British court rules one-eyed Muslim cleric can be extradited to US - Christian Science Monitor [getdailynow.blogspot.com]
Britain's High Court ruled Friday that radical Islamic preacher Abu Hamza al-Masri and four other terror suspects can be extradited immediately to the US to face terrorism-related charges.
Radical preacher Abu Hamza al-Masri and four other terror suspects who have fought for years to avoid facing charges in the United States have no more grounds for appeal and can be extradited immediately, Britain's High Court ruled Friday.
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The U.S. Embassy said it was pleased with the decision, and the British government said it planned to put the men on planes to the United States "as quickly as possible."
Judges John Thomas and Duncan Ousely rejected last-ditch applications by al-Masri, Khaled al-Fawwaz, Babar Ahmad, Adel Abdul Bary and Syed Ahsan, who have been battling extradition for between eight and 14 years.
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Thomas said there were no grounds for any further delay, noting that it was "in the interest of justice that those accused of very serious crimes, as each of these claimants is in these proceedings, are tried as quickly as possible as is consistent with the interests of justice."
"It follows that their extradition to the United States of America may proceed immediately," the judge said.
Al-Masri, who turned London's Finsbury Park Mosque into a training ground for radical Islamists during the 1990s, is wanted in the U.S. on charges that include conspiring to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon.
He and the four other men have sought to avoid extradition by raising concerns about human rights and the conditions they would face in U.S. jails. Both British and European courts have ruled that they can be sent to the U.S. to face charges.
They applied to the High Court for a last-minute halt, with al-Masri's lawyers saying his deteriorating physical and mental health meant it would be "oppressive" to send him to a U.S. prison.
Lawyers for the 54-year-old preacher, who has one eye and hooks in place of hands he claims to have lost fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan, said he suffers from depression, chronic sleep deprivation, diabetes and other ailments.
The Egyptian-born former nightclub bouncer used Finsbury Park Mosque as a base to persuade young Muslims to take up the cause of holy war. The mosque was once attended by Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and "shoe bomber" Richard Reid.
He is wanted in the U.S. on multiple terrorism-related charges, including helping abduct 16 hostages, including two American tourists, in Yemen in 1998.
He has been in a British jail since 2004 on separate charges of inciting racial hatred and encouraging followers to kill non-Muslims.
Ahmad, a London computer expert, is accused in the United States of running terrorist-funding websites. He and Ahsan both face charges including using a website to provide support to terrorists and conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim or injure persons or damage property in a foreign country.
Some lawyers and human rights advocates have expressed concerns about Ahmad's case, because Britain agreed to extradite him even though his alleged crimes were committed in Britain, and British courts declined to prosecute him for lack of evidence.
In prison since 2004, he has been held without charge for the longest period of any British citizen detained since the Sept. 11 attacks.
In a statement read on his behalf outside court, Ahmad said that his case had exposed flaws in U.S.-U.K. extradition arrangements. "I leave with my head held high, having won the moral victory," he said.
Bary and al-Fawwaz were indicted with others, including Osama bin Laden, for their alleged roles in the bombings of two U.S. embassies in east Africa in 1998. Al-Fawwaz faces more than 269 counts of murder.
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Suggest British court rules one-eyed Muslim cleric can be extradited to US - Christian Science Monitor TopicsQuestion by Alex G: What does a "Jewish state" mean? Who is a Jew? Is being a Jew a religion or nationality? Are there any Christian or Muslim or Buddhist Jews? Does "Jewish state" mean that non-Jews will not be allowed? What about the right of return of the Palestinian refugees? How would the separation of state and religion work out in a Jewish state? Best answer for What does a "Jewish state" mean? Who is a Jew? Is being a Jew a religion or nationality?:
Answer by Dave Harrison
A jewish person is both a race and a religion. The only one that is both a race and a religion. You are born a jew (like you are born white or black,etc) I expect israel allows non jews.
Answer by Bill Smith
I will respond to your questions one by one: 1. "What does a 'Jewish state' mean?" I assume you are asking these questions in the context of the modern State of Israel. Israel openly holds itself out as a "Jewish State," but even within Israel there is controversy over what that means. To some, the State of Israel was created to be a place where Jews who have been subjected to persecution elsewhere in the world (e.g. Germany, Russia, etc.) can go, govern themselves, and be safe from the antisemitism they might experience in other countries. To others, "Jewish State" means that the Israeli government should incorporate Jewish traditions and customs in governing the state. In other words, there are secular Zionists, and there are religious Zionists. In that sense, it's similar to the United States, where some people believe in a sharp separation between church and state and a completely secular government that does not print the phrase "In God we Trust" on our money, while other people would like to see what they perceive as the rules of Christianity enf orced through the legal system. What "Jewish state" means to ALL Zionists, however, is that they would like to take steps to make sure the population of Israel is predominately Jewish. Hence the Israeli immigration policy, which encourages Jews to immigrate to Israel, but discourages immigration by people who aren't Jewish. Hence, also, the reason why Israel has not annexed the West Bank or the Gaza Strip (giving Israel citizenship to its residents), and why Israel is resisting efforts by some Palestinians to have a "right of return" (i.e. a right for Palestinians ousted from Israel to return there) recognized. This also explains why many Palestinians, who may otherwise be willing to recognize Israel's "right to exist" in the abstract, are reluctant to recognize Israel's "right to exist AS A JEWISH STATE." 2. Who is a Jew? This is a very controversal subject among Jews both within and outside of Israel. Traditionally, you are Jewish if your mother was Jewish. Some Jews are also willing to accept as Jewish someone's who's father was Jewish, but whose mother was not, but some aren't. There is a difference of opinion within the Jewish community as to whether someone who was born Jewish, but who has chosen to practice a different religion, is still Jewish. Then there's the related question of whether a person who was born Jewish is still Jewish if he practices no religion at all. There is also a difference of opinion as to what a person who is not Jewish by birth has to do in order to convert to Judaism. For purposes of the Israeli immigration law (which, as noted above, favors immigration by "Jews" and disfavors immigration by people who aren't Jews), you are Jewish if you were born a Jew or you converted to Judaism, but if you were born Jewish and you voluntarily convert to, or choose to practice, a religion other than Judaism, you aren't Jewish. 3. "Is being a Jew a religion or nationality?" It is both. See the response to Question #2. 4. "Are there any Christian or Muslim or Buddhist Jews?" See the response to Question #2. There is a difference of opinion as to whether a person who was born ethnically Jewish but who chooses to practice a different religion is still considered "Jewish." Such a person is not "Jewish" according to Israeli immigration law. 5. "Does 'Jewish state' mean that non-Jews will not be allowed?" It doesn't necessarily HAVE to mean that, but it does generally mean that Israeli's policies are designed to maintain a population that it predominantly Jewish. 6. "What about the right of return of the Palestinian refugees?" As noted above, one of the barriers that is making Israel reluctant to recognize a right of return for Palestinian refugees is concern that an influx of Palestinians into Israel would undermine the Jewish character of the state. 7. "How would the separation of state and religion work out in a Jewish state?" "Separation of state and religion," as I understand the concept, is wholly inconsistent with the establishment of a Jewish state.
Alaska State Troopers - Spring Break MadnessIt's Alaska's version of spring break sans swimsuits â€" the 25th annual Arctic Man. Follow troopers as they police the four-day festival that hosts more than 12000 partygoers. With less than one trooper for every 500 partiers, troopers patrol excessively on the first day to give the impression there are more troopers than there actually are. Arctic Man's beer tent is the focal point for excessive drinking, debauchery, fights and fake IDs. As troopers patrol the beer tent, they come across a drug dealer who has been offering marijuana to an off-duty trooper. It takes a coordinated undercover effort to bring the dealer down. Meanwhile, mainland troopers police the island of Little Diomede, located just miles from Russia. They fly in and land on the ice-covered Bering Strait, before apprehending a sex offender. And Alaska's primary law enforcement agency is faced with an epidemic.
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