U.S. District Judge A. Joe Fish on Wednesday instructed jurors in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial to restart deliberations after he dismissed one of them and replaced him with an alternate.
The judge did not publicly state a reason for the swap-out, which was announced at a short, mid-afternoon hearing Wednesday in front of attorneys. Jurors continued their closed-door sessions through the end of the day Wednesday, the fourth full day of deliberations since arguments in the two-month-long case ended a week ago. Two alternates remain, and deliberations will resume Thursday.
Leader of Muslim Brotherhood Front Group Appointed to Virginia Commission on Immigration
Wed, Sep 26, 2007
The Democratic governor of Virginia, Timothy M. Kaine, has appointed Dr. Esam Omeish to the Virginia Commission on Immigration: Valley delegate challenges Kaine appointee to immigration panel.
Esam Omeish is a name LGF readers may recognize; he’s the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood’s primary front group in the United States, the Muslim American Society. A local delegate has asked Democratic Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to re-think his appointment of the head of the Virginia-based Muslim American Society to the Virginia Commission on Immigration.
Excerpted
Dhaka - A Senegalese prayer leader expelled from Italy in 2003 for "disturbance to public order and endangering state security" has launched a scathing attack against an Adnkronos International (AKI) journalist as well journalists from two leading Italian dailies.
On his new website, the imam Qader Fadlalla Mamour , using the alias Abu Sayyaf ('Sword of God'), harshly criticises reporting by AKI's Hamza Boccolini, La Repubblica's Vittorio Zucconi and Corriere della Sera's Guido Olimpico on the last videos released earlier this month by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
Mamour's criticisms appear alongside the first full text translated into Italian of the two new messages released by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden this month. The first, a video issued on 7 September urges Americans to convert to Islam to stop the war in Iraq. The second, an audiotape released on 20 September, calls on Pakistan to overthrow its president Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Mamour, who currently lives in Senegal, especially attacks an analysis written by Boccolini on 8 September that focuses on doubts expressed by some Jihadist forums over the authenticity of bin-Laden's 8 Sept. video. Mamour's commentary on his new website also contains a warning to Italy of a document entitled 'It's Italy's turn' threatening future terror attacks against the country.
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.1350557008
'Alms could be funding al-Qaeda' claims US
26 Sept
Algeria - US diplomats fears alms for the poor given by the Muslim faithful during the holy month of Ramadan, could be being used to finance the activities of al-Qaeda in North Africa, pan-Arab daily al-Quds al-Arabi reports.
A US government delegation in recent days has conveyed these concerns during a meeting with Algeria's religious affairs minister, Bouabdullah Ghulamallah, the paper says. But Ghalamallah reportedly gave the delegation a frosty reception, saying that it is down to Muslims to decide who they give their 'Zakat' (Arabic for alms) to - not his ministry. 'Zakat' is one of the pillars of Islam, i.e. a religious obligation for Muslims.
Ghalamallah also turned down a request by the US delegation for a 'technical' task-force to audit 'Zakat' funds handled by the religious affairs ministry, al-Quds al-Arabi quoted a ministry official as saying. The only agreement reportedly reached between Ghalamallah and the US delegation was to create a fund to provide interest-free loans to Algeria's poorest families. The loans will help the families set up small-scale business activities aimed at economic self-sufficiency.
It is estimated that several million dollars worth of 'Zakat' are collected in Algeria each year during Ramadan (which runs from mid-September to mid-October). Much of this money ends up in a religious affairs ministry current account, which channels it to projects aimed at helping the poor.
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=1.0.1350556779
Thanks for the pings and keeping me updated.
I’m in the middle of switching to a new computer and tearing my hair out. LOL