I am LiberalVoice...The son of El-Sayed Nosair, a terrorist.

[LiberalVoice]

My father is El-Sayed Nosair. Fundamentalist Muslim/ Assassin/ Terrorist. He was aquited of the murder of Rabbi Meir Kahane in 1990. He was also found to be one of the masterminds behind the WTC bombing's in 1993.

For years I have wondered what it would be like having people know who I am. I was scared. I am scared now. I am here today to let everyone know who I am. I am a 21 year old liberal, beer drinking, pot smoking, atheist. Some may think it sounds harsh or that I am the way I am because of my father. In a way you are right. The crimes my father is guilty of lead me to question how anyone could be capable of such evil. How a religion(Or most religions in general) could condone such horrific acts against so many innocent men, women, and children. Sure Islam or Christianity or Judaism preach peace. But they have shed more blood then the rivers of this world can carry.

"Nothing can be more contrary to religion and the clergy than reason
and common sense." - Francois Marie Arouet "Voltaire"

I was raised a conservative muslim as most can imagine. Living that lifestyle I learned the one thing that drives all Conservatives. HATE. Well on top it's hate. Under it though, is fear. Fear of not understanding something different from what they are taught. They are what I like to call the "Brain Lazy's". lol. I chuckle everytime I say it.

I am not here to gain attention or pity from anyone. I am hear to unload myself of a burden that should never have been put on me.

I am LiberalVoice. I am free.

[Fenris]

1. Like I said before

Children are not responsible for the deeds of their parents. You have already proven yourself by choosing not to follow a similar path.

You're among friends here.

:hug:

[Khephra]

16. No believer in "Sins of the Father" here either

[Fenris]

18. He he. Probably why I'm not a Christian.

:D

[trumad]

2. I'm trumad

nice to meet you.

[JohnLocke]

3. You are very brave.

:toast:

[MikeG]

4. Everyone here is from somewhere else.

[toddaa]

5. Gee, and I thought my parents were fundy.

n/t

[jukes]

44. toddaa

welcome to the underground, ami!


:hi:

[Hoping4Change]

68. Very droll.

BTW welcome to DU toddaa! Glad you're here.:bounce:

[King Of Paperboys]

6. My father used to pee in the sink.

If you don't judge me, I won't judge you.

[Nlighten1]

7. Greetings fellow atheist.

And welcome to DU.

:toast:

[Gothic Sponge]

8. Good to see you took your own path

:hi:

[silverlib]

9. You are among friends...

I am amazed at your strength, conviction and your ability to find yourself. I'm glad you are here. I feel you are safe here (with the excepton of some who might bash you if you smoke or are overweight.)

[LincolnMcGrath]

10. Are you Serious?

[jukes]

45. LincolnMcGrath

nice alpaca! yours?

[Insider]

11. kumbayah

found your own voice, huh?

[boobooday]

12. Hello LiberalVoice

:hi:

Welcome.

You are yourself! Not your father.

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[amazona]

13. we don't get to choose our relatives

Good for you stepping away from the madness. It can't be easy.

[kikiek]

14. I hope what you believe to be your burden is lifted. You sound like a

wonderful person to me. Very insightful and at such a young age. I agree with you about religion. I am more agnostic, but I don't believe anyone's God would condone what is done in her/his name. Best wishes to you.

[Career Prole]

15. You are LiberalVoice. You are free.

Absolutely. :pals:

[Redleg]

17. That's some heavy shit, dude.

EOM

[LiberalVoice]

27. lol...Tell me about it. n/t

[jobycom]

19. I had a pretty sorry brother. Have a beer.

on me.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

20. You are your own person

responsible for your own actions, and not those of your parents or ancestors. Bravo for having an open mind and coming to your own conclusions, and do your best to keep it open in the future.

[richmwill]

21. As the above people said...

And as I say- You are welcomed here. We do not get to choose who our parents are, and I admire the bravery that it took for you to tell us this information.

[LiberalVoice]

22. I just want to Thank ALL of You.

It's taken me sometime to do this and being supportive means ALOT to me.

[Mikimouse]

23. You are LiberalVoice, you are free, and you are most welcome...

here. The voice of courage is never to be denied welcome.

[Solon]

24. You are always among friends here...

:grouphug:

[Shananigans]

25. So what kind of beer do you like?

I'm a Leine's Honeweiss girl myself, but most of the time I stick to the cheaper Michelob Golden Light. It's great stuff ;)

[LiberalVoice]

26. Well lets see here...

I started out drinking Pabst and so I have an affinity for it but, I enjoy Miller Light for it's easy access. One of my closest friends own a beer distributor and he opened my eyes to the "Dog Fish Head" brewing company. They have some amazing pale ales!!

[MuseRider]

28. Hi LiberalVoice.

I hope this has helped you. You are among friends, always have been among friends here in the DU. I have always appreciated your voice here. The burden is not yours it is your fathers so let it go and fly free. :hug:

[LiberalVoice]

33. Thank you so much.

:D

[HEyHEY]

29. Yoda!

Well hey, we can't pick our parents. Anyway, make sure your email isn't showing in case the freeps show up.

[LiberalVoice]

40. Took care of that right before I posted the thread. Thanks! n/t

[No2W2004]

30. well, I don't know....pabst huh....gives me a fricken headache...

Anyway, "ya can't choose your relatives" ect...

My dad thinks flushing is optional & underpants are acceptable lounging wear in front of company.

Anyone who judges you by anything other than yourself isn't worth the bother! Welcome!

[ronnykmarshall]

31. As I said in your earlier post

you are with friends.

You have set yourself free.

:toast:

[Maddy McCall]

32. Thank you, Liberal Voice.

:hugs:

[BigMcLargehuge]

34. Hi Liberalvoice, nice to meet you

I am also atheist, though my family were anything but fundamentalist (Dad and Mom are Cathlolics who go to church for weddings and funerals). I went to college, and befrended very many arabs and muslims, mostly from gulf states, but some from Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.

Nice to make your acquaintance :)

[LiberalVoice]

35. Ditto!

:bounce:

[geek tragedy]

36. Welcome aboard, fellow apostate!

Pot smoking, beer drinking, premarital sex, and spiritual skepticism don't lead to war or terrorism are the common enemy of Islamic fundamentalists and the Bush administration.

Maybe that should be John Kerry's campaign theme. ;)

[LiberalVoice]

39. "Apostate." lol

I suppose I am yes. :D Damn proud of it too!

[Red State Rebel]

37. Everybody has Squirrels in their Family Tree

Not your fault....

You are old enough to be your own person now and be judged for your own words and deeds, not your fathers.

[denverbill]

38. It's people like you who have to be the future of the Middle East.

Terror only begets terror, and hatred begets hatred.

Extremists in the Muslim world who preach death to Americans are little different from extremists in the Christian world who want to nuke Mecca to retaliate.

I'm glad you rejected your father's ways. I wish we could get more people on both sides to do the same.

[LiberalVoice]

41. My only fear is...

that if I step into the realm of middle-eastern conflict, I could become a target of both sides since neither agrees with me.

[ScreamingMeemie]

42. Often times, we apples fall miles from the tree that formed us.

Glad you have lifted your burden, which is not yours...it rests squarely on the shoulders of those who choose to follow in the footsteps of terrorists.

I am glad to reaquaint myself with you LV! :hi:

Love your sigline. I miss Howard!

[LiberalVoice]

46. I miss Howard too!

It's a shame how quickly he got torn down.

The pleasure is all mine. :D

[jukes]

43. LiberalVoice

that took brass ones, friend & fellow traveler!

you're cool w/me, & probably everone else here.

anyone that's got a problem w/that, feel free to discuss it w/ME.




helluva burden, sorry you got stuck w/it. hope "outing" helped some.



:grouphug:

[LiberalVoice]

47. My "Outing" does make me feel better.

I appreciate the sentiment btw. It's nice to know there are people out there who aren't afraid to let there voice be heard no matter how strong the opposition.

God I love this place! DU KICKS ASS! :kick:

[Canadian_moderate]

48. No one here will hold you accountable...

for your father's actions. Luckily the apple fell far away from the tree and kept rolling.

You're a very brave person. I respect you for your courage.

All the best!

[TXlib]

49. I don't judge a person for their parents.

[DS1]

51. wow! haven't seen you around here for a long time!

:hi:

[TXlib]

53. I've been busy

I've also been posting a lot at CU.

[DS1]

54. Well, that's rarely a bad thing

I was wondering about that-which-shall-never-be-mentioned.

[TXlib]

55. You're a logical thinker...

You might enjoy it there occasionally. There are some good, right-of-center people there with whom you can have an interesting debate, if you don't mind the occasional picador.

[Marnieworld]

50. Wow!

I'm so touched and impressed that you decided to share this with us. I can't even imagine how the burden of it all must have been for you. You were so young in 1993, you probably didn't even know what was going on.

You should be proud that you found your own identity and value system. It would be so easy to follow and repeat ideas and actions but you saved yourself and found your way. Your life is an example. Do not be afraid. Do not be ashamed. Be free and let your "liberalvoice" be heard!

Peace!

[Taverner]

52. Free indeed !

I agree with you that the core of any fundamentalist religion is fear.

Cults are worse than drugs in my opinion - at least when the drug leaves your system it doesn't follow you around for the rest of your life like the brainwashing from a cult does.

EDIT: changed the :) to a ! - seemed more appropriate

[JCMach1]

56. Hate is hate regardless of the robes it wears

:)

My father and grandfather were KKK members in the 1960's... I never got a clear answer about what my grandfather may have done.

[bigwillq]

57. What's up Liberal Voice?

It's nice to meet you.

Beer drinking, pot smoking....my kind of guy.


You are brave for posting this but remember we are all friends here at DU and you can always count on us for support.


We all have our own struggles and it's nice to know that there is a place like DU to share and examine and learn from each other's differences.

Peace
-Will

[LiberalVoice]

81. Agreed. 100% eom

[Westegg]

58. I wish my mother was still alive to read your words...

....because she would have loved them, and she would have so much to say to you, in her poetic way, about the grace and wisdom you have shown us here by saying what you've said.

So I'll speak for her, in my much smaller way. I'm touched and impressed by what you're doing. As you've already read, many feel as I do. You will find acceptance here, but you'll find it other places as well---those places populated by open-minded and compassionate people who will take you for what you are and what you do---people who won't judge you for something you have no control over.

The sad truth is, there aren't as many places, and people, like that as there should be.

I look forward to future communication with you.

[LiberalVoice]

59. I just want to thank all of you for your thoughtful comments...

I don't remember how I stumbled upon this site 9 months ago but I have been glued to the screen ever since. Thank you all again and I look forward to engaging in many an interesting conversation with you all.

I am off to bed and, since this thread will be deleted before I wake up feel free to mail me a message here in DU.

LV :toast:

[Westegg]

62. I think you tried to email me privately. If so, it didn't work...

...I sent a private email to you in response and it was immediately returned to me as undeliverable. If you DIDN'T send me an email, please let me know---it was someone claiming to be you.

[LiberalVoice]

64. Yeah I tried...

I just wanted to thank you for your kind words. I was also curious if maybe you would tell me a little bit about your mother. If you're comfortable with it.

[RetroLounge]

60. "I am LiberalVoice. I am free."

Hell ya dude!

and you are most welcome here...

RL

[bloodyjack]

61. you egyptian?

most first-generation egyptians I've met are pretty reasonable folk (read: not terribly religious). peaceful, cleanly, friendly folk were they.

[LiberalVoice]

65. Yeah I am half Egyptian.

Born and raised(Mostly Raised anyway)here in the U.S.

Not sure when my dad came to america but it was 1982 or earlier cuz' I was born in 83'.

[bloodyjack]

69. hey! you're half-something, just like me!

i'm half-indian, half-jordanian. dad's indian, mom's jordanian. they moved here in the 60s.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

63. In all my years on DU...

that may be the most mind-blowing thing I have ever seen posted -- including the yaks-in-thongs threads. :)

I can't imagine what it must be taking you to process and integrate your familial experience.

Damn, Life sure hands some of us some intense shit.

All the best to you in your journey. :hi:

[LiberalVoice]

66. Thank you.

If you only knew the half of it...

[LiberalVoice]

67. Just an update.

I got an email from moveon.org(As I'm sure alot of you have)about them needing real members to shoot a commercial with. I told them who I was and that I would be proud to do a commercial for them. Would be cool if they asked me to do it for them.

lol...might help my acting career.

[KamaAina]

70. It's coming to me now...

...I see a front-page DU article in your future (and ours!).

Ultimately, our only hope is for people to reject the vicious cycle of hatred and violence. If you can do it, having been raised right within it all, there's hope for everyone.

[LiberalVoice]

71. If I believed in god I'd pray for it everyday...

The only way everyone in this world will live in peace, and this is only my personal belief, is if we shun religion. We have people like my father and Bin Laden on one side. Then we have people like Bush and Asscroft on the otherside. All fundamentalists. All religious fanatics. All hell bent on forcing their views and their opinions on anyone and everyone. too bad neither side realizes they are the same people.


Bin Laden by the way is a 1 for me in "Six Degrees of Seperation" . lol. How many can say he's a one. Thanks to DU member JohnLocke for pointing out that people are actually counting. lol

[Interrobang]

73. So, does that make us all twos now?

I'm never sure how that's supposed to work...does online acquaintance work the same way as in-person acquaintance, or not? Strangely, I was having a dream that I was talking to Osama bin Laden last night, which you can confirm by looking at my LiveJournal:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/realinterrobang/

and checking the time-stamp to see that I mentioned this *after* I wrote that entry.

I'm dead certain that there's only about 2.5 degrees of separation in my hometown, which I think extends in a nexus to the whole world through people from here. So, having read this post, I can now safely say I probably know someone who actually knows you in real life... :)

You are an awesomely brave young man. I'm absolutely in awe of you. You're definitely one of the bravest people I think I've ever heard of. Are you going to be in danger for coming out to us like this? Goodness, I hope not...

[LiberalVoice]

74. I suppose it does make everyone who's read this a 2! :)

As far as the danger thing goes...I'm not sure. For a long time I was under the impression that we were in rather grave danger. I don't think so anymore though(Then again I don't really care.)What will happen, will. Simple as that.

The way I figure it is though. If they wanted to find me they would have. I don't know why they would want to hurt me now though. Seeing as how I am an active protestor of everything my father stands for. I would work more in their favor I suppose...

Thank you for your kind comments.

[Interrobang]

76. Wow, that's amazing.

I think if my father were someone like yours I would have been too scared to speak up, on the grounds that if I publicly went against the "party line" they'd make an example of me, or something. I hope this won't happen and no one out there is reading, taking notes...

I buy you a virtual beer, LiberalVoice!

And thank *you* for saying my comments were kind. :)

We're all "2s" now -- safety in numbers? (joke)

[LiberalVoice]

77. lol...My pleasure. eom

And there really is safety in numbers...Especially with you people...Some of you are nuts!!!

[LiberalVoice]

72. lol..Front page?

That would be cool. I just got really tired of being scared of what would happen if people knew. Whats gonna happen is gonna happen. I'm sick of wondering.

[Lizz612]

75. Hi there, I'm Lizz612

What matters most is who YOU are and who you have chosen to be.

And you have chosen to be a pot smoking, beer drinking, liberal. There is plenty of room in this handbasket, Rush promised we were going someplace warm...

Your past hasn't killed you and it seems to have made you stronger, so congradulations to you.

[LiberalVoice]

78. Thanks! eom

[Beetwasher]

79. Wow! Wow! Wow!

That took a lot of courage my friend!

Possibly one of the most mindblowing posts ever on DU!

You must have had quite a journey! I can't imagine the introspection, self-reflection and strength it must have taken to get you where you are now. You have much to be proud of! My respect for you is immeasurable!

It's pleasure to make the aquaintance of another beer drinking, pot smoking atheist, especially one as courageous as yourself!

[LiberalVoice]

80. Wow! Thank you!

I'm not sure I'm all you think I am...I do know that after awhile things stopped fazing me. I was pretty much like, "Well, if it gets worse then it's been before, I'll worry."

I have been through alot and often thought about writing a book about terrorism and it's effects on people from a diffrent aspect. My aspect. A child with a father who is a terrorist. You don't hear that side. Thousands of families have been put through immeasuable pain for what these "Men" have done. I sometimes think it would be nice to let them know that even people like me. Who have been through all of that, can still relate to them and their pain. That there is hope for a future without terrorism. Whether it be Bin Laden or Bush.

My family and I have been witness to things most never imagine...I think people need a fresh perspective on some things. I may not be the best person to give it. But, I'm certainly not the worst.

[Lisa]

82. one of the wisest, kindest people I know ...

... was in the Hitler Youth, as a little girl growing up in Austria. And her dad -- she doesn't talk about him much. Her family made a choice and she has suffered for it ever since. I remember her mostly for turning her garden into a playground for neighborhood kids, and the cakes she baked for us, and her insistence that we think carefully before doing things just because the government or the church told us to.

She taught me another very important lesson. While justice is important, a person's family background, and even what they themselves did in their earlier days, is not as important as what they do now -- and their hopes for the future. This works the other way too, I believe ... Tim McVeigh had nice parents and served his country bravely, but then his heart became filled with hate.

Thank you for coming forward like this, LiberalVoice. I have recently learned that my only living Japanese relatives were involved in the occupation of Manchuria. I have been afraid to examine what they did, because I'm worried about what people -- especially my Chinese and Korean-Canadian friends and colleagues -- will think of me. But after reading your story, I don't feel as alone anymore. Good luck, and I hope that you and your family will find peace.

Drink a beer for me!

[LiberalVoice]

83. Well just making someone else feel less alone is worth me telling...

the world.

Your friend who grew up Austria sounds like an amazing person. I wish more people thought like her!

:hug:

[LiberalVoice]

84. Something I learned on my way to liberalism...

I was researching alot on liberalism, religion, and revolutionaries. I came upon www.che-lives.com. I was SHOCKED when I looked in the galleries. He is literally the mirror image of my father when they were at similar ages. I actually DLed a few of che's pics because they look exactly alike.

MY Father. El-Sayid Nosair<>

Ernesto "Che" Guevera<>