Jihadi Du Jour: 'Ex-terrorists' event at U-M stirs outrage

From The Detroit News:

Controversy is brewing over a presentation scheduled for Tuesday night at the University of Michigan by three self-proclaimed "ex-terrorists."

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee has asked U-M to reconsider allowing "such hateful discussion" to take place at the university's Rackham Auditorium in Ann Arbor. Meantime, one of the former terrorists has received death threats warning him from speaking at the university, according to his representative.

U-M senior officials will meet with members of the ADC on Monday, said university spokeswoman Julie Peterson. However, the university didn't invite the group, she said.

The conservative student group Young Americans for Freedom is sponsoring the discussion called "Terrorism: The World's Greatest Threat."

But canceling such an event does not coincide with the school's mission, according to U-M officials. U-M's policy is to allow invited guests to express their views regardless of whether others disagree.

Andrew Boyd, co-chair of Young Americans for Freedom, said the three men were invited to spark dialogue on campus.

"There's a misconception about the event," Boyd said. "It's about showing the difference between Muslim extremists and the average everyday Muslim who is peaceful."

The men are Zachariah Anani, a Windsor resident, and Walid Shoebat and Kamal Saleem, who are both U.S. citizens. Anani was recently targeted by Islamist groups who have mounted a witch hunt against him, according to his spokesperson.

According to their Web site, Shoebat and Saleem are former members of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Shoebat participated in acts of terror against Israel and was later imprisoned in Jerusalem. Saleem completed his first mission to Israel at age 7.

Anani was a teenage militia fighter, where he was trained to kill Jews, according to www.3xterrorists.com. He says he killed 223 people. The ADC doubts the men's stories for "the simple fact that if they were ... 'ex-terrorists' they would all be in federal custody," according to a letter ADC sent to U-M.

The men are not swayed.

"In order to understand the negative effects of narcotics, reformed drug addicts are often called upon to talk about their experiences," Shoebat said in a statement.

"It is the same situation here. Three former terrorists are educating the world on the phenomenon of terrorism, so that people can understand."

This will be the third speaking event by the trio. The first was at Princeton University, where it had to be relocated off campus, and the other was in Philadelphia, said Keith Davies, director of the Walid Shoebat Foundation.