 | The Sami Al-Arian trial continues in Tampa. Here's an update: |
Jurors on Tuesday saw a dramatic video of former professor Sami Al-Arian saying God "commands us to jihad, because there is honor" in holy war. The video introduced by prosecutors also shows Al-Arian asking for donations, exhorting the crowd to give money "so that we will confront our enemies united."| "Alms for jihad, plus a small stipend for the holy men for all their hard work. Also a bit for the middlemen, like me. It's all the pillars of Islam." |
In the video, filmed at an April 7, 1991, conference in Cleveland, the-then University of South Florida professor is introduced as the president of the Islamic Committee for Palestine (ICP), which is then described as "the active arm of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine."| If the jury reads Rantburg, they'd know that already. |
The video shows Al-Arian saying: "God, praise and glory be to Him, commands us to fight and commands us to jihad, because there is honor in it and because there is victory for Islam and victory for right over tyranny."| If the jury reads JihadWatch.org, they would know this too. |
"Despite all difficulties, the Palestinian people have decided to continue: to continue to confront, to continue to resist, to continue to endure, to set an example for all people and Muslims around them," Al-Arian tells the meeting. He warns his listeners against taking as friends Christians or Jews.Al-Arian and three co-defendants face a 53-count indictment alleging they conspired to support terrorism by using various charitable and educational organizations as fronts to launder money. The government says their efforts benefited the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.| This trial is expected to go 'til September. |
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