by David Cole

About the author: David Cole is a professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., and an attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York City.

Editor’s note: In October 1995, Omar Abdel-Rahman and his followers were convicted of the 1993 conspiracy to commit terrorist bombings in New York City, and in January 1996 Abdel-Rahman was sentenced to life in prison.

On July 3, 1993, the Washington Post ran a cartoon, “Let’s Play Where’s Abu"” Above a mass of faces was the caption: “In the crowd of immigrants below, the terrorist Abu Ben Fotwa El Fadwa El Fatweh is carrying a huge bomb strapped to his waist. Can you find Abu? If you can do it in under 20 seconds, score 100. Under 40 seconds, score...