I apologize for the length of the message, but at the same time, I feel it is important that you all be made aware of the reality with regards to these accusations. Anyway, there are several serious problems with the allegations regarding my past association with al-Muhajiroun (ALM). Those of you who know me personally will be able to understand the ahistorical, decontextualized, and exaggerated narrative, which has been spun. Three issues stand out in this regard. First, I have not had any ties to this group for five years. Second, my relationship to ALM was marginal in nature. Third, the ALM of today is not the same group that it used to be back when I was affiliated with it. Interestingly, what has been disregarded is that I have on multiple occasions condemned ALM. What’s more is that my views on radical Islamism and jihadism are open for public scrutiny in my articles. Moreover, the archives of the Political Islam Discussion List (PIDL), based out of The University of Texas server, which I founded in June 2000, and continue to moderate, are replete with my views for everyone to see whether I am a radical Islamist supporting al-Qaeda (as per Pipes’ gross mischaracterization) or an aspiring Muslim scholar of political Islam. What is really ironic is that Campus Watch, a project founded by Daniel Pipes expressed appreciation for a panel entitled ‘Rescuing Islamic Political Theory from the Jihadist Ideology’, which I organized at last year’s Middle East Studies Association annual meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. I presented a paper ‘Jihad & Jihadism: A Rendition of Transnational Militant Non-State Actors’ as part of this panel, and will be presenting this paper again at this year’s American Political Science Association annual meeting in Chicago in August. My thesis for my first Masters in Int’l Affairs & Administration (from Southwest Missouri State University) was entitled ‘Islam and Democracy in the Context of Contemporary Islamic Resurgence’. So, being a Muslim with an interest in democratization and democratic consolidation led me to become a fellow with the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID). In this regard, I presented papers at the last three annual conferences of CSID. As a matter of fact, the U.S. State Department carried a report on my panel from last year’s conference, specifically quoting me. This is now posted on the websites of many U.S. embassies all over the world, and that too in multiple languages. What I find really odd is why would a Muslim calling for democracy be part of an organization that considers democracy to be antithetical to Islam! At the same time, what is both ironic and interesting is that on one hand we have those who accuse people like myself of being militant Islamists, while the real radicals & militants accuse moderate Muslims of being U.S. lackeys. Anyway, my brief and limited affiliation with ALM was not in the capacity of the typical member or leader, as it has been inaccurately portrayed. Instead, I was interested in the initial ideas of the group, at the time of its formation. ALM began as a forum for promoting debate and cooperation amongst various Islamic organizations, and fighting partisan politics among Muslims interested in the establishment of an Islamic polity via peaceful means. I have always strongly stood against the use of violence as a means to effecting political change. One of the reasons behind my interest in ALM, in fact, was its advocacy of socio-political change through intellectual/ideological/political means. I disassociated myself from the group when it became clear to me that ALM had reduced itself to being a cheerleading club for jihadists. With the exception of myself, all of the other U.S. based ex-affiliates of ALM (a London based group) lived in New York. Since I resided in Springfield, MO, I was never part of the group’s meetings, planning, decision-making, etc. My relationship with the group was unidirectional in that I kept up with the group’s literature and activities on my own initiative mostly via the web. I never had any formal membership with the party, which is why when I left there was no formal disassociation either. Moreover, I was also not involved in the formation of the group’s U.S. chapter (if one can call it that), and only decided to become part of the group much later as some of my close friends were part of it, but was always a long-distance affiliate. In reality, I was far more active as part of the Muslim Students’ Association on my campus and in the local mosque than in ALM. Then as I mentioned earlier, the ALM of today is very different from the group it began as in 1996. It started off as a group seeking to bridge the differences amongst the many Islamic movements worldwide. It also called for healthy dialogue amongst people of different faiths. In mid-1998, however, and to the shock of those of us here in the U.S., the group began assuming pro-jihadist stances. This was quite paradoxical as the leader of the group Omar Bakri earlier had written a detailed paper in an effort to refute militant Islamists who were claiming that jihad was a valid modus operandi to establish an Islamic state. Nevertheless, this was the point when those of us here in the U.S. began having second thoughts, and one after the other, almost all of us eventually left. As for my role as ALM “spokesperson”, it was by no means a serious undertaking as the group only consisted of a few friends. I guess I was asked to take up the position due to my communicational skills, and abilities. Since ALM as an organization had no structure in the U.S., it was proposed that a spokesperson would be the best point of reference for the group. I was never given any directions from Bakri or anyone else as regards my duties. On quite a few occasions, I recall voicing my deep frustration with the folks in London that even though I had no input in the decision-making process, yet I ended up having to defend their statements, many of which I found myself strongly disagreeing with. My protestations, however, only fell on deaf ears. The occasion to represent the group in the media never arose, but I did write a handful of messages on a host of Muslim email discussion/distribution lists, trying to explain the group’s take on miscellaneous matters. In essence, I was a spokesperson only in cyberspace and that too briefly. I guess this is perhaps how my relationship with the group may have become public knowledge. In any case, it is most unfortunate that there are those who have chosen to cast me in such a negative light based on cursory information, and without even bothering to ascertain the precise nature of my defunct, limited, and brief association with ALM. Such reckless and misleading characterizations can ruin the lives of many innocent people. Sincerely, ------- Kamran A. Bokhari Doctoral Student Department of Political Science Howard University 2441, Sixth Street Washington, DC 20059