Terrorist Islamist El-Sayyid Nosair assassinated JDL leader Meir Kahane and then helped plan the first World Trade Center attack from prison. His son, Zak Ebrahim talks about the strain of growing up under fanatical beliefs, and how he managed to transcend fundamentalism in his own life. The radicalization of Islam in the West, terrorism, and how difficult it can be to come of age in a secular society against the wishes of your family are examined, along with Ebrahim’s relationship with his father-from childhood to the present in this uncensored episode of Media Mayhem, hosted by Allison Hope Weiner.
GUEST BIO:
Zak Ebrahim was only seven years old when, on November 5, 1990, his father, El-Sayyid Nosair, shot and killed the leader of the Jewish Defense League. While in prison, Nosair helped plan the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993. In one of his infamous video messages, Osama bin Laden urged the world to “Remember El-Sayyid Nosair.”
For Ebrahim, a childhood amid terrorism was all he knew. After his father’s incarceration, his family moved more than twenty times, haunted by and persecuted for the crimes of his father. Though his radicalized father and uncles modeled fanatical beliefs, the hateful ideas never resonated with the shy, awkward boy. The older he grew, the more fully Ebrahim grasped the horrific depths of his father’s acts. The more he understood, the more he resolved to dedicate his life to promoting peace.
In his book, Ebrahim traces his remarkable journey to escape his father’s terrible legacy. Crisscrossing the eastern United States, from Pittsburgh to Memphis, from a mosque in Jersey City to the Busch Gardens theme park in Tampa, The Terrorist’s Son is the story of a boy inculcated in dogma and hate—a boy presumed to follow in his father’s footsteps—and the man who chose a different path.
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EPISODE BREAKDOWN:
00:01 Welcome to Crime Time.
00:10 Introducing Zak Ebrahim, author of The Terrorist’s Son.
01:00 How Ebrahim’s parents met, and the role it played in his upbringing.
06:30 Ebrahim’s father’s involvement in the assassination of Meir Kahane.
09:45 Why would a radicalized muslim choose a jewish attorney to represent him?
11:30 How Ebrahim’s father became radicalized.
16:20 Being raised by a radicalized muslim.
19:15 How Ebrahim dealt with the aftermath of his father’s court trial.
23:25 What caused Ebrahim to choose to not follow in his father’s radical footsteps.
30:55 How Zak learned acceptance and understanding.
32:20 How does one become radicalized in America’s “melting pot.”
33:50 Ebrahim’s communication with his father in the later years.
37:10 Thank you and goodbye.