Ep. 013 — Keeping the Faith [Part II of II]

"And then they came for me."

-Sabri Benkahla

When it comes to the conversation of Islam in America, it can sometimes feel like having a debate where both parties talk over one another, dive into the shallow end of the topic and leave thinking they’ve proved their points—trophies for all.

This self-perpetuating social filter bubble of sorts absolves accountability and fogs up facts—it clouds up the reality of what many Muslim communities in America have actually gone through and are going through.

No place has had it worse than Dar Al-Hijrah, a northern Virginia mosque that sits right outside the nation’s capital. First there was peace. Then there was 9/11. And then there was terror.

This is the story of how one mosque and its community has spent the past 15 years at the intersection of faith, terrorism and liberty.

Show Notes:

[02:25] Fort Hood shooting coverage (ABC News) [02:30] Explosions at the Boston Marathon (The Boston Globe) [02:30] Boston Marathon bombing coverage (WBZ TV) [02:40] Chattanooga shooting coverage (CBS News) [02:50] San Bernadino shooting coverage (NBC News) [03:00] Orlando shooting coverage (ABC News) [03:05] St. Cloud stabbing coverage (WCCO TV) [03:10] Chelsea explosion coverage (Fox News) [03:25] Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump speech in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (CSPAN) [04:00] "Tum Ekh Ghorak Dhanda Ho" by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan [06:45] Richard Bulliet, Professor at Columbia University [07:10] "Bouncing" by Blue Dot Sessions [07:35] Light reading on the Qu’ran [07:40] Light reading on the Hadith (ICRAA.org) [07:55] Additional reading on the Sunni-Shia divide (NPR) [08:00] Light reading on Abu Bakr, the first Caliph [08:10] Light reading on Ali, the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin [09:35] "Janitor" by Blue Dot Sessions [10:00] The spread of Sufism (Oxford Islamic Studies) [14:10] "Horizontal Glow" by Blue Dot Sessions [15:45] More on Dr. Esam Omeish (NPR) [17:35] "Lowbrow" by Blue Dot Sessions [19:10] More on Imam Johari Abdul Malik (The Washington Post) [20:20] Light reading on Hamas [20:30] "American Accused in a Plot to Assassinate Bush" (The New York Times) [20:35] Light reading on the Virginia Jihad Network (The Washington Post) [21:35] More on Michael German, Former FBI Agent [21:45] "Circuitry" by Blue Dot Sessions [22:41] Light reading on the Phoenix Memo and the Moussaoui Investigation (The Washington Post) [23:40] President Bush signing the PATRIOT Act into law (CSPAN) [24:20] "Unfolding Plot" by Blue Dot Sessions [26:45] FBI’s biased counterterrorism training (Wired.com) [27:45] "Pacing" by Blue Dot Sessions [33:05] Light reading on Lakshar-e-Taiba [33:40] "Repsite" by Blue Dot Sessions [34:00] More on Benkhala’s court recap (Leagle.com) [34:40] "Flaked Paint" by Blue Dot Sessions [36:50] Article on Benkahla’s sentencing (Associated Press) [38:45] "Missing Transistor" by Blue Dot Sessions [40:35] Dr. Omeish’s resignation from Immigration panel discussed on Fox News [41:05] Shaker Elsayed, the Attorney’s office of the Eastern District of Virginia and George Washington University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security declined to be interviewed for this story. Representative Peter King’s office never responded back. [41:40] Light reading on Shaker Elsayed [41:55] Shaker statement’s brought up on Fox News [42:30] Shaker on CSPAN shortly after 9/11 [43:20] "Masonry" by Blue Dot Sessions [45:40] "Lubber" by Blue Dot Sessions [46:00] President Obama on Awlaki’s death (Associated Press) [47:10] Recommended reading: New York Times reporter Scott Shane looks into the life of Anwar al-Awlaki [49:50] Related fact check on number of those killed by terrorist attacks (Politfact) [50:25] "Lull" by Blue Dot Sessions [52:30] Related: “The Confused Person’s Guide to the Middle East” (The Atlantic) [53:40] "Slimm" by Blue Dot Sessions [55:10] "Horizontal Glow" by Blue Dot Sessions [57:00] "Disinter" by Blue Dot Sessions [59:57] Light reading on the people at Badr

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