by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright December 4, 2001
All Rights Reserved.

espite skeptics, religious conversions are common among impressionable youth, transforming ordinary kids into dangerous fanatics. Captured during the bloody prison uprising near Mazar-i-Sharif, 20-year-old American John Philip "Walker" Lindh was dubbed "the American Taliban," apparently fighting alongside Bin Laden or Mullah Mohammed Omar. Speaking on CNN's "Larry King Live," Walker's parents guessed that their boy was brainwashed by the Taliban. Though not too farfetched, his father's remarks suggest his son was an innocent victim. "John is the last person you would expect to be a fighter," said Walker's father, energy lawyer Frank Lindh. "He is a very sweet person and very devout in a religious sense," remarked Lindh, planting Patty Hearst-like images of abduction and mind control. Identifying himself as "John Walker," the bearded, long-haired resident of California's posh Mill Valley was known in Muslim circles as "Abdul Hamid," since his conversion to Islam at age 16. Calling himself "a jihadi," Walker joined the Taliban because "they are the only government that actually provides Islamic law," appearing at odds with his father's benign explanation.

      Though Walker himself offered little insight, anecdotal information reveals the convoluted path to Mazar-i-Sharif. Named after Beatle lead singer and songwriter John Lennon, Walker transferred out of Marin's Redwood High School to Tamiscal High, an upper-crust alternative program, offering independent study to affluent creative youth. After reading the inspirational "Autobiography of Malcom X," Walker found Marin's only mosque and soon converted to Islam, also frequenting San Francisco's Islamic Center. Awarded his high school equivalency in 1998, the 17-year-old Walker left for Yemen to learn Arabic and study Islam. Returning to the states in 2000, he seemed a bit different. "He was the same, but even more intense," said Abdullah Nana, the son of director of Mill Valley's mosque. "He was shy but dedicated," attesting to Walker's metamorphosis from upscale suburbanite to religious fanatic. By the time Walker left for Yemen, he had already grown his beard and donned a "phobe"—an Islamic robe—and turban.

      When Walker sojourned to Bannu, Pakistan more than a year ago, he joined the ultra-religious Tabilighi Jamaat movement, known for its uncorrupted form of Islam. British rock-star Cat Stevens—now called Yusuf Islam—was one of its celebrity followers. Losing touch with his son in May 2001, Walker's father has no idea how his son wound up with the Taliban. "My anxiety went sky-high," said Lindh, admitting that he hadn't heard from his son since the Sept. 11 massacre. Once captured, he was relieved to know his son's whereabouts, but deeply disturbed by his son's remarks that he supported the Sept. 11 attacks. Walker's public remarks led authorities to believe that he voluntarily participated in the Taliban's "jihad" against America. Knowing the implications, Lindh suggested that his son was shell shocked, much like Patty Hearst— known as Tanya—the glamorous SLA radical pictured with an AK-47. Authorities insisted, then, that the newspaper heiress willfully committed bank robbery and other felonies, despite the defense's claim that she was abducted and brainwashed.

      Idealistic youth are especially vulnerable to the temptations of utopia found in religious and secular cults. Walker's history fits the profile of youthful recruits seeking the powerful identity offered by cults. Radical groups—whether religious or political—magnetically attract various misanthropes begging for the kind of quasi-family structure found in religious or secular cults. Bin Laden and Mullah Mohammed Omar play dangerous cult masters, indoctrinating recruits with mega-dosages of their eccentric vision of Islam. To Bin Laden and Mullah Mohammed Omar, Islam is best form of anesthesia for dispossessed followers. Islam becomes a powerful weapon of control and absolute obedience. Giving recruits guns, shelter, and a reason for living, creates powerful conformity to radical ideas. Threatening violence and death accelerate the process by open minds are trashed. For zealots like Walker, joining Al Qaeda or the Taliban represents living paradise, baptizing themselves in the warm bath of radical empowerment and religious fantasy. Already a true believer, it doesn't take much to control his mind.

      Despite well-documented cases of brainwashing skeptics still remain. At a recent hearing in Superior Court in Los Angeles, former SLA member Sara Jane Olson asked Judge Larry Paul Fidler to rescind her plea bargain, claiming she was bamboozled by her attorney, J. Tony Serra. "He yelled and screamed and demanded that she accept the deal," said co-counsel Shawn Chapman, arguing the Olson's was coerced by her own attorney. Rejecting Chapman's argument, Judge Fidler went to the other extreme. "are you claiming that Mr. Serra is some sort of Svengali that could somehow overpower a very intelligent woman's free will?" said Fidler. "I thought we were out the Dark Ages," demonstrating, if nothing else, his own naiveté about coercive persuasion. It's clear that Walker's public statements are consistent with someone brainwashed. Like Patty Hearst, Walker grew up in affluence, showed confusion, and found himself through the extreme structure and false promises of radical Islam. Even if Walker claims he was swept helplessly into the Taliban's frenetic search for recruits, it doesn't rule out brainwashing.

      Now a prisoner of war, John Walker must be psychiatrically evaluated before he's charged with treason and faces the penalty. Finding Walker with Taliban prisoners of war doesn't automatically mean that he willfully betrayed his country. Mired in the no-man's-land of religious zealotry, Walker's public comments should be taken with a grain of salt. "There's no evidence that we know of that he has done anything wrong," said Walker's father, hoping that authorities would accept his version of events. Unfortunately for Mr. Lindh, proving his son's innocence will take considerable work and good representation. What's known now is that John Walker fits the profile of someone highly vulnerable to influence. Whether he's actually brainwashed or voluntarily joined a dangerous religious or political cult remains uncertain. For the thousands of sad souls recruited as human hand grenades, only patient deprogramming can reduce future risks. Kangaroo courts and firing squads won't yield too many answers.

About the Author

John M. Curtis is editor of OnlineColumnist.com and columnist for the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He's director of a Los Angeles think tank specializing in political consulting and strategic public relations. He's author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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