“America, you lost. I won,” crowed Moussaoui after the verdict. And American Muslim advocacy groups are glad of it.
From MSNBC, with thanks to all who sent this in:
Muslim-American groups reacted favorably to Thursday”s formal sentencing of convicted terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui, some seeing it as an example of impartial American justice, an opportunity for closure and the end of an unhappy chapter in Muslim-American relations in the post-9/11 world.
Following the jury’s recommendation, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema sentenced Moussaoui to six life terms without the chance of parole.
“Honestly, we haven’t been commenting on the case because we don’t see him as representing Muslims,” said Rabiah Ahmed, spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based civil rights and advocacy group.
Sure, Rabiah. After all, he’s not a moderate like you folks.
“Moussaoui’s actions were clearly against the teaching of Islam,” she said….
Really? Do tell, Rabiah. Moussaoui quoted Qur’an at his trial to explain his positions. Rather than just quoting Qur’an 5:32, the prohibition on killing innocents, and thinking that makes your case, why not address the verses he referred to, and show why he used them wrongly? This would be a terrific step in the right direction — an opportunity for you to do something to convince mujahedin to stop waging war in the name of Islam. I know it’s much tougher to convince them that Islam is peaceful than it is to convince non-Muslims (and why is that, exactly?), but I know you’ll be in there pitching.
Al-Awan said the life sentence showed other nations the basic fairness of the American judicial system, and undercut any bid on Moussaoui’s part to be executed and perceived as a martyr for Islamic or terrorist causes.
“They”ve taken the air out of that balloon,” al-Awan said.
“This sends a message all over the world that America is a just country and doesn’t have to put a person to death in order to impart the consequences for terrorism.”
It also sends other messages.