A man claiming to be a former member of the Palestine Liberation Organization spoke to a group in Warsaw Monday and Tuesday with questions of the credibility of his story still lingering.
Walid Shoebat spoke Monday night and Tuesday morning at “The Awakening” tent revival in Warsaw.
The event runs through Friday and is organized by Full Life Crusade in Winona Lake, and the Greater Warsaw Ministerial Association.
In Shoebat’s biography on his web site, he states that when he was a younger, he was recruited by the PLO to detonate a bomb at an Israeli bank. In 1993, Shoebat converted to christianity.
Shoebat claims that nobody was injured in the blast.
His claims have been questioned by such news outlets as CNN and the Jerusalem Post.
Mike Ragan, chair for the Warsaw event, said that those in the media who criticize Shoebat are “pro-muslim.”
“CNN is pro-muslim,” said Ragan. “Any liberal media outlet is pro-muslim. I don’t know of any liberal media that isn’t pro-muslim.”
Ragan said the tent revival committee vetted Shoebat.
“We’ve seen him on national TV programs before, both secular and christian TV” said Ragan. “And they vetted him before they put him on christian TV.”
Ragan said it was important to have Shoebat speak because Islam in America is “growing by leaps and bounds.”
“We need to take it seriously,” said Ragan.
According to Ragan, Shoebat was not paid for his speaking engagment. Instead, he received a “love offering” where those in attendance pass around a basket and make donations.
Ragan also said Shoebat sold merchandise including signed copies of his books and CDs.
The amount of the love offering wasn’t counted before it was given to Shoebat.
“We didn’t count it. We bundled it up and handed it to him,” said Ragan.
Shoebat’s travel was provided for.
Off-duty Kosciusko County Sherfif’s Department officers were also paid for because of alleged threats on Shoebat’s life.
Shoebat told the crowd that all of the money he received from the love offering would go to an organization that helps get Christians out of Pakistan.
“Christians are being massacared (in Pakistan) everyday,” said Ragan.
Shoebat spoke at the event for about an hour and 45 minutes Monday night then for another hour Tuesday morning.
In 2008, The Jerusalem Post ran a story questioning the credibility of Shoebat and his story. In 2011, CNN launched a similar investigation.
In The Post’s article, it states that Shoebat’s claim of bombing the Bank Leumi in Bethlehem and later spending three weeks in prison on an unrelated charge in Jerusalem aren’t supported by either the bank or the government of Israel.
Shoebat claims on his web site that there would be no records of his time in jail since he was booked with a different last name.
The Post article also talked to relatives of Shoebat who claim he was never involved in Muslim extremism.
Shoebat has countered on several occasions that The Post was duped and failed to talk to witnesses at the bank.
As for relatives interviewed, Shoebat claims those who The Post talked to were involved in terrorist activites.
Messages left with both Shoebat and the Jerusalem Post weren’t returned as of this morning.
