Interesting story - it's hard to understand how any Jew can go into islam... but I'm glad he finally saw the light. I guess he just needs to convert to Buddhism at some point to have a complete religious package in his bio.

"We all grew up in homes where answers were not given to us, and we were looking for a sense of direction that we initially found within Islam," said Gartenstein-Ross.

Raised by "New Age Jewish" parents in Ashland, a small southern Oregon town infused with hippie culture...

That still doesn't really explain... if the guy was from Borat's land - possibly, but in the States?

Strange mix indeed. He sounds rather unsettled to me - and too in need of a defined faith, perhaps.

Seems to me like an individual. Someone who can think outside whatever box he finds himself in.