How the kindness of strangers stopped my terror attack
Ex-US Marine Mac McKinney had a deep-seated hatred of Muslims and planned a terror attack on a mosque. Instead, the kindness of worshippers there led to his conversion to Islam.
Richard "Mac" McKinney served 25 years in the US Marines, and harboured a deep-seated hatred of Muslims. He planned to do the unthinkable — to bomb his local mosque. Mac visited the Islamic centre in Muncie, Indiana in 2009, expecting to find evidence that would back up his belief that Muslims were "the enemy". Instead he was met with such kindness and compassion that it led him not only to shelve his horrific plan, but to convert to Islam. We also hear from husband and wife and co-founders of the Islamic centre, Saber and Bibi Bahrami who took Mac to their hearts.
A warning: this programme contains very strong anti-Muslim references.
An award-winning documentary called Stranger at the Gate has been made about them, directed by Joshua Seftel.
Get in touch: [email protected]
Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: June Christie
(Photo: Former US Marine Mac McKinney. Credit: Photographer: Karl Schroder)
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- Thu 3 Nov 202212:06GMTBBC World Service
- Thu 3 Nov 202218:06GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Thu 3 Nov 202223:06GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Fri 4 Nov 202200:06GMTBBC World Service South Asia
- Fri 4 Nov 202203:06GMTBBC World Service except South Asia
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