Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Flight 253 jihadist, has entered a not guilty plea, but the real story is lying unnoticed within this New York Times article: “Nigerian Arraigned in Bomb Attempt,” by Liz Robbins, January 8:
The 23-year-old Nigerian man accused of trying to bomb a Northwest flight on Christmas Day was arraigned on Friday in a Detroit courtroom.
He said little during the hearing and stood mute while his lawyers entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf. […]
About 20 Muslims from nearby Dearborn appeared outside the courthouse to denounce Mr. Abdulmutallab. They carried large American flags and colorful signs that read “NOT in the name of Islam” and “Islam is against terrorism.”
“Abdulmutallab is not Muslim,” said Mohssen Sadeq, 40, a member of the group who said he came to the United States from Yemen in 2000. “I need peace and freedom everywhere. I don’t want terrorists anywhere. This is my country. I love America. That’s why I came here.” […]
All right, so he is not Muslim, for Islam condemns terrorism. Great. But then how did he come to misunderstand Islam so spectacularly, so that he not only thought that he was Muslim, but that he was actually living out “real Islam” by being violent and hateful? For later on in the article there is this:
Among the more glaring oversights that emerged was the fact that Mr. Abdulmutallab’s father, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, a respected Nigerian banker, alerted both Nigerian and American authorities that his son had become radicalized. […]
Mr. Mutallab had been receiving text messages from his son that showed a fervent commitment to what his son called the “real Islam.” Mr. Abdulmutallab warned his father that he was never coming back….
If it is so crystal clear to all twenty (twenty!) Muslim protesters in Dearborn that Islam is against terrorism, why do so many Muslims keep misunderstanding Islam — including such a man as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who traveled the world and left behind the impression everywhere he went that he was a devout, serious, studious and knowledgeable Muslim?
And why can’t we ever get a straight, honest answer to such questions from any Muslim spokesman in America?