Why Yasir Qadhi Wants to Talk About Jihad

By ANDREA ELLIOTT

On a chilly night in the dead of a New England winter, Yasir Qadhi hurried down the stairs of Yale Universitys religious-studies department, searching urgently for a place to make a private call ! "h # candidate in $slamic studies, Qadhi was a fi%ture on the New &aven campus &e wore a trim 'eard and preppy polo shirts, 'lending in with the other graduate students as he lugged an overstuffed 'ackpack into (lue )tate *offee for his daily cappuccino ! popular teaching assistant, he e%uded a sprightly intensity in class, addressing the undergraduates as +dudes , (ut Qadhi had another life (eyond the gothic confines of Yale, he was 'ecoming one of the most influential conservative clerics in !merican $slam, drawing a tide of followers in the fundamentalist movement known as )alafiya -aised 'etween .e%as and )audi !ra'ia, he seemed uni/uely deft at 'alancing the edicts of orthodo% $slam with the mores of contemporary !merica .o many young 0uslims wrestling with conflicts 'etween faith and country, Qadhi was a rock star .o law-enforcement agents, he was also a figure of interest, given his prominence in a community considered vulnera'le to radicali1ation )ome officials, noting his message of nonviolence, saw him as an ally Others were wary, recalling a time when Qadhi spouted a much harder, less tolerant line On this night, however, it was Qadhis closest followers who were /uestioning him .wo weeks earlier, on *hristmas #ay 2334, a young Nigerian tried to 'low up a 5et headed for #etroit with a 'om' sewn into his underwear .he suspect had 'een a student of Qadhis at the !l0aghri' $nstitute, which teaches )alafi theology in 26 !merican cities 7 ( $ agents were demanding interviews with Qadhis students &e urged them to cooperate, 'ut many pushed 'ack, and Qadhi found himself caught 'etween two seemingly irreconcila'le forces8 a deeply suspicious government and a young following he could lose $n the 'asement of the religious-studies 'uilding, Qadhi settled into an empty room, flipped open his 0ac(ook "ro 9encased in $slamic apple green: and dialed in to an $nternet conference call with more than 6;3 of his !l0aghri' students +$

want to 'e very frank here,, Qadhi said, his voice tight with e%asperation +#o you really, really think that 'lowing up a plane is $slamic< $ mean, ask yourself this , None of the students defended the plot, 'ut some sympathi1ed with the suspect, said several students who participated in the call, one of whom provided a recording to .he .imes =as it not possi'le, they asked, that he had 'een set up< !nd how could they trust the 7 ( $ after all they e%perienced > the post-4?66 raids, the monitoring of mos/ues, the sting operations aimed at 0uslims< ! few went as far as to say that they could not turn against a fellow 0uslim who was trying to fight the oppressive policies of the United )tates Qadhi paced the worn, gray carpet +.here were even 0uslims on that plane@, he said +$ mean, what world are you living in< &ow angry and over1ealous are you that you simply forget a'out everything and you think that this is the way forward<, Over the next year, Qadhi was thrust into the center of a crucial struggle > for the minds of his young students, the trust of his government and his own future as !merica was waking to a new threat )ince 233A, more than two do1en 0uslim-!mericans have 5oined or sought training with militant groups a'road .hey are among the roughly ;3 !merican citi1ens charged with terrorism-related offenses during that time .hese suspects are a mi%ed lot )ome converted to $slamB others were raised in the faith .hey come from a range of socioeconomic 'ackgrounds and have migrated to different fronts in their glo'al war, from )omalia to "akistan .heir motivations differ, 'ut the vast ma5ority share two key attri'utes8 a deep disdain for !merican foreign policy and an ideology rooted in )alafiya $n the spectrum of the glo'al )alafi movement, Qadhi, who is CD, speaks for the nonmilitant ma5ority Yet even as he has denounced $slamist violence > too late, some say > a handful of !l0aghri's former students have heeded the call $n addition to the underwear-'om' suspect, the CD,333 current and former students of Qadhis institute include #aniel 0aldonado, a New &ampshire convert who was convicted in 233E of training with an !l Qaeda-linked militia in )omaliaB .arek 0ehanna, a 2A-year-old pharmacist arrested for conspiring to attack !mericansB and two young Firginia men held in "akistan in 2334 for seeking to train with militants

Qadhi said that none of those former students had approached him for counsel (ut in recent years, countless others have come to him with /uestions a'out the legitimacy of waging 5ihad +=ere finding ourselves on the front line,, Qadhi said +=e dont want to 'e there , #uring the months $ spent in the insular world of young !merican )alafis, it 'ecame clear how pressing those /uestions are for many conservative 0uslims who have come of age after 4?66 .hey have watched as their own country wages war in 0uslim lands, 'earing witness > via satellite television and the $nternet > to the carnage in $ra/, the drone attacks in "akistan and the treatment of detainees at GuantHnamo =hile the do1ens of !l0aghri' students $ interviewed condemned the tactics of militant groups, many share their 'asic grievances .hey are searching for the correct $slamic response, turning to the ancient te%ts that guide their !merican lives .heir salvation, they say, hangs in the 'alance .his is what makes Qadhi such a pivotal figure in a su'culture that is little understood, even 'y the law-enforcement officials who monitor it &e is the rare =estern cleric fluent in the language of militants, having spent nearly a decade studying $slam in )audi !ra'ia, steeped in the same tradition that spawned Osama 'in Iadens splinter movement !rgua'ly few !merican theologians are 'etter positioned to offer an authoritative re'uttal of e%tremist ideology (ut to do that, Qadhi says he would need to address the thorny /uestion of what kinds of militant actions are permitted 'y $slamic law $t is a for'idden topic for most !merican clerics, who even refrain from critici1ing their countrys foreign policy for fear of 'eing 'randed unpatriotic 7or an ultraconservative cleric like Qadhi, the picture is more complicated Engaging in a detailed discussion of militant 5ihad > a comple% su'5ect informed 'y centuries of scholarship > risks drawing the scrutiny of law enforcement and, Qadhi fears, possi'le prosecution $f he were to acknowledge that $slamic law endorses the legitimacy of armed resistance against =estern forces in 0uslim territory, he could give a green light to the very students he claims he is trying to keep off the militant path Yet 'y remaining silent, Qadhi says he is losing the credi'ility he needs to persuade them of his ultimate message8 those fights are not theirs, as =esterners, to fight +0y hands are tied, and my tongue is silent,, he said

0ilitant clerics a'road have filled the void, none more than !nwar al-!wlaki, the !merican preacher who is now 'elieved to 'e in hiding in Yemen with !l Qaeda in the !ra'ian "eninsula !wlaki has 'een linked to numerous plots against the United )tates, including the 'otched underwear 'om'ing &e has taken to the $nternet with stirring 'attle cries directed at young !merican 0uslims +0any of your scholars,, !wlaki warned last year, are +standing 'etween you and your duty of 5ihad , It was near midnight last Octo'er when Qadhis teenage acolytes surrounded him at .homas )weet, an ice cream parlor in New (runswick, N J "uma sneakers peeked out from under long ro'es )uddenly the lyrics +shake your 'ooty, 'lasted over the speakers .he young men leaned in closer, unfa1ed (etween helpings of mango-flavored sor'et, Qadhi pontificated on medieval $slamic theology +=e have a reasona'le religion,, he said +=ere a very logical, rational group of people , Qadhis students hang on his every word .hey huddle around him > 'etween classes, during meals, even in 'athrooms > pinging him with /uestions .heir reliance on Qadhi is a product of contemporary $slam, a decentrali1ed religion with no clear authority *lerics with the highest level of scholarship are considered invalua'le guides, especially in the secular =est Qadhi was in New Jersey that weekend to teach a seminar on the concept of faithled action #uring a 'reak, a do1en young men flocked to him once again ! softspoken engineer lo''ed the first /uestion8 =asnt it hypocritical for the same =estern imams who supported the !fghan resistance against the )oviets to now condemn the 5ihad against !merican troops< !fter all, another student asked, dont civilians in $ra/ and !fghanistan +have an o'ligation to do something to defend themselves<, +$ am not commenting on what they should or should not do,, Qadhi replied +$ am commenting on what you should do as !merican 0uslims , .hey had heard it 'efore8 vote, educate your neigh'ors, protest peacefully (ut is that what $slam commands when your people are dying< .he /uestion haunts some of Qadhis 'rightest students One of the deepest $slamic principles is that of the ummah > the glo'al community that unites all 0uslims .he "rophet

0uhammad was said to have likened it to the human 'ody $f one part hurts, the whole 'ody aches One of Qadhis followers, a feisty 2E-year-old New Yorker, compared his e%perience of watching 'om's fall on $ra/ to what other !mericans might feel at seeing +*alifornia 'eing ravaged day in and day out &ow would you feel<, &e said he understood why Qadhi could not speak e%pansively a'out the conflicts overseas Even so, he asked, who has greater credi'ility8 the cleric living comforta'ly in !merica or the militant +in the cave, who sacrificed everything for his 'eliefs< +One thing a'out !wlaki no one can deny,, he said, +this man is fearless , .hat !wlaki carries weight with conservative 0uslims underscores 'oth the rivalry and pro%imity 'etween militant and nonmilitant )alafis Qadhi and !wlaki have parallel pasts8 they were 'oth 'orn in the United )tates, spent part of their youth in the 0iddle East and entered the !merican )alafi movement 5ust as it was on the rise !wlaki later spent time in a Yemeni prison and emerged in 233A calling for 0uslims to fight the =est -ecordings of his sermons continued to 'e sold at !l0aghri' seminars even after the students were ordered to stop in Novem'er 2334, following the 7ort &ood shootings that !wlaki praised 0any of the students had grown up listening to him preach on his *#s .hey trusted him then, one told me, why not trust him now< 7or the tiny fraction of !l0aghri's students who have turned to violence, many are what Qadhi refers to as +sympathi1ers, of militant anger .hese young, politically attuned 0uslims are taken with events that dont even register with most !mericans, like two recent terrorism cases in New York that drew overflow crowds, Qadhis students among them +$f any 0uslim is oppressed anywhere, the prevailing wisdom is that we should 'e standing up to help them > if were true 'elievers,, says $fy Okoye, an !l0aghri' volunteer from (eltsville, 0d )ometimes, she added, +you feel guilty for living here , 0any of todays young !merican 0uslims are the children of educated, successful immigrants whose passage to the United )tates came smoothly, in contrast to Europes largely working-class 0uslims 7or years, this 'olstered the theory that !merican 0uslim youth had 'een spared the alienation that fostered militancy in Europe

(ut alienation has many faces !mericas youngest 0uslims have grown up in a newly hostile country, with mounting opposition to the construction of mos/ues, a national movement seeking to 'an courts from consulting shariah, or $slamic law, and rising hate crimes against 0uslims =hile some young 0uslims have sought distance, a'andoning $slam and even changing their names, others have e%perienced a spiritual awakening .he most conservative have found a home in )alafiya )alafis take their name from the !ra'ic word +salaf,, meaning +ancestor , .heir movement seeks to reclaim $slams lost glory 'y purging the faith of modern influences )alafis model their lives after the first 0uslims, 'eginning with the "rophet 0uhammad, the seventh-century 0eccan merchant to whom the Koran, it is 'elieved, was revealed .hey encourage a direct relationship with God through a literal reading of $slams primary sources > the Koran and the )unnah, the prophets sayings and deeds =ithin the faith, )alafis have a reputation for intolerance and divisiveness Iike other religious conservatives, they tend to 'e adamant in their strict interpretations, shunning those who disagree .hey denounce the veneration of saints, common among some )ufi sects 0any )alafi men insist on a fist-length 'eard and wear their trousers a'ove the ankle in a desire to emulate the prophet =hile versions of )alafiya have persisted through history, its current iteration derives largely from the puritanical, 6Ath-century school of )audi $slam known as =ahha'ism .odays )alafis share the same 'asic theology 'ut differ on how to manifest it 0any are apolitical, while another su'set engages in politics as a nonviolent means to an end > namely, an $slamic theocracy ! third fringe group is devoted to militant 5ihad as the only path to $slamic rule and, ultimately, heaven !ll three strains have surfaced in the =est, where the movement has flourished among the children of immigrants +$ts a'out this deep desire for certainty,, (ernard &aykel, a leading )alafi e%pert at "rinceton University, says +.hey are responding to a kind of disenchantment with the modern world , One balmy afternoon last spring, Qadhi walked across Yales campus, stepping around a throng of teenagers he dismissed, irasci'ly, as +the prefreshie tour , &e stopped 'efore the tom'like 'uilding that houses the elite )kull and (ones society Qadhi stared up at the 'rownstone facade, as if imagining the

secrets it held +Youre set for life,, he said, s/uinting through his sunglasses +You get to thinking that everyone in the =hite &ouse was a part of this, and its easy to see why people think there is a conspiracy , !fter a pause, he added, +$ dont 'elieve those theories , Qadhi is hardly disenchanted 'y the trappings of =estern life &e has more than 63,333 fans on 7ace'ook, hundreds of sermons on You.u'e and a growing .witter following &e drives a 'lack, leather-interior &onda *--F, often pulling into a "opeyes drive-through for popcorn shrimp and gravy-slathered 'iscuits &e is planning a trip to #isney =orld with his wife, -umana, and their four children )ome of Qadhis followers find his ease with !merican culture perple%ing, even suspicious Yet it is his unapologetic comfort with !merica > his assertion that 0uslims 'elong here as much as anyone > that has also made him a point of pride for many young )alafis +=e need to make sure that our children can live freely, and were going to fight for that freedom,, he told me one afternoon +!nd every time $ use that word, $ need to make a disclaimer > $ dont mean Lfight in the .ea "arty sense of overthrowing the government , ! stout five-foot-five, Qadhi chuckles easily and speaks rapidly, his hands punctuating his words with slicing motions &e is confident to a fault, often trailing a sentence with +God protect me from arrogance , $n class, he can 'e staid and professorial, with flashes of frivolity &e once implored students to +make love, not 5ihad , &e 'lends religious piety with entrepreneurial savvy 0ore than 23,333 people have signed up for +Iike a Garment,, Qadhis new online seminar a'out se% in $slamic marriage +$ give e%plicit detail on how a man should give his wife an orgasm in a permissi'le manner,, he e%plained Qadhis platform is the !l0aghri' $nstitute, where he serves as academic dean 7ounded in 2332 'y 0uhammad !lshareef, a *anadian cleric then living in !le%andria, Fa , !l0aghri' is now an international enterprise, offering seminars in the United )tates, *anada and (ritain $t reported nearly M6 2 million in revenue in 2334 and aspires to 'ecome a full-time $slamic seminary, al'eit with an air of corporate !merica #uring a recent retreat in the mountains of Ontario, !l0aghri's clerics whi11ed along snowy 'luffs on sleds drawn 'y )i'erian

huskies +!s long as you dont touch them, its all right,, Qadhi said, referring to his interpretation of $slams ruling on dogs Iast June, Qadhi and his family left New &aven for the outskirts of 0emphis, settling into a spacious new ranch house in a well-tended su'division )till at work on his doctoral thesis, Qadhi found a 5o' teaching $slamic studies at -hodes *ollege, which is affiliated with the "res'yterian *hurch $t is something of a curiosity that Qadhi, who was raised in )audi !ra'ia, $slams 'irthplace, now lives in a landscape marked 'y church steeples and +=hat would Jesus do<, 'umper stickers (ut the !merican )outh seems to agree with Qadhi, who often preaches on the $slamic principle of polite conduct &e takes to the gentility of his students at -hodes, who call him sir .here is no 'etter place to 'e 0uslim than in !merica, he says, 'ecause as a minority +you feel your faith , !t times, he seems oddly "ollyanna-ish a'out his future in .ennessee, where someone tried to torch the site of a planned mos/ue last year Qadhi concedes that living someplace like )audi !ra'ia might 'e easier, 'ut +its not my land at the end of the day,, he said +$ am an !merican =hat else can $ say<, $n Qadhis current incarnation, it is hard to make out the preacher he refers to as +the old me , .hat Qadhi lives on via You.u'e $n a television show recorded in Egypt in 2336, Qadhi, then 2D, e%plains that one form of kufr, or dis'elief, is adhering to man-made laws over Gods law +*an you 'elieve it<, he says +! group of people coming together and voting > and the ma5ority vote will then 'e the law of the land =hat gives you the right to prohi'it something or allow something<, &is young students nod their heads +$slam is a complete way of life, a complete su'mission to !llah and to the rulings of !llah,, Qadhi said on the show +$t is a complete package , ong before !ala"ya came to the United )tates, Qadhis father arrived in &ouston from Karachi, "akistan $t was 64DC, and the young 'achelor, 0a1har Ka1i, enrolled at the University of &ouston with his sights on a medical degree One of the first foreign-'orn 0uslims to settle in the area, Ka1i took a 5o' as a 'us'oy and tended to his studies &e eventually married a micro'iologist from Karachi and founded the areas first mos/ue

.heir son, Yasir, was 'orn in 64E;, the second of two 'oys =hen Yasir was ;, the Ka1is moved to Jedda, )audi !ra'ia, intent on e%posing their sons to $slam and !ra'ic Ka1i took a 5o' teaching medicine at the King !'dula1i1 University .he family spent summers in &ouston, 'ut the 'oys were mostly shaped 'y life in Jedda, a 'lend of (ritish e%pat culture and strict )audi norms Qadhi 9who later changed the spelling of his surname to reflect the correct pronunciation: was precociously 'ookish On weekends, he searched the local li'rary for .olstoy and &emingway (y 6;, Qadhi had memori1ed the Koran and graduated from high school, two years early, as valedictorian 7ollowing his fathers wishes, he enrolled at the University of &ouston in 6446, ma5oring in chemical engineering Qadhi had never attended a class with women and was shocked 'y campus life &e took refuge in the 0uslim )tudents !ssociation, a close-knit group of mostly !ra' and )outh !sian immigrants &e was soon leading study circles and delivering effusive 7riday sermons &is introduction to )alafiya came in his sophomore year, when a 0uslim convert from *olorado visited campus ! tall, regal man with a wispy white 'eard, the preacher displayed a command of $slam that Qadhi had never seen =hen asked a /uestion, he closed his eyes and recited a litany of evidence from the Koran and the )unnah .his approach, a cornerstone of )alafiya, appealed to Qadhis empiricism +$ts so disciplined and academic,, he said .hen 6E, Qadhi 'egan driving through the night to attend )alafi camping retreats, where legendary clerics lectured from Jordan and )audi !ra'ia via teleconference &e drilled into )alafiya with a discipline that defied his adolescence !t a retreat in (oulder, *olo , some of Qadhis friends skipped out to go fishing =hen they returned, Qadhi refused to share his notes +$t was very clear that this guy was going to 'ecome something and we werent,, said one of the friends, !mad )haikh !t another retreat, Qadhi fell under the sway of !li al-.imimi ! cancer researcher from 0aryland, .imimi had studied $slam in )audi !ra'ia and helped spread the !merican )alafi movement, which 'egan in the early 64A3s as a patchwork of nonprofit groups su'sidi1ed 'y the )audi government .hrough shipments of free Korans and other te%ts, )alafi doctrine developed a strong presence at !merican mos/ues, prisons and $slamic schools (y the 6443s, the )alafi community num'ered in the low thousands

!merican )alafiya mirrored the movement a'road $t was largely apolitical until the first gulf war, when the United )tates set up a 'ase in )audi !ra'ia .he presence of !merican troops on )audi soil, home to $slams holiest sites, was a defining moment for )alafis, giving rise to a political awakening and fueling 'in Iadens militancy $n !merica, some )alafi clerics 'egan calling for political action against the )audi regime, while others remained loyal Qadhi was torn (ut on other matters, he steered his fellow students in &ouston toward a strict code .hey instituted se% segregation, policing each other for signs of deviation =hen a "akistani student organi1ation sponsored a rock concert, Qadhi and his friends distri'uted fliers warning the crowds that $slam prohi'ited music .hey did not see themselves as stakeholders in !merica, )haikh recalled .heir goal was to spread $slam and then migrate to 0uslim lands +$t was almost cultish,, )haikh said 7or all his stridency, Qadhi 'roke one significant rule8 he fell in love outside the 'ounds of arranged marriage .he young woman, -umana, was a /uiet, graceful college student of $ndian descent (ut Qadhis parents had their sights on other marriage candidates, and the courtship faded #uring college, 5ihad loomed in the 'ackdrop of Qadhis life Iike many of his peers, he was taken 'y the legend of the !merican 0uslims who had fought with the !fghan mu5ahedeen against the )oviets (ack then, talk of 5ihad carried little ta'oo, given the United )tates role in financing the resistance Qadhi knew several men who later fought in (osnia No'le as it seemed, he said, +$ thought there were more productive ways for me to spend my life , &e had long thought of 'ecoming a 0uslim scholar )hortly 'efore graduating, Qadhi applied to the $slamic University of 0edina, a leading )alafi institution !fter enrolling in the fall of 644D, he called -umana +$ cant live without you,, he told her +!re you willing to live a difficult life<, Qadhi and his new wife settled into a spare apartment, and he plunged into round-the-clock study Iife in 0edina deepened his faith while narrowing his tolerance for the outside world &e came to identify with political )alafiya, denouncing secular democracies and declaring )ufis and )hia +heretics , &e took

up the "alestinian cause > a pathway, he said, to the anti-)emitic rhetoric that ran rampant in his circles $n the summer of 2336, Qadhi traveled to Iondon to teach at an $slamic conference !t the end of a class, he went into a diatri'e arguing that $srael did not rightfully 'elong to the Jewish people +&itler never intended to mass-destroy the Jews,, Qadhi said, telling the audience to read a 'ook a'out +the hoa%, of the &olocaust &e went on to say that most $slamic-studies professors in the United )tates are Jews who +want to destroy us , Iooking 'ack, Qadhi said he fell down a slippery slope where criticism of $srael gave way to attacks on Jews (eneath the vitriol, he said, was a sense of victimi1ation > that non-0uslims were to 'lame for the afflictions of the 0uslim world +=hen youre young and naNve, its easier to fall prey to such things,, said Qadhi, who pu'licly recanted years later Iast !ugust, he 5oined a delegation of !merican imams and ra''is on a visit to the !uschwit1 and #achau concentration camps, which he said left him +sick, and more em'arrassed 'y his &itler remarks +$t was a pre-4?66 world,, he said +.he circumstances did not dictate that we think critically , .wo months after the Iondon episode, Qadhi was walking to his mos/ue in 0edina when a friend came running +Yasir, Yasir, did you hear what happened<, the young man called out Qadhi rushed to a neigh'ors apartment in search of a television, 5ust as the second tower collapsed In the aftermath of #$%%, the !merican )alafi movement fell apart !s federal agents raided 0uslim mos/ues, charities and 'usinesses, the most prominent )alafis vanished from clerical life or landed in prison )ome of the movements key figures were convicted on charges unrelated to terrorism, ranging from ta% evasion to visa-immigration violations +!ll of these people were 5ailed for different things, 'ut if you look at them collectively, you see the )alafi movement,, $dris "almer, a onetime )alafi activist, told me Iaw-enforcement officials say that there was no policy singling out )alafis .hey were rushing to root out a new enemy, with little time to grasp the theological differences separating nonviolent fundamentalists from the creed of the

hi5ackers 0any agents did not even know what a )alafi was +and still dont,, says *hristopher &effelfinger, a security analyst who consults with the government Northern Firginia > then a ne%us of the !merican )alafi movement given its pro%imity to the )audi Em'assy > 'ecame a focal point !nwar al-!wlaki was still preaching in Firginia when federal agents raided 6; local $slamic offices and homes +$ts a war against 0uslims and $slam,, !wlaki 'ellowed in an audio address +$ts happening right here in !merica , .he most high-profile Firginia case involved Qadhis onetime mentor, !li al.imimi, who regularly preached at a 7alls *hurch mos/ue !t a dinner five days after 4?66, .imimi and some of the mos/ues young congregants discussed how to respond "rosecutors later accused .imimi of spurring the men to wage 5ihad against !merican troops overseas, saying they practiced shooting at a paint'all facility !t issue in the case against .imimi were his words8 his lawyers argued that he recommended that the men move to 0uslim countries, while prosecutors said he was inciting 5ihad .hey highlighted comments 'y .imimi unrelated to the dinner, including politically charged speeches and a statement in which he cele'rated the *olum'ia )huttle disaster &e was convicted and sentenced to life in prison 7rom 0edina, Qadhi followed the case closely 7or !merican clerics, he said, the message was clear8 those who engage in controversial rhetoric are treading on thin ice =hile 4?66 had shaken Qadhis movement, it also unsettled him personally +No matter how strange this sounds, after having lived in )audi !ra'ia for so long and also in !merica for so long, $ could fully understand the fear, the anger, the frustration, the paranoia on 'oth sides,, Qadhi says +$ could understand Lthey and Lus , Qadhi 'egan to wrestle with some of his own 'eliefs $t trou'led him that )alafiya, even in its nonmilitant form, had helped shape the ideology of groups like !l Qaeda +=hat type of $slam are we going to teach people<, he recalled thinking +.his isolationist $slam< .his $slam of Lus versus Lthem > is that healthy< $s that what my religion is<, !t the time, Qadhi was on track to 'ecome 0edinas first !merican doctoral candidate &e wondered if he had a more promising future in !merica, where the )alafi movement, 'ereft of leaders, was in crisis 7rom &ouston, Qadhis father >

who had retired and was volunteering as a prison chaplain > encouraged his son to leave )audi !ra'ia, which he 'elieved had left Qadhi +totally 'rainwashed , +$ said, L*ome 'ack to !mericaB this is your land, , Ka1i said in an interview at his home, sitting in what he called his +!rchie (unker chair , In &''(, Qadhi a))lied to Yale* )ome of his contemporaries saw the move as strategic +$t was a stepping stone,, $mam !'dullah . !ntepli, the 0uslim chaplain at #uke University, told me +&e knew that with that Yale ticket, people would take him more seriously , Qadhis )audi professors were aghast that he would switch to a =estern university to study $slam Yales professors were also surprised .he religiousstudies department had never taken on a graduate of the )audi educational system +You admit someone from )audi !ra'ia, you dont know how much intolerance you let into an !merican university,, says 7rank Griffel, a professor of $slamic studies (ut Qadhi impressed Griffel as +profoundly intelligent, and willing to engage in critical thinking !t 0edina, Qadhis studies revolved around the search for an a'solute religious truth !t Yale, the line of in/uiry was markedly different $n Qadhis first class with Griffel in the fall of 233;, the su'5ect was a 62th-century )ufi 5urist +You, Yasir, pro'a'ly know more a'out this guy,, Griffel said +(ut were going to study how to study him , Qadhi was struck 'y this analytical approach +.he /uestion is more historical in nature > its a'out where did this idea come from, how did it affect later ideas,, Qadhi said 7or Qadhi, the Koran remained the une/uivocal word of God (ut he 'egan to think more critically a'out the +man-made, canon that informed $slamic theology )o much of Qadhis intransigence > especially toward other 0uslim sects > was 'ased on the view that his tradition was divinely ordained &e came to see )alafiya as yet another +human development, that was handed down over generations and therefore su'5ect to imperfection +$ reali1ed that, in many issues, only God knows the ultimate truth,, he says Qadhi landed on the !merican preaching circuit with force, and his following skyrocketed among young )alafis !mericas leading clerics were converts who had risen to prominence 'ecause they could translate an intricate theology into

an !merican vernacular Qadhi did the same 'ut as the proud son of 0uslim immigrants "lus he was a )alafi > or so it seemed $n July 233D, at a conference in *openhagen, Qadhi did the unthinka'le8 he shook a womans hand in a spontaneous challenge to her perception of fundamentalists, he said .he woman, 0ona Eltahawy, a columnist on !ra' and 0uslim issues, wrote a'out the e%change, which 'ecame known in )alafi circles as the +when-Yasir-met-0ona moment , .he handshake drew a death threat from a man in Iondon .he following year, Qadhi further pushed the limits, making a pact of +mutual respect and cooperation, with !merican clerics of the )ufi order, )alafiyas longtime enemy )everal of Qadhis former )audi professors pu'licly assailed him, a signal he had 'ecome too prominent for them to ignore Qadhi 'egan to step away from the )alafi la'el, re'randing his movement +orthodo% with a capital O , =hile he remained devoted to )alafiyas core tenets, his followers struggled to keep pace with his changes Others remained skeptical +$s he 'eing instrumental and opportunistic, or has he really a'andoned some of these )alafi 'eliefs<, said &aykel, the "rinceton professor +&es engaged in an incredi'le performance of reinvention that $m not sure hell 'e a'le to pull off , .he same /uestion hovered over Qadhis institute, whose founder, !lshareef, once gave a sermon titled +=hy the Jews =ere *ursed , 0eanwhile, as Qadhi honed a new message, he was roundly dismissed on 5ihadist forums as a +sellout , One detractor was )amir Khan, a young 'logger from North *arolina who eventually moved to Yemen and now runs the !l Qaeda maga1ine, $nspire, according to law-enforcement officials =hile Khan was still living in the United )tates in 233E, he wrote several 'log posts a'out Qadhi +&e has done good, and we do not deny this,, read one (ut Qadhis +wrongdoings,, he continued, +can destroy the 0uslims , !us)i+ion surrounded Qadhi* $n 7e'ruary 233D, he was crossing from *anada into the United )tates when !merican 'order agents pulled aside his van and ushered his family into a room !n agent told Qadhi he was +waiting for permission from =ashington, to let Qadhi 'ack into the country, he recalled .hey were freed more than five hours later

$t was the first sign that Qadhi was on the terrorist watch list 7rom then on, he and his family traveled separately +$m not going to 'e humiliated in front of my kids,, he said !t airports, he 'ecame accustomed to long interviews with 'order agents, who downloaded his laptop hard drive and searched his cellphone .hey photocopied notes he kept on his sermons and even asked for his definition of 5ihad 7 ( $ agents in New &aven /uestioned him a'out two !merican ac/uaintances who had 'een charged with terrorism-related offenses Qadhi said he knew nothing of their activities, 'ut the agents pressed him to report on anyone who e%pressed views that +might 'e of interest,, he recalled &e refused, saying, +.his is !merica, not )oviet -ussia or East Germany , $ncreasingly, Qadhi felt 'acked into a corner $n !ugust 233D, at a meeting for 0uslim leaders in &ouston, he walked up to #aniel = )utherland, a &omeland )ecurity official +&i, $m a pacifist )alafi,, Qadhi said to him Iooking stunned, )utherland sat and talked with Qadhi for more than an hour .hen in 0ay 233A, Qadhi received an invitation from Quintan =iktorowic1, an analyst for a government agency that was hosting a conference on counterradicali1ation 9=iktorowic1 was recently named a senior director at the National )ecurity *ouncil : $n attendance were (ritish and !merican intelligence officials, including the director of &omeland )ecurity at the time, 0ichael *hertoff #uring a 'reak, Qadhi spotted a &ouston ac/uaintance who happened to work for *hertoff +$ said, L#ont you think its ironic that on the one hand, youre reaching out for my e%pertise and wanting my help, and on the other hand, youre harassing and intimidating me as if $m a potential terrorist< , In the West, 5ihad is often depicted as a self-contained, violent cause (ut in Qadhis world, it e%ists within a panoply of comple% and overlapping issues .he most immediate /uestion is not whether to fight overseas 'ut how to make peace living in the pluralistic =est #e'ates pivot on arcane theological points from the ninth century, a time when religious empires reigned, not secular nations *lassical scholars reference a world divided 'etween dar al-Islam, the land of $slam, and dar al-harb, the land of war (ut which land is !merica<

+$f were not at war, why is !merica killing 0uslims throughout the world<, says (asil Gohar, C3, who has studied with Qadhi +$f we are at war, how can we live in !merica peacefully<, Even a'sent the /uestion of war, =estern )alafis ponder their loyalties $nternet forums 'u11 with talk a'out the concept of al-walaa wal-baraa, which is rooted in Koranic verses dictating allegiance to 0uslims over non-0uslims Qadhis students are divided over whether to vote, pay ta%es that support the military or even cele'rate .hanksgiving +.hese sorts of things, they are the fault lines,, says Okoye, the student from 0aryland Qadhi sees in his students an earlier version of himself > the passionate )alafi who took comfort in a 'lack-and-white world &e prods them to think +in colors, and find a 'alance 'etween loyalty to $slam and to !merica &e urges them to pay ta%es and vote, drawing the line at military service, given $ra/ and !fghanistan +.here is no draft,, he said +.hank God for that , 7or Qadhi and his students, nothing tested those loyalties more than the events after the underwear-'om' plot of #ecem'er 2334 =henever a terrorism suspect is identified, !l0aghri' runs the name through its data'ase of alumni to see if there is a match +Oh, my God,, Qadhi said when a colleague told him that the 2C-year-old suspect, Umar 7arouk !'dulmutalla', had 'een his student Qadhi searched his memory .he son of a prominent 'anker, !'dulmutalla' had 'een living and studying in Iondon &e had taken two !l0aghri' classes 'efore attending the institutes 6D-day &ouston conference in 233A .here, !'dulmutalla' kept mostly to himself +&e never got into political issues,, says !'dul-0alik -yan, CD, a lawyer from *hicago who studied with him every morning !s media outlets discovered the connection, !l0aghri's leaders rushed to contain a crisis .he institutes vice president, =aleed (asyouni, reached out to the 7 ( $ s &ouston field office !gents wanted to interview all 6;D students who attended the 233A conference +$ said, L$f you start going to our students and terrifying them, and they stop coming, we will close down, , he recalled telling the agents + LYou would 'e pushing the students to go to 'asements, small circles, on the $nternet )o its in your 'enefit that this organi1ation stay open ,

$n previous cases, 7 ( $ agents dropped 'y the homes of some !l0aghri' students, unannounced .his time, they issued a su'poena 'ut agreed to arrange interviews in advance and to send female agents to /uestion the women .he clerics urged the students to cooperate, 'ut many 'alked, prompting Qadhis ;3minute conference call from Yale Feering 'etween high-pitched emotion and tedious scholarship, Qadhi argued that the case presented no conflict of loyalties 'ecause !'dulmutalla', 'y all appearances, committed a crime, violating 'oth !merican and $slamic law (ut, one student asked, what a'out !mericas transgressions< =hy was Qadhi focused on the militants< &e responded that he had 'luntly critici1ed !merican policies to )tate #epartment and other officials, telling them +the root cause of this terrorism is terrorism perpetrated at the state level , Even so, Qadhi urged his students to +chill out, and use common sense +You need to look at the repercussions of what you are going to do to yourself, to your family, to your society and to the 0uslims that are around you,, he said .he students cooperated, and in su'se/uent meetings with the 7 ( $ , an agent told Qadhi and (asyouni that the 'ureau did not consider !l0aghri' a terrorist threat, said the clerics 9!n 7 ( $ spokesman declined to comment a'out Qadhi or the investigation : .he !'dulmutalla' episode drew a new line in the long-distance 'attle 'etween Qadhi and !wlaki .he Yemeni-!merican cleric announced that !'dulmutalla's operation was in retaliation for !merican +cruise missiles and cluster 'om's , (y then, the United )tates had authori1ed the assassination of !wlaki, provoking outrage among many of Qadhis students Qadhi seemed to 'e riding a pendulum of self-preservation $f he lurched too far toward appeasing the government, he risked losing his 'ase .hat 0arch, Qadhi rose 'efore a crowd of thousands in Eli1a'eth, N J , to finally speak a'out !wlaki +$ am against this preacher when he tells our youth to 'ecome militant against this country while 'eing citi1ens to this country,, Qadhi told the packed auditorium

+(ut when my government comes and says, L=ere allowed to take him outB were allowed to kill himB were allowed to assassinate him, $ also put my foot down, and $ say to my own government, L)hame on you@ , .he audience listened raptly +(e angry every time a 'om' is dropped on innocent civilians in the name of the war on terror,, Qadhi 'ellowed +(e angry every time our ta% dollars are spent to oppress yet another group of innocent "alestinians (e angry every time more draconian measures are utili1ed against us in this greatest democracy on earth , Never 'efore had Qadhi so forcefully condemned !mericas policies in pu'lic (ut +channel that anger,, he continued, +in a productive manner , &e urged a +5ihad of the tongue, a 5ihad of the pen, a 5ihad that is not a military 5ihad , !merican 0uslims, Qadhi told the audience, needed to a'ide 'y the laws of their country, understanding that had they 'een 'orn in "alestine or $ra/, their +responsi'ilities would 'e different , &e did not ela'orate $t is this kind of am'iguity that gnaws at some of Qadhis students +=e 5ust get wishy-washy nonanswers,, one female student told me, adding that Qadhis +5ihad of the tongue, was unconvincing (eing martyred in the 'attlefield, she said, is +romantic,, while +lo''ying your congressman is not , The +all to )rayer soars through the *rowne "la1a &otel in &ouston, its lo''y adorned with a fresco of the .e%an flag Every summer, !l0aghri's mostdevoted students convene here for a two-week $lm )ummit, transforming the 'allroom floor > a corporate ta'leau% of overstuffed sofas and dim lighting > into a version of $slamic utopia Ilm,, in !ra'ic, means +knowledge , 7rom dawn to night, the students immerse themselves in advanced $slamic theology and Koran recitation under the guidance of Qadhi and other clerics .he men favor long tunics, and some women wear niqabs, the full-face veil 0ost are upper-middle-class college students of )outh !sian descent who pay M6,;33 to attend .o the hotels &ispanic waiters, they seem otherworldly .he men and women eat, study and even ride the elevators separately Yet the so-called !l0aghri'is upend easy stereotypes .he women are a forceful presence in class and can 'e spotted on 'reaks engaging in fierce arm-wrestling matches .he most dominant trait among the men is a /uintessentially !merican

geekiness Qadhi, like many of his students, is a +)tar .rek, fan &is lectures are laid out on "ower"oint as students crouch over laptops (etween classes, talk often turns to the latest !l0aghri'i courtship .he mood darkened last July after Qadhi announced that agents from the local 7 ( $ office would 'e dropping 'y for a +roundta'le discussion , .he 'allroom fell to a hush as Qadhi and (asyouni led (rad #eardorff, supervisory special agent of the &ouston division, to the stage &e smiled tentatively as Qadhi 'egan a /uick speech a'out the need to counteract e%tremism #eardorff talked a'out the history of militant movements, saying there was +no standard profile for an $slamist terrorist , .hen came the students /uestions, su'mitted in writing +&ow do you e%pect us to help you, read one /uestion, +when there are 7 ( $ informants in our mos/ues<, +Jee1, thats a tough /uestion,, #eardorff said +=e dont target mos/ues =e do collect domestic intelligence (ut mos/ues are 'uildings 0os/ues dont conspire 0os/ues dont 'low things up , .he students stared at him incredulously $t struck some as ironic that Qadhi would engage in a pu'lic discussion with the 7 ( $ a'out +terrorism, > which they deemed a loaded word > when the underlying theological issues remained off limits $n a poll last year on Qadhis 'log, 0uslim 0atters, participants ranked +5ihad, as the No 6 su'5ect in which they wanted academic instruction .here are several kinds of 5ihad, which is translated to mean +striving in the path of God , =hile progressive 0uslims emphasi1e the spiritual form, Qadhi and other conservatives say that the ma5ority of the Korans references to 5ihad are to military struggle Qadhis interpretation makes him neither a hardline militant nor a pure pacifist =hile he une/uivocally denounces violence against civilians, he 'elieves 0uslims have the right to defend themselves from attack (ut he says +offensive 5ihad,> the spread of the $slamic state 'y force > is permissi'le only when ordered 'y a legitimate caliph, or glo'al 0uslim ruler, which is none%istent in todays world )uch fine distinctions were less pronounced 'efore 4?66, when Qadhi and others preached openly a'out the glory of $slams early military triumphs $n a decade-

old sermon a'out one of $slams landmark 'attles, Qadhi said, +once a prophet has 'ecome ready for 5ihad, for fighting, then he will not take off his armor until he has actually met the enemy , (y the time he returned to the United )tates in 233;, !l0aghri' had canceled a popular class on $slams military history, and its instructors largely avoided current events )ome students inferred from Qadhis silence a tacit support for militant groups +Everyone was always like8 L=e know he 'elieves it &e cant say it pu'licly, , recalled Iauren 0organ, who is 2D and a former student of Qadhis )he said she and other students had openly sympathi1ed with militants +$ think if youre going down the )alafi interstate, the 5ihadi e%it is open for you,, 0organ said +$ts there , 0any students first heard Qadhi denounce 5ihadist movements almost a year after the Iondon 'om'ings .hat same month, June 233D, !l0aghri' released a statement calling terrorism +a perversion of the true $slamic teachings , The +entral +ontest 'etween Qadhi and militants like !wlaki hinges on a rather a'struse point8 how to define !merica in $slamic terms Qadhi likens his country to !'yssinia, the seventh-century !frican kingdom that gave refuge to the prophets followers $n e%change for upholding the laws of the land, they were allowed to worship freely > a contract Qadhi e/uates to an !merican passport or visa (reaking the contract 'y 5oining militant groups at war with !merica constitutes treachery, Qadhi says, which is for'idden in $slam !wlaki, 'y contrast, compares !merica with ancient 0ecca, where the prophets followers were persecuted, forcing them to flee and later fight 'ack *ritics take issue with the technical nature of the de'ate Qadhis students, they argue, could conclude that 5oining a militant group is permissi'le provided they renounce their citi1enship .his is further complicated 'y his refusal to address whether the $slamist uprisings in $ra/ and !fghanistan constitute legitimate 5ihads )aying yes would open the door to pu'lic recriminations, 'ut denying the legitimacy of those insurgencies would fly in the face of $slamic law, says !ndrew 7 0arch, a professor at Yale who speciali1es in $slamic law +.he conflicts in $ra/, !fghanistan and "alestine are unam'iguous e%amples of 5ihad or war

against an outside invader,, 0arch says +.here is no mainstream 5uridical opinion that says that 0uslims cannot resist that , Under mounting pressure from students, Qadhi and another !l0aghri' scholar, !'u Eesa Niamatullah, considered teaching a course on the fiqh, or 5urisprudence, of 5ihad +=hat stopped us<, Niamatullah says +"icture two 'earded guys talking a'out the fiqh of 5ihad =e would 'e dead =e would 'e a'solutely finished , On Oct 6A, Qadhi posted a ;,333-word essay on his 'log, trying to 5ump-start a discussion on 5ihad &e argued that e%tremists cherry-pick verses from the Koran to 5ustify actions antithetical to the faith, while United )tates policy also plays a central role in radicali1ing 0uslim youth =hat !'dulmutalla' did not hear at !l0aghri', Qadhi lamented, +was a discourse regarding the current political and social ills that he felt so passionately a'out, and a frank dialogue a'out the $slamic method for correcting such ills , +$t is an awkward position to 'e in,, he wrote of his situation +&ow can one simultaneously fight against a powerful government, a pervasive and sensationalist-prone media anda group of over1ealous, rash youth who are already predisposed to re5ect your message, 'ecause they view you as 'eing a part of the esta'lishment 9while, ironically, the Lesta'lishment never ceases to view you as part of the radicals:<, One week later, Qadhi was flying through #allas &e had traveled free of hassle for nine months and seemed to 'e off the watch list (ut now, 'order agents were stopping him .hey wanted to ask a few /uestions +&ere we go again,, he said Qadhi,s ambiguous relationship with the government reflects a /uandary facing the O'ama administration8 whether to engage with 0uslims across the ideological spectrum =hile many !merican 0uslim leaders have 'een hit 'y accusations of e%tremism, Qadhi is a natural target )elf-descri'ed terrorism watchdogs refer to !l0aghri' as +Jihad U ,, and last year, a 7o% News reporter called Qadhi a +wolf in sheeps clothing , =hile Qadhi hardly seems the caricature of his critics rendering > the stealth $slamist plotting a shariah takeover of the =hite &ouse > his views reflect a vision that many !mericans would find o'5ectiona'le &e hopes that the world

will someday fully adhere to his faith, he said, conceding that it would most likely 'e +not in my lifetime , Egypts recent uprising, he wrote on his 'log, illustrates that change cannot come from militancy 'ut +'egins in the heart and in the home, and it shall eventually reach the streets and shake the foundations of government , !s the administration confronts domestic radicali1ation, some government analysts say they have much to learn from clerics like Qadhi +=ere trying to get our arms around how to engage with Yasir and people like him,, a senior counterterrorism official told me +$ts a new issue , One concern, officials told me, is their uncertainty a'out how world events might harden the thinking of clerics like Qadhi $n the search for answers, the O'ama administration has studied counterradicali1ation approaches overseas $n Europe, some policy makers argue that nonmilitant fundamentalists are the pro'lem, not the solution, 'ecause their rigid interpretation of $slam fuels the very radicali1ation they profess to fight .he (ritish government was re'uked for providing funds to nonmilitant )alafi organi1ations .he U ) *onstitution would prevent such financing (ut the /uestion remains to what e%tent the administration will consult with nonviolent fundamentalists or help them 'y creating what Qadhi and others call +a safe space, in which 0uslims are free to discuss controversial issues without the fear of repercussions +.here is a way to stop e%tremism,, he claimed, +'ut its not palata'le for !mericans , Qadhi recently went live with a =e' site devoted to issues of 5ihad &e is calling it .he J =ord Other !merican clerics have also 'egun to speak out, most nota'ly $mam Oaid )hakir, who posted a widely read letter online aimed at dissuading the +would-'e mu5ahid,, or warrior Gone are the days when Qadhi would dismiss teaming up with clerics of different schools .here were too few )alafis left in !merica +$ need help,, Qadhi told me one afternoon last month

&e was sitting in the li'rary of his new home, where more than 63,333 'ooks line the cherry-stained shelves 0emphis is a long way from the centers of $slamic thought > places like Egypt and )audi !ra'ia $t would 'e folly, Qadhi said, to think that a young !merican cleric could solve the theological pu11les that have invited centuries of de'ate (ut he was certain of one thing8 only !mericas clerics could lead the way forward for their young flocks +!merican 0uslims are at the forefront in 'attling $slamic e%tremism 'ecause they have everything to lose if anything else happens,, Qadhi said +.heyll lose their !merican identity, and theyll lose their prestige, whatever prestige remains of our religion that we would like to have in this land ,
Andrea Elliott (a.elliott-reporter@nytimes. om! is a reporter for "he "imes. #he won the $%%& 'ulit(er 'ri(e for feature writing for a series of arti les about an imam in )rooklyn. Editor* +oel ,ovell (-.lovell-.ag/roup@nytimes. om!