Zachariah Anani
Encyclopedia
Zachariah Anani (also Zack or Zak) is a former Sunni Muslim
Lebanese
militia
fighter. He would later convert to Christianity
and seek refuge in Canada
in 1996.
"from a long line of imams and was expected to become one at the age of 14." Anani became a fighter in a Lebanese militia and "at the age of 14"
According to his biography on shoebat.com, Anani claims to have been trained to fight and kill Jews
, and to hate Christians and Americans
. He says his family was pleased with his decision because they believe Islamic teachings promise reaching heaven if he were to die in battle against "unbelievers". Ironically, Anani faced Muslim groups, who fought among themselves, most of the times while facing Israelis only once.
He was later to meet an American Southern Baptist missionary who inspired him to convert to Christianity and later moved to Canada.
Quiggin suggests that considering Anani's date of birth ("in 1957 or 1958") and the age he states to have joined the militant activity (age 13, 1970 or 1971) are too early for the time the fighting in Lebanon became truly aggressive, around 1975. Quiggin adds that Anani states he left Lebanon to go to Al-Azhar University, Egypt at the age of 18, which means he left Lebanon within a year of when the fighting actually started.
Quiggin claims that, while Anani may have been a low-level militant, street fighter or insurgent; there are doubts that he was a terrorist in Lebanon in the early 1970s.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
fighter. He would later convert to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and seek refuge in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1996.
Background
Zachariah Anani was born in BeirutBeirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
"from a long line of imams and was expected to become one at the age of 14." Anani became a fighter in a Lebanese militia and "at the age of 14"
According to his biography on shoebat.com, Anani claims to have been trained to fight and kill Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, and to hate Christians and Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He says his family was pleased with his decision because they believe Islamic teachings promise reaching heaven if he were to die in battle against "unbelievers". Ironically, Anani faced Muslim groups, who fought among themselves, most of the times while facing Israelis only once.
He was later to meet an American Southern Baptist missionary who inspired him to convert to Christianity and later moved to Canada.
Quiggin suggests that considering Anani's date of birth ("in 1957 or 1958") and the age he states to have joined the militant activity (age 13, 1970 or 1971) are too early for the time the fighting in Lebanon became truly aggressive, around 1975. Quiggin adds that Anani states he left Lebanon to go to Al-Azhar University, Egypt at the age of 18, which means he left Lebanon within a year of when the fighting actually started.
Quiggin claims that, while Anani may have been a low-level militant, street fighter or insurgent; there are doubts that he was a terrorist in Lebanon in the early 1970s.
See also
- Walid ShoebatWalid ShoebatWalid Shoebat is a Palestinian immigrant to the United States and campaigner for Christianity and Israel, against Islam. He was born to a Jordanian father and Caucasian American mother, and claims to have been a former PLO militant, although neither the PLO nor the Israeli government have any...
- Nonie DarwishNonie DarwishNonie Darwish is an Egyptian-American human rights activist, and founder of Arabs For Israel, and is Director of Former Muslims United. She is the author of two books: Now They Call Me Infidel; Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel and the War on Terror and Cruel and Usual Punishment: The...
- Wafa SultanWafa SultanWafa Sultan is a medical doctor who trained as a psychiatrist in Syria, and an American author and critic of Muslim society and Islam.-Life and career:Sultan was born into a large traditional Alawite Muslim family in Baniyas, Syria....
- Ibrahim Abdullah