We, the citizens of Newton, Massachusetts, ask for a public apology from Aldermen Stephen Linsky and Ted Hess-Mahan for proposing a resolution that would have the city welcome Aziz Abdul Naji, a Guantanamo Bay detainee, into the Newton community.

Mr. Naji is a self-confessed jihadist, according to declassified Department of Defense documents publicly available through the New York Times. Born in Algeria, in 1999 Mr. Naji joined Lashkar-e-Taibah, the terror organization responsible for the Mumbai Massacre. This brutal act of terror resulted in the murder of 173 people, including a Chabad Rabbi and his wife who were tortured prior to their murder.

The Islamic supremacist ideology that motivated Naji to join Lashkar-e-Taibah is explicitly committed to the destruction of India, Israel and America. All jihadists are fervent adherents to harsh, intolerant, and hateful Islamist beliefs about the treatment of women, homosexuals, and all non-Muslims, especially Jews, Christians, and Hindus.

By welcoming such a person to our city, the Aldermen displayed astounding ignorance about the ideology of radical Islam. In addition to an apology, we also believe that Aldermen Linsky and Hess-Mahan should seek to be educated about the threats of global Jihad and its intolerant ideology.