Trial Yassin Nassari & Bouchra el Hor

Posted on July 19th, 2007 by martijn.
Categories: International Terrorism, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

Earlier on I posted several messages about the trial against Yassin Nassari and his Moroccan-Dutch wife Bouchra el Hor. The last one was about the Dutch newsprogram Netwerk in which I had small role trying to give some insight in particular Bouchra’s motivations and trying to deconstruct the all to easy portrayal of her as ‘terror-burqa’ in some of the Dutch press, but at the same trying to make clear how easy it is (not only in the UK, but perhaps even more in the Netherlands) for people to be charged with allegations of (supporting) terrorism.

During my holiday the verdict was out and Yassin was found guilty of the second and lesser of the two accounts with which he was charged. It carries a maximum sentance of 10 years. His wife was found not guilty of aiding and abbetting him and was set free. According to the judge and prosecutors Yassin, using the name, “Mock Turtle,” shared extremist videos with Tariq Al-Daour (Abu Dujanah), who provided information over the internet on suicide vests, car bombs, booby traps and poisons. He had also signed a book of support for Omar Rehman who studied at the same college and pleaded guilty earlier this year to plotting a bombing campaign using stretch limousines packed with propane gas canisters. One might question these acts of course and even object to them, it sounds, at least a little bit, as guilt by association.

There was more against him and his wife, probably more serious. Police discovered a mass of jihadi material on a laptop and removable hard drive including blueprints for an Al Qassam 1.5 rocket used by the Palestinian terror group Hamas.

The files showed detailed measurements and information about the missile components, how to make the propellant and explosive charge and the assembly of the completed rocket.

They recommended using the driveshafts from a Peugeot 504 “found in breakers’ yards” for the fuselage, if good quality stainless steel was not available.

Also hidden in the files were articles entitled ‘Virtues of martyrdom in the path of Allah,’ ‘Islamic Ruling on the Permissibility of Self-Sacrifical Operation – Suicide or Martyrdom?’ ‘Taking care of the family left behind by the fighter’ and ‘Providing for the families of the martyrs.’

Nassari had footage of executions and beheadings downloaded from the internet and a letter, in a mixture of Arabic and English, written by El-Hor, in which she encouraged her husband to become a martyr. El-Hor is the first Dutch woman standing trail in a terror case outside the Netherlands. She is not the first one with ties to the Netherlands though. Earlier on Omar Altimimi, an Iraqi with a Dutch passport who came to the UK in 2004, was sentenced to jail in a terrorism case.

According to the prosecution El Hor wrote, among other things:

“The moment has come where you and I have to separate for the cause of Allah,” she wrote. “I am so proud, my husband, and I am happy for you that Allah had granted you this chance to be a Mujihad [holy warrior] in the cause of God.

“I am writing you this letter to let you know you have my support and to remind you to be strong and not let Satan influence you, to remind you that Jihad [holy war] is now compulsory and you are obliged to protect the well-being of Islam and help your brothers and sisters and fight the Kuffar [non-believers].

“I really wish I could go with you because I too feel obliged to do all this and look to participate in any way I can.

“But everything happens by the will of Allah, may he be praised, only maybe, God willing I can follow you and if I could I will send your son to you so he can follow his father’s footsteps.

“I will pray to Allah he will release you from (this world) by granting you martyrdom and pray to Allah to reunite us in heaven, as your wife, together with your son in heaven.

“God willing I will do anything in my power to raise our son the best way I can so he can be a righteous Muslim. I will also tell him all about his father so he can be proud of him and follow in his footsteps.”

The information about the letter and the booklets on Nassari’s computer is obtained from an article in the Daily Telegraph. An interesting account of the trial can be found at the website of Abdur-Raheem Green: Islam’s Green. According to his story, he was one of the witnesses and he gives some interesting observations of the trial and also of the time he was waiting in the court. In another entry he refers to Yassin Nassari’s brother Marwan telling him that Yassin Nassari will be free in January. As I have understood Nassari receives a sentence of three and a half years of which he already spend more then one year.

A very incomplete overview of sites referring to the case (not mentioned above); some satirical, some in favour others against Nassari and El Hor, some criticizing the jury for acquitting El Hor, others questioning the fact that one of the main accusations (that held) were related to documents that are likely used by terrorists or to support terrorism. Although I do not agree with all the views expressed on those sites (and in some there are obvious mistakes), it gives a good impression of the usual debates over court cases and allegations like this. Under the reference you can find some text, it’s not mine but copied form the websites mentioned:

(more…)

0 comments.

Trial Yassin Nassari & Bouchra el Hor

Posted on July 19th, 2007 by .
Categories: International Terrorism, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

Earlier on I posted several messages about the trial against Yassin Nassari and his Moroccan-Dutch wife Bouchra el Hor. The last one was about the Dutch newsprogram Netwerk in which I had small role trying to give some insight in particular Bouchra’s motivations and trying to deconstruct the all to easy portrayal of her as ‘terror-burqa’ in some of the Dutch press, but at the same trying to make clear how easy it is (not only in the UK, but perhaps even more in the Netherlands) for people to be charged with allegations of (supporting) terrorism.

During my holiday the verdict was out and Yassin was found guilty of the second and lesser of the two accounts with which he was charged. It carries a maximum sentance of 10 years. His wife was found not guilty of aiding and abbetting him and was set free. According to the judge and prosecutors Yassin, using the name, “Mock Turtle,” shared extremist videos with Tariq Al-Daour (Abu Dujanah), who provided information over the internet on suicide vests, car bombs, booby traps and poisons. He had also signed a book of support for Omar Rehman who studied at the same college and pleaded guilty earlier this year to plotting a bombing campaign using stretch limousines packed with propane gas canisters. One might question these acts of course and even object to them, it sounds, at least a little bit, as guilt by association.

There was more against him and his wife, probably more serious. Police discovered a mass of jihadi material on a laptop and removable hard drive including blueprints for an Al Qassam 1.5 rocket used by the Palestinian terror group Hamas.

The files showed detailed measurements and information about the missile components, how to make the propellant and explosive charge and the assembly of the completed rocket.

They recommended using the driveshafts from a Peugeot 504 “found in breakers’ yards” for the fuselage, if good quality stainless steel was not available.

Also hidden in the files were articles entitled ‘Virtues of martyrdom in the path of Allah,’ ‘Islamic Ruling on the Permissibility of Self-Sacrifical Operation – Suicide or Martyrdom?’ ‘Taking care of the family left behind by the fighter’ and ‘Providing for the families of the martyrs.’

Nassari had footage of executions and beheadings downloaded from the internet and a letter, in a mixture of Arabic and English, written by El-Hor, in which she encouraged her husband to become a martyr. El-Hor is the first Dutch woman standing trail in a terror case outside the Netherlands. She is not the first one with ties to the Netherlands though. Earlier on Omar Altimimi, an Iraqi with a Dutch passport who came to the UK in 2004, was sentenced to jail in a terrorism case.

According to the prosecution El Hor wrote, among other things:

“The moment has come where you and I have to separate for the cause of Allah,” she wrote. “I am so proud, my husband, and I am happy for you that Allah had granted you this chance to be a Mujihad [holy warrior] in the cause of God.

“I am writing you this letter to let you know you have my support and to remind you to be strong and not let Satan influence you, to remind you that Jihad [holy war] is now compulsory and you are obliged to protect the well-being of Islam and help your brothers and sisters and fight the Kuffar [non-believers].

“I really wish I could go with you because I too feel obliged to do all this and look to participate in any way I can.

“But everything happens by the will of Allah, may he be praised, only maybe, God willing I can follow you and if I could I will send your son to you so he can follow his father’s footsteps.

“I will pray to Allah he will release you from (this world) by granting you martyrdom and pray to Allah to reunite us in heaven, as your wife, together with your son in heaven.

“God willing I will do anything in my power to raise our son the best way I can so he can be a righteous Muslim. I will also tell him all about his father so he can be proud of him and follow in his footsteps.”

The information about the letter and the booklets on Nassari’s computer is obtained from an article in the Daily Telegraph. An interesting account of the trial can be found at the website of Abdur-Raheem Green: Islam’s Green. According to his story, he was one of the witnesses and he gives some interesting observations of the trial and also of the time he was waiting in the court. In another entry he refers to Yassin Nassari’s brother Marwan telling him that Yassin Nassari will be free in January. As I have understood Nassari receives a sentence of three and a half years of which he already spend more then one year.

A very incomplete overview of sites referring to the case (not mentioned above); some satirical, some in favour others against Nassari and El Hor, some criticizing the jury for acquitting El Hor, others questioning the fact that one of the main accusations (that held) were related to documents that are likely used by terrorists or to support terrorism. Although I do not agree with all the views expressed on those sites (and in some there are obvious mistakes), it gives a good impression of the usual debates over court cases and allegations like this. Under the reference you can find some text, it’s not mine but copied form the websites mentioned:

(more…)

0 comments.

Cover story: 'My brother the bomber' by Shiv Malik | Prospect Magazine

Posted on July 19th, 2007 by martijn.
Categories: [Online] Publications, International Terrorism, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

Cover story: ‘My brother the bomber’ by Shiv Malik | Prospect Magazine June 2007 issue 135

Recently this article appeared in the Dutch daily NRC. It is presented as a a detailed account of the life and motivations of Mohammad Sidique Khan, the ringleader of the 7/7 bombings in London 2005.

What turned Mohammad Sidique Khan, a softly spoken youth worker, into the mastermind of 7/7? I spent months in a Leeds suburb getting to know Khan’s brother. A complex and disturbing story of the bomber’s radicalisation emerged

An interesting article, you can discuss it here but of course also here at the Prospect Magazine’s blog.  I suggest you read also Yahya Birt’s insightfull  comments on the article here.

0 comments.

Cover story: ‘My brother the bomber’ by Shiv Malik | Prospect Magazine

Posted on July 19th, 2007 by .
Categories: [Online] Publications, International Terrorism, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

Cover story: ‘My brother the bomber’ by Shiv Malik | Prospect Magazine June 2007 issue 135

Recently this article appeared in the Dutch daily NRC. It is presented as a a detailed account of the life and motivations of Mohammad Sidique Khan, the ringleader of the 7/7 bombings in London 2005.

What turned Mohammad Sidique Khan, a softly spoken youth worker, into the mastermind of 7/7? I spent months in a Leeds suburb getting to know Khan’s brother. A complex and disturbing story of the bomber’s radicalisation emerged

An interesting article, you can discuss it here but of course also here at the Prospect Magazine’s blog.  I suggest you read also Yahya Birt’s insightfull  comments on the article here.

0 comments.

Muslims In Western Europe After 9/11: Why the term Islamophobia is more a predicament than an explanation – CHALLENGE | Liberty & Security

Posted on July 19th, 2007 by martijn.
Categories: [Online] Publications, Important Publications, Multiculti Issues.

Muslims In Western Europe After 9/11: Why the term Islamophobia is more a predicament than an explanation – CHALLENGE | Liberty & Security
by Cesari Jocelyne

Although the first occurrence of the term Islamophobia appeared in an essay by the Orientalist Etienne Dinet in L’Orient vu de l’Occident (1922), it is only in the 1990s that the term became common parlance in defining the discrimination faced by Muslims in Western Europe. Negative perceptions of Islam can be traced back through multiple confrontations between the Muslim world and Europe from the Crusades to colonialism [1]. However, Islamophobia is a modern and secular anti-Islamic discourse and practice appearing in the public sphere with the integration of Muslim immigrant communities and intensifying after 9/11. The term has been used increasingly amongst political circles and the media, and even Muslim organizations, especially since the 1997 Runnymede Report (Islamophobia: A Challenge for All). However, academics are still debating the legitimacy of the term (Werbner 2005, Modood 2002, Vertovec 2002, Halliday 1999) [2] and questioning how it differs from other terms such as racism, anti- Islamism, anti-Muslimness, and anti-Semitism.The term Islamophobia is contested because it is often imprecisely applied to very diverse phenomena, ranging from xenophobia to anti-terrorism. As Marcel Maussen points out in his chapter below, ‘the term «Islamophobia» groups together all kinds of different forms of discourse, speech and acts, by suggesting that they all emanate from an identical ideological core, which is an «irrational fear» (a phobia) of Islam.’ However, the term is used with increasing frequency in the media and political arenas, and sometimes in academic circles.

[In the field of research on islamophobia their are] two separate trends: CRS analyses different state policies concerning the integration of Muslim populations, while the EUMC records levels of discrimination encountered by European Muslims. None of the above reports combine these approaches (analysis of state policies and analysis of discrimination) to develop a comprehensive framework for understanding post-9/11 Muslim populations.

In a unique effort to understand the status of Muslims in Europe, our report will amalgamate both methods of analysis. We will examine policies undertaken since 9/11 in fields such as immigration, security, and religion, and we will simultaneously assess the influence of these policies on Muslims. We will also address the structural causes of discrimination, such as the socio-economic status of Muslim populations or the legal status of racial and ethnic minorities. In doing so, we differentiate our approach from the dominant view, which defines Islamophobia solely in terms of acts or speeches explicitly targeting Muslims.

The principal aim of this report is to highlight the multi-layered levels of discrimination encountered by Muslims. This phenomenon cannot simply be subsumed into the term Islamophobia. Indeed, the term can be misleading, as it presupposes the pre-eminence of religious discrimination when other forms of discrimination (such as racial or class) may be more relevant. We therefore intend to use the term Islamophobia as a starting point for analyzing the different dimensions that define the political situation of Muslim minorities in Europe. We will not to take the term for granted by assigning it only one meaning, such as anti-Islamic discourse.

In Part One, we will present the principal characteristics of the European Muslim population, in order to understand their particular status as religious or ethnic minorities. In Part Two, we will review the key components of discrimination that may affect Muslims in Europe.

A chapter on the Dutch situation, written by Marcel Maussen, can be found in the report.

0 comments.

Muslims In Western Europe After 9/11: Why the term Islamophobia is more a predicament than an explanation – CHALLENGE | Liberty & Security

Posted on July 19th, 2007 by .
Categories: [Online] Publications, Important Publications, Multiculti Issues.

Muslims In Western Europe After 9/11: Why the term Islamophobia is more a predicament than an explanation – CHALLENGE | Liberty & Security
by Cesari Jocelyne

Although the first occurrence of the term Islamophobia appeared in an essay by the Orientalist Etienne Dinet in L’Orient vu de l’Occident (1922), it is only in the 1990s that the term became common parlance in defining the discrimination faced by Muslims in Western Europe. Negative perceptions of Islam can be traced back through multiple confrontations between the Muslim world and Europe from the Crusades to colonialism [1]. However, Islamophobia is a modern and secular anti-Islamic discourse and practice appearing in the public sphere with the integration of Muslim immigrant communities and intensifying after 9/11. The term has been used increasingly amongst political circles and the media, and even Muslim organizations, especially since the 1997 Runnymede Report (Islamophobia: A Challenge for All). However, academics are still debating the legitimacy of the term (Werbner 2005, Modood 2002, Vertovec 2002, Halliday 1999) [2] and questioning how it differs from other terms such as racism, anti- Islamism, anti-Muslimness, and anti-Semitism.The term Islamophobia is contested because it is often imprecisely applied to very diverse phenomena, ranging from xenophobia to anti-terrorism. As Marcel Maussen points out in his chapter below, ‘the term «Islamophobia» groups together all kinds of different forms of discourse, speech and acts, by suggesting that they all emanate from an identical ideological core, which is an «irrational fear» (a phobia) of Islam.’ However, the term is used with increasing frequency in the media and political arenas, and sometimes in academic circles.

[In the field of research on islamophobia their are] two separate trends: CRS analyses different state policies concerning the integration of Muslim populations, while the EUMC records levels of discrimination encountered by European Muslims. None of the above reports combine these approaches (analysis of state policies and analysis of discrimination) to develop a comprehensive framework for understanding post-9/11 Muslim populations.

In a unique effort to understand the status of Muslims in Europe, our report will amalgamate both methods of analysis. We will examine policies undertaken since 9/11 in fields such as immigration, security, and religion, and we will simultaneously assess the influence of these policies on Muslims. We will also address the structural causes of discrimination, such as the socio-economic status of Muslim populations or the legal status of racial and ethnic minorities. In doing so, we differentiate our approach from the dominant view, which defines Islamophobia solely in terms of acts or speeches explicitly targeting Muslims.

The principal aim of this report is to highlight the multi-layered levels of discrimination encountered by Muslims. This phenomenon cannot simply be subsumed into the term Islamophobia. Indeed, the term can be misleading, as it presupposes the pre-eminence of religious discrimination when other forms of discrimination (such as racial or class) may be more relevant. We therefore intend to use the term Islamophobia as a starting point for analyzing the different dimensions that define the political situation of Muslim minorities in Europe. We will not to take the term for granted by assigning it only one meaning, such as anti-Islamic discourse.

In Part One, we will present the principal characteristics of the European Muslim population, in order to understand their particular status as religious or ethnic minorities. In Part Two, we will review the key components of discrimination that may affect Muslims in Europe.

A chapter on the Dutch situation, written by Marcel Maussen, can be found in the report.

0 comments.

UNESCO / Peter J. Burgess – Promoting human security in Western Europe

Posted on July 19th, 2007 by .
Categories: [Online] Publications, Multiculti Issues, My Research.

UNESCO Documents and Publications – UNESDOC/UNESBIB
Burgess, J. Peter
Promoting human security: ethical, normative and educational frameworks in Western Europe:

A new kind of precariousness is touching Europe. The robust structures of social support that had become a commonplace in the post-war European welfare state are being increasingly challenged in almost invisible ways. The societybased guarantees of industrial late modernity are gradually giving over to more economic, political, social, cultural and even moral vulnerability. Although Europeans still hold fast to the basic ideas of security in terms of classical principles of economic and social welfare, these principles map less and less on to the globalized reality that shapes European lives.

The purpose of this report is to chart the basic contours of this new vulnerability in terms of human security. The inspiration and genealogy of human security are by now well known. Human
security is an influential diagnostic concept that emerged from the remnants of the Cold War ideological battlefield. As the attention of the world was released from the logic of bipolar geopolitics, a vast world of development challenges revealed itself. Human security emerged not as a new empirical object, but as a new epistemology. In other words, human security is not so much a new discovery as a new kind of knowledge, a new way of organizing the constellation of facts, values, priorities, views and ideologies.

In this report one chapter is about the Netherlands (by Bartels, De Koning, Knibbe and Salemink):

Given the rapid and rather extreme transition of a public discourse of cultural relativism and tolerance to a discourse emphasizing integration and assimilation and the closing of state borders for migration, the Dutch case exemplifies tendencies towards insecurity present in several countries in Western Europe. This is illustrated by the 2005 riots in the French suburbs as well as the 2006 German discussion about the security of teachers and children in multi-ethnic public schools. These trans-European concerns for cultural security are not only comparable, but also mutually influencing through transnational networks, as events and developments in one country may affects the situation in other countries as well. The recent transnational and international controversy over cartoons published in Denmark is a case in point. Finally, the threat of terror attacks (Madrid, London, political murders in the Netherlands) and the corresponding public and political responses make clear that the present insecurity over identity issues have a deep impact on people’s sense of physical security, thus violating the ‘freedom from fear’ dimension of human security. In other words, the way that people define their cultural identity is part and parcel of their subjective sense of human security – first and foremost in terms of cultural security, but eventually in terms of their physical safety.

0 comments.