'Lyrical Terrorist' Samina Malik guilty
By Duncan Gardham
Last Updated: 4:31pm GMT 08/11/2007

A Heathrow shop assistant who dubbed herself the "Lyrical Terrorist" has became the first Muslim woman in Britain to be found guilty of terrorism offences.

Samina Malik, who worked air-side for WH Smith, posted a series of poems on websites across the internet about killing non-believers, pursuing martyrdom and raising children to be holy fighters.

She was described as a "committed Islamic extremist who supports terrorism and terrorists" and had a library of material for that purpose.

Malik, 23, who was born and brought up in Southall, West London also called herself "Stranger Awaiting Martyrdom" in messages to other extremists on the internet.

She burst into tears in the dock at the Old Bailey as a jury found her guilty of possessing records likely to be used for terrorism by a majority of 10 to one.

Police were alerted after finding an email from her on another person’s computer.

When they raided her home, they found folders on the computer called "Samina’z Stuff" and "Copy of Handbooks" as well as dozens of handwritten notes hidden in the pages of a book and a bracelet which carried the word jihad [holy war].

On a mirror were found the words "Lyrical Terrorist" and on one piece of paper she had written: "The desire within me increases every day to go for martyrdom, the need to go increases second by second."

In her poems she wrote about killing heathens, adding: "Kafirs your time will come soon, and no one will save you from your doom."

Police found a copy of Osama Bin Laden’s Declaration of War and a passage in which she praised the al-Qa’eda leader and added: "We will not let you have any peace. We will show no remorse, no mercy and no regrets"

In one poem, called "Raising Mujahideen [holy fighter] Children," she recommended indoctrinating children from the age of seven, adding: "Show the children videos and pictures of mujahideen and tell them to become strong like them."

Explain how the Mujahideen fear no man - they fear Allah alone, and for his sake they are able, willing and capable to do anything in defence of Islam." Malik joined an extremist organisation called Jihad Way set up to disseminate terrorist propaganda and support al-Qa’eda.

On a website called Hi-5, similar to social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace, Malik listed her interests as: "Helping the mujahideen [holy fighters] in any way which I can... I am well known as lyrical terrorist."

Under favourite TV shows, it said: "Watching videos by my Muslim brothers in Iraq, yep the beheading ones, watching video messages by Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri [his deputy] and other videos which show massacres of the kaffirs."

Malik claimed she was only writing poetry for "fame and recognition" and to show off to men she hoped to marry.

In her defence, her lawyers claimed her poetry was no worse than the First World War poetry of Wilfred Owen.

She started writing love poetry while at Villiers High School in Southall, Middlesex and in early 2002 began writing "rap poems" in the style of US rappers Tupac Shakur and 50 Cent, using the name Lyrical Babe.

In 2004 she became more interested in religion and started wearing a hijab, changing her writing name from Lyrical Babe to Lyrical Terrorist because she thought it was "cool."

She burst into tears in the dock at the Old Bailey as a jury found her guilty of possessing records likely to be used for terrorism by a majority of 10 to one.

What the shit? Terrorism? They got the name of the charge wrong. The name of her charge should be Sedition. She was distributing Seditious Libel. I'm fairly sure that the sentences for sedition are lighter than sentences for terrorism.

Anyway, in Australia the maximum penalty for seditious libel is 7 years., even if it was accidentally produced. Go figure.

:rolleyes:

Don't you lot start whining when Cannibal Corpse get arrested for advocating violence.

preemptive strike

How's the slope? Slippery enough?

Jus Ad Bellum, sir. You don't kill someone because they tell you they are going to kill you. You just watch them a lot closer.



While this seems like a slippery slope fallacy, I think in this case it might just be fitting. If you arrest someone for advocating one kind of violence, why not arrest someone for advocating another?

What the shit? Terrorism? They got the name of the charge wrong. The name of her charge should be Sedition. She was distributing Seditious Libel. I'm fairly sure that the sentences for sedition are lighter than sentences for terrorism.

Anyway, in Australia the maximum penalty for seditious libel is 7 years., even if it was accidentally produced. Go figure.

What makes a terrorist? Must they commit the act of killing first? She's a self-proclaimed terrorist. She desire to be a martyr (and we can assume that means suicide bomber). That said, she shouldn't be charged with being a terrorist. If I call myself a child molester, I've commited no crime. They may be able to charge me with intent, but that's still not child molestation.