”Elisabet” lämnar några intressanta synpunkter på konstens kvalitet:
”Utställningen är utställarens bekräftelse av “kvalitet”. Utställarens biases avgörs av vinstintresse – och/eller möjligen av en ambition av att bli ansedd för att verka aktivt i samtiden.
’Man kan peka på annat också, texter och recensioner’ – att en konstnär och dess verk omnämns alls anses som ett kvalitetskrav. VAD HÄNDER då om samtidens ekonomistiska krafter FÖRTIGER produktionen ifråga? VARFÖR förtiger man den? Och KRITIKEN: VAD speglar den – egentligen?
Vilks har en tragisk hypotes kring publicerandet av ett konstverk: om konstverket ej publiceras – och värdesätts av etablissemanget – så EXISTERAR KONSTVERKET INTE. Därmed inte heller dess eventuella inverkan på sin samtid.”
Vad jag diskuterar är DIS (den internationella samtidskonsten). Jag talar inte i första hand om konsthandeln även om vi måste inse att den inte kan lämnas utanför. Om vi ser på den primära källan till kvalitet i samtidskonsten, biennalerna, drivs dessa inte av direkta ekonomiska intressen. Ta t ex Enwezors biennal i Sevilla 2006: ”The Unhomely. Phantoms Scenes in Global Society”. Enwezors val av konstnärer kan inte sägas vara ekonomiskt betingade. Roger Buergels Documenta 12 i Kassel i år gjordes i medveten opposition gentemot marknadskrafterna. Och så är det med de flesta biennaler och även många andra utställningar. Och här finns också de högsta kvalitetspoängen.
”Om de ekonomiska krafterna förtiger….”, tja, inte är det väl de ekonomiska krafterna (om man nu inte menar att hela konstvärlden är styrd av ekonomiska krafter), du kan ju se på vad kritikerna skriver om i Stockholm. Det man inte skriver existerar visserligen men får lite uppmärksamhet och då blir det svårt att uppnå någon konstnärlig kvalitet. Och inverkan på samtiden blir på samma sätt minimal. Det är en enkel ekvation: Skall man påverka något (och på samma gång göra det möjligt att uppnå betydande konstnärlig kvalitet) måste konstnären nå ut.
När Elisabet klagar på att konstverken skulle värderas på ett annat sätt ” Graden av humanitet skall inverka på värdesättning av konstverket”, är givetvis problemet om någon bryr sig om den synpunkten. Man kan alltid önska sig det ena eller det andra. Konstvärlden fattar besluten om vad som skall gälla oavsett vad Elisabet eller jag har för avvikande åsikt. Ändå får det framhållas att de senaste 15 åren med socialkritik har skapat en sådan värdeskala. Det är ett värde i ett konstprojekt att kritiskt behandla sociala problem. Något som får sägas vara en humanitär synpunkt. Värre är det med hur det påverkar samhället. Förmodligen i obetydlig utsträckning. Därför får man också fundera på vad det humanitära är värt i praktiken och inte enbart i konstvärlden.
Elisabet ställer också en rad frågor:
1)VEM åsätter priserna å de samtida “konstverken”?När det är högkonjunktur, vilket det varit ett bra tag, stiger priserna eftersom marknaden har tillgångar. Och det gäller överlag. Konstmarknaden kan inte reduceras till några enskilda individer även om de ledande auktionshusen, konstmässorna och storhandlarna påverkar prisnivåerna.
2) VILKA PARAMETRAR tillåter dessa människor ska ingå i den värderande bedömningen?
Som sagt är det inte i första hand enskilda människor, men bland de många som är ledande inom området är parametern att de är aktiva i branschen. De tusentals utställare på konstmässorna bedriver utställningsverksamhet som anses vara relevant. För att delta måste man uppfylla vissa krav som handlar om nivå och inriktning.
3) VILKA fördelar får dessa människor SJÄLVA av att definiera de parametrar utefter vilka ett konstverk prisbedöms?De kan knappast själva definiera prisbedömningen. Köparen måste ju köpa om det skall bli något och då handlar det om vad köparen vill ha. Som du säkert vet finns det konstprodukter som är lättare att sälja än andra, standardexemplet är målningar. När det är högkonjunktur är målningar kommersiellt särskilt intressanta.
4) Vilket ANSVAR har konsten i samhället och hur värderas detta ansvar?
En mycket omfattande fråga. Men det kan sägas att konsten värjer om sitt oberoende. Även om den styrs av ekonomiska och andra intressen kan vi ständigt se hur konsten ifrågasätter detta. På senare tid, den socialkritiska, har konsten tagit på sig ett samhällsansvar. Som det heter, ”konsten undersöker, problematiserar och ställer angelägna frågor om kön, klass och hierarkier.”
5) Och – i förbigående – vi andra: vad tjänar vi? Varav följer:
6) VARFÖR fattar inte dessa människor – som “prissätter” konsten – bättre?Jag skulle gärna vilja veta vilka ”dessa människor” är. Tänker du t ex på ovannämnde Enwezor eller Buergel? Att det finns en marknad som skall tillfredsställas är förståeligt. Men konsten handlar inte bara om det. Glöm inte värdet av det symboliska kapitalet.
Andrea Geyer Spiral Land Chapter 1, en serie med bilder och texter om indianska territorier i USA. Knappast någon storsäljare men med avsevärt symbolvärde och hög status i konstvärlden.
Lars – återigen tack.
Visst är Elisabet inspirerande.
Eller i alla fall en bra måttstock på dagsläget. Viktiga är de.
”Den stora bluffen
Ann Heberlein förstår inte varför det är så viktigt att barn skall tro på tomten.
Den där stora röda gubben med skägg dyker upp överallt: på köpcenter, i radio, på dagis och simskoleavslutningar. Vuxenvärlden är förenade i en gigantisk konspiration i syfte att övertyga alla under sju år om att jultomten finns på riktigt. Det är en synnerligen välorganiserad och effektiv komplott som både postverk och statstelevision deltar i. Alla är med i den stora tomtebluffen och en gång om året är det inte bara tillåtet utan närmast en plikt att ljuga för sina barn.
Jag måste erkänna att jag inte förstår varför det är så viktigt att barn skall tro på tomten. Därför har jag brutalt berättat för mina barn om att tomten inte finns, något som upprör min femåriga dotter. Hon vägrar att tro på mig: Alla andra säger ju att han finns! Triumferande berättade hon att jultomten (den riktige) minsann varit på dagis och gett alla barnen godis. När jag upplyste henne om att det var skolans vaktmästare som klätt ut sig fnös hon. Hon har nästan övertygat mig: kanske finns tomten ändå.
ANN HEBERLEIN
teologie doktor”
http://www.pi-news.net/2007/12/ein-weihnachtsgruss-von-lars-vilks/
Kristeligt Dagblad 20. dec 2007:
”Imam: Kvinder uden tørklæde skal dø
Kvinder i Iran, som ikke bærer muslimsk hovedtørklæde, bør slås ihjel, lyder det fra repræsentant for Irans åndelige overhoved
Tobias Stern Johansen
Kvinder, som ikke respekterer hovedtørklædet hijab og deres mandlige ægtefæller, fortjener at dø.
Ordene stammer fra den fremtrædende iranske imam Hojatolislam Gholam Reza Hassani, som leder fredagsbønnen i byen Uromieh i den iranske del af Azerbaijan.
”De må dø”
– Jeg forstår ikke, at disse kvinder, som ikke respekterer hijabben, stadig er i live 28 år efter den islamiske republiks fødsel, sagde han onsdag ifølge religionnewsblog.com.
– Disse kvinder samt deres mænd og fædre må dø, sagde Hassani, som repræsenterer det iranske åndelige overhoved Ayatollah Khamenei i det østlige Azerbaijan.
Feminister i oprør
Hassanis udtalelse kommer efter, at to kurdiske feminister i Iran er blevet beskyldt for at være medlemmer af en væbnet oprørsgruppe samt beskyldt for at undergrave og true landets sikkerhed.
Budskabet kan medføre en ny og hårdere kurs mod kvinder, som ikke opfylder de islamiske lovkrav i Iran om at gå med hovedtørklæde, skriver religionnewsblog.com.
Tusindvis af iranske kvinder er allerede i år blevet advaret på grund af deres ”uislamiske påklædning” såsom tætsiddende korte frakker og for små hovedtørklæder. ”
Besläktade verksamheter, processkonst och fortlöpande politik. En politisk händelse beskrivs diskursivt:
http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=148&a=722208
Ekonominyheterna ( http://ekonominyheterna.se/va/magasin/2007/51/konst-kops-med-hjartat/index.xml ) ger följande råd till konstspekulanter:
”…….
Ett råd är att den konst man köper ska ha konsthistoriskt värde, inte säljas till överpris och inte minst skapa en mental eller emotionell reaktion. Tappar konstverket rejält i pris ska man ändå kunna njuta av att ha det på väggen. Bästa konstköpen görs med hjärnan, hjärtat och plånboken i harmoni. Här är bästa köptipsen just nu:
Teckningar och skulpturer av svenska konstnärer.
Nordisk samtidskonst av Carnegie Art Award-vinnare.
Högklassigt äldre kinesiskt konsthantverk på små auktionshus, som penningstarka kinesiska köpare inte hittar.
………………..”
Mvh Jazz
Ein Weihnachtsgruß von Lars Vilks
Der schwedische Künstler Lars Vilks, auf dessen Kopf Muslime eine Prämie von 100.000 Dollar ausgesetzt haben (150.000, falls er geschlachtet wird, wie ein Lamm), schickt die nebenstehende Karikatur als Weihnachtsgruß. Wir haben den Text ins Deutsche übersetzt und danken dem Blog Transatlantic Conservative für die Übermittlung. Man kann das Bild herunterladen (rechte Maustaste) und weiter verbreiten.
http://www.pi-news.net/2007/12/ein-weihnachtsgruss-von-lars-vilks/
Kollade inläggen i länken från Ein Weihnachtsgruß. En kommentator hade roat sig.
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/6296/mo15fl5.jpg
SIOE Demonstration i Holland
D. 26. januar 2008 vil SIOE Holland afholde demonstration.
Demoen starter kl. 13.00. Hele Europa er inviteret.
Temaerne for demoen:
Støtte til Geert Wilders’ ytringsfrihed *
Vi vil have vores frihed tilbage
Ytringsfrihed for evigt
Stop bilafbrændingerne i Amsterdam
Nok er nok!
Stop politisk korrekthed
Den generelle idé bag demonstrationen er at forlange alt tilbage igen hvad der er taget fra os gennem årene.
Derfor har alle denne gang ret til at komme med de skilte de har lyst til med to undtagelser:
Totalitære og rascistiske skilte og slogans vil ikke blive accepteret.
Nærmere detaljer og information vil blive bragt hurtigst muligt.
JOIN THE RESISTANCE!
siad.dk
Frygten regerer i Holland
Oversat fra SIOE Holland
Abdelmajid Khiroun medlem af det hollandske muslimske råd, beklager at politikeren Geert Wilders laver en film om koranen. ”Vi frygter det værste hvis den bliver en realitet, så får drengene på gaden det sidste ord og vi kan ikke stoppe dem. Se hvad der sker i Frankrig.”
Geert Wilders: ”Det er en forfærdelig og fascistisk bog som opfordrer folk til frygtelige gerninger.”
Siden Wilders har offentliggjort at han laver filmen som omhandler ligheder mellem koranen og Mein Kampf, eller med andre ord; mellem islam og fascisme, er al anden politik i Haag ikke uventet gået i stå. Bedst som alle så ud til at have glemt alt om Pim Fortuyn og Theo van Gogh, bedst som alt så ud til at være i den skønneste orden, kommer Wilders nu ud med sin proklamation om sin film. Hans plan er at vise filmen i januar 2008. Den vil blive vist i både TV og på internettet.
Det hollandske regering siger at den er bekymret for de reaktioner der kan komme p.gr.a. filmen, både i Holland og i andre lande. Disse udtalelser bekræfter Wilder’s pointe. Frygten regerer i Holland.
Indenrigsministeren, udenrigsministeren og justitsministeren har alle overfor Wilders påpeget risikoen for represalier. Vores regering tolererer at ytringsfriheden kan være skyld i de represalier som denne film måtte udløse. Regeringen burde kæmpe imod risikoen for represalier istedet for at advare Wilders.
Justitsministeren udtalte: ”Wilders er fri til at udtrykke sin mening, men han har også et ansvar, hvilket han ikke kan fornægte.” Men den eneste der ikke fornægter sit ansvar overfor befolkningen er Wilders, ved at lave en film om farerne ved islam. Ansvarsløsheden er tværtimod noget den hollandske regering bør arbejde med. Istedet bøjer de sig p.gr.a. frygt.
Det ville tværtimod komme den hollandske regering til ære, hvis de gjorde det fuldstændig klart, at ethvert angreb på ytringsfriheden ikke vil blive tolereret. Men dette vil aldrig ske. Hver eneste gang de ikke gør det, er det en fornærmelse mod det hollandske folk.
At fremstille den faktuelle historiske sandhed, kan aldrig fremstå som en fornærmelse. Det er på tide at afsløre islam og dets mørke formål. Det er folkets ret at vide hvilken fare regeringen tillader indenfor Hollands grænser.
Formanden for det muslimske råd i Holland beklager at filmen overhovedet bliver lavet. Han frygter det værste når filmen skal vises for publikum. ”Vores drenge på gaden får det sidste ord i denne sag”, siger han. Denne bemærkning kan betegnes som den første trussel.
Denne mand burde arresteres for sin åbenlyse opfordring til optøjer som i Frankrig
Det vi har brug for i Holland er en regering som beskytter det hollandske folk istedet for at gemme sig som en anden dhimmi*.
*Dhimmi: En ikke-muslim som indordner sig under islams regler, og som kan få lov til at være i fred p.gr.a. at vedkommende betaler krigsskat.
siad.dk
Hej samtliga. Ber att få förmedla några tänkvärda citat från Mark Lillas bok ”The Stillborn GOD”
”Most civilizations in history have been organized on the basis of a political theology – a myth or revelation about the correct ordering of society. Yet due to a crisis in Western Christendom nearly five houndred years ago, a novel intellectual chalenge to political theology arose in Europa. By portraying religion as an expression of human nature, not a divine gift, modern Western thinkers found a way to free polítics from God´s authority and build barriers against destructive religious passion. (The Great Separation)”
”The urge to reconnect politics to religion remain strong and took novel forms in modern European thought. By the Second World War a forceful political messianism had arisen, justifying the most deadly ideologies of the age”
”Only with effort and a great deal of argument can people be trained to separate the basic questions of politics from questions of theology and cosmology.”
”Those of us who have accepted the heritage of the Great Separation must do so soberly. Time and again we must remember ourselves that we are living an experiment, THAT WE ARE THE EXCEPTIONS. We have little reason to expect other civilizations to follow our unusual path…”
”We have chosen to keep our politics unilluminated by the light of revelation. If our experiment is to work, we must rely on our own lucidity.”
Hälsningar
Jazz
Ytringsfrihed og selv-censur
Det må være evident for enhver at ytringsfriheden er under pres i den vestlige verden. Den nu legendariske Muhammed-krise viste det med al tydelighed, og skilte i den forbindelse fårene fra bukkene!
læs resten:
http://idioten.blogspot.com/2007/12/ytringsfrihed-og-selv-censur.html
Hamas song:
Hamas video in Hebrew: ”In black bags/Chunks of flesh of Jews”
Another expression of the ”Palestianians'” deeply held desire for peace.
”Dedicates to the Arab and Palestinian community in Sweden.” Does this dedication have something to do with Lars Vilks?
”A Hamas TV Music Video in Hebrew Sings: ’In Black Bags, Chunks of Flesh of Jews,'” from MEMRITV (thanks to Morgaan Sinclair):
Following is a music video in Hebrew entitled ”Hamas – The Apple of My Eye,” which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on September 19, 2007:
Hamas, Hamas, Hamas the apple of my eye – Hamas
They destroyed the Merkava [tank]
the apple of my eye – Hamas
Repeated eight times
A bombing every minute
Soldiers are afraid
A bombing every minute
Soldiers are afraid
In black bags
Chunks of flesh of Jews
repeated five times
In retaliation for Yassin we want Sharon’s head
We want Sharon’s head
we want Sharon’s head!
p>Hamas, Hamas, Hamas the apple of my eye – Hamas
They destroyed the Merkava [tank]
the apple of my eye – Hamas
Repeated five times
the apple of my eye – Hamas
the apple of my eye – Hamas
”Produced by AL-Aqsa TV, 2007”
Dedicates to the Arab and Palestinian community in Sweden
http://www.jihadwatch.org September 15, 2007:
”Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader offers bounty for murder of Swedish cartoonist
Still more assaults on freedom of speech. An update on this story from Asharq Alawsat (thanks to all who sent this in):
CAIRO, Egypt (Agencies) – The leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq offered money for the murder of a Swedish cartoonist who recently produced images deemed insulting to Islam and promised a new offensive in Iraq during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in a statement carried by Islamist Web sites Saturday.
In a half hour audio file entitled ”They plotted yet God too was plotting,” Abu Omar al-Baghdadi also named the other insurgent groups in Iraq al-Qaeda was fighting and promised new attacks, particular against the minority Yazidi sect that was recently devastated by massive car bombs. ”We are calling for the assassination of cartoonist Lars Vilks who dared insult our Prophet, peace be upon him, and we announce a reward during this generous month of Ramadan of US$100,000 (¤72,000) for the one who kills this criminal,” the transcript on the Web site said.
During Ramadan, because that is a time when a Muslim intensifies his commitment to Islam. ”They plotted and God too was plotting” is from Qur’an 3:54.”
Telegraph.co.uk Last Updated: 2:21am GMT 12/11/2007:
”’Lyrical Terrorist’ Samina Malik guilty
By Duncan Gardham
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.””
”’Lyrical Terrorist’ found guilty
A 23-year-old who called herself the ”Lyrical Terrorist” has become the first woman in the UK to be convicted under the Terrorism Act.
Samina Malik, from Southall, west London, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of owning terrorist manuals.
The jury heard Malik had written extremist poems praising Osama Bin Laden, supporting martyrdom and discussing beheading.
Malik worked at WH Smith at Heathrow Airport until her arrest last October.
She had earlier been found not guilty of the more serious charge, under Section 57 of the Act, of possessing an article for a terrorist purpose. She denied the charges.
Extremist ’library’
Malik burst into tears in the dock when the verdict was read out.
Following the verdict, Judge Peter Beaumont QC, the Recorder of London, told Malik: ”You have been in many respects a complete enigma to me.”
She had posted her poems on websites under the screen name the Lyrical Terrorist, prosecutors said.
Malik said the poems were ”meaningless”, but prosecutor Jonathan Sharp said: ”These communications strongly indicate Samina Malik was deeply involved with terrorist related groups.”
Police said they had found a ”library” of extreme Islamist literature in her bedroom including The Al-Qaeda Manual and The Mujahideen Poisons Handbook.
The court also heard she had written on the back of a WH Smith till receipt: ”The desire within me increases every day to go for martyrdom.”
Malik said she had only called herself the Lyrical Terrorist ”because it sounded cool”.
She was convicted of having articles ”likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism”.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, said: ”Malik held violent extremist views which she shared with other like-minded people over the internet. She also tried to donate money to a terrorist group.
”She had the ideology, ability and determination to access and download material, which could have been useful to terrorists. Merely possessing this material is a serious criminal offence.”
Malik was bailed under what the judge described as ”house arrest” until her sentencing on 6 December.
He warned her that ”all sentencing options” remained open to him.”
Mads Qvortrup forsvarer den lyriske terrorist
I den danske avis Information (28. december 2007) forsvarer skribenten Mads Qvortrup den lyriske terrorist:
”Terrorlovgivning
Den lyriske terrorist
Kontroversiel dom. Hun skrev digte om Osama bin Laden og om at halshugge vantro. Men Samina Malik var aldrig medlem af et terrornetværk viste aldrig tegn på rent faktisk at ville udføre terror. Alligevel er hun blevet dømt, og det har pludselig skabt tvivl om principperne i et hæderskronet britisk retssystem”
http://www.information.dk/152374
BBC:
”’Lyrical Terrorist led double life’
By Victoria Bone
BBC News
Samina Malik was born in Britain and grew up in the west London borough of Southall.
Like many from the area, she found work at Heathrow Airport where she was a shop assistant at WH Smith.
But during her trial, prosecutors claimed Malik hid another, radicalised identity behind her everyday existence.
It was an identity they said she had crafted online after becoming involved with extremist Islamist organisations.
Calling herself the Lyrical Terrorist, they said she wrote and posted poems praising Osama Bin Laden, supporting martyrdom and describing gruesome subjects like beheading.
Police also told the Old Bailey they found a ”library” of extreme literature in her bedroom including The Al-Qaeda Manual and The Mujahideen Poisons Handbook.
But throughout her trial, 23-year-old Malik insisted her poems were ”meaningless”.
She called herself the Lyrical Terrorist, she said, ”because it sounded cool”. It did not mean she was actually a terrorist or wanted to be one, she said.
In fact, she said: ”I did not realise there was such a thing as extremism.”
The jury found her not guilty of possessing articles for terrorist purposes.
But they did convict of the lesser terror charge of collecting articles ”likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism”.
This gives Malik the dubious honour of being the first woman ever convicted for offences related to Islamist terrorism in the UK.
’Out of context’
Malik told the court she started writing love poetry while at Villiers High School in Southall.
In early 2002, using the name Lyrical Babe, she said she began writing rap poems about guns and violence in the style of artists Tupac Shakur and 50 Cent.
At the same time, she said her interest in Islam began to grow and in 2004 she started wearing a hijab.
It was then that Malik changed her online name to the Lyrical Terrorist. She told the court: ”It is only a user name. You have taken it too literally and out of context.
”It was only because it was a cool name. It doesn’t mean I’m a terrorist.”
In the evenings after work, the prosecution said Malik posted her poems to a number of extremist websites.
The court also heard that she wrote about terrorism on the back of WH Smith receipts.
One note read to the jury said: ”The desire within me increases every day to go for martyrdom.”
On other till rolls, police said they found scribblings about Soviet spy weapons and ”poisoned bullets” capable of killing the inhabitants of an entire street.
Prosecutor Jonathan Sharp said the evidence showed she was ”deeply involved” in terrorist organisations, claiming: ”It all adds up to Samina Malik being a dangerous extremist.”
’Meaningless poem’
Malik, however, denied there was anything sinister about her behaviour.
Of one of her many poems, she said: ”This does not mean I wanted to convert my words into actions.
”This is a meaningless poem and that is all it ever was. To partake in something and to write about something are two different things.”
She said that another of her screen names Bint al Shaheed – meaning ”daughter of the martyr” – was simply chosen in honour of her grandmother, who died of liver cancer in 2002.
Nevertheless, she said she did like to be known as Stranger Awaiting Martyrdom.
Malik also admitted visiting various extremist websites, including that of controversial cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri, but insisted she had ”stumbled” upon it.
”I was being exposed to Abu Hamza, who we all know is a radical preacher,” she said in court.
”Through the media’s continuous spotlight and through his preaching, which the media continuously kept shedding light upon.
”I stumbled across his website. There was also Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed who was the leader of Al Muhajiroun.”
BBC:
”The enigma that is the ’Lyrical Terrorist’
By Ben Ando
Crime reporter, BBC News
She cut a slight, almost incongruous figure in court.
Each day, the self-proclaimed ”Lyrical Terrorist”, Samina Malik, walked to the Old Bailey hiding her face from the cameras with a headscarf.
Usually dressed in a mixture of traditional Muslim clothing with western tracksuit bottoms and trainers, she is always accompanied by her mother and her solicitor, and rarely speaks.
In the week since the jury of seven men and five women was sent out to consider its verdict; she has been given bail with conditions that she need not remain in the dock but could sit in the cafe at the Old Bailey, or anywhere within the court building.
’How to behead’
During this time, approaches to her lawyer requesting an interview were all greeted with the same polite response: She’s much too distressed to talk to the media, and had no intention of giving any interviews.
And yet during the course of the trial the jury has heard she downloaded manuals from the internet with such titles as ”How to Win in Hand to Hand Combat” and ”The Mujahideen Poisons Handbook.”
She also wrote poems with titles such as ”How to Behead” and ”Beheading – How it Feels”.
And, the court heard, on an online social networking group known as Hi-5 she listed her interests as ”helping the mujahideen any way I can” and, in the section for her favourite TV shows, she entered ”watching videos by Muslim brothers in Iraq, yep, the beheading ones.”
This morning, when the jury returned its verdict of guilty to the lesser charge of possessing material ”likely to be of use” in terrorism (she was acquitted of the more serious charge of having the material ”for the purpose” of terrorism) she bowed her head and was clearly sobbing; two female members of the jury also appeared to be wiping away tears.
The Recorder of London, Judge Peter Beamont, told her that ”in many respects you are a complete enigma to me” and warned her that all sentencing options remained open.
He also said that ”questions needed to be asked” of the staff at WH Smith at Heathrow airport.
Martyrdom doodles
During the trial it emerged that Malik had an ”airside” security pass, so she was familiar with sensitive security procedures, and that when she was at work she spent a considerable amount of time composing rambling messages written on blank till rolls about her desire for martyrdom.
When Malik left court today she was, unusually, allowed to leave by the rear exit – a privilege usually afforded only to judges and sometimes those under witness protection schemes.
Her lawyer said it would be ”inappropriate” for her to give any reaction even, as one photographer asked, with a poem.”
Samina Malik, the self described ”Lyrical Terrorist”, was the first woman to be convicted under the UK’s Terrorism Act. Malik, a 23 year old Heathrow Airport shop clerk from Southall, West London, was found guilty of ”possessing records likely to be used for terrorism”, but was earlier acquitted on the more serious charge of ”possessing an article for terrorist purposes”. Malik was in contact with Sohail Qureshi who was said to have planned to fly to Pakistan with cash, a night sight, two metal batons, two sleeping bags, two rucksacks, medical supplies, CD-Roms and a computer hard drive
The documents in question include a library of books, on techniques of terrorism, firearms and heavy weapons, poisons, and hand to hand combat. Many of these books and manuals are written by and for extremist Islamic groups. A large number of poems and personal writings were also found, dealing with a wide range of subjects. In several poems, Malik expresses her admiration for mujahideen, her desire to be a martyr, her approval of beheadings, and her contempt for non-Muslims (whom she refers to as ”kuffars”). Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, has said that Malik associates online with other extremists and has accused her of being involved with ”terrorist related” groups (including ”Jihad Way”, an organization which promotes al-Qaeda and other radical Islamist groups). He also contends that in the past she has tried to donate money to a terrorist organization.
The name ”Lyrical Terrorist” is Samina Malik’s online handle, which she used to post poems on extremist websites. Malik picked the name, she said ”because it sounded cool”. At various times she also called herself ”Stranger Awaiting Martyrdom” and ”Daughter of the Martyr”. The last was simply a tribute to her grandmother who had died in 2002, Malik says. That year, while attending Villiers High School, she began writing, starting with love poems. Later she turned to poetry inspired by the rap of 50 Cent and Tupac Shakur, writing under the name ”Lyrical Babe”. In 2004 she became more religious, began wearing the hijab and changed her nom de plume to ”Lyrical Terrorist”. Although her defense council has compared her poems to the esteemed British poet Wilfred Owen, Malik herself has called her poetry ”meaningless”. She says that her words have been taken ”too literally and out of context”. She is also quoted as saying ”I am not a terrorist”, and blames her exposure to radical cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri on ”the media’s continuous spotlight and through his preaching, which the media continuously kept shedding light upon.”
As of November 9th, Samina Malik is on house arrest prior to sentencing. The Judge in this case, Peter Beaumont, has said that Malik is ”in some respects a complete enigma to me”. He also warned that ”all sentencing options” would be available on December 6th, when the case returns to court.
As of 6th December, she has been given a nine-month suspended jail sentence, she is the first woman to be convicted under the Terrorism 2000 Act.
I P1:s Godmorgon världens årskrönika yttrade sig SR:s kulturjournalist Ulrika Knutsson om Lars Vilks rondellhundsteckning. Hon sa att det konstnärliga värdet kommer att avgöras av framtidens dom men att hon inte tyckte att projektet var någon bra konst. Hon trodde inte heller att det konstnärliga värdet skulle öka även om någon lyckades ”knäppa” Lars Vilks med anledning av dödshotet mot honom. Beträffande yttrandefriheten så ansåg hon att den naturligtvis var viktig men att man skulle välja tillfällen när den skulle användas och Vilks användning var inte ”nödvändig” då han bara snyltat på den danska Muhammedkrisen.
Kommentar: Åter ett bedrövligt exempel på hur kulturpersoner relativiserar värdet av yttrandefriheten. Höstens händelser har med all tydlighet visat att rondellhundsprojektet verkligen varit relevant och att yttrandefriheten inte alls är självklar!
Til Håkan W
”Kommentar: Åter ett bedrövligt exempel på hur kulturpersoner relativiserar värdet av yttrandefriheten. Höstens händelser har med all tydlighet visat att rondellhundsprojektet verkligen varit relevant och att yttrandefriheten inte alls är självklar!”
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right on!
Icke-muhammedanister får inte uttala ordet ALLAH!
Malaysia, med 60% muhammedanister, har som första land i världen nyligen lagstiftat om detta!!!
– Vad säger man?!
Vad får man säga?!
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