An amazing portrait of Azzam al-Amriki (AKA Adam Gadahn), a Muslim convert now working PR for al-Qaeda. While the whole article is an intriguing biography, the last section detailing how individuals end up being recruited into revivalist and extremist groups, is especially poignant.

Quoted: Adam Gadahn, the first American to be charged with treason in more than fifty years, was born in Oregon, grew up in rural California, and converted to Islam at the age of seventeen. He is now twenty-eight. No one who knew him before his religious awakening ever thought that he would join Al Qaeda, and many people who knew him after he did are still perplexed. And yet, in a short time, Gadahn has become one of Osama bin Laden’s senior operatives. (He is believed to be hiding in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan.) He is a member of Al Qaeda’s “media committee,” and his responsibilities are thought to include those of translator, video producer, and cultural interpreter.

This makes me absolutely sick to my stomach.

Quoted: Nearly one in four Americans, 22%, say they would not like to have a Muslim as a neighbor. [...] Almost four in ten, 39%, advocate that Muslims here should carry special I.D. That same number admit that they do hold some "prejudice" against Muslims. Forty-four percent say their religious views are too "extreme."

This is apparently the book that tilts skeptical scientists towards religion. I have no idea what it is like other than the fact it was referenced as heavily influential by Francis Collins.

Quoted: Amazon.com: Mere Christianity: Books: C. S. Lewis by C. S. Lewis

I just watched a Charlie Rose episode from earlier in the week where 20 minutes was dedicated to an interview with Francis Collins. Francis is a really interesting and eloquent person. He was raised without faith as an agnostic. As a collegiate scientist, he actually moved towards atheism. Later, his scientific beliefs pushed him towards spirituality and he is now a devout Christian who happens to be one of the chief scientists on the Human Genome Project. I liked the language he was using to describe his beliefs on the show and the book certainly seems to have a great premise. It might be an interesting read.

Quoted: Amazon.com: The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief: Books: Francis S. Collins by Francis S. Collins

A blog entry I wrote about my grandpa and religion.