March 12, 2007
WHEN TERRORISTS ATTACKED DC
Did you know that last week was the 30th anniversary of a crisis in Washington, DC perpetrated by Muslim gunmen who took 150 hostages? I didn't; and I lived in DC for several years. Apparently, on March 9th 1977, a dozen gunmen seized control of three buildings in DC: the District Building, the B'nai B'rith International Center, and the Islamic Center. One young man, Maurice Williams, was killed in the takeover, a guard who was injured would die a few days later of a heart attack, and future Mayor Marion Barry was nearly mortally wounded when a ricocheted shotgun pellet just missed his heart.
In the Washington Post article looking back at the incident, the gunment are identified as Hanafi Muslims, Hanafiism being a subset of Sunni jurisprudence. While the majority of thee hostages were captured at the Bn'ai B'rith Center, the impetus for the attack seemed more of an Islamic internicene squabble––and by squabble I mean slaughter of children.
The siege started March 9, 1977, at a time when security was still relaxed in government buildings and hostage videos weren't a few clicks away on the Internet. It was before people searched mail for white powder or suicide bombings claimed regular headlines.
"This was an early wake-up call about violence and terrorism and the extent to which groups will go to engage in violence either for the sake of violence or to make a point," Daniel S. Mariaschin, executive vice president of B'nai B'rith International, said yesterday. "Little did we know 30 years ago that this kind of issue would be a daily concern for all of us, not only here in Washington but abroad as well." He will speak at today's event.
The 12 gunmen had several demands. They wanted the government to hand over a group of men who had been convicted of killing seven relatives -- mostly children -- of takeover leader Hamaas Abdul Khaalis. They also demanded that the movie "Mohammad, Messenger of God" be destroyed because they considered it sacrilegious.
The hostages were eventually released after 39 hours and through the help of ambassadors from Pakistan, Iran, and Egypt working with DC police to negotiate a surrender. Khaalis, the leader of the hostage-taking group, was apparently upset that members of the Nation of Islam had murdered his family after he splintered from the NOI. I couldn't find any information on where the hostage takers are now, but did learn that their leader was the man who convinced Kareem Abdul Jabaar to convert to Islam and change his name from Lew Alcindor.
NB: Khaalis was sentenced to a term of 41 to 123 years in prison. He apparently snapped in reaction to what he considered lenient sentencing of the men found guilty of murdering his family. Also describing the Nation of Islam's hand in the death of Khaalis' family members as an internecene squabble isn't really fair, as I consider the NOI less of a legitimate religious organization than it is a cult and borderline criminal organization.
Posted by Lexiphane at March 12, 2007 4:18 PM
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