All they want is a car and a hot chick!

[SamIam]

The five young American men detained in Pakistan earlier this week betrayed no hints of extremism back home. Yet they suddenly left their families in the Washington, D.C., area and turned up in Pakistan, where authorities believe they were looking to gain entry to terrorist training camps.

Back home, community leaders are trying to make sure that such an episode doesn't happen again.

"It was like, you know, an earthquake just hit us. We're just stunned, bubble-eyed," youth group leader Mustafa Maryam says. He met with the young men every week. They prayed at a single-story building just off Route 1. It's surrounded by car dealerships and a Firestone tire shop. It was supposed to be a place where Muslim leaders like Maryam could protect the community's kids.

I think they got greedy lusting after all the cars in those dealerships. LJ can you help us out here?

"We'd rather have you at the mosque than in the street. We'd rather you have — and be in — a positive environment than with thugs," he says.

But those thugs weren't on the street; apparently they were online. According to reports, the five young men were radicalized after watching YouTube videos and communicating on social networking sites.

Damn, I wish we had YouTube here. It would save a lot of truble.

Maryam didn't see hints in any of this. He sees more truth in the reports that the men, devout Muslims, had traveled to Pakistan to find wives.

"As far as I know, they're all virgin kids. Everybody dreams about the day that they'll get married. So many conversations, so many discussions about marriage," he says. "That makes more sense to me than this stuff I'm hearing."

Not if they’re going to have a bevy of wives in the here-after.
I’m betting those thugs weren't on the street; apparently they were online. According to reports, the five young men were radicalized after watching YouTube videos and communicating on social networking sites.

Maryam didn't see hints in any of this. He sees more truth in the reports that the men, devout Muslims, had traveled to Pakistan to find wives.

"As far as I know, they're all virgin kids. Everybody dreams about the day that they'll get married. So many conversations, so many discussions about marriage," he says. "That makes more sense to me than this stuff I'm hearing."

I’m sure I’m being cynical. I hear Pakistan is gorgeous in December.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=121374183