"Canadian Idol" terror suspect in court

[JI7]

Source: AP

A terror suspect who appeared on the TV show "Canadian Idol" made a brief court appearance on Friday, and police said they arrested a fourth man in an alleged plot to build bombs.

The "Idol" contestant, Dr. Khurram Syed Sher, 28, is charged with conspiracy to facilitate terrorist activity. Police said they seized 50 circuit boards intended for use in remotely detonated bombs. Two other men allegedly involved in the plot had appeared in court on Thursday.

Sher appeared on the reality show in 2008 singing a comical version of Avril Lavigne's "Complicated," complete with dance moves that included a moonwalk.

The bearded father of three, a pathologist in Ontario, appeared nervous during his Friday court appearance. He was ordered to appear again before the court on Sept. 1 via video feed.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hka_04gRjj7sxP4TTXp9eeJmbq4QD9HS1Q001

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Link to Video of his Idol Audition

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x499268

[davidinalameda]

1. I blame Simon Cowell for this

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. Ditto

The Audition d'Awful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iGPgZznQCY

[applegrove]

4. His friends have said that they think he was joking on canadian idol cause

he was never someone who ever wore traditional muslim garb.

[JI7]

5. i read somewhere he was raised in Canada, also in the Video he seems to lose the accent

when he is singing. i know a lot of people sound like they have an American accent when singing. but listen to the first part where it's more talking than singing.

the guy seems more like an attention whore. i guess being a doctor is boring to him.

[applegrove]

12. The newspaper was talking about how the types of people who become

homegrown terrorists don't study the humanities in university they study subjects which have a singular definite answer like medicine or math. They also tend to be without women at some point. This is when they get radicalized. I think all the homegrown terrorists in this lot were married though.

[applegrove]

3. They had detonators built out of circuit boards. The police snuck in

and replaced them all with duds well before the arrests.

[Prometheus Bound]

6. Volunteer in a hospital in Israel, Pakistan earthquake relief and Montreal soup kitchens

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/montreals-muslim-community-rallies-after-terror-charges/article1688559/

[JI7]

"He was ill-at-ease with the niqab because he worried people would think he forced her to wear it"

[Prometheus Bound]

8. Yes, I noticed that one too.

Very curious. Hard to peg him as the terrorist type, that's for sure.

[JI7]

7. "He was ill-at-ease with the niqab because he worried people would think he forced her to wear it"

[wookie72]

9. The way I see it.

The guy was 19 when 9/11 happened. He probably lived a fairly assimilated life up to that point, only to be suddenly thrust into a world that looked at him as "the other." No doubt he was told constantly "oh, but you're one of the good ones" after hearing a diatribe about what "Muslims really believe."

In other words, people become radicalized for complex reasons. Or else Islam is a poisonous religion that programs all its believers for violent jihad from birth. Take your pick.

[Prometheus Bound]

10. Or he's innocent.

[wookie72]

11. Indeed

I'm a little chagrined that I didn't think of that first.

What I was trying to combat is the idea that "oh, it doesn't come from oppression of Muslims, this guy was assimilated." In much of the stuff I've read bout African Americans, there is always a fine line between assimilation and radicalization. It only takes one or two instances to remind you that you're "the other."

I have a couple friends who are Pakistani (not religious at all). When asked how 9/11 affected them at airports, etc., they said ruefully that it wasn't any different from the way they were treated before.