Lawyers for Lindh Act to Stop Instant Book

Lawyers for U.S. Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh, who is facing trial for conspiring to kill Americans abroad, took action on Tuesday to stop publication of an instant book about his life.

San Francisco attorney George Harris wrote to small California publishing house University Press telling them that the forthcoming book -- thought to be the first about the 21 year-old captured in Afghanistan -- was "grossly and outrageously false and defamatory."

The letter, a copy of which was forwarded to Reuters by the publishers, warns that "publication would be at your peril."

The book called "John Walker Lindh; American Taliban" is due to be published on March 14 and is already listed on the Amazon.com Web site for $14.95, and other online book stores.

Rhawn Joseph, the owner of San Jose, California-based University Press, said the book sought to answer the question millions of Americans have been asking themselves since Lindh's capture last November -- namely how a boy from middle-class Marin County in northern California ended up fighting for the Taliban.

Joseph said the book was based on investigative reporting in California and other U.S. states but that the two authors had not traveled abroad.

"We are going forward with publication. We have published a lot of books and we are careful about what we write," Joseph told Reuters, adding that University Press had made "repeated attempts" to work with the family and Lindh's lawyers.

Lindh, who converted to Islam as a teenager, is to stand trial in August on a 10-charge indictment including charges of conspiring to kill Americans abroad and aiding the Taliban and the al Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden, blamed for the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that killed more than 3,OOO people.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. In his letter to University Press, copies of which were also sent to Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com and Borders Group Inc, Harris requests a meeting with the publisher's lawyers "before you proceed any further with the planned publication."

About the Book (Buy it now)

Book Description
"Yes, I Supported" the 9/11 Attack on America. - John Walker Lindh

Sweet, shy, sensitive, John Walker Lindh, at age 14, was a confused, unhappy, angry little boy with a fascination for the violent rhythms of hip-hop music. By age 16, his anger was directed at Jews, Gays, Zionists, Christians, and White America. In 1998, after converting to Islam, and while still living in California, John Walker Lindh joined a "Pakistan-based jehadi organization" with suspected links to terrorists and Islamic extremists dedicated to the overthrow of "moderate" Islamic governments and the United States of America.

That same year John Walker Lindh left for Yemen to attend language school, but then dropped out and disappeared after just two weeks. For the next eight months he apparenlty made contact with militants at the Islamic University, only to be apprehended and returned to the U.S.

John Walker Lindh wanted to be a holy warrior. The presence of U.S. forces and U.S. ships off the coast of Yemen and other Muslim nations was "an act of war against Islam" he declared. In the year 2000 he returned to Yemen on a mission which coincided with the bombing of the USS Cole off the coast of Yemen--blamed on al-Qaeda and Islamic militants attending Yemen's Islamic University.

Mission accomplished, John Walker left Yemen for Pakistan where he met with Taliban officials, and then journeyed to Afghanistan where he swore allegiance to al-Qeada and Osama bin Laden who personally thanked John Walker for his assistance and his help.

Osama bin Laden had preached: "Death to America!"

But was it the United States which John Walker wished to destroy, or his unknown face?

The story of John Walker, is a story of a young man at war with himself for he hated and repeatedly sought to jettison and destroy his true identity.

He thought of himself as "doodoo" but wished to pretend that he was hated not because of what he was, but because of who he pretended to be.

ohn Walker Lindh turned to the internet in search of anonymity and a new identity. He was not the shy, sweet, sensitive, gentle, fearful little boy that his parents and school mates knew him to be, but an imitation Black gangsta rap star wannabe.

Yet, he accused others of being exactly what he was, and then announced he would remain anonymous because of homosexuality. He was not a "worthless dickrider" but an imitation Muslim in search of purity.

John Walker Lindh convinced himself that imitation is reality. "If you imitate a people, you'll be regarded as one of them... even if you commit unimaginable sins."

John did not just imitate, but spewed intolerance and hate. Hatred of homosexuals, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, and Jews, and hatred of the female half of the human race.

John Walker Lindh was on a quest for personal purity. He joined a religion that encouraged him to pick up a gun and to kill his fellow Muslims, and American women and men.

Yet imitation is not reality, which is why John Walker Lindh, in picking up the martyr's gun, was aiming not for the "Great Satan" or the United States, but at something far more evil and full of sin... his own unknown face.

From the Inside Flap
"Yes, I Supported" the 9/11 Attack on America. - John Walker Lindh

John Walker Lindh, at age 14, was a confused, unhappy, angry little boy with a fascination for the violent rhythms of hip-hop music. By age 16, his anger was directed at Jews, Gays, Zionists, Christians, and White America. In 1998 he joined a "Pakistan-based jehadi organization" linked to terrorists wishing to overthrow the USA. He wanted to be a holy warrior. The presence of U.S. ships off the coast of Yemen was "an act of war against Islam" he declared. He journeyed to Yemen on a mission which coincided with the bombing of the USS Cole.

Mission accomplished, John Walker left for Pakistan and met with Taliban officials, and then journeyed to Afghanistan where he swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden who preached "Death to America." But was it the USA which John Walker wished to destroy, or his unknown face? John Walker was at war with himself for he hated and sought to destroy his true identity. He called himself "doodoo" but pretended he was a Black "gangsta" rap star wannabe, and announced he would "remain anonymous" because of homosexuality. He was not a "worthless dickrider" but an imitation Muslim in search of purity. Yet imitation is not reality, which is why John Walker Lindh, in picking up the martyr's gun, was aiming not for the "Great Satan" or the United States, but his unknown face.