Doubts raised about ex-Muslim who leads Liberty U's divinity school

By Michelle Boorstein

Ergun Caner, head of Liberty University's divinity school, has drawn celebrity for his dramatic faith story, of his described conversion from a background of extreme Islam to Christianity. Now Caner is under fire for allegations that the story isn't totally true.

Liberty, which was founded by Jerry Falwell in Lynchburg, Va., has reportedly launched an internal probe into Caner's background after Muslim and Christian bloggers started questioning Caner's description of growing up in Turkey and being schooled in jihad. The allegations center on whether he actually grew up in Ohio and was raised not in an environment of extreme Islam but by a moderate Muslim father and a Christian mother. Some reports say Liberty's internal probe isn't serious while others are expecting a detailed response next month.

Right now, the blogosphere is busy with reports on Caner, who I profiled in 2005.

Might be time for another profile.