John Walker Lindh: American Taliban
Approximately thirteen centuries ago, the prophet Mohammad converted a few Arab desert tribes to belief in a single god, Allah, founding the religion of Islam. Within a century, this belief had created one of history’s mightiest empires, and still has major influences in today’s world. In recent years, Islam has been under attack as a result of a few radical members who have decided to stand out for beliefs against those of the general public. One of the most prominent radicals, at least to the American public, is John Walker Lindh also known as the “Taliban American”. John Philip Walker Lindh was born on February 9, 1981 in Takoma Park, Maryland. From an early age, Walker-Lindh showed an aptitude for learning and in elementary school he joined a special program for gifted children. When Walker-Lindh was ten, the family moved across the country to Marin County in a suburb twenty miles north of San Francisco. Walker-Lindh bounced around from school to school until finally settling at Tamsical High School, which featured a self-paced and highly advanced curriculum. It was here, while delving into religious texts for various school projects that Walker-Lindh’s interest in Islam blossomed. Walker-Lindh was
John Walker Lindh’s journey through the Middle East has both helped and hindered the stereotypes of Muslims in America. In America, especially since September 11, 2001 Muslims have been viewed as violent Arabs with a hatred for the United States. Walker-Lindh helped to successfully break this stereotype since he was the “affluent white boy” who was able to enter an exclusive world that American’s know very little about. This entry opened up the sociological and racial boundaries that seem to consume this stereotypical perception of Islam. However, participating in the Taliban skewed Walker-Lindh’s thinking and he eventually conformed to the severe anti-American sentiments that are prevalent in the area. Further attesting to Walker-Lindh’s conformity was his adoption of Muslim looks, and an Arabic accent when speaking English. When Walker-Lindh was captured, he was barely recognizable as being the Caucasian man that he is. Walker-Lindh had a long beard, scraggly long hair, and was very dirty under his traditional Muslim dress. This proves the numbing effect that the Taliban’s ideals have on their followers. Not only could they manipulate an American to fight against his own country, but brainwash his mind so that his outside appearance was transformed as well. awed by movies such as ‘Malcolm X’ where the vision of so many people from different places bowing before God showed a
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Approximate Word count = 957
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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