It is undisputed that Zacarias Moussaoui believes President Bush will free him from prison. But the two sides in Moussaoui’s death-penalty trial differ greatly on whether that belief is a delusional manifestation of schizophrenia or a fundamentalist Muslim’s article of faith.

Moussaoui’s dream-driven conviction that President will some time during his term hold a news conference to announce Moussaoui’s release has emerged as a critical issue in assessing Moussaoui’s mental health. The jury was to hear more such testimony yesterday from a defense psychiatrist.

The defense contends Moussaoui is a delusional paranoid schizophrenic, and cites his belief about Bush as a prime example that Moussaoui has lost touch with reality. They hope evidence that Moussaoui suffers from mental illness will persuade a jury to show mercy and spare his life.

Moussaoui, who is at odds with his own defense team, insists he is not crazy. Prosecutors agree and argue that Moussaoui’s fervent belief in his dream is consistent with religious beliefs of Muslims , especially fundamentalist Muslims, and is no more crazy that Christians believing in the Resurrection. A defense psychologist, Xavier Amador, acknowledged in his testimony that widely held religious beliefs are different than delusions, and that many Muslims place importance in dream interpretation.

Moussaoui’s beliefs, though, differ from standard Muslim thought in several ways, Amador said. For example, Muslims typically ask a scholar or imam to interpret their dream. And they almost always use the phrase “inshallah,” or God willing, to show humility to God’s will, when discussing beliefs about the future.

Moussaoui does not do that, Amador said. “The grandiosity and arrogance to say this will happen without saying ‘God willing’ is not a Muslim belief. It is a delusional, psychotic belief. ... He’s essentially acting as though he is an Islamic scholar.”