Jihad at Lake Jennings...well kind of

I pulled into the parking lot of Lake Jennings at 0700 hours and was shocked at what I saw. I was there to speak at a Christian men’s retreat and found three rows of men, perfectly aligned and spaced apart, standing behind their leader. The leader was in a green Army coat and they all faced east. It looked like a military unit at reveille for morning calisthenics. The leader yelled out something I could not understand and all the men dropped to the ground. They bowed low in the knee chest position as they faced Mecca and began to pray. One of the local mosques’s had their own men’s weekend retreat. I felt relieved that I had the wrong campsite and yet concerned.

I grabbed a few license plates on the way by and called communications to see where they were from. All the cars were from San Diego. It was the Mosque men’s group. Noor Mosque is a strict mosque that practices Sharia law. When men convert in prison, after their sentence is finished they parole to this Mosque for re-entry. They study Aramaic, memorize the Koran and are mentored by an Imam. Some might consider this the radicalization process. The group looked eclectic to me. There were several African American men who spoke like they just gated from the SHU; one Samoan man, a few Somali’s, two Asian’s and one who said he was Somali but looked and sounded Pakistani. I went on to speak to the Christian men about being a man of God. We learned from each other how to learn, love and lead in the body of Christ. When done with the morning session I noticed several of the men hovering around my UC vehicle. In my mind it was a vast conspiracy of them breaking into my car to learn as much as they could about intelligence, seeing if we had files on Al Shabbab, Jamil Tigers, Al Queada or any of the other groups who are potential threats. I walked over to smell they were taking a cigarette break. Yeah, I know Muslim’s can’t drink but smoking is fine. These guys interpret the Koran as literalists.

I talked to the guys and asked a few questions about their faith. I had two objectives in mind, learn about Islam and build relationships for future information. One of the young guys invited me to meet with the Imam. I readily accepted. We went to a large mat laid out on the dirt with all of the shoes stacked neatly along the side. We sat Indian style (not easy with thunder thighs) and I listened for two hours. I learned a few things:

1. They were intent on trying to convert me to Islam. They shared what they call the “gospel.” They did not ask one thing about me just preached at me. They were sincere and passionate.
2. They knew the Koran and Bible better than many Christian’s. They were able to quote the Savior extensively.
3. They misquoted scripture, often “proof texting” what they wanted to prove their point.
   They were confidently arrogant hiding any human weaknesses of Islam and exploiting the failings of Christians.
   
   Finally the Imam misquoted and twisted Mark 12:29 and 30. I corrected him and explained the passage. As we came to the end of the one way conversation one of the young men said, “You are the first Christian I have heard quote the scriptures. Does it not mean that much to Christians?” I explained that man Christians know the scriptures well but that we believe it is more important to live the scriptures than just quote them. I determined in my mind as we spoke to memorize the main ideas and key words of Jesus. I’m starting with John 1. Join me. Peter exhorted us to: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…I Peter 3. I wonder if people see the HOPE we have in Christ? or do they see the world is ending apocalytic fear.

As we parted I handed each of them my business card. The Imam swallowed hard and looked up. I promised to come and visit them at the Mosque and will do so.

This past week the justice department decided to bring the 9/11 leaders to court. Terrorism vexes the soul of America. Our response to terrorism is sharply divided along ideological lines. Civil libertarians want to sway the billions of Muslims by showing our compassion and adherence to the rule of law. Under no circumstance will this great nation compromise the constitutional guarantees. Seeing the United States as the bright shinning example of democracy will attract them to our way of thinking and make them less likely to hate us.

Here is the problem with the civilian courts:

There are automatic built in defense for acquittal or reversal on appeal…right to a speedy trial (7 years of detention), right against self incrimination (the Army version of Miranda is water boarding), right to face your accusers (CIA operatives and analysts), right to a fair and impartial jury (two blocks from ground zero?) I could go on…As a defendant you have the right to all of the evidence not just what the prosecution want to give you. How can this be done with out exposing CIA agents, intercept technology, covert methods of operation, our knowledge about co-defendants, etc. A trial would enhance the cause of Jihad and further radicalize Islamic Americans and foreigners. A trial would give the world’s biggest platform to some of the most violent people on the planet. Holder said, ”we can’t afford to lose.” He is right, then why take the chance? Juries are fickle, easy to threaten and cannot be predicted. The last trial of the century did not end well. OJ was acquitted.

Living the rest of their lives in Illinois should be punishment enough.