Posted on 03/01/2006 9:40:40 AM PST by nickcarraway
WASHINGTON -- A former spokesman for the Taliban, Rahmatullah Hashemi, has enrolled as a student at America's prestigious Yale University where he has taken a class on terrorism, The New York Times Magazine reported on Sunday.
The ex-Taliban spin doctor and "roving ambassador", who has spent time in the presence of Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden, is now a Yale "freshman" improving his English through a special nondegree program.
Hashemi, who once publicly defended the Taliban, told the magazine, however, that he started having serious doubts about its harsh moral codes as early as 1998 when women were being lashed with leather strips and executions were occurring in Kabul's football stadium.
He said that he fled Afghanistan for Pakistan in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington fearing a US bombing campaign.
Hashemi, 27, said that a former Taliban minister persuaded him to return to Kabul in early 2004 to clear his name with the Americans, despite his fears that he would be whisked to the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Following several interviews with two Americans, one of whom only identified herself to him as "Michelle", Hashemi said that he was told: "You can go."
An American friend suggested that he apply to study at the renowned Yale University, so he obtained a student visa from the US embassy in Islamabad and caught a flight to the United States.
Months later, the dark-haired, bearded Hashemi is trying to adapt to his new academic surroundings, attending Harvard-Yale football games and keeping in touch with his wife and son back in Pakistan, the report added.
"In some ways I'm the luckiest person in the world," he was quoted as saying in the The New York Times Magazine. "I could have ended up in Guantanamo Bay. Instead I ended up at Yale."
Reminds me of the scene in Animal House during Rush:
"I'd like you to meet Mohammed, Jugdish, Sidney and Clayton..." "Now, just grab a seat, and don't be shy about helping yourselves to punch and cookies."
He should become one of the "disappeareds."
SE Mom,
There was a thread on this the other day that had a few more details, but a couple of alumni brought him to the attention of some Dean or other, and in essence that was how he was admitted.
Now, as for how he is paying for this, well, he isn't. He cannot be. The only way he can afford that is a full boat scholarship, which means Yale's paying for him to go.
Hey Muzzies!!
This war criminal got special treatment because he spilled his guts to the CIA.
How many of your Muslim brothers has he ratted out?
Perhaps the muzzies will take care of their own infestation!!
It seems to me that this is good news. Like a case of redemption.
He was just 22 when he fled the Taliban. He was a "spokesman" -- i.e. a hack -- and probably quite a junior one, given his youth. It's doubtful that he ever had any influence over policies.
Now, if you could just get MSM reporters, who are twice his age, and who were raised in America, to stop shilling for the Taliban ....
Why are we giving student visas to Jihadists?
Have we learned NOTHING from 9/11/01?
Think about what it says about Yale's current academic standards that a non-native English speaker with a 4th grade education and a GED is an A/B student in his very first semester there. He may be bright (though not bright enough to have figured out the depravities of the Taliban), but I really have to wonder about the quality of his papers, etc. and whether, his moral depravity aside, he is really performing academic work at a level that should be considered B+ work at a supposedly elite university. Does ANYONE get below a B+ at Yale these days???? [Recall that one of the main issues with Cornel West at Haaaahvahd, which led him to flee to Princeton when he was challenged on it, was that he was giving virtually all of his students an "A" grade merely for politically correct regurgitation of left-wing talking points.] Are there any standards anymore at Yale?
Thanks for filling me in- been out of the news loop this week.
I'm of a mixed mind..my first reaction is we'd all be better off if he WERE in Gitmo..but who knows..maybe his time in the US will profit his mind and change his heart.
I'm surprised at the Bush administration for giving him an entry visa instead of shipping him straight to Gitmo.
Many good people are denied student visas for minor reasons, but his high official of the Taliban regime is given a student visa. What gives?
Do you think they should have shipped Baghdad Bob to Gitmo too? This guy was a very low-level Taliban who actually didn't like them much after he had worked for them for a while.
Well, yes I thought about that too. Maybe it will be better all 'round.
But what I just couldn't let go of was that this man has basically zero formal education, worked in an executive capacity for one of the most despicable regimes on the planet, yet gets not only admitted to Yale but full funding too.
Alot of American kids might have liked a chance at that, you know?
Were I a Yale alumnus, I would be furious.
That was a great scene.
I love when they are reviewing the slides of the pledges and when they get to Flounder, they all boo and throw beer cans at the screen!
Actually, I think Baghdad Bob should have been given a job covering the Knicks. If anyone can make chicken sh*t look like chicken salad, it's that guy.
This is about the 6th time this article has been posted.
From what I gather, this guy isn't matriculated but only auditing a few classes. The question you have to ask is who the he** gave him a visa to get into this country!
I agree. I would really like to believe this young man will use this remarkable opportunity to become a decent man. Hard to believe though..
If I were a Yale alum- I'd be on the phone wanting answers.
Surrounded by the same type of people.
Gitmo = people who would blow up themselves and others for a cause.
Yale = People who would pay others to blow up themselves and others for a cause.
I am a Yale alumnus and I am furious. Oh, and I'm also a donor. At least I was until last year. We can only hope that enough alumni complain that they finally get it right by denying his application to be admitted to the regular degree program next fall. I understand the harsh criticisms of Yale on this site feel and they are justified. I am embarrassed of my alma mater but despite what you may think not ALL Yale students or alumni are libs. A lot of my classmates were making phonecalls and sending emails to the Admissions office, the President's Office, and the Office of Development today demanding an explanation from the school. We shall see what comes of it.
As explained to me by a scion of an old money Eastern family whose claim to fame was that he was kicked out of one of "The Schools"(really hard to do when there a couple of building with your family name on them) a "B" is really an "F".
I saw an interview snippet on this which included a discussion of a reporter who interviewed this guy in NYC. As they were leaving, going down the stairs, he happened to look out the window and up at the WTC towers. This was 3 months prior to 9/11.
Yale, he's all yours. Keep him the h away from me.
I found this douche bag on www.thefacebook.com his name if you search globally is sayed hashemi.... what a loser.
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