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| Europe |
| German court allows suspected terrorist to name son 'Jihad' |
| 2009-09-02 |
| After a three-year legal battle, an Islamist under surveillance by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has been allowed to name his young son “Jihad,” daily Bild reported on Wednesday. Berlin’s upper regional court recently ruled in favour of Reda Seyam's petition to name his son the Arabic word for “holy war.” The boy is now four years old after protracted legal wrangling that will be covered by taxpayer money, the paper reported. Germany has strict naming laws, making it illegal for parents to name their children whatever they like. But according to the court, “Jihad” is a common Arabic name, making its association with radical Islamist terrorism irrelevant. But according to the paper, this was exactly the sense in which the 49-year-old Egyptian-German father intended for the name to be interpreted. The German intelligence agency believes that Seyam was a mastermind in the 2002 Bali bombing that killed 200. Meanwhile Munich public prosecutors recently accused him and seven of his followers of inciting young German converts to Islam to wage holy war. After 15 years of marriage, his first wife sought refuge under Germany’s witness protection programme. He has six children with his second wife – for whom he earns some €2,300 in state welfare each month, the paper reported. |
| Posted by:ryuge |