A British Muslim on trial for inciting murder at a demonstration outside the Danish embassy in London had called for "another 9/11" across Europe, prosecutors said on Friday. Web designer Mizanur Rahman, 23, denies charges of inciting murder and racial hatred during demonstrations against the publication of political cartoons in a Danish newspaper that many Muslims considered insulting to Islam and Prophet Mohammad.
Muslims around the world demonstrated against the cartoons, but police say speeches at the London protests in February crossed the line to incitement to kill.
"I wish to make it clear that this case is not a trial of Muslims. Islam is not on trial," Prosecutor David Perry said during his opening remarks at the Old Bailey. "The defendant incited, solicited or encouraged killing," he said. "The prosecution say the meaning of those words is clear and unambiguous. Ordinary English words with the ordinary English meaning to kill."
"What he said was this: 'Oh Allah, we want to see another 9/11 in Iraq, another 9/11 in Denmark, another 9/11 in Spain, in France, all over Europe. Oh Allah, destroy all of them, Amen,'" Perry said, describing the remarks as a reference to the September 11 2001 attacks in the United States that killed 3,000 people.
"Bomb, bomb France. Bomb, bomb France. Nuke, nuke France. Nuke, nuke France,'" he quoted him as saying, adding that the reference to France may have been prompted by a French newspaper reprinting the Danish cartoons.
Rahman also called for "indiscriminate killing" of British troops in Iraq, Perry said. He quoted from Rahman's speech:
"'We don't want to see them in Baghdad or in Iraq any more. We want to see them coming home in body bags. We want to see their blood running in the streets of Baghdad and Fallujah.
"We want to see the Mujahideen shoot down their planes like the way they shoot down birds. We want to see their tanks burnt, just like we burn their flags.'"
The speech went on: "We want to see their freedoms destroyed. We want to see all of them removed from Muslim land. Oh, Allah don't leave any of them alive in Iraq, don't leave any of them alive in Afghanistan, don't leave any of them standing in France."
The trial continues. |