: Zacarias Who? American Muslims Steer Clear of Moussaoui

If Zacarias Moussaoui’s erratic self defense… and paraphrasing of Hamlet in court (“to be or not to be“) …is any indication of what’s in store in the “20th hijacker’s” historic court case, then it’s easy to understand why American Muslims have steered clear of supporting him (not unlike fellow defendant John Walker Lindh). “Even if he had a jury of 12 Arab-Americans, I don’t think he gets a more sympathetic hearing from our community,” says Hussein Ibish of the ADC. “There is just no sympathy, none at all.” Moussaoui has filed over 100 motions, ranging from testifying before Congress to dismissing his court-appointed “hordes of blood suckers” (er… lawyers), save for the one he trusts (with credibility problems of his own). All this follows his hapless guilty plea reversal, his praise for Osama bin Laden, and other crazy antics. And although the US government is eager to make a case of Moussaoui (with the help of his ex-roommate), the FBI denies his charges of watching him before the 9/11 attacks (well, shouldn’t they have been?). “He is just so outrageous in his statements that no one wants to be associated with him,” adds Ingrid Mattson, vice-president of ISNA. Commenting on the cause of her son’s behavior, Moussaoui’s mother added, “British imams… are a very bad influence on young Muslims. The British Government has a responsibility for allowing such people to preach hatred and extremism in public places like mosques. It has nothing to do with real Islam. It is false.”

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.