Anyway, the point I wanted to make was that the tattoos were indeed before he became “religious” as you say. But the religion, or form of Islam that he was introduced to in prison was the ‘radical’ version.

More people are led astray by ‘bad’ imams/preachers in prisons than any where else. This type preaching should be stopped in prison. The prisoners are a captive audience, usually not so bright as with Zarqawi, and easily led astray.

Other information on Zarqawi’s history:

“He grew up in poverty, dropped out of school and took to heavy drinking, tattoos and fighting. Allegedly jailed for sexual assault, he embraced militant Islam and travelled in Afghanistan in 1989. With the Soviets already defeated, he was left to edit a magazine for demobilised mujaheddin” …

“Reportedly jailed for possessing arms in 1993, Zarqawi became a taciturn loner; fellow prisoners recalled him intimidating inmates with a mere glare. When not studying the Qur’an, he would lift weights to beef up his slight frame. Released in an amnesty in 1999, he was soon to be sentenced in absentia for plotting to bomb tourists celebrating the new millennium at the Radisson SAS hotel in Amman.He joined Bayat al-Imam (Loyalty to the Imam), a radical Jordanian clique led by another former convict, Issam Barqawi, also allegedly planned to kill Christians pilgrims.

um.