Mother of 9/11 ‘20th Hijacker’ Blames Racism for Pushing Her Son to Embrace Radical Islam
- Posted on September 2, 2011 at 6:54pm by
Tiffany Gabbay
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The mother of French-born Zacarias Moussaoui — the alleged “20th hijacker” and only terrorist convicted of conspiring to kill U.S. citizens in the September 11 attacks — is blaming the racism her son allegedly endured while growing up in France’s southern town of Narbonne, for pushing him to embrace radical Islam.
Moussaoui, who is serving a life sentence without parole at the Federal ADX Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, conspired, but did not end up taking part in the 9/11 attacks after al Qaeda leadership allegedly developed doubts about his reliability.
Moussaoui’s mother, Aicha el-Wafi, said her son, who is of Moroccan descent, was repeatedly harassed as a child for his ethnicity, and that those seeds of discontent were later played upon and cultivated by Islamic extremists. ”My son suffered a lot from daily racism,” she told CNN. el-Wafi alleges her son was called a “dirty Arab and dirty negro” and told to go home. “These are words that kill a child when he is 16, 18, 19 years of age.”
“He loved a girl he was forbidden from seeing… well the Islamists and the extremists found a grievance in the heart of my son. My son was born in France, my son loves France … but he was not accepted. He was rejected by French society.”
el-Wafi, who berates herself for not having seen the signs that her son had turned to extremism sooner, said that ”If I had known he would end up with this group of wrongdoers, I would have attracted his attention … but I did not see it coming.”
“I think that when a child comes home, shrugs his shoulders and does not listen to the parents … and says … you are not good Muslims, there is a danger.”
The signs of Moussaoui’s transformation started to manifest in the early 1990′s. According to CNN, he studied business in Montpellier before moving to London to study at South Bank University. The first turning point for Moussaoui might have come there, when he found himself attending the same Brixton mosque as shoe bomber Richard Reid.
During his seven years in London, Moussaoui’s family and French investigators claim he traveled to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Chechnya. In this time, Moussaoui grew a beard, started dressing in traditional Pakistani garb and began espousing the virtues of militant Islam to those around him. CNN reports that Moussaoui was soon asked to leave the more moderate Brixton mosque he had been a member of due to his talk of jihad against the West.
CNN reports that in February 2001 Moussaoui went to Oklahoma for flying lessons and later, German investigators say, he was wired thousands of dollars from Germany to Minnesota, where he began a flight-training course in August.
Government sources told CNN that at the time, three top al Qaeda detainees told their interrogators that Moussaoui was not meant to be a part of the 9/11 attack, and was instead intended to serve in a subsequent terror plot. Moussaoui corroborated the claim in court, pledging his allegiance to Osama bin Laden, but denying he was to be a part of the 9/11 hijacking of planes.
While on trial, the unrepentant Moussaoui told a shocked courtroom he rejoiced at seeing the burning rubble of the World Trade Center and pleaded guilty to six criminal conspiracy charges.
While el-Wafi claims to accept that her son became an Islamic extremist, she maintains his innocence in the 9/11 attacks and believes her son was wrongly convicted.
“He was convicted of what he said in the trial — ‘death to the Jews, death to the Americans’ — but there was nothing else to hold him to. He was convicted unfairly but if he had money he’d have been able to defend himself better” el-Wafi told CNN.
She said that while she has reached out to her son repeatedly since the trial, she has not received a response.
After Moussaoui was convicted of conspiracy charges, he faced the death penalty but his defense lawyer, Edward MacMahon, said he believed his client yearned for martyrdom.
Urging jurors not to deliver a death penalty sentence MacMahon said, “The only way he can achieve that dream and then live on as some smiling face on a recruiting poster for Osama bin Laden is by your verdict. Please don’t make him a hero, ladies and gentlemen. He just doesn’t deserve it.”
To assuage her grief, el-Wafi works as an activist with French feminist group Ni Putes Ni Soumise (Neither Whores Nor Submissives) that purportedly works with Muslim families on issues such as extremism and even arranged marriage.
“I visit schools, I talk to young girls with regards to arranged marriages at 14 or 15 years of age. I see the parents and tell them you must talk about your problems you have at home, you must talk about it,” she told CNN.
“When their parents do not have a worthwhile career, education, or qualifications, the children look upon their parents as having less than nothing.”
Many of us in life have endured some level of scrutiny, criticism, or even discrimination. However, the vast majority do not use those experiences as reason to turn to militant Islam and plot the death of thousands of innocents.
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Comments (163)
randy
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:28pmBoo Freaking Hoo,
Report Post »Cry me a river lady!
grandmaof5
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:35pmOnly took her 10 years to come to that revolation – I wonder who she has been talking to? Code Pink, SEIU, Obama, Rev Wright, Jesse, Al? Same old tired song and no personal responsibility. How about she was just a crappy mother!
Report Post »Rightsofman
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:53pmHey if the “twinky defence” can get you off for murdering two prominent pols in cold blood in broad daylight then why not go for the “they were mean to me in France” defence in the land of the free and the home of the brave..
Report Post »Ruler4You
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:59pmOf course, it‘s some one else’ fault! You can‘t expect people to take ’personal’ accountability for their behavior, can you?
Stupid thinking, thinking errors and stupidity, interfere with stupid, dumb, stupid, and STUPID thinking. The consequence for not thinking properly is criminal charges. This guy is a criminal. Not a ‘victim’. Don‘t become a victim of the ’stupid’ movement. Learn to think for yourself.
Report Post »oneshiner
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 8:03pmI feel sorry for the mother, but she has to realize some form of teasing has been around, and not that many can claim they joined the islamic extremest from being teased or treated badly.
Some are born fighting and never fit in with anyone or anything except perhaps Satan’s work.
Even white & other ethnics have been teased and didn’t run to join some extremest. Now, if you want to talk about racist, just take a good look at the Congressional Black Caucus. They are working their azzes off trying to blame everything from soup to nuts on white Americans.
Truth is, I’ve felt for years we no longer had a racist problem, just little turds who couldn’t fit in with society. Now, the CBC is stirring up anger for what reason? Just cause it might make constituents think they are doing something about long lost jobs and working for them, not! They work for themselves, not YOU.
Truth is: These constituents have been used by these congress blacks who’ve done nothing to help their own, and the easiest way is to cause a bit of black/white racism to take the heat off themselves.
Report Post ».
So, CBC dreamed up the racism thingie to start problems. God help those of you who join this hateful scheme and actually start what we had in the 60′s. Too many of us know wonderful black people and love them in Jesus name. Maxine needs a large dose of Jesus as she’s controlled by Satan, and Andre is acting like the same.
Sheepdog911
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 9:05pmSo now a proud Muslim man, One of allah’s elect, a hopeful martyr, need his mommy to …. blame Bush? Sorry, we already have one of those muslim losers. Just spead pig fat on him and push him down the … oops, sorry, that might be offensive.
Report Post »Edct
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 11:29pmYou stupid ignorant negros, shut up, get off welfare, get a job, stop voting for politicians based on the color of their skin, you racists, and for God’s sake take responsibility for your own actions like adults.
Report Post »TXPilot
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 11:37pmWe don’t care what race you are, but we do care that you are a filthy Muslim, who participated in the murder of thousands of innocent people of all colors and races, and we hope your journey to Hell can come sooner rather than later.
Report Post »Jaycen
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 11:52pmThe Devil made me do it.
All the other kids were jumping off of bridges.
The dog ate my homework.
Report Post »Quagmir
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 2:26amId like to blame racism for the bills I couldnt pay last month. I am goign to call the creditors right now and let them know untill racism stops, I can not pay my bills.
Report Post »Steve
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 3:23am“I think that when a child comes home, shrugs his shoulders and does not listen to the parents … and says … you are not good Muslims, there is a danger.
If a Muslim doesn’t follow Mohammad correctly then yes your a bad Muslim. Abrogation supersedes all prior commandments. He was following Muhammad’s commands. You were not.
espousing the virtues of militant Islam
As was Mohammad. He was the leader of all of Militant Islam once he marched into Medina
he rejoiced at seeing the burning rubble of the World Trade Center
As did millions of Muslims worldwide and even those here in the States. Islam is evil. Pure and simple. They danced in the streets yet we still send them millions of our tax dollars in relief funds. That same money could go to Americans in helping to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless and cure the sick. Instead we borrow money, print money, and waste money.
death to the Jews, death to the Americans’
Report Post »Again. Mohammad’s commands to all Muslim. Long dismissed are the verses of peace and compassion. through abrogation hate and death now command this political entity shrouded in a religion.
HKS
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 7:32amAll libs use the same excuse for their shortcomings, racism. The truth of the matter is, they would still be a worthless human regardless of what color they were. Paint this guy any color you want and he is still a mutt that needs put down.
Report Post »one years food ration like glenn says
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 8:07amWOW !!! the pull the race card over in france too ?
Report Post »chazman
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 10:46amOOOhhh … it’s a black thing. TOO LATE! Rot to death in Super Max you murderin’ muslim freak!
Report Post »Jamestownrd
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 5:21pmThe racist is the worTHless black POS PRENT THAT raised This boy!
Report Post »bioengineer
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 6:42pm@Steve, There are a lot of Muslims that rejoiced at seeing the towers in rubble. To them it’s like watching the Death Star explode. But for 99.99% of them this had nothing to do with Islam at all.
Report Post »rose-ellen
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 8:43pmI don‘t care that he’s black or muslim-i care that he was convicted in a kangaroo court for something that is not a crime-expressing anti-american and pro alquada sentiments.The judge who sentenced him should be disbarred for being unprofessional when she told him he would die alone and in misery in prison. Very hateful and unamerican. So much for us being a nation of laws when faced wwith people we really hate!. We are a nation of thin skinned hypocrites -and our self serving narrative about innocent till proven guilty-freedom of expression, freedom of association- punishment must fit the crime etc,. is all fraudulent. 5 minutes after nine eleven all this american exceptionalism values were exposed as false. He should be freed and i feel sorry for him. He has a great mother and should be proud of her.
Report Post »Steve
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 9:19pmbioengineer
Report Post »Do you think for a minute that anyone here, with the exception of a ignorant non practicing Muslims and stupid ignorant idiots buy into a single word you say. I find you laughable stating this wasn’t about Islam. I’m really leaning towards the theory that like rose-ellen your a Muslim out here practicing taqiyya. Or maybe your just a dumb Fu6K who still hasn’t a clue of Islam.
Either way I appreciate the ignorance and continuous desperation in trying to prove me wrong based on your lies and unprovable stats.
CarolinaGirl
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 10:08pmWell said!
Report Post »bioengineer
Posted on September 4, 2011 at 2:33pm@Steve, very provable and easily-verifiable for anybody that is honest of heart. You clearly aren’t one of those few. I once heard the saying that cursing and name calling are the traits of a small mind trying to express itself forcefully. Thanks for revealing yourself.
Report Post »MichaelMyersLA
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 2:40amI agree with GRANDMAOF5. you know this lady was getting advice from some left wing group to defend her son saying its because of racism.
Report Post »wesleyapril
Posted on September 7, 2011 at 8:25amShe sounds like a typical liberal – they believe that everyone is to blame for everything that you do – not yourself. Sorry ass people:)
Report Post »Infidel49
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:26pmThat is a typical mother who wants to deflect the blame onto others. Do yourself a favor and shut the hell up.
Report Post »muzikant
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 12:45amshe sounds a lot like obama. did you read about the time she told messNBC that its all Bush’s fault. He teased the guy while he was visiting france.
Report Post »nptden
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:25pmIt’s always racism. BS. But on the other hand yeah, I must agree most of your race are dirt bags.
Report Post »LinkedIn G
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:25pmNot even the French would have him … what a racist loser.
Report Post »muzikant
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 12:46amYep. Not EVEn the french… WOW!!!
Report Post »don young
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:22pmNow everthing that blacks are charged with they will now be able to say it was raceism that made me do it.
Report Post »Y2kHoax61
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:22pmIn other words, you aren’t responsible for your own hate and your own actions unless you are white..you know; a *******! We have come so far since MLK haven’t we? Was it King’s dream to have equality based on character or was it about revenge and reparations? America needs to have this discussion.
Report Post »leary1
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:18pmWell Ma`am, IF RACISM IS THE CAUSE THEN blame the source, LABOR UNIONS, AFL/CIO, BLACK CAUCUS, BLACK PANTHERS, REV WRIGHT, REV. JACKSON, AL SHARPTON, ACLU, ,PROGRESSIVES, OBAMA, ACORN, DEMOCRAT PARTY, AND ALL THAT VIOLATE THE CONSTITUTION ,OBAMA REGIME, those are only A FEW of the “ FIRE STARTERS ” Get rid of them, things would get BETTER!!! …. and PEOPLE NEED TO STOP PULLING THE RACE CARD, REMEMBER the boy that CRIED WOLF to many times ???
Report Post »Exrepublisheep
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:40pmGet rid of anyone you disagree with? Step to the head of the line sir!
Report Post »MAXIMUS_MARIUSZ
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 7:49am@ exrepublisheep
There is not such thing as an ex-Republican. You’re nothing but a life-long liberal trying to make a point that is old, worn and insane. No conservative or Tea Party member gives credibility to a single liberal thought anymore and for good reason. Go back to your racist blogs, pick up your welfare check and go smoke/snort/shoot your drug of choice like the rest of your liberal freinds.
Report Post »3monkeysmomma
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:14pmBig Fat Hairy Deal.
I got called “poor white trash” growing up quite a lot, but I haven’t killed anybody yet.
Report Post »If only it had occurred to me sooner to blame society…..
mule creek ridge
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:14pmAicha el-Wafi should have done a better job raising her son.
Report Post »Wrongly convicted?????? You gotta be kidding me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They should have given him death whether he wanted it or not.
rose-ellen
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 7:48pmHe WAs wrongly convicted. Since when is it a crime to espouse anti american or anti any group, sentiments? He was charged with being a 9-11 co conspiritor but he was not. He may have been a wannabee but how is that a crime? looks like our claim to be a nation of laws and that we believe in equal justice and freedom of sspeecj and freedom of association is fraudulent. What hypocrites we proved to be 5 minutes after 9-11.If there were real justice in this country he would be free and those americans who opened fire on civilians in iraq would be in prison. i feel sorry for him-he was raddicalized in london and a victim of racism.And how on earth do you get life in prison withour parole simply for wwishing to commit a crime?Unbelievable!
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on September 6, 2011 at 11:38amrose-ellen
Before leaving the courtroom, he was reported to have shouted, “You will never get my blood. God curse you all!”[3] Later that month he withdrew his qualifications and again admitted guilt on all charges levied by the prosecution.
I dunno know why you avoid the facts but them thar are the facts.
Report Post »georgeisn6
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:12pmWith out the word RACISM BLACKS WOULD BE MUTE.
Report Post »GaryInTheMiddle
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:09pmMom, you tought him well. Good job. You must be so proud.
Report Post »georgeisn6
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:09pmDo blacks have a vocabulary beyond RACISM, they sure are lucky that some one gave their ancestor,s free passage over here so they could lurn to speak RACISM in english or they would be mute. I doubt they had the word where they came from, but then maby they invented racism where they came from only we call it tribalism.
Report Post »Secessionista
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:08pmShe should blame herself and herself only for birthing him and raising him that way. It seems that now she is also blaming muslims and their sharia law ways for muslims’ problems in France, lol.
You see, in the end, muslims even blame muslims!
Report Post »Bitter_Klinger
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:08pmshort and sweet… are we done trying to reason with these idiots? reminds me of that scene from ‘terminator’. ” they cannot be reasoned with, they will…not…stop…until you are DEAD” any questions people?
Report Post »LinkedIn G
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:19pmLike in the movie Independence Day when the president asked the alien “ What is it that you want us to do ” ? … the alien said … DIE.
Report Post »OlefromMN
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:07pmOf course it did.
Report Post »M 4 Colt
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:24pmMy question is WHAT IN THE HELL was this guy doing in our country in the first place! Don’t we vet these people before they are allowed to come here.
Report Post »kryptonite
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 12:53amNope. How do you think we got Hussein?
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:07pmAicha el-Wafi, He’s you kid, your to blame for not removing him from this world before you had him!!!
Report Post »J4Y
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:06pmI bet if the islamic prophets mother was alive today, she too would say the very same thing about her own son.
http://br0wn.biz
Report Post »Secessionista
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:06pmGee, I thought socialist countries were wonderful for minorities, lol!
I guess Barack has similar plans for us. Forment tension and hatred. Make everyone hate blacks so that blacks vote democrat so that the economy gets worse so that blacks get economically punished so that they rise up and turn us socialist. Then, he can run a country that keeps everyone down on the government plantation.
Report Post »The Divided States of America
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:05pmRacisim ‘escapisim’ …blame game never ends. the choices we make are of our own doing and they come straight from the heart of choice !!! Evil will always lose..choose well my fellow travellers !!!
Report Post »SavingtheRepublic.com
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:05pm~^~v~~^~~v~^~
Report Post »Yea and I was picked on as a kid for being too fat, too skinny, too short, too tall, not fast enough, not cute enough, for being italian, being a showoff, being cocky, not cool enough for the cool kids, not geeky enough for the geeky kids, not smart enough for the brainiacs… waaa waaaa did I join some radical death cult b/c I was picked on as a kid? NO!!
Stop with the excuses! If there wasnt literally a gun to ones head then they solely made the choice made the path they are on. Deal with it and stop pulling the race whether you are here in America or where this POS grew up.
MAN I am sick of this race card being pulled 24/7. You geniuses who use it, do you know the story of the boy who cried wolf? If not may I suggest it for your bedtime reading tonight…. http://SavingtheRepublic.com
robert
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:18pm“Mother of 9/11 ‘20th Hijacker’ Blames Racism for Pushing Her Son to Embrace Radical Islam”
That seems like nonsense to me.
Why? Because, just as in Libya, Middle Easterners look down on blacks and consider them inferior. And that is a proven fact.
That‘s why I can’t understand Calypso Louie’s great attraction to Islam. There are a few Arabs, like Ghadafi, who welcome blacks into the religion, (Only to use them somehow) but the vast majority of Muslims look down on blacks.
Another good example is Darfur. The Arabs there are fighting the blacks because they don’t like them.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2010/0426/Sudan-101-Is-the-Darfur-conflict-a-fight-between-Arabs-and-Africans
“Khartoum, Sudan
“Many in Sudan consider racism to be at the root of the Darfur conflict, and those who belong to Sudan’s ruling Arab elite have often been dismissive of those who belong to African tribes far from the capital, Khartoum. ”
If the above terrorist went over to Islam, because he felt the West was racist, he jumped from the frying pan into the fire.
Report Post »TheTruthPlease
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:04pmYes try as they might, liberals haven’t been able to get rid of scrutiny, or criticism, gasp or even discrimination. Even with every child getting a trophy, there are still whack jobs that buy into the whole 40 virginians thing. This is a silly story…it‘s almost like comrade obummer saying he didn’t know about the ATF running guns, or his drunk illegal uncle getting in trouble. Just plain silly. Race baiters and haters all of them. Have a plan, or be caught dead without one!
Report Post »Pro Deo et Patria
2+1=?
LinkedIn G
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:02pmIs there anything racism can’t accomplish ?
Report Post »macpappy
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:01pmNo one cares why, lady. Put his ass in the general population and let nature take it’s course. Some skinhead would have his ass.
Report Post »MrsK
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 7:00pmNo words.
Report Post »Chuck Stein
Posted on September 2, 2011 at 6:59pmAnd WHY am I not surprised that she is blaming racism? How trite an attempt at an excuse — and regarding such a horrific evil, too.
Report Post »