Walid Shoebat

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Walid Shoebat is the assumed name of a Palestinian, American citizen, and self-proclaimed former terrorist. Shoebat came to public attention by becoming an ardent critic of Islam and supporter of Israel. He describes himself as a former member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation who took part in terrorist attacks against Israeli targets [1].

He is the founder of the Walid Shoebat Foundation, an organization that seeks to combat anti-semitism and promote peace in the Middle East. He has appeared on FOX News, CNN, MSNBC, CBS and the BBC.

1 Life
2 Criticism
3 Bibliography
4 Documentaries
5 Online media
6 See also
7 External links
8 References

[edit] Life

According to the biography on his official website, Shoebat was born in Bethlehem of Judea. He was the grandson of the Mukhtar of Beit Sahour, who Shoebat describes as an associate of Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Mohammad Amin al-Husayni. During his youth, Shoebat joined the Palestine Liberation Organization, and was involved in terrorist attacks against Israel. He was caught by the Israelis during a botched bombing attempt and was sent to prison.

Upon his release, Shoebat continued his anti-Israeli activism until he migrated to the US, where he became involved with the Arab Student Organization at Loop College in Chicago. Shortly afterwards Walid worked as a software engineer and became a US citizen. In 1993, Walid converted to Evangelical Christianity after examining the Bible in response to a challenge from his wife, initially trying to persuade her into converting to Islam. He has since studied various historical documents relating to Jewish and Middle East history.

After the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, Shoebat became an active advocate against Islamism and a fervent supporter of the State of Israel. He has appeared on mainstream media around the world including CNN, FOX News, ITN, RTE, NBC, CBS, ABC, and Pacifica Radio and has been heard on hundreds of radio stations around the US and the world. Shoebat has given lectures at many US institutions such as Harvard Law School, Capital Hill, Columbia University, Concordia University, UC Davis, UCLA, USC, UC Santa Barbara, University of Georgia, Washington University, Penn State and San Diego State. He is featured as an expert witness on a number of documentaries on Islamism. [2]

Shoebat argues that parallels exist between radical Islam and Nazism. He says, "Secular dogma like Nazism is less dangerous than Islamofascism that we see today ... because Islamofascism has a religious twist to it; it says 'God the Almighty ordered you to do this'.... It is trying to grow itself in fifty-five Muslim states. So potentially, you could have a success rate of several Nazi Germany's, if these people get their way."^[1]

[edit] Criticism

Shoebat has come under criticism from pro-Palestinian activists who believe that, as a staunch supporter of Israel who appears to despise Islam and Muslims, he cannot make an effective contribution to reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. An article on Electronic Intifada, a pro-Palestinian website, describes him as a member of a "fanatic" sect (referring to Evangelical Christianity) who makes "blatantly racist declarations against Islam" and believes that adherents to most Christian denominations are "false Christians". [3]

Sheila Musaji said of Shoebat that "This is an extremist Christian terrorist. This is not a former terrorist. This is a man who used to hate Jews and now hates Muslims, who used to commit violence against Jews and now justifies violence against Muslims."^[2] In a CounterPunch article from 2004, Will Youmans noted that Shoebat had never come under criminal investigation in the US for his alleged terrorist activities, nor had he been threatened with deportation, although two other Palestinians in the US had faced deportation proceedings because of their alleged involvement with terrorist groups. Youmans suggests that Shoebat is effectively immune from prosecution or deportation because of his pro-Israel views. He also argues that Shoebat's religious convictions, including the belief that Jews will be forced to "accept Christ or perish in hell" when the Rapture comes, are intrinsically anti-Semitic. Furthermore, Youmans contends that Shoebat's beliefs are incompatible with efforts towards peace, because of the premillennial, dispensational doctrine that the Second Coming of Christ will be hastened by conflict in the Middle East. [4]

[edit] Bibliography

Why I Left Jihad: The Root of Terrorism and the Return of Radical Islam
The Culture of Death: Coverage of testimony given by Shoebat.
From Hate to Love: Discusses the anti-semitic indoctrination of Palestinian children.
Walid Shoebat: A Testimony of Faith to Redemption