Washington City Paper: Contents for Jan. 27

Does this man look like a terrorist to you?
Yusuf Muhajir's bizarre encounters with federal authorities

Cover Story

Yusuf Muhajir is a 58-year-old African-American Muslim who wears a long gray beard, a long garment, a pair of sandals, and a small knit cap. He’s 6-foot-6 and walks with a cane. “People wanna say I look like Osama bin Laden,” says Muhajir. There are similarities: Osama may be a touch taller and a few pounds lighter, but he uses the sandals, the cane, the head covering, and the long garments. Muhajir, a veteran of Vietnam and the first Gulf War, thinks the idea that he’d be mistaken for a terrorist is ridiculous. “I’m not gonna walk around like a neon light if I’m a damn terrorist,” he says. “I’m just a meager, broken-down old man.”

But this broken-down old man has had a series of baffling run-ins with law-enforcement officials that have left him wondering if his appearance makes him an easy target for the domestic War on Terror. Since his neighbors told him that federal agents came snooping around his 16th Street Heights apartment last summer, he’s been especially cautious. He’s restricted his association with other Muslims, and he’s tried not to worship at the same mosque too often. Those precautions come on top of his policy of totally avoiding the IHOP in Takoma Park.... Continued

Issue of Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, 2006

News and Features

Does this man look like a terrorist to you?
Yusuf Muhajir's bizarre encounters with federal authorities
Cover Story By Arthur Delaney
The Origin of Feces
An urban naturalist's guide to crap
Feature By Sarah Godfrey
Days Inn to Become Chinese Dorm
Northeast motel will house hundreds of embassy construction workers.
The City By Ryan Grim
Ol' Yeller
Screaming woman with camera foils leash-loathing dog owners.
The City By John Metcalfe
Friends Meeting of Washington
The City By Aaron Leitko
This Land Is Their Land
The Mail By Charles Badley
Remember This!
The Mail By James Amps III
The Reich Stuff
The Mail By Martin Morse Wooster
Money, Ball
The Mail By Kelby Seamen
Correction
Correction

Columns

Uncharted Territory
Cheap Seats By Dave McKenna
Say Hay
City Desk By Ryan Grim
Crank Yankers
City Desk By Rachel Beckman
Savage Love
Savage Love By Dan Savage
Channel Serf
Television By Mario Correa

Eats

Sugar, Sugar
Young & Hungry By Mario Correa

Movies

Watch Yourself
Film Review By Mark Jenkins
Format and Substance
Film Review By Tricia Olszewski
Nanny McPhee
Film Review By Louis Bayard
Annapolis
Film Review By Tricia Olszewski

Music

Theater

The Wearin' o' the Mean
Theater Review By Trey Graham
Beyond All Measure
Theater Review By Bob Mondello

Arts and Events

Beating the Rap
How the label heads love to hate might be changing the game of hiphop longevity
Arts By Sarah Godfrey
Halo Benders
Artifacts By Joe Dempsey
The Kitsch Stays in the Picture
Artifacts By Rachel Beckman
Culture Vultures
What does it take to get an arts grant from the D.C. government?
Culture Vultures By Rachel Beckman
Her Mother's Daughter: A Memoir of the Mother I Never Knew, and of My Daughter, Courtney Love
Books By Patrick Tracey
The Big Book of Porn: A Penetrating Look at the World of Dirty Movies
Books By David Dunlap Jr.
Blowing Smoke
Tobacco prohibitionists have declared victory in the smoking-ban debate. Yet fuming club promoter Mark Lee refuses to quit. Not cigarettes. Not his nasty e-mailing habit, either.
Show & Tell By Chris Shott