We haven't heard much about the hook-handed jihadist imam lately. Here's an update, "Radical cleric faces terror trial," from Reuters, with thanks to all who sent this in:
RADICAL cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri goes on trial in London today on 16 charges of stirring up racial hatred and urging the killing of non-Muslims.
Racial hatred. For pete's sake. I would be happy to fly to London and testify on Abu Hamza's behalf that he is not a racist. He has preached the ideology of jihad, including violence against and the subjugation of non-Muslims. He has not preached anything in the least racial. When are Western authorities going to adjust their categories to present-day realities? Probably never.
Hamza, who is also wanted by the US, will be the most high-profile figure to be tried in Britain charged with such offences since the September 11 attacks on Washington and New York.The Egyptian-born cleric faces 10 charges of using public meetings to incite his followers to kill non-Muslims. Four of the charges say he urged the killing of Jews.
He is also accused of using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour with intent to stir up racial hatred, one charge of possessing threatening, abusive or insulting sound recordings, and one charge under anti-terrorism laws.
If found guilty, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Life in prison. Great. From there, he can continue to spread his jihadist poison as a "prisoner of the crusaders." I hope the Brits turn him over to the US when they get done with him and I hope they try him here in Texas. We'll mete out some justice. Alas, the Brits will probably think life is suitable or make us promise not to execute him as a condition of extradition.
Like you said, when will they learn?
Completely off topic I'm afraid. But if anyone is interested in an idea to promote love of our civilization. I have the following suggestion.
This web site http://cgfa.sunsite.dk/ has high quality scans of just about every painting in every museum in the world.
Everyday, send one scan to everyone in your address book. You can send it to people of any colour or creed without being accused of any kind of -ism or -phobia.
Your friends, the ones that still talk to you despite years of being bombarded by your emails of articles by Mark Steyn, Hugh Fitzgerald and Robert Spencer will also be a little pleased for a little light relief.
Call this the low-level-counter-jihad if you wish.
Racial hatred. For pete's sake. I would be happy to fly to London and testify on Abu Hamza's behalf that he is not a racist. He has preached the ideology of jihad, including violence against and the subjugation of non-Muslims. He has not preached anything in the least racial.
There is not, as yet, an offence of inciting "religious hatred", although a bill is going through Parliament. Nor should there be, for all sorts of excellent reasons. Incitement to racial hatred is an offence, and it includes Jews and Sikhs, who, for this purpose, qualify as a race. Abu Hamza has stirred up hatred against Jews, certainly - I don't know about Sikhs - so he has been inciting racial hatred as defined by this law. He may not be a racist in the usual sense, but this law is a good hook to hang him on. (No pun intended. No. Pun intended.)
It is, of course, frustrating that there is no law specifically dealing with inciting "Jihad", though other laws cover certain aspects of this.
There is not, as yet, an offence of inciting "religious hatred", although a bill is going through Parliament.
-- posted by Interested
Hate crime legislation --- an awful idea born of multiculturalism that flies in the face of justice by due process --- will prove to be Sword of Islam that strikes down what remains of Western civilization.
ALWAYS ANGRY ALWAYS AGGRIEVED ALWAYS BITTER ALWAYS MOSLEM ALWAYS
This will be so because the Koran, Sunnah, and Sharia embody hate, and therefore obviously must be exempted from the hate crime legislation.
Can't criticize one of the world's great religions (except Christianity), now can we?
He deserves capital penalty but is also interesting a "zulo" for him. Zulo is a basque word that means, a room without windows, alone, only receive food and without any contact. And for eating only alcohol and pork. I think that its "humanitarian"
I've argued at length on another thread that "racial hatred" is different from "religious hatred", because religion is a matter of choice, whereas race is not. The racial hatred law in the UK has worked well, and only a small number of prosecutions, none of them frivolous, have succeeded. As far as Captain Hook is concerned, I don't particularly care what they nail him with as long as they nail him. It can be tax evasion for all I care - there's a precedent for that, though not in the UK.
S___w the incitement to racial hatred charge. Doesn't the UK have laws against incitement to murder, violence, riot, etc. regardless of race? These "racial violence" laws are probably so lame that Itchy Hook-hand will probably walk.
Doesn't the UK have laws against incitement to murder, violence, riot, etc. regardless of race?
Yes.
These "racial violence" laws are probably so lame that Itchy Hook-hand will probably walk.
Very unlikely.
The racial hatred law in the UK has worked well...
-- posted by Interested
No hate law has ever worked well. Overthrow of due process and equal justice is an evil, although unsurprising in a nation without a constitution.
A crime is a crime. The very ideal of a protected class is an awful thing, a splayed poke-hole irresitable to any Moslem Man worth his salt.
PBUH PUBH PBUH PUBH PBUH PUBH PBUH PUBH PBUH PUBH PBUH PUBH PBUH PUBH
You know, occassionally I am visited by Moslems out at my hog ranch. I feed them pork and they moan with salacious pleasure. I groan a little myself. They find these tasty pork meals so lip-smacking good that I had to go down to Sam's Club and double up on the Kim Wipes.
Big G-- howdy, fellow Texan.
Since Abu Hamza's apparently suffering from some skin disorder (compounded by not bathing) that causes him to leave white pellets wherever he goes, life in prison might be a halfway decent punishment.
The Jury is sworn in so I will pray for their wisdom and safety.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4595032.stm
Only 4 of the 15 charges are of stirring up "racial hatred" Nine charges have been brought under the Offences Against the Person Act, alleging he solicited others at public meetings to murder Jews and other non-Muslims. That carries an maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
This is what happened to his associate Abdullah El-Faisal when he was convicted of something similar at the Central Criminal Court 2 years ago. http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/03/08/nfais08.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/03/08/ixhome.html
Let me see if I got this straight... Islam is not a race but a religion. But anyone who is not for Islam is a racist. Islam permits slavery but because they enslave blacks, whites, orientals, any color and creed, that means they aren't racist, right?
Big G In TX, I can't agree more! AI and HRW would go into raptures over the "violation of his human rights" should anyone even dare to mention the deportation. Recently AI has organized a march in London in protest against the deportation of UK's terrorists! They even had the cheek to send me ..an invitation.
Anyway, there is no reason for human rights activate to shed tears over Hamza - he is given halal, provided with a hot copy of Koran and a small soft rug to pray 5 times a day on, while the prison wardens are ordered to remove badges with St. George's Cross so that they should not to offend his Muslim sensitivities.
Sorry, tiredness is affecting my typing:
"Anyway, there is no reason for human rights activatists to shed tears over Hamza - he is given halal, provided with a hot copy of Koran and a small soft rug to pray on 5 times a day, while the prison wardens are ordered to remove badges with St. George's Cross so that they should not offend his Muslim sensitivities."
I will believe it when I see Abu Hamza al-Masri get convicted on incitement. I still remember being in the UK in 1989 and seeing the then Chairman of the Bradford Council of Mosques publically urging the murder of a British citizen - one Salman Rushdie. Nothing was done despite the incitement to murder happening on TV.
From a country that has councils that bans pictures of Piglet (from the Winnie the Pooh stories) being shown on any staffers desk in case it offends Muslim sensibilities I will be very surprised if Abu Hamza al-Masri gets convicted.
Robert Spencer: "When are Western authorities going to adjust their categories to present-day realities? Probably never."
An understandable sentiment, likely true and one that most of us share.
Still, it's depressing to read coming from you.