The Last Patriot

Salam looked at him. “They weren’t good. The United States is doing nothing but ceding ground to the Islamists. It would rather be politically correct than victorious, and as long as it refuses to engage its enemy on every single front it will never win.”

“That’s a pretty serious charge,” said Ozbek.

“Sure it is. But it’s right on the money,” the man responded. “For the majority of its adherents, Islam is a beautiful religion. We not only don’t want to commit acts of violence, we don’t want anyone else to either, especially not in the name of our religion. If it were up to us, we’d gladly see the violent passages the extremists use to justify their actions removed from the Koran.

“The majority of Muslims in America and around the world are moderate and peaceful. Islam brings comfort and provides a noble path for over a billion people on this planet. It is the source of incredible goodness. We want to live in harmony with our neighbors, regardless of what their beliefs are.

“Everyone wants us, the moderate Muslims, to reform Islam, but no one does anything to help. They don’t seem to understand that the moderates who are brave enough to stand up are constantly drowned out by the Islamists who are more media savvy, better organized, and considerably better financed.”

Ozbek referred to his notes. “So that’s where this Operation Glass Canyon that you told the FBI about came in?”

“Yes,” said Salam. “ Operation Glass Canyon was supposed to take the fight directly to the fundamentalists.”

“This was headquartered out of your firm, McAllister amp; Associates?”

“My part of it was. I thought the rest was being handled by the FBI.”

“What is McAllister amp; Associates?” asked Ozbek.

“It’s a P.R. and lobbying firm that specializes in Muslim clients. It was my cover, which allowed me to infiltrate the Islamist movement in America.”

“And were you successful?”

“Very,” replied Salam. “I placed or turned people in almost every hardcore Islamist organization in the country.”

“Didn’t you ever get suspicious that you weren’t really working for the FBI?” asked Ozbek. “According to what I was told, you didn’t even train at the FBI Academy in Quantico.”

“Riley trained me at an Islamic compound in upstate New York called Islamaburg. He said it was for my protection because the FBI wanted to keep my identity a secret, even from other FBI agents.”

“But here you are,” pressed Ozbek, “feeding all of these reports to Riley and nothing is happening. Doesn’t that set off any alarm bells for you?”

“Are you asking if I got frustrated?” asked Salam. “Of course I did. But what did I know? Government is famous for being slow. In fact Riley always liked to calm me down by joking that the FBI put the ‘bureau’ in bureaucratic. No matter how hot a piece of intel was that I gave him, he always assured me that it was being passed up the chain of command and being acted upon.”

When Steve Rasmussen returned with the food, Ozbek gave the prisoner a few moments to begin eating before turning the conversation to the heart of why they were there.

CHAPTER 18

“Let’s talk about the Foundation on American Islamic Relations,” said Ozbek.

Salam shook his head with disgust. “They are the worst thing to have ever happened to American Muslims. You know FAIR’s director, Abdul Waleed, actually boasted at a conference once, not knowing that there was a reporter present, that Islam wasn’t in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. He said he believed that the Koran, not the Constitution, should be the highest authority in America, with Islam as the only accepted religion on earth. And he said he would not rest until he made that happen. That’s not the kind of Islam I practice. In fact, that’s not the kind of Islam the majority of Muslims practice.”

“Tell me about Nura Khalifa and the assassin FAIR supposedly hired.”

Andrew Salam suddenly grew much less talkative. It was obvious to Ozbek that he had touched a nerve and he felt he knew what it was. He had seen a picture of Nura Khalifa. She was stunning.

Finally, Salam said, “She was a good woman. She didn’t deserve to die.”

Ozbek had never lost anyone close to him-not in the Army, not at the CIA, not even in his regular personal life. He could only imagine how the man felt and trod as delicately as the situation would allow. “Were you two intimately involved?”

“No. It was strictly business between us.”

“Did you have feelings for her?”

Salam looked at his interrogator. “Even if I had, I would never have compromised such a valuable asset. If nothing else, at least I can say I was professional.”

“She fed you a lot of information on FAIR?”

“Tons.”

“Which you fed to Riley?” asked Ozbek.

“Yes.”

“And he was the only person claiming to be with the FBI that you ever had contact with?”