cover of episode 829: Two Ledgers

829: Two Ledgers

2024/5/12
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This American Life

Chapters

Majid Khan, a Pakistani immigrant raised in Baltimore, had a seemingly normal American upbringing. However, after his mother's death, a struggle with identity and exposure to political discussions led to his radicalization and involvement with Al-Qaeda.
  • Majid's early life in Baltimore included typical teenage experiences.
  • His mother's death triggered a search for meaning and a turn towards religion.
  • Exposure to discussions about Palestine fueled his political views and led him to side with the oppressed.
  • He joined Al-Qaeda through family connections and became involved in terrorist plots, including a planned suicide attack on the Pakistani president.

Shownotes Transcript

For years, Majid believed that if he could testify in court about what happened to him when he was held in a CIA black site, a judge and jury would give him a break. Finally, he got a chance to see if he was right.

  • Prologue: Ira talks about the exciting new series that Serial is doing about Guantánamo Bay. We’re airing two of those episodes on the show – one this week and one next. (2 minutes)
  • Act One: Majid Khan struggled with his identity when he was young. And then he realized exactly who he wanted to be – a member of Al Qaeda, carrying out orders for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. He did bad things. But are the things that the U.S. Government did to him worse than his actual crimes?  (38 minutes)
  • Act Two: Majid finally gets his day in court. At his sentencing hearing, he describes to the jury what his interrogators did to him. (20 minutes)

Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org)