International terrorist groups like al-Qaida have uniquely influenced the way the United States deals with domestic terrorism, even in Midwest cities like Columbus.
Andrew Welsh-Huggins, a legal affairs reporter with the Associated Press, explores this idea in his new book, Hatred at Home: al-Qaida on Trial in the American Midwest. He will speak at 3 p.m. today in Alden Library as the first speaker in the “Authors @ Alden” series.
“I’m delighted that he will be speaking at the library,” said Gillian Berchowitz, editorial director at Ohio University Press and Swallow Press. “As far as I know, he will be talking very specifically on this book and giving some background to the investigation.”
The book features three men who were the focus of separate government investigations and charged with terrorist activities. In 2002, the three friends had an angry conversation in a coffee shop about civilian casualties in Afghanistan. When the FBI began talking to one of them, Iyman Faris, the inquiry quickly expanded to include Christopher Paul and Nuradin Abdi.
Welsh-Huggins said the book tells the story of the investigation from the terrorists’ arrival in the United States through their trials and convictions.
“I really just wanted to tell these guys’ stories as fully as possible,” he said.
The book then goes on to examine the change in United States policy toward domestic terrorism and the difficulty in protecting American citizens while respecting civil rights.
In Welsh-Huggin’s speech tomorrow, titled “High Stakes Balancing Act: The Government’s Post-9/11 War on Terror,” he will expand on the topics presented on the book.
“I’ll be definitely going over the story of these three guys, and then I’ll be getting into sort of a discussion and illustration on the particular way the government has gone after terrorism,” he said.
The Ohio University Press worked with Alden Library to coordinate the “Authors @ Alden” series.
“I think he’s going to be really interesting; he’s a really good speaker,” Berchowitz said. “The book is really accessible.”
bv111010@ohiou.edu
