along with Pete. Although a fellow fugitive, Soliman seems to be living a much more comfortable life. When I spoke with him in late 2005, Soliman was living in Riyadh and had just earned a promotion to assistant general manager of Riyadh’s parks and recreation department. The one downside for Soliman is that he’s no longer allowed outside of Saudi Arabia.

I don’t know what became of
Dennis Geren
and
Charlie Jones
. From what I’ve heard, it seems that both men left town. Charlie may have gone to Wisconsin and Dennis may have moved to Portland, Oregon; but my information here is far from reliable. For all I know, both men are still going to the gym. Charlie may still be talking about how miraculous it is that someone who was once a sperm can lift as much as he does, while Dennis may still be correcting young Muslims whose shorts reveal a bit too much flesh.

A
bdi Guled
and
Mary Foster
are still living in Ashland. Mary had been a public-school teacher, and Oregon’s generous public employee retirement system allowed her to achieve some small piece of the American dream: she retired while still young enough to enjoy her retirement.

Abdi, Mary, and the remaining congregation in Ashland weren’t untouched by the legal troubles that Pete and Soliman found themselves in. They were once able to pray in a beautiful Musalla on the south end of town, but when I last spoke to Mary she told me that she and Abdi would hold services in their house on Saturday nights. Mary graciously invited me to these services the last time I was in town, saying that I was welcome even if Islam wasn’t “my thing” anymore. (Alas, my schedule didn’t allow me to make it out there.)

Mary told me that she had recently spoken with Rabbi David Zaslow, who suggested that perhaps the Muslim community remaining in Ashland could use the local synagogue for their
juma
prayers.

There is one sad note related to Mary and Abdi. They had always loved traveling together. I remember back in 1999 they showed me videotapes they made of various exotic locations they had visited, ranging from Africa to the Middle East. When I last spoke with Mary, I was saddened to hear that traveling had become far less joyful for them because she and Abdi seem to be on a watch list. Mary said they would be selected for extra security screening whenever they flew. It had gotten to the point where whenever Mary spoke with Abdi about traveling, he would reflexively recoil.

Then there are the friends and family who played such a big role in my life when I was being radicalized and deradicalized.
Mike and Amy Hollister
are still happily married. They have three kids with a fourth on the way as of this writing. They attend services at a United Reformed Church near their home in the Bellingham, Washington, area. Mike is working as a successful investment adviser.

When al-Husein and I visited Mike in Bellingham back in 1997, it struck me that the connection Mike and I once had was fizzling and might soon be lost. That has turned out not to be the case. Mike is again one of my closest friends; as with al-Husein, Mike’s is one of the few “found” friendships that I’ve known in my life.

M
y parents
continue to live in Ashland. Whenever I return home, their love for each other and the serenity they feel in their relationship with God is apparent. Although I was initially nervous about telling them that I had become Christian, they immediately accepted this new spiritual change—just as they have unconditionally accepted most of the choices that I’ve made in this life.

My dad is now semiretired and working in real estate.

A
my Powell
had a brilliant career as a law student. She was among the top ten students in her class academically after her second and third semesters of law school, made it onto the Law Review, and earned a prestigious clerkship on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Amy is now beginning what will almost certainly be a similarly brilliant career as an attorney; she currently works as a trial lawyer for the Department of Justice.

Since Amy was never baptized as a child, she and I had the pleasure of being baptized together in the summer of 2003.

Amy and I celebrated our fifth anniversary on June 3, 2006, just before the final push to finish writing this book began. Whenever I take the time to think about the role that Amy has played in my life, I cannot believe how strongly she supported me every step of the way. It is a quiet yet strong kind of support that she continues to bless me with to this day.

As for me, today I work as a counterterrorism consultant. I work with federal law enforcement and local police departments in several capacities, including providing analysis of Islamic extremism and possible terrorist activity, and providing training to agents and officers. I am also an explainer of radical Islam to the public, not just through this book but also through articles and television and radio appearances.

The public, I find, does not have a good understanding of radical Islam because most Americans have trouble understanding how people in other parts of the world view religion. They have trouble understanding religion as an ideology and a true political force rather than a private relationship between the believer and his god. While many people are curious and open-minded, both the press and the government have done a poor job of educating Americans about this pressing issue.

On balance, I don’t have any regrets about my year inside radical Islam. I learned a lot about myself, and a lot about the seductive pull of an ideology that is today America’s deadliest foe.

I hope this book will be useful to anyone who has been or knows someone who has been drawn into the orbit of radical Islam and is trying to find the way out. There is hope that it can be done.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank all of the sources who were willing to discuss the substance of this book with me. These include Suzi Aufderheide, John Foote, Mary Foster, Mike and Amy Hollister, al-Husein Madhany, Amy Powell, Liana Sebastian, Susan Thorngate, and my parents. The manuscript was also reviewed by several federal law-enforcement professionals, both currently active and retired from service, with firsthand knowledge of the Al Haramain investigation.

In writing this book, I was blessed with two fantastic editors. I would like to thank Sara Carder at Jeremy P. Tarcher for her excellent work on the manuscript. I would also like to thank Richard Miniter, author of
New York Times
best sellers
Losing bin Laden
and
Shadow War
, and one of the handful of “found” friends whom I have known in my life. It would be difficult to overstate how much Rich taught me about writing and the art of storytelling during the editorial process. Rich: the book mentions that al-Husein was my first true mentor. You are my second.

I would also like to thank the many people who reviewed all or part of the manuscript and gave me editorial or substantive feedback: Amy Beard (a very competent editor and a high school classmate of mine who was surprisingly unfazed upon learning my story), Jennifer L. Davis, Glen Feder, Jeff Panehal, Raphael Satter, and Maria Sliwa. I would also like to thank Mark Pezzo, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of South Florida and the man who first introduced me to self-perception theory; he graciously helped jog my memory while I was working on this book. Abdu Murray, a brilliant Michigan-based lawyer who is himself a former Muslim, provided valuable insight into framing my observations in chapter eleven.

I would like to thank my agent, Gary Morris, for believing in the project from the very outset and for helping it take shape.

I also appreciate the research provided by my assistant, Kyle Dabruzzi.

Last but certainly not least, Amy Powell displayed the same kind of extraordinary patience and forbearance while I was working on this book that she has shown throughout the entirety of our relationship.

GLOSSARY

adhan
• Call to prayer.

ahadith
• Plural form of
hadith.

alayhi salaatu was salaam
• Arabic for “upon him be prayers and peace”; an honorific phrase said after Muslims speak the name of a prophet.

alhamdulillah
• Arabic for “all praises due to God.”

Allah
• The Arabic word for God.

amu
• Uncle.

aqida
• Creed.

astaghfirullah
• Arabic for “I ask Allah for forgiveness.”

bida
• Innovation in religion.

dawah
• The Arabic word for invitation to Islam; roughly equivalent to Christian missionary work.

dhikr
• Remembrance of Allah.

du’a
• Supplications.

fatwa
• Islamic legal ruling.

fi sabil Allah
• Arabic for “for the pleasure of Allah.”

hadith
• One of Prophet Muhammad’s sayings or traditions.

hajj
• The pilgrimage to Mecca.

halal
• Permissible under Islamic law.

haram
• Forbidden by Islamic law.

hijab
• Head scarf worn by Muslim women.

hijra
• Prophet Muhammad’s emigration from Mecca to Medina in 622 A.D.

imam
• Person who leads congregational prayers and/or delivers the Friday sermons.

inshallah
• Arabic for “God willing.”

juma
•
Juma
means Friday in Arabic; the
juma
congregational prayers, which occur on Fridays, are the most important prayers of the week for Muslims.

kafir
• An unbeliever or infidel.

khutbah
• Sermon.

kufar
• Plural version of
kafir.

kufi
• Islamic skullcap.

madrassa
• Islamic religious school.

masjid
• Mosque.

mufti
• An Islamic scholar who interprets
sharia
law.

mujahideen
• Arabic for “those who strive”; a term used to refer to holy warriors engaged in battles throughout the world to advance their vision of Islam.

Mushrik
A polytheist or disbeliever in the Oneness of Allah.

Naqshbandi A Sufi Muslim group that considers it vital to adhere to Prophet Muhammad’s example.

nikah
• Marriage.

riba
• Arabic for interest.

sahih
• The
ahadith
were evaluated based on the confidence that one can have in their authenticity; a
sahih hadith
is considered sound.

Salafism A term derived from the Arabic word for predecessors or early generations, Salafism is an austere Islamic movement that claims to be returning to the pure Islam practiced by Prophet Muhammad and the first generation of Muslims.

salat
• The Islamic ritual prayer.

shahadah
• The declaration of faith; saying it publicly with two witnesses will make one a Muslim.

sharia
• Islamic law.

shaytan
• Satan.

shirk
• The association of partners with Allah.

Sufism
• Islamic mysticism.

Sunna
• Prophet Muhammad’s example.

sura
• A chapter of the Qur’an.

tafsir
• Explanation and interpretation of the Qur’an.

tajweed
• Pronunciation during recitation of the Qur’an.

tariqa
• Way or path.

BOOK: My Year Inside Radical Islam