December 21, 2005

Western Islamists Revealed

From the "I can't believe they actually said that out loud" department comes two revealing statements from a pair of prominent Western Muslims. First, in Turkey, a lawyer defending 14 suspected al-Qaeda terrorists accused of helping carry out deadly suicide bombings in Istanbul in 2003 (which killed 58 people) told a court that jihad, or holy war, was an obligation for all Muslims. Considering this fact, he said, his clients should not be prosecuted.

"If you punish them for this, tomorrow, will you punish them for fasting or for praying?" asked attorney Osman Karahan during a nearly four hour speech, in which he quoted directly from an encyclopedia on Islam. He added, "If non-Muslims go into Muslim lands, it is every Muslim's obligation to fight them."

According to the Scotsman, "A panel of three judges for the fiercely secular Turkish Republic listened to Karahan patiently, without speaking, as the defense lawyer read from four thick file folders." Perhaps they thought Karahan was auditioning for the new NBC spinoff, Sharia Law & Order. On a more serious note, it will be interesting to see how so-called mainstream Muslim leaders react to Karahan's "bombshell" that violent jihad is indeed an integral component of Islam. Will they attempt to explain it away, or will they acknowledge it as fact? And if this defense works in Turkey, will defense lawyers in other terrorism trials around the world begin to employ it?

Which brings us to Omar Alghabra, a Muslim who recently won the Liberal Party nomination for a parliamentary seat in Ontario, Canada. According to Worldnetdaily.com, upon hearing of his election win, Alghabra exclaimed to an audience of several hundred: "This is a victory for Islam! Islam won! Islam won! ... Islamic power is extending into Canadian politics." What a comforting thought. Apparently, ultra-liberal Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin had no comment regarding Alghabra's Pledge of Allegiance to Islam. Of course, one can only imagine the outcry if a Christian declared an election win, "A victory for Christ!"

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