Overview on John Walker Lindh

Read this, then give you thoughts about this whole topic

The strangest culture clash of the war in Afghanistan took place on a bright Sunday morning in late November. In the Qala-i-Jangi prison fortress, a few miles west of Mazar-i-Sharif, CIA agent Johnny ("Mike") Spann was sorting through 300 surrendered Taliban soldiers in an attempt to determine which of them were al-Qaeda members. Dressed in blue jeans, with an AK-47 strapped across the back of his black sweater, Spann passed through several rows of Taliban before crouching in front of a prisoner who had been separated from the rest, a mass of tangled hair and tattered clothes once named John Walker. "What's your name?" Spann asked. There was no response. "Hey," he said, snapping his fingers twice in front of Walker's dirt-caked face. "Who brought you here? Wake up! Who brought you here? How did you get here? Hello?"

Walker didn't answer. In a bit of CIA showmanship, Spann and his partner, known only as Dave, held a conversation within obvious hearing distance of Walker. "I explained to him what the deal is," Spann told Dave. Dave played the bad cop: "He needs to decide if he wants to live or die. If he wants to die, he's just going to die here. He can die here if he wants. He can f_____g die here. Or he's going to be f_____g spending the rest of his f_____g short life in prison. It's his decision, man. We can only help the guys who want to talk to us." But Walker still wouldn't talk.

A few hours later, Spann became the first American casualty in Afghanistan, when dozens of surrendered Taliban soldiers overwhelmed their guards and staged a revolt. During the uprising, John Walker escaped, delaying the world's discovery of an American Taliban, but only temporarily. After a week spent starving in a basement deep below the prison, Walker and 85 comrades were flushed out when their dungeon was flooded with ice-cold water. Spann was gone, but his questions for John Walker remained: Who brought you here? How did you get here?

Walker's childhood neighbors said the things neighbors always say in these situations. "They were an average American family," and John "was a sweet, quiet boy." It happens to be true. John Walker Lindh was a middle child named after John Lennon and Chief Justice John Marshall. He spent his first 10 years in Silver Spring, Md., in the happy, unremarkable manner that most parents wish for their children. "We were loud, normal kids," says Andrew Cleverdon, a boyhood friend of Walker's. "We played football and basketball, rode our bikes." John's father, attorney Frank Lindh, took the bus to his job at the Department of Justice. Marilyn Walker was a stay-at-home mom who kept her maiden name. They played with their three kids, went to Mass at St. Bernadette's Catholic Church and held a "Kentucky Derby Day" every May.

In 1991 the family moved to San Anselmo, Calif., in opulent, socially liberal Marin County. John was gentle and shy. He played the flute, had close relationships rather than a big circle of friends, and told people that he wanted to help the poor when he grew up. After a semester at a local high school, John transferred to Tamiscal High, an alternative school with 100 students and a self-directed, individualized course of study. As a freshman and sophomore, Walker studied world arts and culture, including Islam and the Middle East. Marilyn Walker had left Catholicism and become a Buddhist; John was intrigued by religion too. "She opened all those doors for her kids," says Bill Jones, a family friend, "instead of dragging her kids into Catholicism like she'd been dragged into it."

Apparently it was The Autobiography of Malcolm X that inspired Walker to convert to Islam. He talked with his parents about his plans. Frank Lindh, now a lawyer with Pacific Gas & Electric, was accepting. Marilyn Walker had reservations. "She was concerned," says Marilyn's friend Stephanie Hendricks. "You have a 16-year-old kid who gets involved in any kind of religion in a passionate way, and you're going to want to know more about it, right?"

John did not have a driver's license and was still in high school, so attending prayer services five times a day was out of the question. On Friday nights, though, he would change out of his Western clothes and attend services at the Islamic Center of Mill Valley. Abdullah Nana usually drove him there. Nana, now 23, recalls that when he first saw Walker, he stood out immediately, not simply because he was a white man in a mostly Indian congregation but also because he was "on his own," meaning already devoted to Islam and without a referral from another Muslim. The two teenagers struck up a friendship and frequently spent the 20 minutes between Walker's house and the mosque in rapt discussion of the Koran.

In 1998 Walker passed a proficiency exam and graduated early from Tamiscal High. He asked that the name on his diploma be changed to Sulayman Al-Lindh. He never picked up the certificate. Soon he told Nana that he had found an Arabic-language school in San'a, Yemen, on the Internet. "The language spoken in Yemen is closer to the holy language of the Koran and the sayings of the Prophet," explains Nana. Walker also felt it would be easier to practice Islam in a Muslim country. In December 1998 he left for the Middle East.

From the ages of 16 to 18, John Walker had transformed himself from a quiet, smooth-cheeked American teenager to a devout, bearded Muslim studying in Yemen. That he could grow the requisite beard was something of a miracle. Were his parents really onboard with all this? With the new name? The move to Yemen? Frank Lindh says yes. "He was always intellectually coherent, and he had a wonderful sense of humor," Lindh told reporters. "And none of that changed when he converted to Islam. I never had any major misgivings."

When Walker returned to California around Christmas 1999, he found his parents had separated. He saw Nana and told him that Yemen hadn't met his expectations. "They weren't as orthodox as he thought--they weren't as strict on Islam as he thought," says Nana. But to Abdul Wadood, a 20-year-old Muslim friend who also met Walker at the Mill Valley mosque, John sounded fulfilled. Through his e-mail communications, he told Wadood he felt "free" because he didn't have any material possessions. Wadood says his friend never experienced culture shock because he was so "open-minded." But Walker may have also been a bit too trusting. He just "let anybody in," says Wadood.

When the U.S.S. Cole was bombed in October 2000, Walker was back in Yemen. In an e-mail exchange with his son, Frank Lindh said he felt terrible for the victims and their families. John's reply suggested that the attack may have been justified because the Cole was docked in an Islamic country. Lindh dismissed the exchange as a "father/son debate, much like my dad and I used to have over [the] Vietnam war." A month after the Cole bombing, Walker left Yemen for Bannu, a village in Pakistan's northwest, to attend an Islamic school, or madrasah. Pakistan's madrasahs specialize in teaching students to memorize the Koran. They are also reputed to provide thousands of soldiers for the Taliban.

John Walker's last contact with his family was in May 2001. He told his mother he was leaving Bannu and "moving somewhere cooler for the summer." He asked his father for money, and Frank Lindh sent him $1,200. It wasn't long before Marilyn Walker wondered just where her son had gone. In early summer, she contacted John's madrasah. According to the Marin Independent Journal, a teacher there wrote her back on July 27, saying John, whom he called Sulayman Faris, arrived at the school on Nov. 30, 2000, and "impressed [everyone] with his character" during his stay. On May 15 he was apparently turned over to the care of the missionary who had originally brought him to the school. No one knew where John was.

Sept. 11 came and went, and still John's parents heard nothing. Finally, on Dec. 1, Marilyn Walker and Frank Lindh saw their son on television. As the footage played, Marilyn Walker burst into tears. John was filthy and had a bullet wound in his leg. In a husky voice and accented English, John told CNN where he had been the past six months. "I was a student in Pakistan, studying Islam, and came into contact with many people connected with the Taliban," he said. "The people in general have a great love for the Taliban. So I started to read some of the literature of the scholars, the history of Kabul. My heart became attached to that." John said he had been sent to an Arabic-speaking al-Qaeda camp, where he learned to shoot a Kalashnikov. He saw Osama bin Laden several times. He answered the call to jihad and fought in Kashmir and Kunduz. Then he became a prisoner of war.

John Walker's case is strange, but it may not be unique. The Defense Department is looking for two other Americans rumored to have fought for the Taliban. Walker is now in the custody of the U.S. military, and late Saturday the Pentagon said he is being held at Camp Rhino in Afghanistan. "What we really want is some communication with them as to how he is," says the family's recently hired attorney, James Brosnahan. The family's concern is not the government's top priority.

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I just think it's ironic how supposedly simple, devout and holy he was...yet didn't have any qualms with constantly milking his rich mommy and daddy for his skrill...

the whole thing is sad and pathetic to me

he should be treated like a prisoner of war

he should recieve no special treatment

i dont feel sorry for him or whatever happens to him

sorry...

Thats the first thing I thought of too.

He was all like "Mommy and Daddy, I feel so free without all of my material possesions,...can you please send me $1500"

he probably needed the money to buy the GAP faded/broke in looking sweater... shit, i bet GAP makes that shit over there, lol

haha..exactly..

but fuck -is homie really worth all the attention?..I mean sure it's kinda fascinating in a way...sorta like roadkill can be fascinating

i dont know what to think. my disdain for media sensationalism is at an all time high, i can tell you that for sure.

exactly, lonelyheart.. fuck this guy, just kill him if he was involved, i dont need to hear all the bullshit.

I got to go with the gut and agree that he should be treated as a prisoner of war.

i dont agree with his politics..but he gets a handclap for conviction

I agree he shouldn't be treated any differently. He's not even American as far as I'm concerned. If you bite the hand that feeds you, you're obviously not going to get fed anymore. He was given the chance to study anything he wanted to, be what he wanted to be, have an inspirational mother that was free to study whichever religion she wanted which in turn gave him the curiosity which got him interested in Islam... He could have lived a life without material possessions here, he could have done anything here, but he gave it up. Not only did he give it up, but he became part of something that wanted to destroy what we're about. Fuck that, and fuck him.

Prude

he gets no sympathy from me. he left america and he joined them andhe knew what he was doing. no special treatment for him. hes a p.o.w in my eyes.

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geeeeesh! this guy looks like me!

What would have happened if say, perhaps a round get's accidently discharged into homeboy's skull. Accident. POW I guess. The weird thing that could cause problems for this kid is the fact that he gave up is citizenship to the US. I don't know if he took legal actions or was just talking. But no doubt being a US citizen has it's advantages. If not he could technically be tried in a Tribunal. But considering his low rank. They would'nt waste time or money on this scrub.

he's not a pow. he's a straight up traitor. traitors get hung... no special treatment.

I find it ironic that this peaceful kid answered the call to jihad in 2 places other than Afghanistan... my guts tell me that his parents $1200 bought a months worth of ammo for his whole company, of course, by then I think he was 'divorced' from his family and basically fucking the christians to get over... I really don't care what happens to him but if he's gonna die, he'd better get dead on American soil, I want him back alive...

i think they should let him come back here and be a singer in a metal band. he's got the look, he's got the charisma.

he is not a traitor. it is time for a little school class called us citizenship 101.

POTENTIALLY EXPATRIATING STATUTES

Section 349 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, states that U.S. citizens are subject to loss of citizenship if they perform certain acts voluntarily and with the intention to relinquish U.S. citizenship. Briefly stated, these acts include:

(1) obtaining naturalization in a foreign state (Sec. 349 (a) (1) INA);

(2) taking an oath, affirmation or other formal declaration to a foreign state or its political subdivisions (Sec. 349 (a) (2) INA);

(3) entering or serving in the armed forces of a foreign state engaged in hostilities against the U.S. or serving as a commissioned or non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of a foreign state (Sec. 349 (a) (3) INA);

(4) accepting employment with a foreign government if (a) one has the nationality of that foreign state or (B) a declaration of allegiance is required in accepting the position (Sec. 349 (a) (4) INA);

(5) formally renouncing U.S. citizenship before a U.S. consular officer outside the United States (sec. 349 (a) (5) INA);

(6) formally renouncing U.S. citizenship within the U.S. (but only "in time of war") (Sec. 349 (a) (6) INA);

(7) conviction for an act of treason (Sec. 349 (a) (7) INA).

sec. 349 a 3 INA says it all he was fighting for a foriegn army. engaged in hostilities against the US. he relinquished his US citizenship and therefore is no longer subject to the laws of treason. this will hold up in any court and should hold up in any ones mind.

as for his treatment my opinion is that he is a POW. and should be treated like one. when the war is over if some overpatriotic shit bag doesnt accidently shoot him in the head because he is the scapegoat along with his commander in chief bin-laden for shitbagged US policy then he would be released and allowed to continue practicing his religion (whether you agree with his religious practices or not, he does have the freedom to make that choice according to what country you live in and what your mindstate should dictate) our fucking country was founded on religious freedom and we are entirely too intolerant on other religious principles because they dont have judeo-christian roots.

Sulayman Al-Lindh has more balls than you or all of us combined. he stood up for his God and is willing to die for his beliefs. and i would wager an almost certain bet that faced with imminent war you would not have the balls to stick to your Q'uran or Bible for that matter.

He is a martyr for his religion and a hero in my mind. it is war we put ourselves here dont complain when an AMerican soldier gets shot thats what war is. people die.

Originally posted by boxcarwilly

it is time for a little school class called us citizenship 101.

 

sec. 349 a 3 INA says it all he was fighting for a foriegn army. engaged in hostilities against the US. he relinquished his US citizenship and therefore is no longer subject to the laws of treason. this will hold up in any court and should hold up in any ones mind.

well, there's no proof that he either fought U.S. forces OR that he's renounced his citizenship. He may have been fighting the Northern Alliance, while they are our allies that doesn't matter. If an AMerican blows up Trafalgar square in London, said American won't lose his citizenship. The same may hold true for lil Sulyman... Also, a Treason conviction requires 2 witnesses to testify to witnessing the treasonous act... that's probably gonna be a tough hurdle as well...

smart then i guess we'll go with number two. "political subdivision" which would entail ythe taliban. picking up an ak47 for the taliban entails some sort of oath.

basically. suleyman renounced the us the minute he put God first. the Q'uran teaches that God has no nation, so should his followers.

You know what...fuck this guy!America pisses me off sometimes.They try to make him look like a nice guy fuck that dude.I wish that bullet went thruogh his brain!!!!He needs to die,for real.No matter how you look at it hes a traitor.Even if he comes back hes gonna get beat the fuck down or get killed,he wont be able to get a job either.and im sure people will fuck up his family and their houses too once they find them.I say we publically execute him.

avoiding the debate which will soon ensue between the both of yous (willy & smart). lete me just say this, leave me alone in a room w/ him........

speaking of gap clothes they probly have some 12yr olds in a cave makin those sweaters.BTW did you see th dude next to him wearin the straight jacket?well it may not be but it looks like one. i wonder if gap made that too?

WHAT A FFFFFFFFFFRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEAAAAKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!

hahaha, my man Hesh...

Originally posted by boxcarwilly

picking up an ak47 for the taliban entails some sort of oath.

 

basically. suleyman renounced the us the minute he put God first. the Q'uran teaches that God has no nation, so should his followers.

Actually he 'took' this oath, which is not an illegal thing to do, in time of peace. The Taliban were not enemies of the U.S. until Sept. 12th. We also have to PROVE he took an oath. We have to PROVE he KNEW he was fighting Americans. We need to understand whether or not he was free to leave at any point.

Putting God before country is totally common in the U.S. why should it be a crime somewhere else? Is it a crime because he chose Mohammed instead of Jesus?

no, but youre gonna have a very difficult time trying to convince the spann family that this man doesnt deserve to die.

theres about 4000 reasons why hes guilty.theyre also gonna havea hard time convincing the victims families of the wtc towers and pentegon that hes innocent. he should have thought about the consiquinces of what he was doing before he left!!!!

SCAPEGOAT.

those are the only words that i need for this. smart we do agree in ways. i personally have never been under the impression that he has committed any form of negligence. yes he is guilty of war crimes, engaging against the enemy. but suleyman didnt fly the planes into the wtc in fact i am sure he had no knowledge of it considering the obviousness that binladen only had partial knowledge of the incident regardless of a newly doctored tape.

suleyman has been made a scapegoat a way to focus the us hate on one man taking the eyes off the us carpet bombing of a country already suffering. and i am not a bleeding heart liberal... i do think war accomplishes things, death pain suffering are all casualties, in fact the major text of my "belief pattern" is based on a battlefield.

one street soldier standing up for his God not knowing what the fuck happened in America did not kill the people at the WTC. he is only guilty of whatever happened in war and according to the UN he should be conside3red a POW nothing more.

and as for the CIA operative who was killed over there... need i remind you of the handshaking and buttfucking of the taliban that has been going on before september 11. opium. opium. opium.

the cia had a meeting while binladen was laid up in a french hospital while bin laden was on the top ten list for the bombings in africa... a cia operative went in came out laughing according to nurses. shouldnt you arrest someone that international jurisdication would allow you to in france when he is having his liver operated on?

get your news from other sources kids. dont just listen to cnn. go other places you will be more informed and less likely to buy into the medias crap.

Originally posted by graf-freely!

You know what...fuck this guy!America pisses me off sometimes.They try to make him look like a nice guy fuck that dude.I wish that bullet went thruogh his brain!!!!He needs to die,for real.No matter how you look at it hes a traitor.Even if he comes back hes gonna get beat the fuck down or get killed,he wont be able to get a job either.and im sure people will fuck up his family and their houses too once they find them.I say we publically execute him.

yeah right, he's prolly already working on a book deal. with a tv movie to follow.

BCWilly... here's as far as we seem to agree, not because I don't like you or anything, just differing opinions but...

Scapegoat, YES. The rest, bah... LAST, France is extremely difficult to extradite from, UN or not, especially when it comes to possible death penalty cases... and NOBODY wants to spend the $500,000 it's going to cost to keep UBL alive for the first 5 years and the million or so it will cost to imprison him for the rest of his natural life... there are times in chess when it is better not to take a piece... NEXT, I'm not convinced that Sulyman did anything wrong, but I trust in, and will believe in, the ruling of our courts. (God willing, I mean, nothing wrong with outrage in the Rodney King verdict or the O.J. case, but Mumia... sorry, he dunnit...)... still, this is based upon my best assesment of the FACTS, not speculation or could haves/would haves... and FIRST, ht eopium crop in Afghanistan basically feeds China and eastern Asia, no matter what our government or the insurgent press would have you believe...