Bartholomew's Notes

The Village Voice reports on three self-proclaimed “ex-terrorists” who have spoken in venues such as the the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, where they apparently suggested Christian proselytism of Muslims would be best way to fight the “War on Terror” (emphasis added):

Critics question whether the three speakers—Walid Shoebat, Kamal Saleem, and Zachariah Anani—really engaged in the terrorist activities they claim. Shoebat says he’s a former PLO operative who terrorized Jews, gave his ex-wife “Muslim-style beatings,” and planted a bomb in a bank. Saleem, a Christian minister, says he was a PLO child soldier who transported weapons into Israel via underground tunnels. Anani says he’s killed at least 223 people and was “almost beheaded” in Lebanon for converting to Christianity.

…But questions about the credibility of the three men’s terror claims aren’t going away. The New York Times pointed out that the FBI is actively seeking anyone with a history of terrorist activity in the U.S., but the Times called the bureau and confirmed that there were no warrants out for any of them.

…In response, the men have spent significant time trying to prove that they actually did kill people, and that they used to hate Jews as much as the next Muslim extremist. “I planted a bomb in a bank!” insists Shoebat, whose handler, Keith Davies, has threatened a libel suit against The Times over the article that questioned his claims.

Davies has also threatened a pro-Palestinian blogger named Eileen Fleming, who has spoken to Shoebat’s relatives and written a debunking. He sent her the following message a couple of weeks ago:

Below is an article written by Mr Shoebat that refutes everything you say. We can produce numerous documents to prove every word of Mr. Shoebat’s story.

To avoid a lawsuit you need to contact us by email within 24 hours, it is now 1 a.m. aprox EST, so you can issue a full apology and retraction. We will provide instructions once you contact us. If you do not we will use the full weight of the law so that the integretity [sic] of Mr. Shoebat’s story is protected.

The article is entitled: “I Was a Terrorist: In Defense of my Identity, Story and Credentials”.

So, Shoebat thinks that if he can prove that he really was a terrorist then he should be compensated for loss of reputation over being accused of lying about it.

Incidentally, Daniel Pipes has staked his reputation on Shoebat’s authenticity, claiming to have seen “proof” of his story.

(Hat tip: Talk to Action – see here and here)

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