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April 24, 2008
Qatar: Muslims Want "Mecca Mean Time"
News from: BBC, Fox News, Asia News:
A conference was recently held in Qatar, entitled: "Mecca, the Centre of the Earth, Theory and Practice." The meeting was attended by scholars and scientists, though there was remarkably little science on show. The scholars suggested that Mecca was the real "centre" of the earth.
Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, claimed that "modern science" had "evidence" to show Mecca was the center of the earth.
Another speaker, a geologist, claimed that the English had imposed Greenwich Mean Time upon the world, and it was time that the situation changed. He also claimed that the longitude of Mecca placed it in perfect alignment to magnetic north.
The geologist obviously does not understand what current notions of longitude represent. Greenwich is the site of the "Greenwich meridian", a line that is used in maps to indicate 0 degrees of longitude. It also represents the geographical point from which all other time zones are measured.
The meridian that crosses at Greenwich does not point to magnetic north. It points to the geographic North Pole, which is a fixed point on the earth's surface, representing the axis around which the globe spins.
Magnetic north, on the other hand, is not a fixed point. It is constantly moving. In May 2001, data showed the North Magnetic Pole is currently moving northwest at 25 miles per year. In 2001, the North Magnetic Pole was located at Latitude 81 degrees and 3 minutes North, Longitude 110 degrees and 8 minutes West.
The geologist at the Qatar conference who said that Mecca was in perfect alignment to magnetic north was either a fool or a liar. On the current co-ordinates (where Greenwhich has longitude 0), Mecca is situated at 21 degrees 29 minutes North, 39 degrees, 45 minutes East. There is no longitudinal correlation with the position of the North Magnetic Pole.
What is shameful is that the claims of these Islamic experts have to be challenged, broken down and refuted. There will be many Muslims around the world who will accept the claims as fact, and sadly these will not be caring about what science states.
Already there are websites and YouTube videos which appear desperate to prove Islamic traditions that Mohammed split the moon in half.
Lines Of Longitude
According to Diogenes Laertios, the philosopher Pythagoras (c 580 - c 500 BC) believed the earth was spherical. His belief derived not from any evidence but from subjective reason - for him the sphere was a perfect form.
The philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) argued that the earth was round. Previous philosophers such as Thales (624 BC - c 546 BC) asserted the earth was flat, while Anaximander (c 610 BC - c 546 BC) claimed the earth was a stone cylinder. Aristotle's proof came from the shadow of the earth on the surface of the moon during a lunar eclipse. The earth's shadow is always circular and never elliptical, as may happen if the earth were a flat disc, indicating that our planet is spherical.
In the Natural History of Pliny the Elder (who died in the eruption of Vesuvius, 79 AD), the shape of the earth is described in Book 2, chapter 2, paragraph 2 thus: "That it has the form of a perfect globe we learn from the name which has been uniformly given to it, as well as from numerous natural arguments. For not only does a figure of this kind return everywhere into itself and sustain itself, also including itself, requiring no adjustments, not sensible of either end or beginning in any of its parts, and is best fitted for that motion, with which, as will appear hereafter, it is continually turning round; but still more, because we perceive it, by the evidence of the sight, to be, in every part, convex and central, which could not be the case were it of any other figure."
Eratosthenes of Cyrene (276-194 BC) had measured the earth's circumference to be 250,000 stadia. If one takes the value of one stadium to be 157 metres, the result is surprisingly accurate. He also measured the tilt of the earth's axis and was the first person to devise a map system based upon latitude and longitude. The latitudes were named after certain locations, such as Alexandria, Syene and Meroe in the south of his "map", and the longitudes similarly, after the Pillars of Hercules (Gibraltar), Carthage, Rhodes and others.
The work of Eratosthenes was expanded by Hipparchus of Nicaea (190 - 120 BC). Using spherical geometry, Hipparchus placed existing locations onto a grid of latitude and longitude. Hipparchus also calculated the distance of the moon from the earth as being between 59 and 67 earth radii, when the actual figure is 60 earth radii).
Strabo (c 64 BC to 24 AD) had a coherent concept of the world that survives in his Geography. A map based upon his writings can be found here. Shortly after 43 AD, Pomponius Mela wrote a short treatise on geography. His unique contribution was the mention of "Antichthones" a region of land in the southern hemisphere. He asserted that this could never be reached by man as the heat of the equatorial zone would be too hot.
Around 130 AD, Claudius Ptolemy wrote Megale Syntaxas tes Astronomias, or "Almagest" which gave accurate details of star positions and eclipses. Ptolemy was a geographer, mathematician, astronomer and astrologer. His "Geography" used a system of Longtitude where the Meridian of 0 degrees passed through the "Islands of the Blessed" (The Canary Isles). His Latitude began with the Equator (0 degrees) and extended only 10 degrees into the southern hemisphere. A 1482 Renaissance interpretation of his world map, called the "Ulm map" can be seen here. The furthest location in the south (and east) is Cattigara, which is located at 177 degrees of longitude 8 degrees 30' of south latitude. This could be a reference to China.
Genuine Islamic Science
During the Dark Ages, learning in Europe went on the decline. The works of Greek philosophers and mathematicians were housed in obscure monasteries but only a narrow of selection of ancient texts was maintained. Only a few learned members of the church were allowed to have access to this limited library.
The rise of Muslim society saw many of these texts being actively analysed and tested. Under the rule of the Abbasid Caliphs (750 until 1258) Islam underwent what is widely called its "Golden Age". Mathematics, astronomy, alchemy, geodesy and zoology were refined and developed. Many of the names for stars still used by astronomers today (eg Algol, Deneb, Altair, Rigel etc) are the same Arabic names given to them during this period. The Caliph al-Ma'mun ibn Harun, who ruled from 813 to 833, set up an institution in Baghdad called the "House of Wisdom" (Bayt al-Hikma) specifically to improve upon the knowledge gained by the ancients. Al-Ma'mun also set up observatories.
Famous scholars at the House of Wisdom included the mathematician Al-Khwarizmi (c780 to 850 AD) and the three Banu Musa brothers (born around 800). Al-Khwarizmi studied astronomy and spherical trigonometry, and algebra. The word "algebra" comes from one of his books (Kitab al-Jabr), and the word "algorithm" comes from a Latinized corruption of his name.
The Banu Musa brothers similarly made contributions to mathematics and astronomy, with brothers Muhammad and Ahmad working out the length of the year as 365 days and six hours.
Abu Rayhan al-Biruni (973 to 1048) used trigonometric results developed by Abu'l-Wafa and Mansur to work out latitude and longitude to an accuracy far higher than that given by Ptolemy. Al-Biruni collaborated with Mansur on works of astronomy and mathematics. He measured the earth's radius at 6339.6 kilometers (3939.2 miles) a figure not reached in Europe until the 16th century.
Longitude and Greenwich Mean Time
Measuring latitude has always been easier to achieve in the northern hemisphere than measuring longitude. Polaris, the pole star, is easily found in the night sky. Draw an imaginary line linking the two stars at the front of the Big Dipper (Merak and Dubhe). Extend this line upwards, and the first star of any magnitude that appears near (slightly south of) this line is Polaris. The firmament of stars rotates around this star, no matter the time or season. The angular height of Polaris corresponds to the latitude of the observer. Various instruments were used by ancient Greeks, Arabs and Western Europeans to measure the height of this and other stars, from the astrolabe to the quadrant and sextant.
For the Vikings, whose navigation skills took them from Scandinavia to Spain and North Africa and westwards to Greenland (Vinland) and Newfoundland, the star Polaris was called "Veraldar Nagli", the "world spike".
The demise of the Abbasid Caliphate at the hands of the Mongols in 1258 saw the end of Islam's "Golden Age" of science. The Renaissance mainly happened in Europe because ancient texts which had been preserved in the Muslim world returned to their former homes. This process was spearheaded by individuals such as Frederick II (born 1194, died 1250), who set up the first University at Naples and who employed Muslim scholars at his Sicilian court. From the 12th century onwards, translations of Ptolemy's Almagest were being circulated in Europe.
After 1492 the notion of the earth being round was widely accepted in Europe, even though Columbus had failed to arrive in the Orient as expected. The 16th century saw an expansion of European exploration. There was still a problem for navigators.
For every 15 degrees of longitude, local time is offset by one hour. Thus if the time at 0 degrees is midday, at 15 degrees West the local time will be 11 am, and at 15 degrees East the time will be 1 pm. If a sailor could know the local time at a fixed point - such as 0 degrees longitude - and compare it to the local time no matter where he was, a simple comparison of the two time zones could give the exact longitude of his position. To achieve this, an accurate clock was necessary, a clock that could function accurately with the heaving of the sea.
In the 17th century, clocks that kept accurate time on land - generally using pendulum mechanisms - were thoroughly unsuitable for maritime use. King Charles II of England had founded Greenwich Observatory on a hill above the River Thames in 1675. The aim of the observatory was to provide accurate observations of the heavens, and thus to assemble charts of lunar positions in relation to the stars. A sailor could use these lunar charts to infer the local time at Greenwich, and would be able to gain a figure for longitude. This method, called the Lunar Distance Method, was only partially accurate, and the first "Nautical Almanac" did not appear until 1766.
In 1714 the British government passed an act of parliament in which £20,000 was offered as a reward. The winner would have to construct a timepiece so accurate that it would keep time to 2 minutes' error (a half degree of longitude). The winner would also have to prove the timepiece could sustain this performance on a trip to the West Indies.
The man who finally achieved this goal was John Harrison (1693 - 1776), a joiner who made clocks as a hobby. The story of his quest to win the prize is described in Dava Sobel's book Longitude and the TV movie of the same name. Sobel also described the efforts of Rupert Gould to restore Harrison's timepieces to working order.
Harrison solved the challenge. The snobbery of the astronomers on the board set up to judge the contest long prevented him from receiving the full recognition he deserved. Even a petition from the monarch, George III, was ignored by the board. Harrison's quest began in 1728 and finally ended in June 1773 when parliament had passed an act awarding Harrison £8,750 and effectively ending the "Longitude problem". Harrison had made five timepieces, but his fourth (H4, completed in 1759) and fifth (H5) were revolutionary, designed like large pocket watches.
When Captain James Cook's ship the Endeavour left Plymouth on August 12, 1768, bound for the South Seas, the captain took with him a replica of Harrison's H4 timepiece, manufactured by Larcum Kendall. The Endeavour was set to visit Tahiti, to observe a transit of Venus across the face of the sun on June 3, 1769.
Around the same time, a voyage by Captain Phillip Carteret in the South Seas between 1766 to 1769 demonstrated the problems of measuring longitude. The "Bounty" was a ship that was commissioned to transport breadfruit from Tahiti to the West Indies. The famous mutiny took place on April 28, 1789. When the mutineers finally left Tahiti in September 1789, Fletcher Christian knew of the existence of an island listed in Carteret's charts.
Finding this island, called Pitcairn, was made more difficult as Carteret had wrongly calculated the longitude by three degrees. It took weeks for the mutineers to locate the island. The cartographic error would also give the mutineers protection from those who would return them to British justice. The fate of the mutineers from the "Bounty" remained unknown to the outside world until 1808, when an American ship, Topaz, landed at Pitcairn.
Though the story is long and circuitous, the reasons why Greenwich finally became the site of the Meridian of zero degrees should now be self-evident. The scholars at the "Mecca, the Centre of the Earth, Theory and Practice." conference in Qatar may be well-versed in Koranic and Hadith facts. But they are not aware, it seems, of any scientific reasons why Mecca should represent the Meridian.
It takes little energy to speak a lie or to start a false rumour - it takes far more energy and intellectual effort to quell such a falsehood. And sadly, the scholars at Qatar have only promulgated a lie.
Revising Science
Science has gone through many phases, and at one stage Islam actively encouraged exploration and examination. Later forms of Islam have maintained the notion that Islam is a complete philosophy, that it cannot be improved upon. Therein, it sets itself up for stagnation. Islamic science has not been globally visible recently. There have been few devout Muslims who have become winners of the Nobel science laureate. This complacent belief that one is following a "perfect system" is hardly a launch-pad for discovery.
Islamists all too often are anti-educational, choosing only Koranic education and eschewing the secular. In Afghanistan, schools are burned and teachers are killed by the Taliban. Girls are denied work and education. Women are encouraged by Islamists to wrap themselves up like tents and then lie to the world that they are liberated and valued for their "individualism" rather than for their sexual promise.
These Islamists have forgotten their own history, when being a Muslim meant being part of a culture that was forward thinking, that was buzzing with the joy of learning. A society where science was redefining the boundaries of the known. Yet even as astronomers and mathematicians under the Abbasids refined the dimensions of the earth and the cosmos, the same minds also put their genius to work on practical and mundane matters such as stock-taking, inheritances, irrigation and agriculture. The Islamists of today dream of expansion, but in a mechanistic, uninspired fashion. They lack the imagination to dream about finding out the true essence of the world. They are slaves to their own dogma and expect the rest of us to become slaves to their prejudices, their literalism and their prudery.
Evolution, despite what Creationists may say, is based upon scientific fact. The Catholic church now fully accepts the first passages of Genesis as metaphorical, rather than literal. The church does not feel that its notion of a guiding and omnipresent deity is threatened by science. Those who seek to "refute" evolution generally do so by subterfuge, selective quotation and outright misrepresentation of scientific facts. Such methods hint of desperation, and I believe that the scholars at Qatar are similarly displaying a desperation that could be described as "millennial".
Creation science, faced with opposition, has another face, that of "Intelligent Design", that accepts some aspects of science, but maintains that only divine intervention allowed for natural selection. In Islam, there is currently a trend called "Ijaz al-Qur'an". This means "miraculous nature of the holy text". It attempts to find justifications from the Koran to show that modern science was already "known" by the author of the Koran.
Rashad Khalifa (1935 to 1990) was an Islamic scholar - regarded by some as a heretic - who began this trend. Khalifa argued that the number 19 (the number of years in a full Islamic lunar calendar cycle) had miraculous relevance in the Koran. Egyptian-born Khalifa was stabbed to death at a mosque in Tucson.
Those who claim that there are cracks in the surface of the moon are similarly trying to "justify" the mention in Sura 54: verse 1 that the "moon is split asunder". In the Hadiths of Imam Muslim the moon is said to have split in two during the prophet's lifetime.
Many scientists (particularly in Europe) regard Creationists as intellectual Luddites, smashing down the intricate machinery of humankind's knowledge. Yet in the Islamic world there is a Creationist movement, that seeks to undermine genuine scientific discovery. The chief proponent of Islamic Creationism is Harun Yahya. His real name is Adnan Oktar, a 52-year old Turk who lives in Istanbul. An art-school drop-out, his books and websites are visually dense and striking.
He blames science, and particularly evolutionary theory, for the world's ills. Last year, he said: "Communism, fascism, and Freemasons stand on the tenets of Darwinism, and the world power of capitalism stands on the same... Hitler and Mao were both Darwinists... We will not deceive ourselves that scientists have a monopoly on truth."
Harun Yahya's lavishly-illustrated 800-page book Atlas of Creation maintains that the Holocaust and even 9/11 were created by "Darwinists". It has been smuggled into French schools, where secularism is promoted and has prompted an investigation by the Council of Europe. Copies have recently been found placed in libraries in Scottish universities, with five discovered in Edinburgh and two at Glasgow university.
The centre of the world in maps has changed according to the worldview of those who made such charts. At one point, Alexandria was viewed as the centre of the world, then Rome, and in Medieval maps, such as the Mappa Mundi of 1290, Jerusalem became the centre of the world. In this context it is not hard to understand why some Muslim scholars may want to see Mecca becoming the centre of future world maps. But wishing something is not the same as having any grounds to impose it on others.
Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who spoke at the Qatar conference, may have another motive for wanting to see maps and globes altered. He was recently refused entry to Britain. Is there an element of revenge at work here, trying to wipe out Britain's importance in the science of geodesy by removing the Meridian from Greenwich? If Qaradawi has "evidence" to show that Mecca is the centre of the world, then he should present it for scrutiny.
Qaradawi is anti-science. He is not a Muslim who bristles with the desire to expand his horizons of knowledge. He is an elderly pedagogue, who has learned the Koran, the Hadiths and Islamic jurisprudence, and now can only spout "judgments" and "fatwas". He is against evolution to the extent of declaring Pokemon characters to be Satanic as they encourage evolution.
The scholars of Qatar are suffering from the same malaise as other religious figures. They appear to be afflicted with "millennial angst". When a culture is in crisis, people look for divine signs, even if these mean abandonment of logic and reason. When the Second World War brought army incursions into Melanesia, tribespeople witnessed the activities. When the soldiers had gone, there were "Cargo Cults" where tribespeople believed that a new leader (John Frum) would arrive and bring them wealth, such as that they had witnessed amongst the army members.
When the Industrial Revolution took many farm workers out of their rural homes and traumatically brought them into the cities to perform factory work, there were several messianic cults. One English "prophet" called Joanna Southcott (1750 - 1814) was widely revered. In her sixty-fourth year she claimed to be pregnant with Shiloh, the "New Messiah". Her pregnancy lasted longer than nine months and she died. The swelling in her stomach was a caused by dropsy, a heart condition. Some former followers such as John Wroe founded cults that became more extreme.
For Native Americans of the Plains in the time leading up to the last defeat at Wounded Knee, the demise of their cultural heritage was accompanied by the rise of the Sioux, Paiute and Arapaho "Ghost dancers". People who wore special shirts and partook in Ghost Dances thought themselves immune to bullets. Similar beliefs have been found among youth soldiers in Liberia during the savagery of civil war when their culture was turned upside down.
The scholars at Qatar, I believe, are not asserting the supremacy of Islam. They are exposing their cultural insecurities despite a front of bravado. Their calls for abolition of GMT may rouse the educationally impoverished and the intellectually challenged. They argue from a position of desperation, not strength, when they employ dishonesty to make their case. The problems of Islam and Islamism stem from inflexibility and an ossification of belief. It need not be that way.
During the time of the Abbasid Caliphate, Islam was forward-thinking, not looking backward. Some of the brilliant minds of that period also had a sense of fun. Al-Jahiz (776 - 868) wrote 200 books, and was an accomplished zoologist and animal ethologist. He is even credited with developing a pre-Darwinian evolutionary theory. He also wrote one treatise entitled: "The Art of Keeping One's Mouth Shut" and another entitled: "Against Civil Servants".
There is a principle of Islamic jurisprudence called "Al-hukm-u yadullu ma'a illatihi wujudan wa adaman". This translates as "The law is formulated in accordance with circumstances", meaning Islamic law changes with time and with situational needs. It is not monolithic and inflexible.
All too often on Islamic forums, people are asking what they are allowed to do and what is "haram" (forbidden) for them. Islamists have nothing to offer anyone outside of their mindset, as they are locked in a pattern of dogma that is stifling, anti-creative and anti-scientific. Muslim leaders who really want to inspire others should stop whining about their losses and engaging in the politics of envy and victimisation. Religion should inspire and uplift, and free the mind, not shackle it with tabus and rigid dogmas. When religious leaders have to lie to make a point, they insult basic principles of human decency.
In 1687, Isaac Newton wrote: "If I have seen further than anyone, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants." Newton had borrowed this phrase from earlier sources. In the 12th century, John of Salisbury had written in Metalogicon: "Bernard of Chartres used to compare us to dwarfs perched on the shoulders of giants... we see more and further than our predecessors... because we are lifted up and borne aloft on their gigantic stature." Yusuf al-Qaradawi may be a renowned scholar of Islamic literature, but in real-world terms he has crouched under the haunches of midgets.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 1:48 AM | Comments (0)
April 22, 2008
Britain - Raising Homegrown Muslim Terrorists
This article by Adrian Morgan (Giraldus Cambrensis of Western Resistance) appears today in Family Security Matters and is reproduced with their permission.
Britain - Raising Homegrown Terrorists
Failures of Policy
Though his presence has hardly made any impact compared to the Pope, Britain's near-invisible prime minister Gordon Brown has been visiting the United States. Brown's trip to the States happens as his popularity plunges at home, and he faces a rebellion from the ranks of his Labour Party. Once again Brown quotes Winston Churchill. At home, Brown never quotes Churchill. He would be savaged by the press for hypocrisy.
It is not the first time Brown that has resurrected the ghost of Churchill in a bland attempt to impress America. In July last year on his first visit to America as prime minister, he used words lifted from a famous speech by Churchill. To resurrect Churchill for a second time indicates either a lack of imagination on Brown's part, or he patronizingly thinks Americans are so shallow they can only relate to Churchill as an influential British politician.
In 1975, while rector of Edinburgh University, Gordon Brown wrote fawningly of Antonio Gramsci, founder of the Italian Communist party. For socialist Brown to compare himself to Churchill would make the Tory former statesman turn in his grave.
Gordon Brown was the "right-hand man" of Tony Blair until May 27, 2007, so he cannot be absolved of the messes that Labour has made since it assumed power in May 1997. Ever since July 7, 2005, there have been ample opportunities for Britain to work out a coherent strategy against homegrown terrorism. Sadly, the Labour Party is too dependent upon Muslim votes in inner cities to really produce any strategy of substance.
In the aftermath of 7/7, instead of ensuring that potential extremists were kept under control, the Labour government acted to appease the Muslim "representatives". When Tony Blair wanted to ban the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, his own advisory group the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) refused to support the move, and Hizb is still active in Britain nearly three years later. The MCB claims to be moderate but has a history of relations with Islamists. Indeed, the group was co-founded by Kemal el-Helbawy, a prominent Muslim Brotherhood member.
In 2005, Home Office minister Hazel Blears was sent on a tour of Muslim communities and came back with the anodyne statement: "What we have discussed today is the need to teach the true nature of Islam, which is about peace and love." The Muslims who killed 52 civilians in London on 7/7 were well-versed in Islam, but were hardly radiating "peace and love" for their fellow citizens when they detonated their explosive rucksacks.
The British government has attempted to deal with Muslim extremism by dishonestly pretending that extremists are not Muslims. They are. They just happen to be extreme Muslims. Such blinkered approaches continue and the current Home Secretary is either naive or dishonest when she maintains that Islamist terrorism is "anti-Islamic activity".
In 2006, the Labour government wasted tax-payers money creating a Muslim website that claims to be moderate, entitled "The Radical Middle Way". Funds are being thrown at Islamic extremism, with little hope of actually doing anything. Meanwhile, the Foreign Office wastes tax-payers' money on sending groups of Muslims abroad to Muslim countries to meet other Muslims to "share their experiences".
The Foreign Office spends much time trying to "reach out" to Islamofascists. In 2005, it approved of the disastrous "Waziristan Accord", a peace deal between the Taliban and the army in northwestern Pakistan. Though that accord was broken by Islamists within days, Gordon Brown appears to approve of similar acts of appeasement. His Foreign Secretary, David Milliband, is currently in Pakistan to encourage more negotiations with terrorists.
In October 2007 the communities secretary Hazel Blears announced that £70 million would be granted to set up websites so that young Muslims in Britain can discuss their "identity". Currently, the government has increased the annual funding of such hare-brained schemes to £90 million ($180 million).
The latest half-baked attempt by the British government to defuse extremism in the Muslim community is a suggestion to import more foreign imams into Britain. These are to come mainly from Pakistan, a country with such a "moderate" approach to Islam that anyone found guilty of blaspheming against the prophet Mohammed receives a mandatory death sentence. Imams brought up in such a climate are hardly going to understand or support the "liberal" customs of Britain, where freedom of speech is meant to trump religious supremacy. Who is going to decide which of these Pakistani imams is "moderate"?
Fears about extremism, which should first have been addressed in 1989 when British Muslims were calling for the death of author Salman Rushdie, are now being raised in other quarters. Prisons have long been known to create climates where radicalism spreads like a virus. The prison where most Muslim terrorists are housed is Belmarsh in Woolwich, southeast London. On April 15 this year, a report on prison radicalism was published.
This report by prisons inspector Anne Owers found that at Belmarsh the warders "do not understand" the prison's 198 Muslim detainees. It is not the duty of prison officers to "understand" their prisoners, merely to keep control, but Owers complains that this leads to isolation. Owers wrote that "there was a real danger that the alienation of Muslim prisoners in general, and the suspicion with which they perceived they were treated, would in fact feed radicalisation."
The irony of worrying about Muslims in Belmarsh - already notorious for their extremism - becoming extremists is lost on Ms Owers. Her report was based upon an inspection made in October 2007. SInce then Yassin Nassari, a prisoner who is now freed, apparently tried to blow up the prison and had to be moved out in November 2007. In March this year, the Muslim Boys staged a riot in Belmarsh prison. This gang is famous for its forcible conversions. At Christmas 2007 one of the gang tried to kidnap a Belmarsh prison officer and hold him for ransom.
The "moderate" Muslim who acts as the Prison Service's Muslim adviser is Ahtsham Ali. He recently showed what use he is to Britain's social needs by stating that the penal service's attempts to rehabilitate Muslim sex offenders were "against Islam". Sex offenders are expected to openly discuss their crimes, but Ali objects to this. He says his objections are based upon a "legitimate Islamic position" but does not quote his Islamic sources. If this view is "legitimate" it is not well known. Should the prison service pander to a sex criminal's "religion" when public safety is at stake?
Most Muslims in Britain are peaceful, but to pretend that Islamists are not "real" Muslims is a potentially dangerous policy. Islamists tend to be better-versed in Islamic texts than many of the so-called "moderates". Any realistic strategy against extremism must take this into consideration.
Abu Izzadeen
Abu Izzadeen is certainly well-versed in Islam. A former member of Omar Bakri Mohammed's Al Muhajiroun group, which was disbanded in October 2004, Izzadeen is a convert. He was born in 1976 in Hackney, London, to a Christian family of Jamaican origin. His birth name was Trevor Brooks, but when he converted to Islam just before his 18th birthday he changed his first name to Omar.
His current name "Abu Izadeen" means "Might of the Faith", a title which reflects his rampant narcissism. In January 2001, he featured in a video taken by the BBC, in which he stated: "Because I believe America is one of the places where we should be bombing those...er, the Government. There are some Muslims that go to America, because obviously, you know, like firearms is available inside America, to be trained legally. So why not take that opportunity to use, the heart of the enemy that's attacking us."
Izzadeen's egotism has led him to make pronouncements designed to attract attention. Just days before 7/7, he said Muslims must "instil terror into the hearts of the kuffar". He declared "I am a terrorist. As a Muslim of course I am a terrorist."
In 2004 he was unofficially preaching in Regents Park Mosque. He said: "He who joins the British Army, the American Army, he is a mortal kaffir and his only hukum (punishment) is for his head to be removed. Indeed, whoever changes his deen (Muslim code of life); kill him."
In 2005 after the bombings of 7/7 he boasted on BBC of his support for Bin Laden and his contempt for the civilians who died on London Transport: "I believe many people say you shouldn't negotiate with terrorists. It's a common theme, put in the media. But I'm sure, if you asked those who passed away on the 7th of July, should we negotiate with terr- Osama bin Laden, I'm sure they'd say 'Yes'. To bring their lives back, to save themselves from the burning inferno underground, they would have said, 'Let's negotiate'." He described the London bombings as "completely prraiseworthy".
On April 24 2007 was arrested. A police spokesman explained that the arrest was for "alleged incitement and radicalization for the purposes of terrorism, as well as alleged provision of financial support for international terrorism."
On February 4 this year, Abu Izzadeen appeared at Kingston Crown Court in west London. He was named "Omar Brooks" by the court. On trial with him were six other people who had been arrested at the same time as him. These were Abdul Rehman Saleem, 32, Shah Jalal Hussain, 25, Rajib Khan, 29, Ibrahim Abdullah Hassan, 25, Abdul Muhid, 25, and Simon Sulayman (Suliman) Keeler, 36. All defendants were members of Al Muhajiroun or the groups that succeeded it.
All were accused of fundraising for terrorism, and five (Brooks, Saleem, Keeler, Khan and Ibrahim Abdullah Hassan) were accused of inciting terrorism overseas. Izzadeen was additionally charged with encouragement of terrorism and Hassan was charged with possessing a document for terrorist purposes. The charges stem from an unofficial demonstration they had made at Regents Park Mosque on November 9, 2004.
Abdul Rahman Saleem and Abdul Muhid had already been convicted and were in jail for comments they had made on February 3, 2006 at another rally against the Danish cartoons. Saleem (aka Abu Yahya) was convicted of "using words likely to stir up racial hatred" and is serving a four year jail term. Muhid is serving six years for soliciting murder.
On Thursday, April 17 last week, Izzadeen was found guilty of fundraising for terrorism and inciting terrorism overseas. Two of his co-defendants, white convert Simon Keeler and Shah Jalal Hussain, were also found guilty of fundraising for terrorism. On April 8, Shah Jalal Hussain had run off after being sent to hospital. He returned to the court on Friday April 18. The other defendants were found guilty of inciting terror abroad.
On Friday, Izzadeen was jailed for four and a half years. Under Britain's current system, he will serve less than half of that time in jail. He would officially spend only 27 months in jail if he behaves in jail, but he has already spent fourteen months in custody. He should be free in May 2009. Judge Nicolas Price described Izzadeen as "arrogant, contemptuous and utterly devoid of any sign of remorse".
Simon Keeler was given the same sentence, while Saleem received a jail term of three years and nine months. This will start as soon as he completes his existing jail term. On November 9, 2004, Saleem had preached: "Destroy the kafir wherever they are. Let their blood run in the mountains of Afghanistan, let their women become widows, may their children become orphans, let them be bombed. Let death come to them by the hands of the mujahideen."
Ibrahim Hassan was jailed for two years and nine months. Abdul Muhid was sentenced to two years' jail for fundraising for terrorists. He will commence this sentence when he has served his existing jail term for soliciting murder.
Shah Jalal Hussain was given a two year jail term for terror fundraising, with an additional three months for absconding and breaking his terms of bail.
The convictions could be seen as a "success". However, it took two and a half years from the time of the Regents Park events until the defendants' arrest. During that time, Abu Izzadeen had gone on to become a media "celebrity", celebrating the deaths of the victims of 9/11, heckling a Home Secretary, telling the public that any Muslim soldier who fought other Muslims deserved to die and using BBC radio to promote hate.
Most of the convicted men had attended the demonstration on February 3, 2006. The demonstration, where placards called for those who insulted Islam to be beheaded, was organized by Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jammah, which had been founded by Simon Keeler and other former Al Muhajiroun members in November 2005. Five people received jail terms for inciting racism and soliciting murder at that demonstration, but many more guilty people never appeared in court.
Ahlus Sunnah wal Jammah also
heckled Catholic worshippers at Westminster Cathedral but police did not arrest or prosecute anyone.
Dangerous Converts
Izzadeen and SImon Keeler were converts, who came into the fold of radical Islam through the actions of foreign-born preachers Omar Bakri Mohammed and Abu Hamza. If the government and police had acted to silence these migrant preachers of hate in the 1990s, there would certainly be less dangerous Islamists in Britain today.
The failure of the police to deal with Izzadeen and his ilk has allowed Islamism and support for terrorism to be promoted in the media. For young people who wish to rebel against their parents and their culture, Islamic radicalism becomes an attractive prospect.
Some converts appear to be more aggressive than those who inducted them into their new faith, as if they are trying to prove themselves. While Izzadeen was awaiting his sentence, another terrorism drama was unfolding in Britain. And the focus of this drama was, again, a Muslim convert.
On Thursday April 17, a 19-year old man named Andrew Ibrahim was arrested in Bristol city center. His home at Comb Paddock, Westbury-on-Trym, was searched. Police have not disclosed all the details of the materials that they found in the suspect's home.
The police were concerned enough to evacuate thirty residents from their homes on Thursday night. They then carried out a controlled explosion at Ibrahim's home. A second explosion happened late on Friday.
Avon and Somerset police stated that "a container was safely removed from the home, covered in sandbags and taken to a safe location." The police statement asserted: "we can confirm that he did not own the property and that he has previously come into contact with the police."
The police later said that the first container that was blown up was a "viable device". A third controlled explosion took place over the weekend, suggesting that the youth had turned his home into a bomb factory. Residents are still waiting for the all-clear to return to their homes.
Ibrahim has a father from Egypt and a mother from Britain. Nassif Ibrahim works as a consultant pathologist at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol.
Andrew Ibrahm had been living in a hostel for the homeless at the stat of the year. He was on a drug treatment order. He initially refused to move into his current home as he did not want to live in a white middle class area. He changed his mind and moved into Comb Paddock on February 4. He wore traditional Muslim (Arabic) clothing, and played loud Islamic music. He kept his door bolted with multiple locks. One neighbor said: "I saw him walking down the road last week in a linen cotton outfit with chiffon sides."
Ibrahim was well educated at private schools before he became involved in drugs. His conversion to Islam appears to have happened as he was "in recovery" from his narcotic problems.
His arrest came from an intelligence tip-off. A police source said: "The arrest was not part of some long-running investigation. What we are trying to establish at the moment is whether this individual was working alone or was part of a team."
Britain's police have allowed Islamists to preach the "virtues" of terrorism for too long. Those preachers have spawned a new generation of radical converts, and these now appear to be having their own influence upon society.
In the name of multiculturalism alien ideologies, which include support for terrorism, have been allowed to thrive without intervention. These policies have failed and have allowed the problem to worsen to the point where terrorism and extremism is even harder to crack. In the past, it was assumed that foreign preachers' support for terrorism abroad was "acceptable" as long as it did not take place on British soil. We know now that such preachers have influenced Muslim terrorists to attack Britain. The the genie that was let out of the bottle in the 1990s cannot be stuffed back where it came from.
The politicians who have presided over this appalling state of affairs are Tony Blair and his successor Gordon Brown. Brown does not want his cabinet ministers to use the term "war on terror", and as a result, terrorism continues unimpeded. It seems that Brown and his current cronies, so used to appeasing alien and anti-British ideologies, do not know where to begin in the fight against extremism. If they cannot even mention that we are in a war, then they will never win that war.
Adrian Morgan
© 2003-2007 FamilySecurityMatters.org All Rights Reserved
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 6:49 AM | Comments (0)
April 21, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Turk Sentenced To Die For Islamic Blasphemy
News from Arab News (1), Arab News (2), Turkish Press, Los Angeles Times, Hurriyet, Zaman and blog Impudent Observer:
Sabri Bogday is a Turkish barber, who has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for blasphemy against Islam. He had gone from Hatay province in southeast Turkey to the Saudi kingdom in 1997 and opened a barbershop. Officials at Jeddah General Court confirmed on April 16 this year that they were supervizing a trial of Mr Bogday for "swearing at Allah".
The president of the court, Sheikh Rashid Al-Hazza’a, was on leave. 13 months months back, Mr Bogday had an argument with an Egyptian neighbor, who ran a tailor's shop. Following this row, Mr Bogday was accused by the Egyptian of blaspheming, and was placed in jail, where he has remained since. The Egyptian tailor, meanwhile, has disappeared and did not enter any testimony at the trial. However, his original desposition stands and was the basis of the court case.
A lawyer from Riyadh said that in cases of this nature, interpretation of what is Sharia rested upon a personal interpretation by the judge. Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem said: "Some judges consider it heresy and infidelity, and say that the accused cannot repent and so faces death penalty. Others consider the statement to be disbelief, thus allow the accused to retract what he has said and repent and then set him free."
As noted in February in the case of the Jordanian woman Fawza Falih who is facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia for "witchcraft" - there is no crime of "witchcraft" under Saudi law. Mustapha Ibrahim, an Egyptian pharmacist, was beheaded for "sorcery" on November 2, 2007.
Al-Lahem sated: "If two people have an argument, the testimony of one of the two against the other cannot be legally accepted... Sentences in these cases are limited and considered rare, because the judgment is not based on something that is written."
In Turkey, prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and also prime minister Abdullah Gul have written letters asking for a pardon to be issued.
With the pressure from Turkey, the Saudi authorities have been more forthcoming on details. Mr Bogday appeared at Jeddah General Court on June 13, 2007. His case was presided over by three judges: Sheikh Muhammad Al-Aamer, Sheikh Fahd Al-Ammari and Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Lihidan.
According to court sources there were two witnesses - one EGyptian and one Saudi. Mr Bogday apparently admitted to swearing at God, and said that he had not been in any "conflict" with the witnesses. If a grudge or long-running vendetta exists between two parties, under Saudi law the evidence of one against the other is invalid.
Mr Bogday was not given a chance to repent by the court. However, the sentence has been passed and because of its nature, the death sentence cannot be over-ruled by King Abdullah. In the case of the young woman who was gang-raped and then sentenced to 200 lashes and six months' imprisonment, King Abdullah intervened. As this is a "hadd" ruling (a divine ruling based directly upon the Koran), it is beyond his jurisdiction. In judicial interpretations of Sharia and also "hadd" the plaintiff has a right to appeal.
For Mr Bogday, his right of appeal came three weeks ago. The ruling, based upon his previous admission and the testimony of the two witnesses, was upheld. Mr Bogday had decided to retract his earler confession during the appeal, but this appears to have been ignored.
The verdict is not, however, final. Now that it has received complaint, there is some hope that the Turkish Consulate will provide a lawyer for the Appeals Court. Before an execution can happen, the case must go through the Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court and then the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (King Abdullah).
On Thursday in Turkey, Mr Bogday's mother Atra said to the press: "Give me my son back. I want my son. Please save my son" Mr Bogday's wife, 26year old Muazzez Bogday, who is mother to their infant son Suleyman, was too distraught to speak.
The World Coalition, an anti-capital punishment group said that of 158 people who were executed in Saudi Arabia in 2007, 76 of these were foreigners. The group said that migrant workers were at greater risk of having death sentences carried out.
The group noted: "Saudi Arabian justice is particularly intransigent towards foreign workers and especially those from poor countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, who represent nearly a quarter of the country's population."
"On occasion, their sentence depends solely on confessions obtained under constraint, torture or subterfuge. Trials take place in secret and the accused and their families are not informed of the accusations against them or the evolution of the procedures concerning them."
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 6:18 AM | Comments (2)
April 15, 2008
France: Bardot's Muslim Comments Prosecuted As Racist
News from Reuters and (in French) Le Figaro, Challenges and Nouvel Observateur.
Brigitte Bardot was once the last word in female cinematic allure during the 1950s and 1960s, though most of her films were in French and few were regarded as classics. She was born in 1934 and retired from movies in 1973 just before her 40th birthday. Her retirement happened just after completing her 48th movie. Since 1986 she has been associated mainly with her animal welfare charity, Foundation for the Protection of Distressed Animals, which she runs in St Tropez in the South of France where she has lived since the 1960s.
Since 1992 Bardot has been married to Bernard d'Ormal, a former adviser to the Front National party. Since 1997 she has been sued four times for "inciting racial hatred" for her comments about Muslims. In 1997 she was fined for saying in the newspaper Le Figaro that France was becoming over-run by "sheep-slaughtering Muslims."
In 1998 she was again found guilty of incitement, over comments she made about the killing of civilians in Algeria. She had also complained about the growing number of mosques in France, "while our church-bells fall silent for want of priests."
Her third conviction came in June 2000 for statements she had written in 1999 in a book called "Le Carre de Pluton" (Pluto's Square). Here she complained about sheep slaughter by Muslims. Here she penned a section entitled "Open Letter to my Lost France". She wrote: "my country, France, my homeland, my land is again invaded by an overpopulation of foreigners, especially Muslims."
In 2003 she published a book called "A Scream in the Silence" which landed her in court once again. On June 10, 2004, a French court ruled that she "presents Muslims as barbaric and cruel invaders, responsible for terrorist acts and eager to dominate the French to the extent of wanting to exterminate them."
In the introduction to this book, she had written: "I do not hold religious Muslims in high esteem." She also wrote: "For 20 years we have submitted to a dangerous and uncontrolled underground infiltration. Not only does it fail to give way to our laws and customs. Quite the contrary, as time goes by it tries to impose its own laws on us. We were disturbed by their barbaric practices; we went to court; we condemned their unacceptable behaviour which left homes covered in blood, and filled rubbish chutes with skin, bone and oozing brains. To no avail!"
The former movie goddess railed particularly against the sacrifice of sheep at Eid celebrations. She called the 9/11 attackers "monstrous, satanic men" and wrote: "All those 'youths' who terrorise the population, rape young girls, train pit-bulls for attack ... spit on the police -- they are the ones who at the smallest signal from their chiefs will suddenly put us through the same kind of thing that happened in a Moscow theatre."
Today, Bardot went on trial for a fifth time for "inciting racial hatred", in a prosecution that was brought by MRAP (the Movement Against Racism And For Friendshp Between Peoples) which had sued her previously over her book "A Scream in the Silence".
The trial is being held in a Paris courtroom, the 17th correctional chamber of the Paris County Court. Anne de Fontette, prosecuting, said: "I am a little tired of prosecuting Mrs Bardot." The prosecution is demanding that she receive a two months' suspended prison sentence and a fine of 15,000 Euros ($24,000).
Her latest controversy comes from comments she had made in a letter to the current French President, Nicolas Sarkozy. These comments were later published on her animal charity's website. She again criticized the Eid al-Adha celebrations, where sheep are sacrificed, and wrote: "I am fed up with being under the thumb of this population which is destroying us, destroying our country and imposing its acts."
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 3:14 PM | Comments (0)
UK: Highs & Lows In the Fight Against Islamist Terrorism
This article by Adrian Morgan (Giraldus Cambrensis of Western Resistance) appeared today in Family Security Matters and is reproduced with their permission.
Highs and Lows in the War on Terrorism
Britain's commitment to the war on terror is certainly less strong under the unelected leadership of Gordon Brown, who became prime minister on June 27, 2007. As soon as he became the premier, Brown ordered his cabinet ministers to avoid the term "War on terror".
A sign of the current administration's lack of realism came in January this year, when Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced that Islamic terrorism was "anti-Islamic activity". She said: "As so many Muslims in the UK and across the world have pointed out, there is nothing Islamic about the wish to terrorise, nothing Islamic about plotting murder, pain and grief. Indeed, if anything, these actions are anti-Islamic." Smith's Islamic scholars seem to ignore the evidence of the Hadith of Bukhari, in which Mohammed's last words included the statement: "I have been made victorious with terror".
Despite previous previous bland statements about terrorism, Brown and Smith are now facing rebellion from Labour party ranks for trying to be "tough" on terror suspects. On November 9, 2005 Tony Blair had been defeated when he tried to extend the time that terror suspects could be detained without being charged. Blair wanted suspects detained for 90 days, but Parliament only accepted a compromise of 28 days. Gordon Brown and Jacqui Smith want the time to be raised to 42 days in a bill to be discussed next month.
In 1998 the Labour Party introduced the Human RIghts Act, which ensured that all of British law had to comply with the European Convention of Human Rights. Already this legislation has proved to be disastrous when dealing with terrorism. It has allowed Afghan terrorists the right to remain in Britain indefinitely.
Control orders were introduced by then-Home Secretary Charles Clarke in 2005. These measures were brought in to monitor and regulate the activities of terror suspects who could not be prosecuted, often in the form of a partial house arrest. In May 2007 it was revealed that three individuals - Cerie Bullivant, Lamine Adam and Ibrahim Adam - had escaped, despite being under "control orders".
A month later, it was revealed that another individual had escaped a control order. Zeeshan Sidique, like the Adam brothers and Bullivant, had connections with the individuals convicted in the Operation Crevice trial of trying to cause explosions in Britain. Sidique had gone to Pakistan to commit "jihad". He had been admitted to a lunatic asylum while on a control order, but had escaped through a window in September 2006. He has not been found. His diary entries record the rantings of a disturbed individual, desperate to return to "the battlefield" of jihad for the sake of Allah.
On December 12, 2007, Cerie Bullivant was cleared by a jury on seven counts relating to his breaching his control order. He admitted he had absconded, but claimed that the control order had made his life miserable. He was placed on another control order, but his lawyer announced that he would appeal against the original order on the grounds that it breached Bullivant's human rights.
Abu Qatada
One individual who was issued with a control order was Abu Qatada (Omar Mahmoud Mohammed Othman). This Jordanian individual arrived illegally in Britain in September 1993 on a forged United Arab Emirates passport. In June 1994 he was granted asylum. He has been described by Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon as "Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe." Garzon has also claimed that Qatada is "the spiritual head of the Mujahideen in Britain." After the 9/11 attacks, video recordings of his sermons were found in the Hamburg apartment of Mohammed Atta and other 9/11 attackers. Both shoe-bomber RIchard Reid and Zacarias Moussaoui, the "20th member" of the 9/11 team, had gone to him for advice.
In 1998, Qatada was convicted in absentia in Jordan for involvement in a series of explosions in that year. Abu Qatada was arrested in February 2001, when he was suspected of involvement in a plot to bomb the Strasbourg Christmas Market in 2000. When arrested, he had £170,000 ($334,400) in cash (even though he had lived of welfare benefits). On his person was an envelope containing $14,000, upon which was written "for the muhajideen in Chechnya". After 2001, he was designated as a terrorist by the US Treasury, and was arrested again in October 2002. He was kept in detention, being released in March 2005 after lawyers argued that his human rights had been infringed. Upon release, he was issued with a control order to limit his associations with other people.
Abu Qatada was arrested again on August 11, 2005, on the orders of Charles Clarke. The Home Secretary wanted to extradite Qatada to Jordan, and to this end he had negotiated a "memorandum of understanding." This would have ensured that if Qatada was returned to Jordan, he would not be subject to inhuman treatment. While awaiting deportation, he was detained in Full Sutton jail near York.
In October 2005, he was being investigated for reaching the terms of his earlier control order. In December 2005 Qatada pleaded for the release of four Christian hostages held in Iraq.
Qatada argued against his deportation, and on Febuary 26 2007 he officially lost his appeal against deportation. However, he launched a further appeal against this decision, in a process that is conveniently funded by the British taxpayer.
The results of Qatada's appeal were announced on Wednesday April 9 last week. A panel of judges heard his case at the Court of Appeal. The ruling, announced by Lord Justice Buxton, overturned the February 2007 decision. He stated that as evidence in a future trial in Jordan could be gained through torture, the earlier tribunal had "misdirected itself in law."
There are 12 other individuals who are awaiting deportation to countries that have signed the "memoranda of understanding". The ruling on Qatada's case has now forced the government to abandon plans to deport these individuals. Home Office minister Tony McNulty said: "We are seeking to overturn that point, and I believe that we will be able to secure his deportation to Jordan and we will push for it as soon as possible. In the meantime, he remains behind bars."
Once again, the 1998 Human Rights Act, introduced by the current government, has been used to wreck attempts to deport potential terrorists from British soil.
Sentences Quashed
In February this year, British attempts to combat terrorism were dealt another blow when five individuals who had been jailed on July 26, 2007 were freed. Four students from Bradford University and one young man who had been a London schoolboy when he left home to join the group had been found guilty under the Terrorism Act 2000. They had contravened Section 57 of this act, by having books or items useful for a terrorist.
They were sentenced to jail terms from 27 months to three years. One of the items they possessed was a US military manual which detailed recipes for explosives. They also had a suicide bombing manual. The group exchanged messages on the At-Tibyan website run by Younes Tsouli, who is currently serving a 16 year jail sentence for inciting terrorism.
At the time that the Bradford group was convicted and jailed Peter Clarke, Scotland Yard's head of counterrorism, said: "This was not an adolescent fantasy. These five young men had decided to become active jihadists and to seek training at camps in Pakistan or Afghanistan. It is clear these men were intent on committing terrorism overseas."
Mohammed Irfan Raja - the youngest of the five convicted males, had written a "farewell letter" to his parents, in which it appeared evident that he wished to commit an act of "Holy War", though not inside Britain. He was urged to meet the Bradford students by an individual called "Ali" who lived in New Jersey and used the At-Tibyan web forum.
On February 13, 2008 at the Court of Appeal the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips, threw out the convictions. The five men were freed. Lord Phillips argued that a conviction under Section 57 of the 2000 Terrorism Act "must be interpreted in a way that requires a direct connection between the object possessed and the act of terrorism."
Emails and messages on the defendants' computers which mentioned going to fight abroad were used by the prosecution in the original trial. However, according to the Court of Appeal judgment: "While they lent support to the prosecution case that the appellants had formed a plan to go to Pakistan to train and then to Afghanistan to fight, there was nothing that evidenced expressly the use, or intention to use, the extremist literature to incite each other to do this. We think it doubtful whether there was a case of infringement of Section 57... that could properly have been left to a jury."
The judge in the original trial had been the Recorder of London, Judge Peter Beaumont. This individual had also presided over another trial of an individual accused of possessing terrorist documents, a woman called Samina Malik. She had been the first Muslim woman convicted of terrorism offenses in Britain. She had originally faced prosecution under Section 57 of the 2000 Terrorism Act, but had instead was convicted of the lesser offense of owning terrorist documents under the 2006 Terrorism Act.
On her computer Malik had documents such as The Mujaheddin Poisoner's Handbook, Encyclopaedia of Jihad, How To Win In Hand To Hand Combat, How To Make Bombs and Sniper Manual. She also wrote poems glorifying the beheading of infidels which she circulated on the internet. Her pen-name was "Lyrical Terrorist". She was sentenced on December 10, 2007 to a nine-month suspended jail sentence.
RIPA
One piece of legislation introduced by the current government is the Regulation Of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA). This was introduced in 2000, becoming law in 2001. This bill was introduced to enable terrorists and criminals to have their online conversations monitored, and also to carry out surveillance.
As described by the government, it was: "An Act to make provision for and about the interception of communications, the acquisition and disclosure of data relating to communications, the carrying out of surveillance, the use of covert human intelligence sources and the acquisition of the means by which electronic data protected by encryption or passwords may be decrypted or accessed; to provide for Commissioners and a tribunal with functions and jurisdiction in relation to those matters, to entries on and interferences with property or with wireless telegraphy and to the carrying out of their functions by the Security Service, the Secret Intelligence Service and the Government Communications Headquarters; and for connected purposes."
Though originally intended to cover serious crimes, this bill has been subjected to extensions by the government. As a result, the agencies who are now allowed to snoop on private data have been extended from nine police and security bodies to include local councils and other agencies. In total, there are now 792 different agencies who can carry out covert surveillance, and gain access to phone records, computer logs and email conversations (though not their contents).
Local councils have only a few members who are elected. Yet these councils are abusing the original intentions of the RIPA legislation to engage in surveillance activities of people for activities such as underage smoking and allowing their dogs to defecate on the sidewalk.
A family from Poole in Dorset, southwest England, only discovered that they had been under surveillance by their local council when the information slipped out at a council meting. The Joyce family were suspected of lying about where they lived so that they could send one of their children to a popular school. Poole council spent two weeks having the family's activities monitored.
Tim Joyce, whose family was placed under surveillance, said: "It used to be that the Home Secretary had to talk to a judge to get surveillance through the police. Now it seems the world and his wife can carry out surveillance whenever they feel like it."
Gosport borough council in Hampshire has admitted that it has been using (abusing) the RIPA legislation to monitor who is allowing their dogs to poop in public.
During 2006 an astounding 1,000 requests a day were made by councils to use the powers in the RIPA legislation, and at present 1,000 surveillance operations are being carried out every month. What is disturbing is that though RIPA was brought in to counter terrorism, none of these surveillance operations have anything to do with acts of terrorism.
Labour has always been a leftist party. The RIPA legislation that the party introduced would put the activities of a communist organization, such as East Germany's Stasi, to shame.
High Point
Having listed the low points in Britain's war against terrorism (sorry, there is no such war according to Gordon Brown) there have been some successes in the courts.
Gordon Brown became prime minister on June 27, 2007. By June 30, there had been three failed terrorist attacks in Britain. In the early hours of Friday June 29, two Mercedes cars filled with gas canisters and gasoline were left in the West End of London. Both had mechanisms which were designed to detonate the substances and cause death and injury to people attending nightclubs. The detonations were to have been triggered by mobile phone calls.
One vehicle was left outside the Tiger, Tiger nightclub in the Haymarket. Two phone calls were made to the cellular phone in the vehicle, but probably as a result of too many fumes the ignition failed and the cars did not explode.
On the afternoon of Saturday June 30, a Cherokee Jeep deliberately crashed into the entrance of Glasgow Airport and burst into flames. Two individuals who had been in the car were apprehended. One of these individuals, Kafeel Ahmed, received severe burns after he poured gasoline over himself.
He was taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital at Paisley, near Glasgow. Ironically, Ahmed had earlier worked there as a temporary doctor. The other individual who had been in the Jeep was also a doctor - Dr Bilal Abdulla. By tracing the calls to the cellular phones in the vehicles left in London's West End, eight arrests had been made in a few days. One of those arrested was Sabeel Ahmed, brother of Kafeel Ahmed.
Kafeel Ahmed did not survive his injuries. He died on August 3. Last week on Friday April 11, Sabeel Ahmed admitted that he was guilty of "failing to disclose information relating to an act of terrorism." For five days he had known about his brother's intentions and also the names of the other people involved in the plot but had not shared this information. The same cell that had left the two vehicles in the West End of London had also been behind the attempt to attack Glasgow Airport.
After the Jeep had crashed into the entrance of the airport, Sabeel Ahmed had found two email messages on his computer. One contained Kafeel Ahmed's will. The other was a specific message from his brother admitting his involvement in a bomb plot and asking him to stay silent.
Bilal Abdulla and Mohammed Asha will be tried later this year for their alleged involvement in the car bomb plots. Asha is a Saudi-born neurosurgeon from Jordan, who had no previous criminal record. Both were employed by Britain's National Health Service. Abdulla came from Iraq, where he had a reputation as a radical.
Sabeel Ahmed was sentenced to 18 months in prison, rather than the potential five years that could have been handed down. At the Old Bailey, the judge, Mr Justice Calvert-Smith, conceded that Ahmed only had information on the attacks after they had taken place. As Sabeel Ahmed has spent time in jail since his arrest, he will not be expected to spend more than a week more in jail. He has agreed to be voluntarily deported to his home in Bangalore, India.
Currently there are two high profile terror trials going on in Britain. One of these was discussed last week on Family Security Matters, concerning the plot to blow up US-bound airliners in August 2006.
The other main trial involves three individuals who are accused of helping the four men who carried out the London bombings of July 7, 2005, in which 52 innocent people died. Waheed Ali (aged 24), Sadeer Saleem (27) and Mohammed Shakil (31) are accused of providing logistical support to the 7/7 bombers.
A similar trial ended on February 4this year. Five individuals were jailed for assisting the men who tried but failed to blow up London Transport targets on July 21, 2005, a fortnight after the successful 7/7 bombings. The convicted men were given jail terms ranging from seven years to seventeen years.
The wife of Hussain Osman, one of the men who tried to attack London Transport on July 21, 2005 is also on trial at the Old Bailey. 31-year old Yeshiemebet Girma, her sister Mulumebet Girma and three men are accused of assisting Hussain Osman after the attacks. Another individual, 25-year old Mohamed Kabashi, pleaded guilty at a separate hearing on February 19 this year of assisting Hussain Osman to escape justice. Kabashi was a former boyfriend of Mulumebet Girma. The trial of the Girma sisters and three others is still continuing.
Britain's Labour government is now attempting to increase the amount of time a terror suspect can be detained without charge to 42 days. There are reasons for detention of suspects for 28 days. A detained individual is unable to communicate with others and in the case of terrorism charges it may take a long time to gather evidence, such as that from a computer drive.
But even at 28 days, the government is tampering with the basics of democratic freedoms and judicial process. A suspected murderer is not expected to stay in police detention for a month without charge. To extend the time a terror suspect is detained without charge to 42 days will not assist in the majority of terror cases.
The current Home Secretary is accused of using five-month old data to argue for a lengthening of detention. After her bland and patronizing comments about terrorism being "anti-Islamic activity" there is one group of people who will feel aggrieved by such actions - the law-abiding members of the Muslim community.
One faction within the Muslim community will be pleased by such legislation. As Labour MP David Winnick states: "If it became law, the only people who would really be happy would be the fundamentalists."
Adrian Morgan
© 2003-2007 FamilySecurityMatters.org All Rights Reserved
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 6:50 AM | Comments (0)
April 11, 2008
UK: Muslim Doctor Admits Terror Charge
News from The Scotsman, Scotsman (update), Agence France-Presse, Telegraph, Telegraph (2), Evening Standard, The Times, Independent, Monsters & Critics, Liverpool Echo, In the News, International Herald Tribune, The Times (2), Guardian, BBC, 4RFV, ITV and the Australian:
As described earlier: At 1.30 am local time on the morning of Friday June 29 (2007), a green Mercedes was found outside a nightclub in Haymarket, central London, with smoke filling its interior. Containing propane gas cylinders, nails and 60 liters of gasoline, the vehicle was parked outside a busy nightclub on its "ladies' night". Another vehicle which had been illegally parked not far from the Tiger Tiger nightclub had been towed to Park Lane to be impounded. Staff at the car pound noticed a strong smell of gasoline, and later this vehicle was found to be a car bomb. Both vehicles were designed to be triggered by cellular phone. The Haymarket vehicle had received two calls during the time it was left outside the nightclub, but the detonation devices failed to ignite.
At 3.30 pm on Saturday June 30, a blazing Cherokee Jeep careered into the front entrance of Glasgow Airport in Scotland. Children had just ended their school terms, and there were several families at the airport. Two men were in the vehicle. They jumped out of the Jeep, and one poured gasoline over himself. The other, shouting "Allahu Ackbar" and trying to throw punches, was wrestled to the ground by police and passers by. The burning man was hosed down by police, but received 90% burns. He was taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital at Paisley, near Glasgow.
The man who was burned, 27-year old Kafeel Ahmed, had worked as a locum doctor at the Royal Alexandra shortly before the incident. He remained in hospital, but died on August 3.
Several individuals were arrested after the attacks, with most of these being doctors employed by Britain's National Health Service (NHS). One of those arrested was Sabeel Ahmed, the brother of Kafeel Ahmed. He was apprehended on June 30 near Lime Street station in Liverpool. The brothers came from Bangalore in India. It was soon revealed that they belonged to the extreme sect known as Tablighi Jamaat. Today, Sabeel Ahmed, aged 26, appeared in court at the Old Bailey.
Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw told the court today that Kafeel Ahmed had sent Sabeel an email message before he attacked Glasgow airport.
The message read: "Inshallah by the time you get this message I should have achieved one of the two goals by the will of Allah. I sincerely apologise and pray that you forgive me for keeping this from you. It was for your safety and for the sake of the project.
And after much deliberation I have decided to write this message so that you are prepared to take the knock-on effects of my actions.
My sincere request that you do the following:
1. Pray to Allah for acceptance of my deeds.
2. Pray to Allah to give you calm and composure and strength (for you will need this)
3. Do not inform any one about me or my deed (and I mean anyone).
4. If they figure out it was me (I have tried to clear up my tracks as much as possible) then go ahead and tell them whatever they ask of you (about my PhD and the project on global warming and my trip to Iceland and give them my comp if they ask).
And of course this is going to put you in trouble (Allah forbid). Say only that which is necessary. And please don't argue. Try to continue as normal but appear shocked. Try to put off telling Abbu-Ammi (mother and father) for as long as possible. I am sorry for putting you in this situation.
But it's about time that we give up our lives and families for the sake of Islam to please Allah. And you will inshallah get the reward for this.
5. If they can't figure out who it was, then keep me alive for as long as possible.
6. If I am caught, then try to maintain calmness (and if asked, repeat my story of PhD and project on global warming) and don't try too hard to get me released, I am prepared for the long haul (May Allah save me from the dreaded prisons).
It will be your task to explain to people at home. I and the team are making maximum efforts to prevent this.
7. In any of the above cases, leave this place and go back home or elsewhere as soon as possible.
8. Please take care of Abbu and Ammi...
.....
11. At any time, don't hold back from joining the Jihad, by money, words and actions. Allah makes it easy for those who do so...
This is a project I was working on for some time now. Everything else was a lie and I hope you can forgive me for being such a good liar. It was necessary, just so that you know. Everything since last week was executed by me and my team. This is confidential on behalf of our Emir. (If you got a sms, then the plan was stalled mid-way).
The other email contained my will. In case I am caught please delete it before reading. Otherwise please delete once you have gone through. Never check this email again on your computer. Delete internet files, and delete cookies. Delete the downloaded txt file. May Allah... reward you for the troubles. Your brother Abu Abdurahman."
Sabeel Ahmed pleaded guilty to "failing to disclose information relating to an act of terrorism". He was sentenced by Mr Justice Calvert-Smith to eighteen months in prison. He has already served time in prison since his arrest, he will instead be voluntarily deported to India.
The email messages had only been seen by Sabeel Ahmed after the attack upon Glasgow Airport and the potential attacks in London's West End had already taken place. Therefore Mr Justice Calvert-Smith acknowledged that there was nothing that Sabeel Ahmed could have done to avert the terrorist attempts. The maximum possible sentence that could have been imposed was five years.
However, Sabeel knew from the message the identity of the bombing plotters, and did not reveal these, even after his arrest. He was also in possession of Kafeel Ahmed's laptop computer.
Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw QC said: "He (Sabeel) came into possession of significant information about the attack and those responsible for it and thereafter failed to make the required disclosure."
The prosecutor gave further details of the bombing plans. He said that Kafeel Ahmed and his accomplices had wanted to commit bomb attacks across Britain at "clubs and places of entertainment where the devastating effect and loss of life would be the greatest."
Two other individuals will be tried later this year. They are Bilal Abdulla and Mohammed Asha. Dr Bilal Abdulla was in the flaming Jeep with Kafeel Ahmed at Glasgow airport, and was arrested at the scene.
Mr Laidlaw told the court: "When outside the terminal, Kafeel Ahmed, who was driving the Jeep, turned the vehicle sharply and crashed it into the pillars to the right-hand side of one of the entrance doors. He then, having found himself from his perspective out of position, reversed the Jeep and made the first of a number of attempts to drive the vehicle through the airport door, repeatedly hitting pillars and the door frame.
Despite his efforts, the vehicle became trapped. Those who witnessed him described a set and determined face as he stared forward. At that point, the vehicle was then 20 feet from passengers queuing within the terminal building. His passenger lowered his window and threw a petrol bomb across the bonnet in the direction of the taxi rank and then threw a second of these devices in the opposite direction.
At the same time the driver, the defendant's brother, began to pour and splash fuel from a can on to the area outside the car window and appeared to throw a petrol bomb. He got out of the vehicle and was engulfed in flames that swept around the Jeep and terminal building. He appeared to try and prevent others from getting to him or the vehicle. He kicked out but eventually, he being on fire, he was extinguished, subdued, handcuffed and arrested."
Mr Laidlaw said that the two Mercedes vehicles which had been left in the West End as potential car bombs had been purchased in Warrington and Sheffield. The devices which were designed to detonate inflammable substances in the car were made in Paisley in Scotland.
He said: "The failure of the vapour to ignite in each vehicle, despite the activation of at least one device, was probably due to the fuel/air ratio exceeding ignition levels. Phone records show that there had been a number of attempts by the two men to activate the devices."
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 6:44 PM | Comments (0)
April 10, 2008
UK: Three Muslims On Trial For Assisting 7/7 Plotters
On Tuesday, April 8, jury selection began at Kingston Crown Court, southwest of London. On Monday, 150 potential jurors were screened, and were given a questionnaire to fill in, to enable the judge, Mr Justice Gross, to select a panel of 12 jurors. The case opened on Wednesday where three Muslims are accused of conspiring to cause explosions.
The men on trial are Waheed Ali (aged 24), Sadeer Saleem (27) and Mohammed Shakil (31). They are accused of assisting the cell of four men that carried out the London Transport attacks of July 7, 2005 (7/7) in which 52 innocent people died. The bombers who killed themselves were Mohammed Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Jermaine Lindsay and Hasib Hussain. Neil Flewitt QC, prosecuting, laid out the case against the men yesterday. The trial is expected to last between three and four months.
News on the trial so far is carried by Press Association, Evening Standard, Yorkshire Post, International Herald Tribune, Guardian, Yorkshire Evening Post, Reuters, Worthing Herald, Telegraph, BBC, Times, Fox News and In The News.
Two of the accused (Shakil and Saleem) are from Beeston in West Yorkshire, which at various times had been the home of three of the London suicide bombers (apart from Jermaine Lindsay who lived in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire). The thirs man on trial, Waheed Ali, lived in Tower Hamlets, east London.
The three men on trial all deny conspiring with the 7/7 bombers between November 17, 2004 and July 8, 2005 to cause explosions.
Prosecutor Neil Flewitt QC said that in 2001 Waheed Ali had gone with Mohammed Sidique Khan, leader of the 7/7 bombers, to Pakistan. The pair had stayed there for more than a month. Additionally, Mr Flewitt claimed that Mohammed Shakil had met Khan on July 24, 2003 at Islamabad Airport in Pakistan. Also at the meeting was a man known as "Ausman" and Mohammed Junaid Babar.
(Junaid Babar grew up in New York and later became a supergrass in the Operation Crevice trial which concluded on April 30, 2007. Babar and other members of the Crevice plot were members of Al Muhajiroun. In 2003 Mohammed Sidique Khan had attended a terror training camp in Malakand district in North-West Frontier Province in Pakistan. It was in 2003 that Mohammed Junaid Babar and Sajil Shahid had founded this training camp in Malakand.)
Mr Flewitt told the court that Junaid Babar will be giving evidence by videolink. Babar will assert that Mohammed Sidique Khan and Mohammed Shakil had informed him on a prior occasion that they had trained in Kashmir and had fought in Afghanistan.
On Thursday April 10 the prosecutor said: "Notwithstanding the fact that Mohammad Sidique Khan and Mohammed Shakil said they had not travelled to Pakistan for that purpose, they were persuaded to accompany the others to the training camp where they both took part in firearms training involving the use of light machine guns, rocket propelled grenade launchers and AK47 assault rifles.
"Both men appeared confident and experienced in their use of weapons. While they were at the camp, both Mohammad Sidique Khan and Mohammed Shakil both said they wanted to fight jihad in Afghanistan."
Mr Flewitt said: "That trip to Pakistan provides further evidence of the mindset and motivation of Mohammed Shakil. If the trip made by Waheed Ali in 2001 was for a similar purpose, then, in his case too, you have a further indication of his commitment to fighting jihad."
Mr Flewitt said that the three Muslims on trial had journeyed to London for a "hostile reconnaissance of potential targets" for the 7/7 suicide bombers. The men had visited the London Eye, the Natural History Museum and the London Aquarium. The three who are currently on trial traveled down to London from Leeds accompanied by one of the 7/7 bombers, Hasib Hussain. In London they met another 7/7 bomber, Jermaine Lindsay.
According to the prosecutor, this two-day trip which took place from December 16th to 17th 2004 was "an essential preparatory step in the revised plan to bring death and destruction to the heart of the UK." The men admit that they made the trip to London, but deny that it was connected with the bombings that took place seven months' later.
Mr Flewitt said: "Rather it is their case that the purpose of their journey was to enable Waheed Ali to visit his sister in east London. Further Sadeer Saleem and Mohammed Shakil accept that they visited the Natural History Museum, the London Eye and the London Aquarium but maintain they did so for purely social reasons."
Waheed Ali, said Mr Flewitt, had become close to Khan. In December 2003, he had sent a SMS text message to Khan which stated: "Gates of memories I will neva close. How much I will miss you no one knows. Tears in my eyes will wipe away but the love in my heart for you will always stay."
Sadeer Saleem has three children, but in a letter he wrote: "I want loads and have them with the intention of making them mujahids…and mujaidas (people who fight jihad) because the filthy kafir (unbelievers) have got big plans against the Muslims. I am going to have children, have them with the intention of making them something that will benefit Islam."
He also wrote: "When I am shaheed [martyr] as a muslim I don't care in what way I receive my death for Allah's cause. If he wishes he will bless the cut limbs."
The 7/7 attacks
The prosecutor mapped out the events leading up to and including the explosions of 7/7, 2005. The explosives and bombs had been manufactured in Leeds. On July3, 2005, Shehzad Tanweer had gone to First 24 Hour Car Limited in Leeds, where he hired a sky blue Nissan Micra. On the morning of 7/7 at 4 am, the three bombers who livied in Yorkshire left Leeds in the car. They drove down to Luton railway station. Here they met Jermaine Lindsay who had driven to the station (in a red Fiat Brava). The men put on their explosive rucksacks and went to the Thameslink platform of the station (at 7.21 am).
In London an hour later (at 8.26 am), they arrived at Kings Cross, where they went onto the underground train network.
At 8.50 am Mohammed Sidique Khan detonated his rucksack on a westbound Circle Line train just after it left Edgeware Road station. He died along with six passengers.
Shehzad Tanweer had gone in the opposite direction on a Circle Line train and at the same time Khan blew up, Tanweer detonated his pack near Aldgate station. Seven other people were killed. The jury were shown footage from CCTV cameras at Aldgate station that had not been revealed before. The train left the platform and half a minute later smoke fills the station.
Jermaine Lindsay detonated his rucksack near Russell Square on the Piccadilly Line. He killed 26 passengers.
Hasib Hussain for some reason had left Kings Cross, and was unable to get onto the tube system as the explosions had caused the network to be shut down. He (had wandered into MacDonalds and also a branch of Boots the chemist at 9 am, before he) boarded a Number 30 bus, (where he sat on the top floor). Hussain blew himself up when the bus reached Tavistock Square (at 9.47 am). 13 other people were killed in the explosion.
Neil Flewitt QC presented images to the jury that had not been shown before, including photographs of the damage caused by Mohammed Sidique Khan's bomb, and also CTV footage of Hussain crouched over his rucksack outside the WH Smith news store at King's Cross. He went inside where he is thought to have purchased a battery. He then put on a pair of sunglasses and caught the 30 bus. The prosecutor suggested that there could have been some technical problem with Hussain's rucksack and its detonation mechanism.
The homes of the three current defendants were raided on March 22, 2007. At that time Waheed Ali was living with his sister in Leeds.
The Iqra bookshop in Leeds was frequented by Mohammed SIdique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer and occasionally Hasib Hussain. This shop was raided on July 15, 2005. Here a notepad was found, which bore words which had been written by Saleem: "I do not fear death as I am going to die but my fear is of the surrounding fire. May God save me from it. I am not going to show my weakness nor fear. Without doubt I am returning to my creator. When I am shaheed as a Muslim I do not care in what way I receive my DEATH."
On Shakil's computer had been found a file entitled: "Jihad Page - this is a Chechen Mujahid ready to eat the Russian dogs." Also on his computer was found a lengthy article called "The Nineteen Lions" which eulogised the 19 people who carried out the attacks on 9/11.
Another video was shown to the jury which has never been publicly released. It is a home video made by Mohammed Sidique Khan, in which he says farewell to his daughter before leaving to go to Pakistan in late 2004.
Khan states: "Sweetheart, not long to go now. really miss you a lot. I'm thinking about it already. Look, I absolutely love you to bits and you have been the happiest thing in my life. You and your mum, absolutely brilliant. I don't know what else to say. I just wish I could have been part of your life, especially these growing up - these next months, they're really special with you learning to walk and things. I just so much wanted to be with you but I have to do this thing for our future and it will be for the best, insallah, in the long run. That's the most important thing. You make plenty of Dua (special prayer) for you guys and you've got loads of people to look after you and keep and eye on you. But most importantly I entrust you to Allah and let Allah take care of you. I'm doing what I'm doing for the sake of Islam, not, you, know, it's not for materialistic or worldly benefits."
Khan is shown on this video introducing his daughter to her "uncles" - Hasib Hussain, SHehzad Tanweer and Waheed Ali. This defendant is shown on the video bouncing the child in is arms and saying "Where's Daddy?"
The prosecutor, speaking of Khan in the video, said: "Put bluntly, he knew that he was going to his death and he went voluntarily then just as he went willingly when he blew himself up on July 7 2005."
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 8:51 PM | Comments (0)
April 9, 2008
UK: Muslim Police Officer "Joined In" Mosque Brawl
On April 9 last year, as reported by the BBC and the Birmingham Mail at the time, a brawl took place outside a mosque in Burton-on-Trent in Staffordshire.
The rioting involved up to 200 people and lasted for five hours. It was the second time in two years that violence had erupted around the Central Mosque (Central Jamia Masjid Rizvia) in Uxbridge Street in Burton. Several people were injured.
Chief Superintendent Keith Smy said: "I am appalled that this is the second time in two years this on going dispute within the community has led to violence erupting on the streets of Burton. It is a matter of great regret that many people lost control and seemed not prepared to use the well understood methods of resolving issues within their community but instead were prepared to resort to threats and violence."
On April 3 last week, five men appeared at Birmingham Crown Court. Four of these have all been charged with "violent disorder" in connection with the violence which took place a year ago. A 54 year old, Mohammed Arif, is charged with "affray".
His Honour John Maxwell is the trial judge and on Tuesday last week he swore in the jury of seven men and five women. He dismissed the jury until Monday of this week while legal issues were discussed.
The four who are on trial for "violent disorder" include 23-year old Tamseel Mahmood of Derby Road, Burton on Trent, and 33-year old Basharat Hussain of Uxbridge Street. Shockingly, the other two are a magistrate and a policeman. The magistrate is 46-year old Mohammad Haroon of Thornescroft Gardens, Branston, and the policeman is 39-year old Tariq Hussain of Anglesey Road. Hussain is currently based at Tamworth, where he is a detective sergeant with Staffordshire Police. Basharat Hussain is the policeman's brother. Basharat Hussain is additionally charged with two counts of intimidation. It is alleged that he made threats to kill during the disturbance.
The trial is expected to last for four weeks. The key prosecution witness is Chief Inspector Steven Mould (retired). He recounted at the start of the trial that he and Inspector John Giblin had "lost control" of the situation outside of the mosque.
Steven Mould told the court that he had feared for his own safety and blamed Mohammed Arif for causing the disorder by throwing punches. The argument at the mosque had related to two factions inside the mosque - some supporting, and some condemning, the behaviour of the imam at the mosque, Mohammad Farooq Nazami. In 2004 there had been an earlier confrontation between rival factions, which had led to the mosque being closed for three months on police orders. A peace deal involving the mosque and police had broken down before the violent incident on April 9 last year.
Earlier, prosecutor Stephen Thomas had told the court that Basharat Hussain had taken part in the disorder and had later threatened to kill Sajad Hussain, a witness. 23-year old Tamseel Mahmood had hit someone in the eye, and Mohammad Haroon (the magistrate) had also taken part in the unrest.
Inspector Mould claimed that he had done everything "humanly possible" to keep the situation under control, but he testified that the rioters "took over" and "seized the day".
He also said that the detective sergeant, Tariq Hussain, had once received a commendation from the Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police. Shortly before the mosque fracas, Hussain had been promoted to the position of acting police inspector.
Inspector Mould asserted that Mohammed Arif had tried to punch an elderly worshipper at the mosque who had previously tried to close the mosque gates, actions which Arif had assumed were "insulting". The origins of the bad feeling derived from an argument between the imam (Mohammad Farooq Nazami) and Mohammed Arif and another man called "Clay Oven" Tariq.
Former Inspector Mould said that on April 9 when the disorder erupted: "Fights were breaking out all over and people clambering over the tops of parked cars. At least one man had armed himself with a shovel and was waving it around."
"Mohammad Haroon (the magistrate) was seen shouting and swearing. Mahmood was spotted punching someone in the eye and Tariq Hussein approached Inspector Mould and, pointing his finger at him, blamed him for what was happening and accused him of taking bribes and being corrupt."
The former police inspector said of the actions of policeman Tariq Hussain: "He was acting like an antagonist and yob."
When Inspector Mould had asked Hussain to assist in restoring order, the request was ignored. He took part in the violence, repeatedly throwing punches. The prosecutor said: "Off duty he may have been, but he was asked to help restore calm and he just walked off."
Mr Thomas stated: "Prominent in the disorder was Tariq Hussain, who was recognised by Inspector Mould, because he was a police officer for Staffordshire police. He was seen to punch someone repeatedly and aggressively simply to get involved in the fighting for no good reason whatsoever."
Mr Thomas said that Mohammed Arif had laid in wait for the imam outside the mosque with 10 others. Policie had to use batons and CS gas to quell the affray.
Basharat Hussain, the brother of the policeman has been charged with threatening to kill witness Sajad Hussain on two separate occasions.
The case continues.
Keyword: Hussein.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:57 PM | Comments (1)
April 7, 2008
Netherlands: Muslims' Claim Against Wilders Rejected
The Dutch Islamic Federation had sought to have Geert Wilders' movie Fitna banned in March. They had filed a case to have the movie banned a week before the movie was released on March 27. The court case was due to be heard on March 28.
The Dutch Islamic Federation abandoned its plans to have the movie banned after it appeared on the internet, but tried to have a court order which would prevent Wilders from making any statements against Islam. Now, as reported by Expatica and Jurist Paper Chase, a court in the Hague has ruled that Wilders' statements - though provocative - are not against the law and he is not guilty of spreading hate.
A civil judge at Hague district Court released a written judgment today, in which it asserted that Geert Wilders' rights to freedom of speech allowed him to be critical of radical Islam and of passages in the Koran.
On Sunday (yesterday) in Pakistan, a large rally took place in the southern port city of Karachi, to protest Geert Widers' movie. More than 25,000 people attended the rally. The main speaker, Munawwar Hasan, said: "They call this freedom of expression, but it's freedom of aggression."
Hasan belongs to the Jamaat-e-Islami party, an Islamist party that itself has no respect for freedom of speech or freedom of religion. In May last year, the party introduced a draft bill to the Pakistan National Assembly. This draft bill, called the Apostasy Act would, if it becomes law, see apostates from Islam punished with the death penalty.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 2:50 PM | Comments (0)
UK: Islamist Air Terror Plot -The Story So Far...
This article by Adrian Morgan (Giraldus Cambrensis of Western Resistance) appeared today in Family Security Matters and is reproduced with their permission.
Plotting To Attack US-Bound Planes
On Thursday, April 3, a trial began at Woolwich Crown Court in southeast London. Eight men stood accused under Section 1 (1) of Britain's Criminal Law Act 1977 of conspiring to murder others. They are also accused under Section 5 (1) of the Terrorism Act 2006 of preparing acts of terrorism.
The men on trial are: Abdullah Ahmed Ali, (27), Assad Sarwar, (27), Tanvir Hussain, (27), Mohammed Gulzar, (26), Ibrahim Savant (27), Arafat Khan, (26), Waheed Zaman, (25) and Umar Islam aka Brian Young (29).
The men had been among 21 who had been arrested on the morning of Thursday, August 10, 2006. The arrests had taken place after an operation that had involved intelligence shared between Britain, Pakistan and the United States. The chief of US Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, announced to a press conference in Washington DC that: "This operation is in some respects suggestive of an al-Qaeda plot... They had accumulated and assembled the capabilities that they needed and they were in the final stages of planning for execution."
He said that the plan had been to smuggle explosives on board planes which were bound for North America. These explosives would be disguised as harmless drinks and also electronic apparatus. On board the planes these would be assembled into bombs. Secretary Chertoff said the plan was "really quite close to the execution phase."
Transatlantic flight plans were thrown into chaos as Britain and America raised their security threat levels to their highest. President George W. Bush was on vacation at Crawford, Texas. He made a press announcement, in which he said: "The recent arrests that our fellow citizens are now learning about are a stark reminder that this nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation.... Travelers are going to be inconvenienced as a result of the steps we've taken. I urge their patience and ask them to be vigilant. The inconvenience is - occurs because we will take the steps necessary to protect the American people."
At British airports, the inconvenience was widespread. Flights were delayed, and several outgoing flights were cancelled. Passengers had their shoes examined before boarding planes, and limits were placed on hand luggage. Only items that could be placed in a small clear plastic bag were allowed onto planes. No cans or bottles of drinks were allowed onto flights. Mothers who had babies were asked to take a sample sip from bottles of milk they wished to take on board.
British officials made announcements to inform the public. The arrests had taken place at three main locations, London, High Wycombe in Buckingamshire and Birmingham. The Bank of England froze the accounts of nineteen of the arrested suspects.
Operation Bojinka
On August 10, 2006, Michael Chertoff had mentioned the apparent similarity of the alleged plot with "Operation Bojinka". This had been a plot to attack eleven US-bound planes which were traveling over the Pacific. The plan had been for suicide bombers to carry components for small bombs onto these planes. Their explosive of choice had been nitrocglycerin mixed with contact lens solution. On board the aircraft, these would be assembled, using a battery powered detonator which would be hidden inside a shoe.
The Bojinka plot had been developed by Ramzi Yousef, who had carried out the first World Trade Center bombing on February 26, 1993. While in Manila in the Philippines in late 1994, Yousef worked on the logistical side of the operation, which had been initiated by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. The plot had also apparently involved Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist Hambali, who is now in Guantanamo. The name "Bojinka" was found in a notebook in a Manila apartment during a raid by police on January 1995. It is a Croatian onomatopoeic word, mimicking the sound made by an explosion.
The trial for Bojinka began in New York in May 1996. Ramzi Yousef and two others were found guillty of plotting the Bokinka attacks in September 1996. Yousef would be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. On December 11, 1994, Ramzi Yousef had made an experiment to test the viability of the plan.
Yousef had boarded a Philippine Air Lines 747 flight in Manila. His plane was bound for Tokyo. Yousef constructed a