Detroit Muslim Immigrants Urged to Jihad... Video urges Detroit area Muslims to attack

BY NIRAJ WARIKOO
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

POSTED: 4:29 P.M. OCT. 23, 2010

Adam Gadahn appears on a video released Saturday.(SITE INTELLIGENCE GROUP VIA AP)

In a video released today, a senior al-Qaida leader calls for Muslims living in metro Detroit to commit jihadist attacks inside the U.S. -- a call that was condemned by a local Muslim-American leader.

In a 48-minute recording posted on the Internet, Adam Gadahn -- a native of California who is now al-Qaida's American spokesman -- called upon Muslims living in what he called "the miserable suburbs of Paris, London, Detroit" to attack Americans, citing as examples the Ft. Hood shooter in Texas and the man who tried to set off a bomb on a plane descending into Detroit Metro Airport on Christmas Day. 

Metro Detroit, known for its Muslim population, was the only U.S. city mentioned by the al-Qaida leader. London and Paris also have significant Muslim communities in their metro areas.

This was the first time in memory that al-Qaida referenced metro Detroit's Muslim population, say local leaders.

The video was publicized today by the Maryland-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors terrorism. The video has been posted on YouTube.

The Detroit FBI could not be immediately reached today for comment about the new video.

Speaking into a camera, Gadahn said he had a message "to my Muslim brothers residing in the states of the Zio-Crusader coalition … from the emigrant communities, like those which live on the margins of society in the miserable suburbs of Paris, London, Detroit."

He also addressed Muslims "arriving in America or Europe to study in its universities or seek their daily bread in the streets of its cities."

Gadahn tells Muslims living in metro Detroit and across the West:

"Know that jihad is your duty as well, and you have an opportunity to strike the leaders of unbelief and retaliate against them on their own soil. As long as there is no covenant between you and them, here you are in the battlefield just like heroes before you." Gadahn claimed that Muslims are religiously justified in the attacks because of U.S. military opearations in the Muslim world, but Gadahn's views have been slammed by other Muslims.

Gadahn then praises the actions of terrorists such as Mohammed Atta, one of the 9/11 hijackers; Nidal Hassan, the Ft. Hood shooter, and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the native of Nigeria who tried to set off a bomb on a Michigan-bound airliner. Gadahn also calls upon Muslims not to harm other Muslims or their property when committing jihadist attacks.

Gadahn's comments were attacked by Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"He obviously doesn't know Muslims in Detroit," Walid said today. "It appears to be a desperate plea by al-Qaida, which has virtually no support among Muslims in any Western countries."

Gadahn "should turn himself in and renounce al-Qaida's murderous ideology," Walid said. "Up to 85% of al-Qaida's casulties are Muslims. His whole discourse is irrational and insane. … Al-Qaida is an enemy to Islam itself."

Tarek Baydoun, 26, of Dearborn also slammed Gadahn's remarks.

"He's either mentally ill or utterly evil," Baydoun said. "He has nothing to do with any faith tradition. He's disconnected from Muslim-American as can be."

Referring to Gadahn's remarks about what he called the "miserable suburbs" of Detroit, Baydoun said: "We have wonderful suburbs and communities." 

SITE said on its website that Gadahn "urged Muslims to take initiative and carry out acts of individual jihad in states of the 'Zio-Crusader coalition' in a video released on jihadist forums."

The video was made by the media branch of al-Qaida, as-Sahab, and is called "The Arabs and Muslims: Between the Conferences of Desertion … and the Individual Duty of Jihad,” said SITE.

The video also contains clips featuring Anwar al-Awlaki, the Yemeni cleric who previously lived in the U.S. and influenced the Christmas Day bomber. 

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101023/NEWS05/101023038/&template=fullarticle

Austria to Try Woman for 'Deni-gration of Religious Teachings'... Litigation Against Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff

Gates of Vienna, Elisabeth's Voice 21 October 2010
By Baron Bodissey

Gates of Vienna reported on October 20th that our Austrian correspondent Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff has been given a court date (November 23) for her trial on “hate speech” charges. Regular readers are aware that Elisabeth has been charged for speaking the simple truth about Islam; for full details, see the list of previous articles at the bottom of this post.

Below is a press release (pdf, German) issued yesterday on behalf of Elisabeth by BPE Bürgerbewegung Pax Europa (Citizens’ Movement Pax Europa). Many thanks to JLH for the translation.

BPE Bürgerbewegung Pax Europa
Press Release on the Litigation Against Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff
Gemmingen, October 20, 2010

On September 15, 2010, Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff learned through the media that she — like Netherlander Geert Wilders and Canadian Ezra Levant — had been charged with “hate speech”and “denigration of religious teachings”.

Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff’s “offense” is to defend freedom of speech and much more against a tsunami of barbarism and against the politically correct silence and hushing-up. The subject of the complaint is the mere fact that she even gives Islam-critical seminars. For example, the indictment charges her with “hate speech” for the following statement: “Sharia is a definite no-no. We want no gender apartheid, no ghettoes, no social and cultural discrimination, no polygamy, no theocracy, no hate…”

At the international level, Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff represents Citizens’ Movement Pax Europa as well as being a delegation leader at conferences of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) in Vienna and Warsaw. She also offers Islam-specific seminars for various hosting organizations.

Today it became known that Elisabeth is to be tried on November 23, 2010, beginning at 9:00 a.m. by the Viennese Regional Court, Wickenburggasse 122 (Room 311 — Third Floor).

The simple fact that only a few hours are foreseen for the entire trial argues that this is a legal farce and a conviction is lying fully prepared in a drawer. Elisabeth will under no circumstances accept a guilty verdict. Rather, if necessary, she will take it to the European Court.
Elisabeth needs your help. Please help within your means. She is not only defending herself, but also standing up for freedom of speech for all of us in Europe. Further information on thewebsite.

Gemmingen, October 20, 2010

BPE — Branch Office
i.A. Conny Axel Meier, General Secretary

Al-Qaeda Backs Helen Thomas...Al Qaeda Troubled by Helen Thomas's Firing

Reading the latest edition of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s Inspire magazine…
10:15 AM, OCT 22, 2010 • BY THOMAS JOSCELYN

A few weeks ago, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula released the second edition of its online magazine, Inspire. As with the first edition, Inspire seeks to garner new recruits in the West who are willing to carry out acts of jihad. Much of the publication is devoted to wooing would-be terrorists willing to emulate the acts of Major Nidal Malik Hassan (aka the Fort Hood shooter) and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (who tried to blow up Flight 253 on Christmas Day 2009). Both Hassan and Abdulmutallab had significant ties to AQAP prior to their respective days of terror.


Hassan received, at a minimum, spiritual guidance via email from Anwar al Awlaki, who is a top AQAP cleric. Abdulmutallab was convinced to join AQAP’s jihad by listening to al Awlaki’s lectures and even traveled to Yemen to receive training at an AQAP-run camp. Abdulmutallab was even able to meet Awlaki in person. U.S. counterterrorism officials have directly implicated Awlaki in the Christmas Day plot.


So, Inspire’s message is deadly serious. It is also at times comical.


One page, for instance, lists “Questions We Should Be Asking.” The first one is this:


If a long time journalist and reporter like Helen Thomas was thrown out for truthful words on the Israeli occupation, doesn’t that hint to everyone who’s really in control of America?


The authors of Inspire are referring, of course, to the kerfuffle over Helen Thomas’s unhinged remarks concerning Israel and the Jews. AQAP’s question could be considered a throwaway line, but in reality it demonstrates two important aspects of al Qaeda’s propaganda.


First, al Qaeda plays fairly close attention to the headlines coming out of the U.S., looking to seize on anything it can.


Second, when al Qaeda does reference American news stories it is almost always through a conspiratorial lens. There has been much discussion in the West about the ideology that fuels al Qaeda’s hate. But it is worth remembering at all times that this ideology relies on a paranoid and delusional view of the world in which an imaginary “Zionist-Crusader” conspiracy seeks to impose its will on Muslims. In this regard, al Qaeda’s paranoia is not all that different from the insanity of Nazism or the anti-capitalist ranting of Communists. In each case, the ideologues pretend that a dastardly cabal threatens humanity and they are the last hope for redemption.


This aspect of al Qaeda’s worldview should not be dismissed. There is no reason to suspect that al Qaeda doesn’t believe it. Al Qaeda’s most senior leaders constantly frame their narrative in these conspiratorial terms.


Thomas Joscelyn is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.


http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/al-qaeda-hearts-helen-thomas_511635.html

Ballot Measure Prompts Muslim Outcry

Reported by: Douglas Clark Email: dclark@fox23.com Last Update: 10/21 6:47 pm

Cries of bigotry as an Oklahoma ballot measure strikes a nerve.  In less than two weeks, Oklahomans will vote on State Question 755, which aims to keep Islamic law out of Oklahoma courtrooms.  Fox 23’s Douglas Clark has the story. 

The group pushing for this referendum cites a New Jersey ruling, where a judge condoned a case of sexual abuse because he said the suspect was acting according to his Muslim faith.  Now one Oklahoma lawmaker wants to make sure that doesn’t happen here.

It’s called Shariah law.  It’s recognized in most Islamic countries as the basis of religious law.  It’s been used to condone harsh punishments like beating and stonings in Iran and Somalia.  Republican State Representative Rex Duncan wants to make sure Oklahoma judges never use it to decide court cases.

“This is the picture of what is American,” says Duncan.

He says the referendum is designed to counter the stance of the Oklahoma Council on Islamic Relations”, or CAIR.

“CAIR's mission statement: They’re not here to be one of many religions they are here to be the dominant religion,” he says.

“It’s not about Shariah law at all.  It’s really about anti-Muslim bigotry,” says Razi Hashimi, spokesperson for CAIR.

Muslim Americans say the measure sends a message of hatred and intolerance and non-Muslims should not be concerned about Shariah law.

“As long as it doesn’t affect you in any way, why should you be concerned how I solve a problem between me and my brother, or neighbor who is Muslim.  I do not think it should be a matter of concern for a non-Muslim,” says Tulsan Mohamed Boudhhir.

CAIR argues the initiative is unnecessary, since the Constitution does not allow religious law to supercede American law.

State Question 755 is on the ballot November 2^nd.  If it passes, Oklahoma’s constitution would not only prohibit Islamic law in court but all international law.

Opponents of the ballot measure also argue that it could discourage foreign companies from doing business in Oklahoma if they think international agreements won’t be honored in court.

Copyright 2010 Newport Television LLC All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

CAIR Upset over Vote to Ban Sharia in Oklahoma...

Oklahoma Gets set to Vote on Sharia~ Muslims Whine~ Video

October 21, 2010

By admin

Here is the latest update to the “Oklahoma Rep. Duncan calls for Preemptive Strike on Sharia!!~ Video” story. The people of Oklahoma get set to vote in less than two weeks, and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), whose goal is to dominate us by Sharia is not happy.

“It’s not about Shariah law at all. It’s really about anti-Muslim bigotry,” says Razi Hashimi, spokesperson for CAIR.
Muslim Americans say the measure sends a message of hatred and intolerance and non-Muslims should not be concerned about Shariah law.
“As long as it doesn’t affect you in any way, why should you be concerned how I solve a problem between me and my brother, or neighbor who is Muslim. I do not think it should be a matter of concern for a non-Muslim,” says Tulsan Mohamed Boudhhir.

Nice try Razi, but it is about Sharia Law Did you forget this statement?

Omar Ahmad
Co-Founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
President and CEO of Silicon Expert Technologies.
Former Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP) Officer.
“Those who stay in America should be open to society without melting, keeping Mosques open so anyone can come and learn about Islam. If you choose to live here, you have a responsibility to deliver the message of Islam … Islam isn’t in America to be equal to any other faiths, but to become dominant. The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the
only accepted religion on Earth.”

It is nice to see a politician that knows what CAIR is all about. Will the people of Oklahoma do the right thing, and follow in the footsteps of Louisiana? Lets hope so.

Link to Article

http://loganswarning.com/2010/10/21/oklahoma-gets-set-to-vote-on-sharia-muslims-whine-video/

Geert Wilders Facing Retrial

A new twist in the Amsterdam show trial, after a second attempt to remove the appallingly biased panel of judges succeeds amid accusations of witness interference (hat tip to Vlad):

A court in the Netherlands has ordered a retrial before a new panel of judges in anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders’ hate speech trial.

Wilders called for the judges to be dismissed after a defence witness alleged improper conduct by a member of an appeals panel directly involved in the case.

A hastily convened panel at the Amsterdam District Court ruled that Wilders’ objections were valid. That means the trial which began in January must be repeated from the beginning with new judges.

Wilders faces charges of inciting hatred against Muslims for many remarks, including some equating Islam with fascism and violence, and others calling for a ban on the Koran and a tax on Muslim headscarves.

It has emerged that the improper conduct was in fact one of the Judges, Tom Schalker, allegedly attempting to interfere with one of Wilders’ witness, Islamic Scholar Hans Jensen, at a dinner he was invited to by a leftwing, pro-Palestinian activist friend.

But of course this case isn’t political – certainly not. Details here (h/t Robert at Jihadwatch.)

Let’s hope that the new panel realise, as did the prosecution, that the trial should never have happened in the first place – and dismiss this kangaroo court, exonerating Wilders completely, before it even gets a chance to restart.

[Source: UKPA]

Israel: Muslim brothers arrested over string of recent honor killings...Honor Killing Hit Men Arrested for Murdering Four Women...

Israel: Muslim brothers arrested over string of recent honor killings

Honor hit man?

Hired hit men for honor. "Brothers arrested over string of recent 'honor killings' in Lod: Police suspect the two were hired hit men in a string of so-called 'honor killings,' offering their services to locals who wanted to attack their family members," by Yaniv Kubovich and Noah Kosharek in Haaretz, October 21 (thanks to all who sent this in):

Two brothers from Ramle, Ramadan and Khaled Musrati, were arrested yesterday on suspicion of involvement in four recent murders in the city of Lod.

Police suspect the two were hired hit men in a string of so-called "honor killings," offering their services to locals who wanted to attack their family members. The investigation has reportedly linked them to the killings of Jawdat Jasus, Amal Halili, Sami Hijazi and Abir Abu Ktifan.

Police now believe that the four victims were actually two couples, with Jawdat Jasus linked to Amal Khalili, and Sami Hijazi, married with two children, linked to divorced Abir Abu Ktifan.

The two brothers are suspected of various offenses, including conspiring to kill Jawdat Jasus, illegal possession of firearms and possession of drugs not for personal consumption. A police source told Haaretz the connection to the three other killings is still being investigated....

Three of Abu Ktifan's relatives - her husband Ghazi, his brother Abdelmati and his nephew Hassan - were also arrested. They are suspected of involvement in the murder of both alleged lovers.

All three of them were remanded until Sunday yesterday. A police officer told the court the three deny any involvement in the murders, but "confirm certain things that are at the heart of the matter, and which have been detailed for the court."...

Posted by Robert on October 21, 2010 5:21 AM 

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/10/israel-muslim-brothers-arrested-over-string-of-recent-honor-killings.html 

Despite Official Measures, Bride Kidnapping 'Endemic' In Chechnya

October 21, 2010

By Courtney Rose Brooks, Amina Umarova

As many as one in four marriages in Chechnya begin with the bride being kidnapped

Dagmara burst into tears when her son told her that he had kidnapped a teenage girl to force her to marry him.

It was in August of 1999, shortly before the start of the second Chechen war, when her son abducted one of his classmates -- a pretty girl with big blue eyes, curly hair, and a disarming smile.

"Three of his friends forced her into a car while she screamed that she didn't want to get married to anyone -- that she wanted to become a businesswoman rather than stay at home like a hen," Dagmara, 48, said.

When Louisa's aunt arrived to speak with the girl, she said the kidnapping was the teenager's own fault because she chose to wear a dress that day -- instead of the pants she usually wore. The families negotiated, and within a few hours had agreed the couple would marry.

"Eleven years have passed but I still cannot express how I felt when my son told me… It was so sudden. I could not stop crying when I saw this tiny 16-year-old girl," Dagmara, who didn't provide her last name for safety reasons, said. 

Cows And Kidnapped Brides In Kyrgyzstan

Bride abductions are an endemic phenomenon in the Caucasus and Central Asia. In Chechnya alone, rights activists say as many as one in four marriages begin with the woman being kidnapped and forced to wed against her will.

The social stigma attached to spending the night in a man's house -- or even just a few hours before being rescued -- is enough in deeply traditional societies like Chechnya, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan to shame a woman into marrying her abductor.

But as widespread as it is, bride snatching is a practice that Chechnya's President Ramzan Kadyrov wants to end.

Earlier this month Kadyrov announced a drastic increase in the fine for bridal kidnapping to 1 million rubles, about $33,560, up from about $1,011. And fulfilling a longstanding demand of women's rights activists, he has also pledged to apply Russia's Criminal Code for abductions, which stipulates a sentence of between four and 20 years in jail, to bride kidnapping.

"Knowing that he will get a prison term, the young man will think a hundred times before venturing out and kidnapping. From now on police will investigate each instance, without waiting for a complaint," Kadyrov reportedly said on October 17.

Analysts say, however, that the practice of bride kidnapping is related to the deterioration of women's rights in Chechnya, which has escalated markedly under Kadyrov's rule.

"The situation of women in Chechnya is really, very unfortunate and it's been growing worse and worse in the past several years," says Tanya Lokshina, a Russia researcher with the New York-based Human Rights Watch.

Chechen government officials declined to be interviewed for this story.
Tradition, Parody, And Tragedy

Long seen as an exotic eccentricity of Russia's southern regions, the practice of bride kidnapping was parodied in the classic 1967 Soviet film "Prisoner of the Caucasus." The wildly popular film tells the story of a man arranging the kidnapping of his niece by three men -- named the Coward, the Fool, and the Experienced One. The plan is foiled by a young man who falls in love with her.

The practice has also appeared in Western pop culture thanks to the 2006 comedy "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan." In the film, Borat, a fictional Kazakh documentary filmmaker, falls in love with Pamela Anderson after seeing her on "Baywatch." He later tries to kidnap her by stuffing her in his "traditional marriage sack." He is, of course, tackled and handcuffed by security guards -- and rejected by Pamela Anderson. 

Chechen President Kadyrov has said he wants to end the practice of bride kidnapping

But despite the parodies, the practice can lead to tragedy. Four people -- including a stolen bride -- died in car chase last year when the kidnapper tried to escape from the woman's family.

Lipkhan Bazayeva, the head of the Chechen women's rights organization Women's Dignity, said men often kidnap brides because they don't want to be bothered with the courting procedure, because they are jealous that another man likes her, or as a matter of pride after being rejected.

"It has brought great pain to the parents and the girls who got kidnapped. It seems romantic to the young men and they call it 'Chechen tradition,' but it is not the tradition," Bazayeva said.

Lokshina says kidnappings often take place because a woman, even if she wants to eventually marry a man, will tell him she's too young, or that she needs to finish university first. In response, he then kidnaps her.

In other cases, a couple who want to marry without their families' approval will stage a kidnapping to put their parents in a position where they have to allow the wedding.

"[But] sometimes women are just kidnapped by people that they've never met in their entire lives -- by perfect strangers who like them, and want them for a bride. All those things are happening," she said.

"Such cases of forced bridal kidnappings are indeed frequent, and they're growing to be even more frequent."

The woman's male relatives are then put in the difficult position of having to "sort things out" with the kidnappers, and the woman can be considered tainted, or difficult, after refusing the marriage.

"[The women are] thinking of the consequences or the problems that their father and their brothers are going to be burdened with, and they prefer to sacrifice themselves, if you will, for the well-being of the family," Lokshina says.
A Growing Problem

Lokshina says bride kidnapping is on the increase for several reasons, the biggest being that the risk of prosecution is so low. She said because the negotiations are conducted privately between the families it is impossible to know exactly how drastic the increase is, but anecdotally, the number of kidnappings appears to be escalating.

She adds that authorities are also trying to "put women back in their place" after their influence in society increased during Chechnya's brutal separatist wars from Russia -- the second of which only ended in 2009 -- when they had to provide for and protect their families.

Moreover, the Islamization of Chechnya, which began after the breakup of the Soviet Union and escalated when Kadyrov came to power in 2007, has led to a deterioration in women's rights.

Since June groups of masked men, primarily law enforcement officials, patrolled the streets of Grozny, shooting paintballs at women who didn't cover their heads or who wore clothing they deemed immodest. Lokshina said the attacks reached a peak during Ramadan and have since tapered off.

In July, Kadyrov voiced approval for the attacks on state television saying that immodestly dressed women should "disappear from the face of the earth."

Imam Magomed, a Muslim scholar who is responsible for conducting wedding ceremonies, said bridal kidnappings are forbidden by the Koran.

"Of course I would never conduct a wedding ceremony if the bride rejects the groom. It is forbidden by the Koran and it is immoral. Parents from both sides always try to negotiate with a great respect. But I wish we did not have the bride stealing at all," he said.

While bride-kidnapping is often considered -- and defended as being -- a "traditional" practice in the region, Russell Kleinbach, a professor at Philadelphia University who is an expert on bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan, said that is a myth.

He said any type of kidnapping was rare in the region before the 1950s and the majority of "abductions" were staged -- more like an elopement. He said the practice gradually became less consensual, and has only been drastically increasing since the 1950s.

"The new family which the bride had been taken into expects the girl to get comfortable and start living a regular life. However, these families don't understand or take into consideration the tremendous impact this experience has on the girl's mental and physical health," Bazayeva said. "The girl would feel left with no choice."

Lokshina added that the social stigma is so great that the community actually considers the kidnapping to be the woman's fault if she has spent time, or "flirted" with a man when she was not ready to be married.

"It takes a great deal of courage, and fortitude, and formally showing of disrespect for your elders, to refuse to stay," Kleinbach said.
RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service contributed to this report

Nigeria Islamists Vow to Kill Any Muslim Opposing Sharia...Feared Muslim sect delivers murderous threats in Nigeria

By Njadvara Musa

Associated Press / October 22, 2010

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — A Muslim sect suspected of a series of targeted killings and a massive prison break has issued new threats in northern Nigeria, this time invoking Al Qaeda’s North Africa branch.

Posters by the Boko Haram sect appeared at key intersections in the city of Maiduguri this week, bearing the name of Imam Abubakar Shekau, the group’s de facto leader. The two top corners of the posters bore a symbol of an opened Koran, flanked on each side by Kalashnikov assault rifles and a flag in the middle — mirroring the logo of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

The message warned the public against assisting the police or going near soldiers guarding the town at night. The message also acknowledged a recent reward offered for information leading to the arrest of suspected sect members.

“Any Muslim that goes against the establishment of Sharia will be attacked and killed,’’ the message read.

Boko Haram — which means “Western education is sacrilege’’ in the local Hausa language — has campaigned for the implementation of strict Sharia law. Nigeria, a nation of 150 million people, is divided between the Christian-dominated south and the Muslim north. A dozen states across Nigeria’s north have Sharia law in place, though the area remains under the control of secular state governments.

The poster said it was from Shekau on behalf of “The Group of the People of Sunnah, Call and Jihad.’’

Police officers began removing the signs late Wednesday.

“These publications and messages on Boko Haram activities are seditious and could jeopardize our investigations into the four-month serial attacks and killings in the state,’’ Borno state police commissioner Mohammed Abubakar said yesterday.

Though the Al Qaeda branch has distributed messages by Boko Haram before, it is unclear whether the two groups have operational links. The two groups also come from two different ethnic groups in northern Nigeria.

Boko Haram sect members attacked police stations and homes in July 2009, sparking a violent police and military crackdown. In total, 700 people died.

© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2010/10/22/feared_muslim_sect_delivers_murderous_threats_in_nigeria/

Somali schoolboy tells of how Islamists cut off his leg and hand

smael Khalif Abdulle's story provides rare insight into regime of al-Shabaab rebels trying to overthrow Somali government


Xan Rice in Nairobi; This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 21.02 BST on Wednesday 20 October 2010. A version appeared on p18 of the Main section section of the Guardian on Thursday 21 October 2010.

Ismael Khalif Abdulle, who was "cross amputated" by the Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab. Photograph: Sven Torfinn for the Guardian

He has learned to button his shirt using only his left hand, to roll his sleeve with his teeth, to balance on his right foot in the shower. He cannot forgive, though he is desperate to forget. But at night his dreams betray him.

This is how it happened, Abdulle told the Guardian. He was a prisoner in an insurgents' house in Mogadishu, lying on his side, one hand chained to his ankles. He was 17, with fluff on his cheeks and unspeakable fear in his heart. Three other young men were with him – Jalylani, Ali, Abduqadir.

A guard, from the Islamist group al-Shabaab, which is trying to overthrow the Somali government, gripped his shoulder. "Ismael Khalif Abdulle, come with me."

A convoy of rebel battlewagons cleared the way through the battered streets. Reaching Masalah, an old military barracks, he saw his mother through the car window and shouted to her. The guard slapped his face. "Today is not the day to call your mother," he said.

Ordered to witness the punishment of the "spies and bandits" or face lashes themselves, the entire neighbourhood had assembled. Also watching were some of the Shabaab's top leaders – Sheikh Mukhtar Robow, the Somali-Swede Fuad Shangole, and Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki, the American who recruits and finances foreign fighters.

In the middle of the stony parade ground were about 20 militiamen in green fatigues. Their faces were masked. They were wearing surgical gloves. On the ground was a single plastic mattress.

Abdulle says he was made to lie down. His left hand was tied to his right ankle with a thick rope, leaving the other limbs free for what was to come. Rubber surgical tubing bit into his right biceps – a tourniquet. One rebel grabbed his hand, another his forearm. They pulled in opposite directions as a piece of plastic was laid over his wrist.

"Please make it quick," he pleaded.

A heavily built man drew a large wooden-handled knife normally used to slaughter camels. The knife descended.

Though their horror was far from over, Abdulle and the three other young men "cross amputated" – a process of cutting off a hand and foot from opposite sides of the body – by the Shabaab on 26 June 2009, eventually escaped from their Islamist captors, and managed to cross to the government-controlled side of the city. Abdulle recently managed to flee Somalia, and reach a safehouse in Nairobi, Kenya, where he gave this interview.

His story offers a rare insight into how the Shabaab is using its extreme interpretation of Islam to establish order through fear – and to find recruits.

Abdulle was born in 1992, a year after the last effective government fell, and warlords took over the country. As far as it is possible to have a normal upbringing amid the anarchy, he did. Once Shabaab forces took full control of the Bakara market area where he lived, in early 2009, security immediately improved – but at a huge cost to personal and social freedoms.

"If you saw a man on the street with a beard, you would be worried," Abdulle said. "But if someone was smoking a cigarette, you felt OK."

The Shabaab recruited some of Abdulle's classmates to fight the government, but he insists that he never had anything to do with the Islamists until the day he was abducted.

He said he was not told of his alleged crime until the 26th day of detention, when he and the three other young men were taken to the old military parade ground for the first time. Pistols and mobile phones, allegedly stolen by the accused, were shown to the crowd. Abdulle insists on his innocence to this day, but he was given no chance to speak. Dahir Ga'may, a Shabaab "judge", merely announced his verdict.

"He said we were guilty as spies and thieves, and that under sharia law a hand and a foot must be amputated."

Three days later, the sentence was carried out. Abdulle passed out while his hand was being cut off. After he regained consciousness he heard the screams as the amputations continued. It was several hours before they were given pain relief, and two days before their wounds were stitched.

A fortnight later, Shangole, the Shabaab commander, arrived at the house where they were detained. "He said they had made a mistake. Our legs were cut too low down, and needed to be shortened. He took the end of my leg, and put three fingers above the stump and said: 'That's where it should be.'"

This time, the surgical tool was a plumber's saw. As before, there were no painkillers.

On a separate visit, Ga'may told them that as they were disabled they should become suicide attackers. Sensing a chance to escape, they agreed. A taxi called by a relative picked them up, and took them to the justice ministry. The Red Crescent Society in Mogadishu fitted him with an artificial limb.

His passage out of Mogadishu was risky, as the Shabaab were still after him. In Nairobi, he's keeping a low profile, as the insurgents have supporters in the city. His hope now is to gain asylum and help to deal with the physical and mental scars.

Troubled youth

Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, better known as al-Shabaab – "the youth" – first rose to prominence in 2006 as the armed wing of a sharia court alliance that forced warlords from the Somali capital, Mogadishu. After invading Ethiopian troops routed the nascent Islamist movement later that year, the Shabaab re-emerged as a guerilla army, initially winning the sympathy of many Somalis – and attracting hundreds of foreign jihadis. Once Ethiopia withdrew in January 2009, Shabaab militants took over large partsmuch of south and central Somalia, training their guns on government forces and African Union peacekeepers. It quickly established security, and delivered social services, but the group's extreme interpretation of Islam and its targeting of civilians has alienated most Somalis. Its "clerics" have banned everything from films to mobile ringtones, school bells and gold fillings. Public amputations of hands and feet are now common, and stonings and beheadings have been reported. Shabaab suicide bombers have killed dozens of innocent people.