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Politics : The Truth About Islam -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Proud_Infidel who wrote (1162)	9/19/2006 6:59:21 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 20106

Father of ‘American Taliban' to speak Colorado Daily ^ \| September 17, 2006 \| KATE JOHNSON coloradodaily.com Frank Lindh, the father of a man now serving 20 years in prison for “aiding” Taliban forces, will speak to CU-Boulder students on matters of human and constitutional rights Tuesday, Sept. 19 at Museum Collections W100 at 7:30 p.m. John Walker Lindh was apprehended November of 2001, and on Feb. 5, 2002 he faced 10 charges, including conspiracy to murder Americans. As part of a plea-bargain deal, John pled guilty to possession of weapons and serving the Taliban army. As a result, all other charges were dropped. John is currently serving a sentence of 20 years without the possibility of parole in a medium-security prison in Victorville, Calif. where he is forbidden to speak Arabic. Ryan O'Meallie of the Muslim Student Association said this is a clear violation of John's rights due to the fact that part of the Islamic religion entails speaking Arabic. “It's another case of American injustice,” O'Meallie said. According to O'Meallie, John joined the Taliban prior to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when he became involved in Afghanistan's ongoing civil strife - not in any plots or actions against Americans. Brian Smith, a member of the College Republicans at CU, doesn't see it that way. “He committed treason against this country,” Smith said. Smith continued by praising people like Mike Coffman - a man he sees as being the quintessential American. Coffman, the Colorado State Treasurer running for Secretary of State, chose to temporarily step down from his position to serve in Iraq. While there, Coffman helped with the election process and worked to help establish local governments. The perspective Coffman took from Iraq, Smith said, is that for the most part the people of Iraq and Afghanistan want American help in being liberated. “John is part of a movement, an Islamic fascist union Š They want everyone to submit to this Š facet of Islam,” Smith said. Preconceptions aside, O'Meallie hopes people of all backgrounds and political orientation will come to Frank's lecture, which will include a half-hour question-and-answer session. “We encourage anybody and everybody Š to come out,” O'Meallie said. “[It's good] to let other people speak Š and to listen to what is said.” O'Meallie said that dialogue between Frank and students is central to understanding not only Islam, but also human rights and how bias in the media and in American society may inhibit those rights. “He's very innocent of all these things they accused him of,” O'Meallie said. “The issue is just basic justice Š His rights are being abused. He's being treated as a criminal when clearly he is not.” Smith wants people to keep in mind the price of war, especially the large number of Iraqi civilians that are being killed as a result of sectarian violence. “It's a war against civilization,” Smith said. As of yet, the College Republicans have made no plans to protest Frank's talk. “I think there are people that are going to be upset that someone is speaking at CU in favor of someone that's clearly against America. People just don't like the fact of someone attacking their country,” Smith said.