Author: The Associated Press
Publication: The New York Times
Date: February 21, 2002
A Muslim cleric accused of inciting
followers to murder "nonbelievers'' was ordered to stand trial and denied
bail on Thursday.
Prosecutors say Abdullah el-Faisal,
38, circulated cassettes of his sermons in which he called on Muslims to
kill Hindus, Jews and other nonbelievers.
His lawyers say el-Faisal, who denies
wrongdoing, is a respected cleric whose quotations from scripture have
been taken out of context. Defense lawyer Irfan Butt said the case could
become a trial of Islam and its holy book, the Quran.
El-Faisal, who was arrested Monday,
is charged with encouraging "others to murder persons unknown.'' Judge
Timothy Workman denied bail, saying there was a risk el-Faisal would go
into hiding and commit further offenses.
Prosecution lawyer Sally Walsh said
police had translated several Arabic-language tapes of speeches by el-Faisal,
who has preached across Britain.
In one, el-Faisal is accused of
telling followers that a jihad, or holy war, had been declared against
India by Osama bin Laden.
"You can go to India and if you
see a Hindu walking down the road you can kill him and take his money,''
el-Faisal is alleged to have said.
"Jihad is officially declared against
India and it is compulsory for us to do hits on Hindu targets.''
Elsewhere on the tape he is alleged
to have told supporters "you have to learn to shoot, you have to learn
to fly airplanes.
"Fasting is prescribed for you,
killing is prescribed for you,'' he is alleged to have said.
Prosecutors did not say when the
tapes were made. The defense said they were at least four years old.
Prosecutors said copies of the tapes
were found in el-Faisal's east London home, along with notes for sermons
and duplicating equipment. The cassettes -- one titled "No Peace with the
Jews'' --were also for sale in Muslim bookshops.
Butt said el-Faisal -- a Jamaican-born
convert to Islam who studied religion in Guyana and Saudi Arabia -- served
as imam at mosques in north London. Butt called el-Faisal a respected member
of the community.
"This is a very sensitive case,
and we need to tread very carefully,'' he said. "This case will be watched
by Muslims not only here in the U.K. but around the world.''
Butt said el-Faisal's sermons were
based solely on the Quran and had been misinterpreted by police and prosecutors.
"There is a danger in this case
that the Islamic scriptures will be put on trial, that the Quran and Islam
will be put on trial,'' he said.
El-Faisal was not asked to enter
a plea during the 40-minute hearing on Thursday. He waved at supporters
in the visitors' gallery, one of whom shouted "Allah is the final judge!''
as el-Faisal was led away after the hearing.
Lawmakers had called for action
to be taken against el-Faisal after The Times of London reported two weeks
ago that he had toured Britain calling for the killing of Jews and nonbelievers.
His next court appearance was set
for Feb. 28 at London's Old Bailey criminal court.
