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Mullah Loses His Temper, Grabs Camera
As Mark Twain said "The difference between truth and fiction: Fiction has to make sense." The founder of suspected terror group Ansar al-Islam lost his temper in public for a second time this week, angrily wrenching a camera from a journalist on Friday. Mullah Krekar, the former leader of a fundamentalist Islamic group of Kurds in northern Iraq, was on his way into a police station to file an assault complaint against a female comedian who on Tuesday lifted him into the air and mocked him in front of cameras. Instead, he could be the one facing assault charges. Krekar, a refugee in Norway since 1991, erupted into a rage when a journalist took his picture outside the station. He ripped the camera from the reporterâs hand and took it with him into the station. Joergen Berge, the photographer, said Krekarâs brother had to grab the Mullah to restrain him, and he only got his camera back after the ensuing argument in the station became so loud that police asked them to leave. Berge, who works for the TV-2 Nettavisen internet news site called the incident ``very unpleasant.ââ TV-2 Nettavisen editor Gunnar Stavrum, said they were considering filing assault charges. ``What I saw shows Mullah Krekar physically attacking our reporter, and acting threatening,ââ he said. Krekarâs lawyer, Brynjar Meling, refused to comment when contacted by telephone, saying he not have time to talk before hanging up. Krekar left the police station without filing an assault complaint against comedian and womenâs rights activist Shabana Rehman, who often uses her childhood religion, Islam, in her acts. Krekar, who has lived in Norway since 1991, has become the countryâs highest profile Muslim after repeated arrests, court cases, television appearances and now his book, ``My Own Words.ââ The group he founded, Ansar al-Islam, is suspected by the United States of links to the al-Qaida network and for involvement in suicide bombings targeting U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq. Krekar says he is no longer the groupâs leader. Rehman was in the audience for a debate about Krekarâs new book and talked the Mullah into allowing her to perform what she called a little test to see if he was a fundamentalist. Pakistan-born Rehman walked onto the stage, grabbed Krekar around the hips, and lifted him up. ``A man who can be carried by a woman canât be a fundamentalist,ââ Rehman said to howls of laughter. Krekar, who comes across as calm and tolerant in public appearances, exploded with rage and grabbed the microphone. ``She does not have the right to touch me. She is showing contempt for me,ââ the Oslo newspaper Aftenposten quoted Krekar as saying. The mullah threatened a lawsuit, and demanded that all the photographers in the hall erase any pictures of him being lifted. But the images were broadcast on television and published in newspapers. Rehman said the point was to see his reaction. ``If he is as tolerant and relaxed as he presents himself, he didnât need to react so strongly,ââ she told the newspaper. ``One who is not a fanatic would have gone along with such a joke.ââ Posted by: tipper 2004-05-01 |
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