John Walker Lindh

The "American Taliban"[19]

What is John Walker Lindh known for?

John Philip Walker Lindh, born February 9, 1981, in Washington, D.C., US, is an American who became notable for his affiliation with the Taliban. Lindh, who also goes by the names Sulayman al-Faris and Abu Sulayman al-Irlandi, is a former student of the Redwood High School in Larkspur, California.

From a young age, Lindh demonstrated an interest in world culture, particularly Sunni Islam and the Middle East. He converted to Sunni Islam at the age of 16, started going by the name Sulayman al-Faris, and traveled to Yemen to learn Arabic. Lindh later returned to Yemen in 2000 before heading to Afghanistan to support the Taliban in their fight against the Afghan Northern Alliance.

Lindh was captured by US forces during the US invasion of Afghanistan in November 2001, and was detained at the Qala-i-Jangi fortress. He survived a violent Taliban prisoner uprising, which resulted in the death of many prisoners and a CIA officer named Johnny "Mike" Spann. In February 2002, Lindh was brought to trial in a US federal court where he pleaded guilty to two charges: supplying services to the Taliban and carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony. He was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment but was released on supervision in May 2019.

His time as a student at Tamiscal High School, an alternative school under the Tamalpais Union High School District, provided him with the opportunity to delve into his interests in world culture. It was here that Lindh dropped out and later earned an equivalent of a high school diploma by passing the California High School Proficiency Exam at 16.

Lindh also showed an avid interest in hip-hop music during his adolescent years and was known to participate in Internet Relay Chat (IRC) chatrooms under the nickname Mujahid. He was reported to have been deeply impressed by Spike Lee's film "Malcolm X," which further sparked his interest in Islam.

For more information, refer to these external resources: Britannica, Biography.com.