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November 29, 2005

UK: Cleared Muslim Sister - What The Jury Was Not Told

We reported yesterday on the jury's "not guilty" verdict on Parveen Sharif and her brother Zahid, in what was a retrial over comments exchanged between the pair and their brother Omar (pictured), a would-be suicide attacker. Omar Sharif tried to blow himself up with an associate, Asif Hanif, in Mike's Bar, Tel Aviv, on April 30, 2003. His companion's bomb went off, killing three people and injuring 65, but Sharif's bomb belt would not detonate. He was later found in the sea 12 days later, after an apparent suicide. It has been suggested that the attack was arranged with the support of al-Muhajiroun, a UK Islamist group, now disbanded.

Parveen and Zahid were yesterday cleared of failing to inform police of a possible attack. However, information was not put before the jury, which has today been revealed by both the Times and the Telegraph.

Parveen, who described herself in the trial as a "moderate" Muslim, though devout, is a supply teacher. The Times states that she was barred from teaching at two schools for comments she made to the children. Both Grampian School in Sinfin, Derby and Somerlea Park School in Alfreton in Derbyshire both made complaints to the agency she worked for, saying they did not want her teaching their children again.

After the US 9/11 attacks, she said to primary school children that she was "on Osama bin Laden's team".

A child who was aged 10 at the time told police: "She says she's on bin Laden's team and it's a good job that bin Laden crashed into the twin towers. She says 'Hands up everybody that's got relations in New York?'. And then she goes, 'Well they're dead'."

This information was not passed to the jury, and was classed as "inadmissable evidence" in Parveen Sharif's first trial, by Michael Hyam the recorder of London. As a consequence of this, the comments were not mentioned in the trial which concluded yesterday.

The case was decided mainly on the evidence of emails exchanged between her and her brother. The Times reproduces them:

22 April 2003
Omar Sharif, in Palestinian Territories, to Zahid Sharif, Derby
Omar Sharif to Parveen Sharif (extract)I hope u are well. Please take care of yourself. Difficult times may lay ahead for you and the family in the next few weeks or months if Allah wills. Plan now and get rid of any material you may consider problematic.
"Please give a copy of the following message to my wife. 'After reaching our destination Allah guided us to his friends who were very happy to see us, and they said they needed our help very much. I hope you are strong. Know that everything is just a test, and Allah will reward the patient ones. Look after Khadijah, Hamza and Asyiah [their children] and bring them up well. We did not spend a long time together in this world but I hope through Allah's mercy and your patience we can spend an eternity together. We will talk later, I hope to go and be with the best of company soon, you will hear from my friend the good news ... Make dua [prayers] that Allah makes me sincere, firm and that he accepts my actions'. Delete this message.

23 April 2003
Parveen Sharif to Omar Sharif (extract)
We are happy that you are focused in your studies. inshAllah [God willing] we all have to be firm and focused with reality as time is slipping away, there is really no time to be weak and emotional ... when we see you again it will be like only half a day has passed ... You have no time for emotions. from parveen and everyone. May Allah take care of us and join us all soon.

26 April 2003
Omar Sharif to Parveen Sharif (extract)
salam parv, may Allah bless you. thank you very much for the letter. it was very helpful. inshAllah we will see each other soon. remember me in your duas.

At her (second) trial which ended yesterday, Parveen told the jury it was a "sick idea" to suggest she had encouraged her brother in his actions as a suicide-bomber. When shown a video of Omar and Asif Hanif which was issued by terrorist group Hamas a year after the event, she claimed the person in the video was "not the Omar I knew".

Both defendants had in their homes extremist literature from the radical group Hizb ut-Tahrir. We described earlier the testimony of one witness who said that such literature was handed out at mosques. Because it often had quotes from the Koran, this material was hard to then be disposed of. The jury appear to have swallowed this explanation.

Zahid also had an interest in al-Muhajiroun, the group which is believed negotiated the arrangement of Hanif and Sharif going to Israel to meet Hamas members, who then prepared them for the attack on Mike's Bar. Omar Sharif had been actively involved with promoting al-Muhajiroun.

Two trials have taken place now over this issue, and the total cost has been more than 2 million pounds ($3.7m). One wonders, if the Recorder of London had allowed testimony to be presented at the case, what the verdict may have been.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at November 29, 2005 7:30 AM

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