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Saturday, April 02, 2011

"Losing Our Sons" Documentary Film About The Radicalization Of American Muslims

Few people are taking the threat of Islamic radicalization very seriously, in spite of the fact that it is occurring all over this country.  One would think that those who would most easily fall prey to radicalization would reside in areas like Dearborn, Michigan, considered the Muslim capital of America. But that's not the case- Nashville, Tennessee, home of country music and the Grand Ole Opry, and smack dab in the middle of the 'Bible Belt',  has the dubious honor of being the city where Carlos Bledsoe, now known as Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, turned into a cold blooded killer. 

Born into a Baptist family, 23-year-old Carlos went to Tennessee State University, converted to Islam, was radicalized by local extremist leaders, made his obligatory trek to Yemen, learned the tricks of the terrorist trade, came back to the U.S. and wound up murdering 23-year-old Private William Long, on June 6, 2009, outside an Army recruitment center in Little Rock, Arkansas.   He injured one other Army recruiter, and had planned on targeting  Jewish organizations, a child care center, a post office and other recruitment centers in other states.

Before and after photos of Carlos are quite telling, as is his justification for killing Private Long:


"I don't think it was murder. Because murder is when a person kills another person without justified reason....and what I did is Islamic justified, and also justified by common sense, you know. U.S. soldiers are killing innocent Muslim men and women, and we believe that we have to strike back."


An upcoming documentary film, entitled "Losing Our Sons", produced by Americans For Peace and Tolerance (APT) tells the tragic tale of Carlos' journey from good son to jihadi killer. APT is an organization of Christians, Muslims and Jews  "... dedicated to promoting peaceful coexistence in a ethnically diverse America by educating the American public about the need for a moderate political leadership that supports tolerance and core American values in communities across the nation."

The film

.. will reveal how radical Islam dominates the leadership of the Muslim American community in Nashville; and how misguided government and university officials, the media, as well as civic and religious leaders failed to acknowledge, intervene, or report clear indications of Islamist radicalization in the community. 


APT has been working with grassroots community groups in support of local efforts to educate the public about the threat to American civil society from the radicalization of America's historically moderate Muslim community. This effort includes empowering truly moderate Muslims to reclaim their community.

You can view the trailer below.  Hopefully, this will open people's eyes because thinking it's not a problem doesn't make it so. Carlos' father, Melvin Bledsoe, is devastated and has effortlessly tried to make people aware of what happened to his son on an American university campus.  Apparenly not many seemed to care, and even his attempt to share his concerns at Republican Congressman Peter King's hearing on the radicalization of  American Muslims for the Homeland Security Committee fell on deaf ears.


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