London
A British Muslim cleric whose sermons called for Jews and other non-Muslims to be killed was found guilty this week of soliciting murder. Jamaican-born Sheikh Abdullah el-Faisal, 39, was affiliated with the Brixton mosque where shoe bomber Richard Reid and “20th hijacker” Zacarias Moussaoui worshiped. In his lectures, sold on tape at mosques throughout Britain, el-Faisal praised Osama bin Laden and urged young men to become martyrs. “How do you fight a Jew?” he said in one typical lecture. “You kill a Jew. In the case of Hindus, by bombing their businesses.” The trial marked the first time in more than 100 years that a British citizen was charged with soliciting murder without naming a specific victim. El-Faisal will be sentenced next week.
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