Sunday, July 24, 2005
Allah knows best
Afshin Ellian: Allah Knows Best
NRC Handelsblad 23-7-05
“Mohammed B., the self-declared murderer of Theo van Gogh, has spoken. While the Londoners were looking for their missing loved ones, the Western rule of law triumphed in Amsterdam. Because our rule of law showed its worth through a fair trial, to which the jihadist Mohammed was subjected. A criminal trial, with or without a terrorist, is a normal legal procedure conforming to the rules of our justice system. It states that the violator of the [Wetboek van Strafrecht] should account for himself in front of the judge and the public. The judge has to determine what the precise, individual motives of the suspect were and how dangerous this suspect is. Appropriately the judge has ordered the the suspect to appear in trial.
Some claim that Mohammed B., had suddenly been given the opportunity to misuse the hearing for his propaganda. And because of that, Mohammed would suddenly have become a hero. This reasoning is mistaken, because the criminal judge has nothing to do with the propaganda of Mohammed B., let alone his heroism. The criminal judge is not a politician, not the AIVD [Dutch Intelligence Agency], not a columnist, not a strategist, and not a saviour of the fatherland. The criminal judge is the institution who determines, after investigating in a hearing, the guilt or innocence of the citizen accused by the government. Mohammed hates this stuff. He hates our way of life: the freedom, equality and rule of law. Praise to the judges of Amsterdam.
Well, Mohammed B. has made the Islam-lovers, Hamas-lovers, foreigner-lovers, ‘anti-racists’, ‘anti-fascists’, all blush. He didn’t act because he was discriminated against, not because he was unemployed, and not because he considered Theo a terrible man. He acted according to the rules and tradition of political Islam. Frits Abrahams, observer of the op-ed page of this newspaper, was in this way deeply disappointed in Mohammed B. Abrahams hoped, given his way of thinking, that the murderer of Theo van Gogh was moved to act out of discrimination, racism, or after reading the texts of Ellian or Hirsi Ali.
After the second day or hearing, in which Mohammed frightened the Netherlands candidly for a duration of ten minutes, the great anti-racist, anti-fascist of the editorial page chose the dramatic explanation that Filip Dewinter [head of a far-right Flemish party] would get orgasmic feelings from Mohammed’s declaration: “Mohammed, have you gotten your way now?”
This is really hilarious, because Abrahams apparently assumed that Mohammed and his friends would be different (better) than Filip Dewinter. What self-delusion! Mohammed B. belongs to the army of islamo-fascism, that is responsible for thousands of murdered and maimed people. Mohammed confirms our healthy judgement about the dangerous aspects of Islam that have formed Political Islam. Clearly people like Abrahams are not real anti-fascists or heroes of free speech: that was and is Theo van Gogh. Abrahams needs Dewinter to be able to criminalise the critics of Islam. In the mean time the Islamic fascists want to sever your head if you critically engage Allah and the prophet Mohammed. Mohammed knows best!
Now, slowly but surely, several Muslims are beginning to acknowledge that State Secretary Rutte is right when he says that we should keep an eye on Muslim students because of the increasing radicalisation. If Rutte would have said that three months ago, then he would have been accused by the same people of polarisation. Even Ruud Peters, professor at the University of Amsterdam, who seemed to want to acquit the likeminded companions of Mohammed B in fair trials with his expertise advice, has been sketching exactly that which he has kept denying: namely the stages of development of islamo-fascism in a Muslim: conversion to an extreme religiosity, renunciation of democracy, renunciation of society as a whole and use of violence against society and those who think differently.
Has Mohammed B. won? No. Because most Muslims are still revolted by him and his friends. But they are still insufficiently active in the battle against terrorism. The Muslim communities could provide valuable information about terrorists.
Which measure of punishment? Mohammed B. will receive a life-sentence and be stored away forever in a high-security facility. This is also inevitable, given the nature and the scope of the committed offences. In this way the rule of law has issued a stark warning to Islamic terrorists.
It has to be admitted that guarding Mohammed B. will be a very difficult task. Mohammed will not want to sit still, he wants to wage jihad, to kill and be killed.
Islam as the source of inspiration for Political Islam must, just like Christianity, be placed on the operating table of philosophy. I have emphasised many times that the prophet Mohammed was not a vegetarian prophet. And because of this Islam is not a vegetarian religion. In this way Mozes (Mousa) was taught by Allah by switch off his reason to submit to the will of Allah. A confidant of Allah killed, according to the Koran (Sura 18: 74-80), a young man, about which Mousa said: “How could you kill an innocent man and not even out of retaliation for someone else’s life? Now you have done something repulsive.” The murdered told Mousa: “… His parents were believing people and we feared that he would torment them too much with his impudence and unbelief.” In his place, Allah would provide them a “purer and friendlier” son.
This is school of Mohammed B: Allah knows best. He is not crazy, we are crazy not to have wanted to criticise a book with quite a few murderous elements. This cowardice you may hold me to as well. We always had to find a balancing act between the moral terror à la Abrahams en the physical terror of Mohammeds. In the footsteps of Feuerbach, Nietzsche and Freud, will Islam also be dissected.”
NRC Handelsblad 23-7-05
“Mohammed B., the self-declared murderer of Theo van Gogh, has spoken. While the Londoners were looking for their missing loved ones, the Western rule of law triumphed in Amsterdam. Because our rule of law showed its worth through a fair trial, to which the jihadist Mohammed was subjected. A criminal trial, with or without a terrorist, is a normal legal procedure conforming to the rules of our justice system. It states that the violator of the [Wetboek van Strafrecht] should account for himself in front of the judge and the public. The judge has to determine what the precise, individual motives of the suspect were and how dangerous this suspect is. Appropriately the judge has ordered the the suspect to appear in trial.
Some claim that Mohammed B., had suddenly been given the opportunity to misuse the hearing for his propaganda. And because of that, Mohammed would suddenly have become a hero. This reasoning is mistaken, because the criminal judge has nothing to do with the propaganda of Mohammed B., let alone his heroism. The criminal judge is not a politician, not the AIVD [Dutch Intelligence Agency], not a columnist, not a strategist, and not a saviour of the fatherland. The criminal judge is the institution who determines, after investigating in a hearing, the guilt or innocence of the citizen accused by the government. Mohammed hates this stuff. He hates our way of life: the freedom, equality and rule of law. Praise to the judges of Amsterdam.
Well, Mohammed B. has made the Islam-lovers, Hamas-lovers, foreigner-lovers, ‘anti-racists’, ‘anti-fascists’, all blush. He didn’t act because he was discriminated against, not because he was unemployed, and not because he considered Theo a terrible man. He acted according to the rules and tradition of political Islam. Frits Abrahams, observer of the op-ed page of this newspaper, was in this way deeply disappointed in Mohammed B. Abrahams hoped, given his way of thinking, that the murderer of Theo van Gogh was moved to act out of discrimination, racism, or after reading the texts of Ellian or Hirsi Ali.
After the second day or hearing, in which Mohammed frightened the Netherlands candidly for a duration of ten minutes, the great anti-racist, anti-fascist of the editorial page chose the dramatic explanation that Filip Dewinter [head of a far-right Flemish party] would get orgasmic feelings from Mohammed’s declaration: “Mohammed, have you gotten your way now?”
This is really hilarious, because Abrahams apparently assumed that Mohammed and his friends would be different (better) than Filip Dewinter. What self-delusion! Mohammed B. belongs to the army of islamo-fascism, that is responsible for thousands of murdered and maimed people. Mohammed confirms our healthy judgement about the dangerous aspects of Islam that have formed Political Islam. Clearly people like Abrahams are not real anti-fascists or heroes of free speech: that was and is Theo van Gogh. Abrahams needs Dewinter to be able to criminalise the critics of Islam. In the mean time the Islamic fascists want to sever your head if you critically engage Allah and the prophet Mohammed. Mohammed knows best!
Now, slowly but surely, several Muslims are beginning to acknowledge that State Secretary Rutte is right when he says that we should keep an eye on Muslim students because of the increasing radicalisation. If Rutte would have said that three months ago, then he would have been accused by the same people of polarisation. Even Ruud Peters, professor at the University of Amsterdam, who seemed to want to acquit the likeminded companions of Mohammed B in fair trials with his expertise advice, has been sketching exactly that which he has kept denying: namely the stages of development of islamo-fascism in a Muslim: conversion to an extreme religiosity, renunciation of democracy, renunciation of society as a whole and use of violence against society and those who think differently.
Has Mohammed B. won? No. Because most Muslims are still revolted by him and his friends. But they are still insufficiently active in the battle against terrorism. The Muslim communities could provide valuable information about terrorists.
Which measure of punishment? Mohammed B. will receive a life-sentence and be stored away forever in a high-security facility. This is also inevitable, given the nature and the scope of the committed offences. In this way the rule of law has issued a stark warning to Islamic terrorists.
It has to be admitted that guarding Mohammed B. will be a very difficult task. Mohammed will not want to sit still, he wants to wage jihad, to kill and be killed.
Islam as the source of inspiration for Political Islam must, just like Christianity, be placed on the operating table of philosophy. I have emphasised many times that the prophet Mohammed was not a vegetarian prophet. And because of this Islam is not a vegetarian religion. In this way Mozes (Mousa) was taught by Allah by switch off his reason to submit to the will of Allah. A confidant of Allah killed, according to the Koran (Sura 18: 74-80), a young man, about which Mousa said: “How could you kill an innocent man and not even out of retaliation for someone else’s life? Now you have done something repulsive.” The murdered told Mousa: “… His parents were believing people and we feared that he would torment them too much with his impudence and unbelief.” In his place, Allah would provide them a “purer and friendlier” son.
This is school of Mohammed B: Allah knows best. He is not crazy, we are crazy not to have wanted to criticise a book with quite a few murderous elements. This cowardice you may hold me to as well. We always had to find a balancing act between the moral terror à la Abrahams en the physical terror of Mohammeds. In the footsteps of Feuerbach, Nietzsche and Freud, will Islam also be dissected.”
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Mohammed P.
By Afshin Ellian (NRC 2005)
Some people are simply unlucky. They are born in the wrong country, and despite their burning desire to be authentic, they are rather narrow minded. Mohammed B. should actually be called Mohammed P. (of ‘pech’ [bad luck]). Mohammed wanted to enter paradise as a polder-mujahedeen. But an officer shot him in the leg and thus Mohammed appeared on crutches in the polder-court of Osdorp Amsterdam.
The unlucky namesake of the prophet must have asked himself the question: “Oh, Prophet Mohammed A. (ibn Abdollah) ! You are amongst those cute plump houris (the eternal virgins) while I have to be content with these prison guards. Why this injustice? We, the Muslim immigrants are always and everywhere being discriminated against.”
Despite the threats by people such as Mohammed B, has Ayaan Hirsi Ali been declared by Time magazine as one of the hundred most influential people in the world. Yes, Mohammed; you have immortalised Theo and Ayaan. The account in Time was written by the author Irshad Manji, and your name does not appear in it: “Her film incited a fanatic to kill Hirsi Ali’s co-producer, Theo van Gogh.” You, Mohammed, you are the anonymous; the killer amongst thousands of others in the world. While Ayaan and Theo are considered to be special people. Mohammed, I pity you. We live in a hard world.
You were and still are an anonymous young Muslim, there are after all a billion Muslims on this earth. And you’re neither a Khomeini or a Bin Laden. Not even a Sheik Yassin or Al-Zarqawi, because they have many more murders on their conscience. But I will try to cheer you up in these dark times. To that end I will take the time to translate a few lines from a Middle Eastern support movement.
Indeed, Mohammed, in the Pax Islamica there is no distinction between a Shiite and a Sunni. Your likeminded Shiite friends wrote on http://www.tardid.com/ about you, about Theo van Gogh, Hirsi Ali and Pim Fortuyn. The article was called ‘The holy anger of a young Muslim. A warning to Salman Rushdie.’
A Shiite Mohammed wrote the following about you:
“Aban 12 (2 November 2004) of this year was a day full of pride for Dutch Muslims. There was a filmmaker who openly insulted the Koran and damaged Muslim teachings. Though, after the death of the Great Khomeini there has been no spiritual leader who can match his courage.” After a description of the way in which the murder was carried out: bullets and knife. “After a fire fight with the police, while he was wounded, not far from the place where Allah’s judgement was carried out, he was arrested. In this way Mohammed Bouyeri, an anonymous brave young man who carried out Allah’s judgement, has made the holy anger of Muslims toward the insulters of Islam visible. This is comparable to what the shahid Mostafa Mazeh wanted to do to Rushdie years ago. Mazeh was in the hotel where Rushdie was staying, but before he could do anything, the dynamite belt exploded. The brave execution of Theo van Gogh has unfortunately not found resonance in the national media of Iran. Nor was the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs willing to issue an appropriate response of support to this young brave anonymous Mohammed Bouyeri.”
The rest of the text looks a lot like the streams of consciousness of the folk storyteller Geert Mak. In his pamphlet ‘Condemned to Vulnerability’ he also claims that Submission is made with propagandistic, manipulative techniques to evoke many emotions. Of course, these people, the authors of the above website, do not know who Goebbels was, otherwise they would have related the film, as Mak does, to Goebbelsian methods.
Probably there are also imams, dear Mohammed, who have prayed for you. And you may of course count on the sympathy of the jihadists inside and outside of Iran. Nonetheless, you are still slightly confusing your audience. Are you really a jihadist or merely one of the many second-generation failures of immigrants? Note the points of doubt:
Your first performance in court about your family-honour and your younger brother. A kafar (unbelieving) prosecutor could never be honest and nuanced. What an effeminate pre-jihadist charade! Should not everyone, including your family, commit themselves to jihad? This is not about personal honour. The honour of Islam is at stake.
Shouldn’t you be reciting the whole of the Koran? It may take a few months. And if you are interrupted by the judge, you can immediately appeal because of the smug blasphemous attitude of the judge. This way you will appear on the Iranian news: who after all dares to interrupt the Koran?
The live broadcast of the trial. You are not ashamed of your act. Keep your chin up Mohammed!
Tell the judge which political-theological problems your Islam and that of Mohammed A. have with the Jews, and how the prophet Mohammed has solved these in Medina. Then the judge will understand that your hatred for Job Cohen [the mayor of Amsterdam] is in no way personal.
Explain to the judge why the Taghot (symbol of political evil)VVD [the center conservative party] and its leader Jozias van Aartsen must be eliminated.
And Submission? That short film does not at all cover the nature and range of your declaration of Jihad to the Dutch people. How should we tell this history to our children?
I do not mean to insult you, but if you cannot handle all of this, then you will look a lot like Volkert van der G. [who murdered politician Pim Fortuyn], who also failed to defend himself politically. In this case you should be humble. The rule of law is more merciful than the compassionate Allah carrying the Sharia in his pocket. You underestimate the difficulty of the political drama. Murdering is much easier than carrying out a jihadist act during a trial. I can hear your voice: we are doomed to bad luck and vulnerability.
Some people are simply unlucky. They are born in the wrong country, and despite their burning desire to be authentic, they are rather narrow minded. Mohammed B. should actually be called Mohammed P. (of ‘pech’ [bad luck]). Mohammed wanted to enter paradise as a polder-mujahedeen. But an officer shot him in the leg and thus Mohammed appeared on crutches in the polder-court of Osdorp Amsterdam.
The unlucky namesake of the prophet must have asked himself the question: “Oh, Prophet Mohammed A. (ibn Abdollah) ! You are amongst those cute plump houris (the eternal virgins) while I have to be content with these prison guards. Why this injustice? We, the Muslim immigrants are always and everywhere being discriminated against.”
Despite the threats by people such as Mohammed B, has Ayaan Hirsi Ali been declared by Time magazine as one of the hundred most influential people in the world. Yes, Mohammed; you have immortalised Theo and Ayaan. The account in Time was written by the author Irshad Manji, and your name does not appear in it: “Her film incited a fanatic to kill Hirsi Ali’s co-producer, Theo van Gogh.” You, Mohammed, you are the anonymous; the killer amongst thousands of others in the world. While Ayaan and Theo are considered to be special people. Mohammed, I pity you. We live in a hard world.
You were and still are an anonymous young Muslim, there are after all a billion Muslims on this earth. And you’re neither a Khomeini or a Bin Laden. Not even a Sheik Yassin or Al-Zarqawi, because they have many more murders on their conscience. But I will try to cheer you up in these dark times. To that end I will take the time to translate a few lines from a Middle Eastern support movement.
Indeed, Mohammed, in the Pax Islamica there is no distinction between a Shiite and a Sunni. Your likeminded Shiite friends wrote on http://www.tardid.com/ about you, about Theo van Gogh, Hirsi Ali and Pim Fortuyn. The article was called ‘The holy anger of a young Muslim. A warning to Salman Rushdie.’
A Shiite Mohammed wrote the following about you:
“Aban 12 (2 November 2004) of this year was a day full of pride for Dutch Muslims. There was a filmmaker who openly insulted the Koran and damaged Muslim teachings. Though, after the death of the Great Khomeini there has been no spiritual leader who can match his courage.” After a description of the way in which the murder was carried out: bullets and knife. “After a fire fight with the police, while he was wounded, not far from the place where Allah’s judgement was carried out, he was arrested. In this way Mohammed Bouyeri, an anonymous brave young man who carried out Allah’s judgement, has made the holy anger of Muslims toward the insulters of Islam visible. This is comparable to what the shahid Mostafa Mazeh wanted to do to Rushdie years ago. Mazeh was in the hotel where Rushdie was staying, but before he could do anything, the dynamite belt exploded. The brave execution of Theo van Gogh has unfortunately not found resonance in the national media of Iran. Nor was the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs willing to issue an appropriate response of support to this young brave anonymous Mohammed Bouyeri.”
The rest of the text looks a lot like the streams of consciousness of the folk storyteller Geert Mak. In his pamphlet ‘Condemned to Vulnerability’ he also claims that Submission is made with propagandistic, manipulative techniques to evoke many emotions. Of course, these people, the authors of the above website, do not know who Goebbels was, otherwise they would have related the film, as Mak does, to Goebbelsian methods.
Probably there are also imams, dear Mohammed, who have prayed for you. And you may of course count on the sympathy of the jihadists inside and outside of Iran. Nonetheless, you are still slightly confusing your audience. Are you really a jihadist or merely one of the many second-generation failures of immigrants? Note the points of doubt:
Your first performance in court about your family-honour and your younger brother. A kafar (unbelieving) prosecutor could never be honest and nuanced. What an effeminate pre-jihadist charade! Should not everyone, including your family, commit themselves to jihad? This is not about personal honour. The honour of Islam is at stake.
Shouldn’t you be reciting the whole of the Koran? It may take a few months. And if you are interrupted by the judge, you can immediately appeal because of the smug blasphemous attitude of the judge. This way you will appear on the Iranian news: who after all dares to interrupt the Koran?
The live broadcast of the trial. You are not ashamed of your act. Keep your chin up Mohammed!
Tell the judge which political-theological problems your Islam and that of Mohammed A. have with the Jews, and how the prophet Mohammed has solved these in Medina. Then the judge will understand that your hatred for Job Cohen [the mayor of Amsterdam] is in no way personal.
Explain to the judge why the Taghot (symbol of political evil)VVD [the center conservative party] and its leader Jozias van Aartsen must be eliminated.
And Submission? That short film does not at all cover the nature and range of your declaration of Jihad to the Dutch people. How should we tell this history to our children?
I do not mean to insult you, but if you cannot handle all of this, then you will look a lot like Volkert van der G. [who murdered politician Pim Fortuyn], who also failed to defend himself politically. In this case you should be humble. The rule of law is more merciful than the compassionate Allah carrying the Sharia in his pocket. You underestimate the difficulty of the political drama. Murdering is much easier than carrying out a jihadist act during a trial. I can hear your voice: we are doomed to bad luck and vulnerability.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Van Gogh murder suspect confess to killing
Van Gogh murder suspect confesses to killing
On trial for film maker's slaying, Muslim extremist says: 'I would do it again' Mohammed Bouyeri, shown here in a file photo, expressed no remorse over the killing of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh.
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - A Dutch-Moroccan man confessed in court on Tuesday to murdering a filmmaker critical of Islam last year, breaking his silence over a killing that fanned religious and racial tension in the Netherlands.
Mohammed Bouyeri was accused of killing Theo van Gogh as he cycled to work in Amsterdam on Nov. 2, 2004. He was charged with shooting and stabbing Van Gogh before slashing his throat and pinning a note to his body with a knife in broad daylight.
Van Gogh, a descendent of the brother of the 19th century Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, was known for his outspoken criticism of Islam and angered many Muslims by making a film which accused Islam of condoning violence against women.
“I did what I did purely out my beliefs,” the 27-year-old Muslim told judges after entering court clutching a Quran. “I want you to know that I acted out of conviction and not that I took his life because he was Dutch or because I was Moroccan and felt insulted.”
The bearded suspect, dressed in a black robe and black and white headscarf, praised Allah and the Prophet Mohammed before admitting to the killing on the second day of his trial in Amsterdam’s high-security court.
Van Gogh’s murder sparked a wave of attacks on mosques, religious schools and churches in a country once renowned for its tolerance, and raised questions about the integration of the almost 1 million Muslims living in the Netherlands.
Memories of Pim FotuynVan Gogh’s slaying prompted memories of the murder of anti-immigration politician Pim Fortuyn by an animal rights activist in 2002 in a country grappling with fears of terrorist attacks after its support for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Bouyeri told judges he had acted according to his convictions. Unrepentant, he told the victim’s mother — who was in court — that he did not sympathize with her loss and would be prepared to do the same again.
“If I ever get free, I would do it again," he said.
Bouyeri could face up to life in prison if found guilty of the murder. He faces other charges including the attempted murder of police officers and illegal possession of weapons. A verdict is due in two weeks.
Prosecutors say his acts had a terrorist intent and called for him to be jailed for life. They described Van Gogh’s killing as a cowardly attack on a defenseless man.
“I take full responsibility upon myself,” Bouyeri told the court. “It would be cowardly if I hid here behind the rules of the game by saying nothing and to avoid the chance of receiving the maximum sentence.”
Holy war Prosecutors say Bouyeri, who waived the right to mount a defense, was a radical Muslim dedicated to a holy war against the enemies of Islam and had murdered Van Gogh to spread terror in the Netherlands.
“The cutting of Van Gogh’s throat evokes beheadings in the Middle East, the wars in Chechnya, Afghanistan and Iraq,” prosecutor Frits van Straelen told judges. The prosecutor earlier read out detailed reports from witnesses to the killing.
Prosecutors have said the accused believed he was doing God’s will and wanted to die a “martyr” at the hands of police. The suspect was injured in a gun battle with police before he was arrested in eastern Amsterdam shortly after the murder.
Bouyeri, who was born and grew up in Amsterdam, was accused of a premeditated attack. Prosecutors say he ignored Van Gogh’s pleas for mercy.
The five-page note left pinned to Van Gogh’s body quoted the Quran and was addressed to Somali-born Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who wrote the script for Van Gogh’s film “Submission” about violence against women. She went into hiding for weeks after the murder.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
On trial for film maker's slaying, Muslim extremist says: 'I would do it again' Mohammed Bouyeri, shown here in a file photo, expressed no remorse over the killing of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh.
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - A Dutch-Moroccan man confessed in court on Tuesday to murdering a filmmaker critical of Islam last year, breaking his silence over a killing that fanned religious and racial tension in the Netherlands.
Mohammed Bouyeri was accused of killing Theo van Gogh as he cycled to work in Amsterdam on Nov. 2, 2004. He was charged with shooting and stabbing Van Gogh before slashing his throat and pinning a note to his body with a knife in broad daylight.
Van Gogh, a descendent of the brother of the 19th century Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, was known for his outspoken criticism of Islam and angered many Muslims by making a film which accused Islam of condoning violence against women.
“I did what I did purely out my beliefs,” the 27-year-old Muslim told judges after entering court clutching a Quran. “I want you to know that I acted out of conviction and not that I took his life because he was Dutch or because I was Moroccan and felt insulted.”
The bearded suspect, dressed in a black robe and black and white headscarf, praised Allah and the Prophet Mohammed before admitting to the killing on the second day of his trial in Amsterdam’s high-security court.
Van Gogh’s murder sparked a wave of attacks on mosques, religious schools and churches in a country once renowned for its tolerance, and raised questions about the integration of the almost 1 million Muslims living in the Netherlands.
Memories of Pim FotuynVan Gogh’s slaying prompted memories of the murder of anti-immigration politician Pim Fortuyn by an animal rights activist in 2002 in a country grappling with fears of terrorist attacks after its support for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Bouyeri told judges he had acted according to his convictions. Unrepentant, he told the victim’s mother — who was in court — that he did not sympathize with her loss and would be prepared to do the same again.
“If I ever get free, I would do it again," he said.
Bouyeri could face up to life in prison if found guilty of the murder. He faces other charges including the attempted murder of police officers and illegal possession of weapons. A verdict is due in two weeks.
Prosecutors say his acts had a terrorist intent and called for him to be jailed for life. They described Van Gogh’s killing as a cowardly attack on a defenseless man.
“I take full responsibility upon myself,” Bouyeri told the court. “It would be cowardly if I hid here behind the rules of the game by saying nothing and to avoid the chance of receiving the maximum sentence.”
Holy war Prosecutors say Bouyeri, who waived the right to mount a defense, was a radical Muslim dedicated to a holy war against the enemies of Islam and had murdered Van Gogh to spread terror in the Netherlands.
“The cutting of Van Gogh’s throat evokes beheadings in the Middle East, the wars in Chechnya, Afghanistan and Iraq,” prosecutor Frits van Straelen told judges. The prosecutor earlier read out detailed reports from witnesses to the killing.
Prosecutors have said the accused believed he was doing God’s will and wanted to die a “martyr” at the hands of police. The suspect was injured in a gun battle with police before he was arrested in eastern Amsterdam shortly after the murder.
Bouyeri, who was born and grew up in Amsterdam, was accused of a premeditated attack. Prosecutors say he ignored Van Gogh’s pleas for mercy.
The five-page note left pinned to Van Gogh’s body quoted the Quran and was addressed to Somali-born Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who wrote the script for Van Gogh’s film “Submission” about violence against women. She went into hiding for weeks after the murder.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Monday, July 11, 2005
Islamist radical on trial for killing film-maker
By Simon Freeman, Times Online
A radical Islamist accused of the ritualistic murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh will not present any defence to the charge at his trial which opened in Amsterdam today.
Mohammed Bouyeri, a Moroccan Dutch national, was forced to attend at the high-security court but Peter Plasman, his lawyer, said he would offer no evidence throughout the proceedings, expected to last for two days.
Mr Bouyeri, 27, bearded and dressed in a long black shirt and a black-and-white chequered headscarf, was carrying a green leather-bound book embossed with gold Arabic script.
Mr Plasman said: “It is my client’s wish that there will be no defence, not by him but also not on his behalf... He will use his right to remain silent."
When Judge Udo Willem Bentinck asked Mr Plasman whether Bouyeri’s refusal was connected to his beliefs the lawyer would not answer, but Mr Bentinck said "I see your client nodding".
Mr Plasman repeated that Mr Bouyeri “takes complete responsibility for his actions - and that specifically means his actions - on November 2, 2004,” the day Van Gogh was killed.
Prosecutors are expected to present pictures found at Mr Bouyeri’s home which show executions, beheadings, hangings and killings by stoning.
They have said that Mr Bouyeri believed he was doing God’s will and wanted to die a 'martyr'.
Born and raised in Amsterdam, the 27-year-old Mr Bouyeri is a radical Islamist who hoped to die a martyr after killing the controversial filmmaker, distant relative of 19th century painter Vincent van Gogh, police said.
Van Gogh, who was also a well-known columnist noted for his virulent attacks on the multi-cultural society and Islam, was shot and stabbed while he cycled through Amsterdam. Several months before the murder he directed a short film called Submission, critical of abuses against women under Islam.
A letter was left on his body that included quotations from the Koran and threats to several Dutch politicians, including Somali-born lawyer Ayaan Hirsi Ali who wrote the script for Submission.
Mr Bouyeri was arrested as he was attempting to flee the murder scene, according to police.
The assassination caused a surge in ethnic tension in the Netherlands and triggered a wave of attacks on mosques, Islamic schools and churches.
Mr Bouyeri is charged with murdering Van Gogh, attempted murder of several police officers and bystanders and obstructing the work of Hirsi Ali as a member of parliament. If convicted he could be sentenced to a maximum of life in prison. Under Dutch law, life means life.
Security was tight around the courtroom with a sniffer dog checking the building and its surroundings for bombs and all visitors and media thoroughly searched.
The court has set two days for the trial, with the possibility of extending into Wednesday.
Van Gogh’s mother, his ex-wife and two police officers are planning to give special so-called victim statements to the court.
A radical Islamist accused of the ritualistic murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh will not present any defence to the charge at his trial which opened in Amsterdam today.
Mohammed Bouyeri, a Moroccan Dutch national, was forced to attend at the high-security court but Peter Plasman, his lawyer, said he would offer no evidence throughout the proceedings, expected to last for two days.
Mr Bouyeri, 27, bearded and dressed in a long black shirt and a black-and-white chequered headscarf, was carrying a green leather-bound book embossed with gold Arabic script.
Mr Plasman said: “It is my client’s wish that there will be no defence, not by him but also not on his behalf... He will use his right to remain silent."
When Judge Udo Willem Bentinck asked Mr Plasman whether Bouyeri’s refusal was connected to his beliefs the lawyer would not answer, but Mr Bentinck said "I see your client nodding".
Mr Plasman repeated that Mr Bouyeri “takes complete responsibility for his actions - and that specifically means his actions - on November 2, 2004,” the day Van Gogh was killed.
Prosecutors are expected to present pictures found at Mr Bouyeri’s home which show executions, beheadings, hangings and killings by stoning.
They have said that Mr Bouyeri believed he was doing God’s will and wanted to die a 'martyr'.
Born and raised in Amsterdam, the 27-year-old Mr Bouyeri is a radical Islamist who hoped to die a martyr after killing the controversial filmmaker, distant relative of 19th century painter Vincent van Gogh, police said.
Van Gogh, who was also a well-known columnist noted for his virulent attacks on the multi-cultural society and Islam, was shot and stabbed while he cycled through Amsterdam. Several months before the murder he directed a short film called Submission, critical of abuses against women under Islam.
A letter was left on his body that included quotations from the Koran and threats to several Dutch politicians, including Somali-born lawyer Ayaan Hirsi Ali who wrote the script for Submission.
Mr Bouyeri was arrested as he was attempting to flee the murder scene, according to police.
The assassination caused a surge in ethnic tension in the Netherlands and triggered a wave of attacks on mosques, Islamic schools and churches.
Mr Bouyeri is charged with murdering Van Gogh, attempted murder of several police officers and bystanders and obstructing the work of Hirsi Ali as a member of parliament. If convicted he could be sentenced to a maximum of life in prison. Under Dutch law, life means life.
Security was tight around the courtroom with a sniffer dog checking the building and its surroundings for bombs and all visitors and media thoroughly searched.
The court has set two days for the trial, with the possibility of extending into Wednesday.
Van Gogh’s mother, his ex-wife and two police officers are planning to give special so-called victim statements to the court.
Suspected killer of Theo van Gogh on trial
Suspected killer of Theo van Gogh on trial
The trial of Mohammed Bouyeri, who has confessed to killing filmmaker Theo van Gogh on 2 November 2004, begins today in Amsterdam. The 27-year-old suspect, who holds both Moroccan and Dutch nationality, has refused to cooperate with the authorities.
He will be brought to the trial by force if necessary. The suspect has requested that his lawyer, Peter Plasman, not speak on his behalf. Mr Bouyeri faces a sentence of life imprisonment.
He is believed to have killed Theo van Gogh because of his film Submission, which he made together with the MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The film, which showed naked women with koran texts written on their bodies, was a protest against the oppression of women in the name of Islam. The killing of Theo van Gogh further exacerbated ethnic tensions in the Netherlands.
The trial of Mohammed Bouyeri, who has confessed to killing filmmaker Theo van Gogh on 2 November 2004, begins today in Amsterdam. The 27-year-old suspect, who holds both Moroccan and Dutch nationality, has refused to cooperate with the authorities.
He will be brought to the trial by force if necessary. The suspect has requested that his lawyer, Peter Plasman, not speak on his behalf. Mr Bouyeri faces a sentence of life imprisonment.
He is believed to have killed Theo van Gogh because of his film Submission, which he made together with the MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The film, which showed naked women with koran texts written on their bodies, was a protest against the oppression of women in the name of Islam. The killing of Theo van Gogh further exacerbated ethnic tensions in the Netherlands.
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