Director Mark Claywell and writer-producer Jody Jenkins won the Best Documentary Grand Jury Award at the 2010 Slamdance Film Festival for this portrait of a U.S.-born warrior championing Islamic extremism. Born Clevin Raphael Holt, the subject grew up in Washington, D.C.–area housing projects and was the subject of relentless bullying during his formative years. He joined the military as an underage teen but was discharged after his ruse was discovered. Returning home, he rejected his family's Christian fundamentalism and embraced Islam, changing his name to Isa Abdullah Ali. Relocating to Lebanon in the early 1980s to fight with the Amal militia and Hezbollah, Ali claims to have been engaged in Islamic movements in the Middle East and Balkans (he currently lives in Bosnia). Although Ali says he killed over 150 people, his exact role in jihadist conflicts remains murky; the fact that he has never been identified as a terrorist by the U.S. government (let alone arrested and jailed) argues that his role as a mercenary for Islamic causes is not as large as the filmmakers suggest. Indeed, it's hard to watch American Jihadist—which consists of interviews with Ali and family members, religious figures, and government officials, interspersed with archival and contemporary footage—without wondering if he's simply a loud-mouthed charlatan. DVD extras include interviews with the filmmakers and Lebanon's late Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadl-Allah, as well as the featurette “Terrorist vs. Freedom Fighter.” An optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)
American Jihadist
(2010) 62 min. In English, Arabic & Bosnian w/English subtitles. DVD: $17.99. Breaking Glass Pictures (avail. from most distributors). Volume 26, Issue 4
American Jihadist
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