LOS ANGELES: A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) counterterrorism analyst and current professor at the American Military University has said in a video published that Islam is “more of a cult than religion.” His statements have sparked widespread antagonism and frustration from Muslims worldwide, and especially in the United States. William Gawthrop was seen in a video obtained by Wired magazine's national security blog, Danger Room, where he makes a speech at the New York City chapter of Infragard, a partnership group with the FBI to protect critical infrastructure from attack where he attacks Islam. He calls for efforts to undermine the faith at its foundation as a means of combating terrorism. He then draws an analogy to the Death Star in the Star Wars films. “If you remember Star Wars, that ventilation shaft that goes down to into the depths of the Death Star, they shot a torpedo down there,” he said. “That's a critical vulnerability.” The video comes one week after the publication by the same blog of training materials from a similar lecture in April titled “Strategic Themes and Drivers in Islamic Law” that described the Prophet Mohamed as a “cult leader” and linked the Islamic faith to violence. Muslims across the US are angered by the supposed analyst's statements, saying it misrepresents Islam and Gawthrop should be fired. “I am an average American who happens to be Muslim,” began Sharif Ahmed, a Los Angeles-based writer. “I think this sort of talk only hurts the chances of dialogue and creating more discussion between Muslims and others,” he told Bikyamasr.com BM
