I didn't think this was so exceptional, except for the following sentence:
Legal experts say the trial will be important in determining how far a Muslim living in Denmark may go in expressing in his political-religious standpoint.
This has nothing to do with political-religious standpoints. This has to do with a country deciding that it's illegal to try and bring down the current standing political order, that it wants to stay a liberal democracy and that anybody who works to change that is a danger to the state and its citizens.
This above sentence is quite demeaning, though I'm not sure if it's more demeaning to the ethnic Danish or to the new Muslim immigrant. Is a Muslim allowed to express his views less than anybody else, or is that what holds for the Danish?
Every citizen should be allowed to express their viewpoints. Somehow, it seems to me that bomb making manuals, preparing attacks and calling for war are not just "expressing viewpoints".
Denmark's most renowned al-Qaeda supporter, Said Mansour, has been officially charged for inciting terrorism, the office of the public prosecutor announced Wednesday. The justice minister, Lene Espersen, decided to approve the charges after evaluations from the office of the public prosecutor and the commissioner of police.
The Moroccan-born Mansour will be tried for producing and distributing material glorifying holy war against the west.
If found guilty, Mansour could be punished with up to six years in jail.
The trial is the first time the nation's revamped anti-terror laws banning incitement to terror will be tested in court. Legal experts say the trial will be important in determining how far a Muslim living in Denmark may go in expressing in his political-religious standpoint.
Mansour, who has been in jail since September, has been under investigation since 2004. At that time a police search of his flat in the Brønshøj neighbourhood turned up videos, CD-ROMs and other material promoting jihad. Since then, further investigations have turned up evidence that Mansour distributed bomb-making manuals.
The 45-year-old has pleaded not guilty to the charges and claimed the arrest is persecution of a 'missionary Muslim'. He also argued that the confiscated material was freely available on the internet.
Mansour has previously been convicted for a number of minor crimes, including unlawful possession of a weapon. Police unsuccessfully attempted to charge him for terrorism two years ago, after he had taken pictures of certain facilities while on a ferry to Oslo to Copenhagen.
Source: Jyllands Posten (English)
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