The Padilla Case: What Does Jihad Mean?
These are old arguments that seem to be disproved over and over again. If Padilla's definition of jihad isn't violent, then why was he in the dirty bomb business? perhaps the jury should read this.
Defense attorneys in the Jose Padilla terrorism support trial are going to great lengths to suggest to jurors that jihad is not necessarily Muslim holy war and that mujahedeen could just as easily be freedom fighters as terrorists.
A terrorist fighting against freedom is more like it.
The meaning of words, especially Arabic words, is center stage as federal prosecutors play hours of FBI telephone intercepts involving Padilla and two other defendants charged with participating in an Islamic extremist support network.
Another old argument. Only Arabic speaking people can understand the Koran, and the words somehow change meaning, even after careful translation by Arab-speaking Muslims. It's funny, none of the other religions seem to have this problem.
Padilla, 36, is a U.S. citizen who was held for 3½ years as an enemy combatant at the Navy brig in Charleston before he was added to the Miami terror support case in late 2005.
The legal battle about definitions goes to the heart of the defense argument that what Padilla, Adham Amin Hassoun and Kifah Wael Jayyousi were doing from 1994 to 2001 was not supporting terrorism, but providing humanitarian aid to oppressed and persecuted Muslims worldwide.
Prosecutors, however, must show the trio were involved in violence — that the “jihad” they were fighting involved killing and armed struggle.
The trial, now in its fourth week of testimony, is expected to last into August.
h/t Jihad Watch.
Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, Maggie's Notebook, Adam's Blog, Webloggin, Cao's Blog, Leaning Straight Up, Pursuing Holiness, Rightlinx, third world county, stikNstein... has no mercy, Blue Star Chronicles, The Pink Flamingo, Planck's Constant, Right Voices, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
