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2 Sentenced for Trying to Join Taliban
AP
| 11/24/03
| ANDREW KRAMER
Posted on 11/24/2003 12:52:12 PM PST by kattracks
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Two American Muslims who tried to join the Taliban were sentenced to 18 years in prison Monday during a hearing in which they denounced the Bush administration and pleaded in song for freedom. Patrice Lumumba Ford, 32, and Jeffrey Leon Battle, 33, had pleaded guilty in October to conspiracy to levy war against the United States.
Both said that in trying to reach Afghanistan, they were fulfilling their Islamic duty to defend fellow Muslims.
"The attack on Afghanistan killed and maimed thousands of people without achieving its objective," said Ford, who had traveled to China in an unsuccessful attempt to reach Afghanistan. "I refuse to stand passive in the face of such policies."
Ford, once an intern at Portland's City Hall, said he felt obliged as a Muslim to defend his fellow Muslims against "President Bush's cruise-missile diplomacy."
U.S. District Judge Robert E. Jones admonished Ford by saying: "You do not represent the Muslim faith. Muslims do not engage in the activities you engaged in. You are an insult to that faith."
Battle, a former Army reservist, also spoke of his obligations as a Muslim and concluded by singing a 10-minute song he said he had written in prison. The courtroom was silent during the song, which ended with the stanza, "Free, free, free, for all humanity, release me."
Battle and Ford were among six people accused of conspiring to travel to Afghanistan in 2001 and fight U.S. troops after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. A seventh was charged with providing financial support.
Four of the others pleaded guilty, and a fifth was killed in a shootout in Pakistan.
TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; antiamerican; antiamericanism; antibush; bushbashing; domesticterrorism; fifthcolumn; fifthcolumnists; islam; islamofaschists; islamofascists; jeffreyleonbattle; jihadinamerica; muslim; muslimamericans; muslims; patricelumumbaford; religionofpeace; religionofpeacetm; sedition; taliban; terroism; terrorist; traitor; treason; unamerican; unitedstates; usefulidiots
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1
posted on
11/24/2003 12:52:12 PM PST
by
kattracks
To: kattracks
Top row, left to right: Patrice Lumumba Ford, October Martinique Lewis and Jeffrey Leon Battle. Bottom row, left to right: Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal, Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, and Habis Abdulla Al-Saoub are seen in these undated handout photos.
2
posted on
11/24/2003 12:53:53 PM PST
by
finnman69
(cum puella incedit minore medio corpore sub quo manifestus globus, inflammare animos)
To: kattracks
A 10 minute song?
3
posted on
11/24/2003 12:54:28 PM PST
by
Catspaw
To: kattracks
Top row, left to right: Patrice Lumumba Ford, October Martinique Lewis and Jeffrey Leon Battle.
Bottom row, left to right: Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal, Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, and Habis Abdulla Al-Saoub are seen in these undated handout photos.
4
posted on
11/24/2003 12:55:56 PM PST
by
martin_fierro
(_____oooo_(_°_¿_°_)_oooo_____)
To: finnman69
GMTA lol
5
posted on
11/24/2003 12:56:41 PM PST
by
martin_fierro
(_____oooo_(_°_¿_°_)_oooo_____)
To: Catspaw
Freebird or Edgar Winters "Frankenstein"?
To: kattracks
The only thing I feel a need to object to is the Judges comments...
Unfortunately, these people DO represent a significant number of Muslims.
To: finnman69
What a wonderful bunch.
Patrice Lumumba Ford, October Martinique Lewis would seem to be as much influenced by Marxism as mohammedanism. Habis Abdulla Al-Saoub looks like a Klingon...
To: Catspaw
A 10 minute song? The statement that "There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold" has been entered into the record. Now would the defendant please get to the point.
9
posted on
11/24/2003 12:59:22 PM PST
by
KarlInOhio
(Global warming=fresh picked Ohio bananas. Yummy!)
To: kattracks
18 years? That's all??
10
posted on
11/24/2003 12:59:43 PM PST
by
k2blader
(Haruspex, beware.)
To: kattracks
a fifth was killed in a shootout in Pakistan.IMHO, that was justice.
11
posted on
11/24/2003 12:59:53 PM PST
by
b4its2late
(If you ain't makin' waves, you ain't kickin' hard enough!)
To: kattracks
18 MONTHS??? Why NOT life?
12
posted on
11/24/2003 12:59:58 PM PST
by
PISANO
(God Bless our Troops........They will not TIRE-They will not falter-They will NOT FAIL)
To: PISANO
My bad........18 years........should be LIFE!!
13
posted on
11/24/2003 1:00:33 PM PST
by
PISANO
(God Bless our Troops........They will not TIRE-They will not falter-They will NOT FAIL)
To: kattracks
Battle, a former Army reservist, also spoke of his obligations as a Muslim and concluded by singing a 10-minute song he said he had written in prison. Geez, pal, this ain't "American Idol".
14
posted on
11/24/2003 1:00:56 PM PST
by
CaptRon
To: PISANO
Should be "executed!"
To: k2blader
18 years? That's all??Just a wild guess, but with good behavior, they'll be out in 12 (maybe less). And they'll probably be studying for the bar exam while they're in there.
16
posted on
11/24/2003 1:03:36 PM PST
by
b4its2late
(If you ain't makin' waves, you ain't kickin' hard enough!)
To: kattracks
"Ford, once an intern at Portland's City Hall,..."May I add, he was assigned to current Portland Mayor Vera Katz, who was a character witness, early on in the investigation.
To: kattracks
U.S. District Judge Robert E. Jones admonished Ford by saying: "You do not represent the Muslim faith. Muslims do not engage in the activities you engaged in. You are an insult to that faith."Since when did judges become qualified as theologians?
To: kattracks
BTTT!!!! BTTT!!
To: k2blader
President Hillary Clinton will pardon them before their 18 years are up.
20
posted on
11/24/2003 1:09:07 PM PST
by
weegee
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