False Sense of Maturity

Yesterday, the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed got underway. Mohammed is probably known for the above photo as much as he is for being the September 11th mastermind. He has decided to serve as his own attorney, and I think he made some surprisingly good points considering he’s probably insane:

Glaring at Judge Ralph Kohlmann from beneath bushy eyebrows and a black turban, Mohammed pressed the Marine colonel to explain how he could provide a fair trial as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces that are at war with al-Qaida.

“How can you, as an officer of the U.S. Marine Corps, stand over me in judgment?” Mohammed, who is acting as his own lawyer, asked in English. “How can you be unbiased, given your position?”

Mohammed also questioned the judge about his religion, his Marine training and his knowledge of waterboarding and other harsh interrogation tactics Mohammed experienced in CIA custody before he and his co-defendants were transferred to this U.S. military base in southeast Cuba in September 2006.

Seeking to justify his question about Kohlmann’s religious faith, Mohammed declared that “there are some extremist organizations in America that are against us.”

“If you, for example, were part of Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson’s groups, then you would not at all be impartial toward us,” Mohammed continued.

Kohlmann, wearing black judge’s robes over his uniform, responded that he doesn’t belong to a church now but has attended Lutheran and Episcopalian services.

That’s right, he was even getting in attacks on the Christian right. If you could somehow ignore his past as a terrorist, he wouldn’t seem like such a bad guy for the moment. But then later in the day, he let his Islamic fundamentalist persona out:

“As far as I know, your last name is Kohlmann, which is a Jewish name, not a Christian name,” Binalshibh said. The judge said his statement was inaccurate.

At the close of the hearing, Mohammed had one last request on behalf of his co-defendants. Noting that all five are Muslims, he said the clothing of some women in the courtroom was too revealing for them and asked the judge to ensure they are dressed “appropriately and modestly.”

“That request is denied,” Kohlmann responded immediately.