Source: The New York Times

On October 9, 2001, The New York Times profiled Imam Siraj Wahhaj in the article "American Imam Refutes Attacks and Defends Islam." The article explained, "he is attending interfaith forums and speaking at schools and colleges, trying to explain what he sees as Islam's true nature. And among Muslims, he says, he is waging a jihad — and he chooses the word, which means struggle, deliberately — to use education to counter extremism. 'I've made a commitment to God and myself: I will do everything I can to eliminate these sicknesses,' he says."