determination for that of the IJ. See DMuhumed, 388 F.3d at 819. Because the IJ failed to credit Baghdasaryan’s claims of political activity, it would be illogical to conclude that he was persecuted because of his political activities. Instead, it is logical to conclude that Kocharian’s followers demanded money and free car repairs from Baghdasaryan simply because they wanted money and free car repairs. This conclusion is supported by the fact that Baghdasaryan originally referred to his tormentors as “the mafia” instead of as government officials. When Baghdasaryan rebuffed their demands, they mistreated him. The persecution that Baghdasaryan suffered was the result of his resistance to extortion, not his political activities. See Elias-Zacarias, 502 U.S. at 483, 112 S.Ct. at 816 (<HOLDING>). The IJ’s determination that Baghdasaryan is
holding there was sufficient evidence of persecution on account of imputed political opinion where guerillas abducted petitioner because her husband and broth er were members of the guatemalan army holding that guatemalan guerrillas abducted petitioner on account of imputed political opinion because of her relatives military service holding that a guatemalan who was persecuted because of his refusal to serve in a guerilla army was not persecuted on account of his political opinion holding that attempted conscription by a guatemalan guerrilla group did not constitute persecution on account of a political opinion where petitioner failed to show that the group was motivated by his political opinion holding that absent solid support in the record for the petitioners assertion that he would be persecuted his fear was speculative at best