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| Europe |
| British martyrs ’promised 72 virgins’ |
| 2003-01-23 |
| British teenage boys were told to train with Kalashnikov rifles and promised 72 virgins in paradise if they died as religious martyrs, an Old Bailey jury has heard. Muslim cleric Abdullah el-Faisal, 39, made the claim in a video recording of him addressing a study group after the 11 September terrorist attacks in New York. The video was played at the trial of the preacher, who is charged with nine offences, including inciting race hate and soliciting murder. Mr el-Faisal, of Albert Square, Stratford, east London, told the gathering that Muslims were only allowed to sacrifice their lives fighting for Islam. In the video he says it is the duty of women to bring up their sons "with a Jihad mentality - not be wimps" and boys should train as soldiers for Islam when they were 15. He said: "Is it sensible for you to be soldiers without Kalashnikov training? "So when you are on holiday from school or college, you must have Jihad training - this is your holiday." Mr el-Faisal tells them: "Even if you are hit by a Cruise missile, the pain will feel like that of a mosquito bite." "A Really, Really Big Mosquito!" Their rewards in paradise would include 72 virgins and eating from the fruits of paradise, he said. "Religious martyrs are not dead. Do not cry for them. There is a conspiracy against Jihad", he added. "Democracy is not the way forward. The only way to liberate land and man is Jihad. "The way forward is the bullet. Our motto is `might is right'." Nice to have this on video. Let's run it on the BBC so you can see what the enemy really wants. The prosecution allege the Jamaican-born convert stepped outside his role as a spiritual leader to preach race hate and murder. Mr el-Faisal denies the charges and the trial continues. "That's not me on the tape! It's a Hollywood fake! The jews did it!" |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #10 I don't think someone has thought this through. These gals are supposedly virgins for all eternity. So one cannot spoil any of them. So, for killing yourself and a lot of other people, you get to hang around with 72 beautiful, eager young gals you can never have sex with. And this is their idea of heaven???? As others have pointed out, no one mentions where they come from. For all we know they could be largely named "baaaaaa--tty" |
| Posted by: Ben 2003-01-24 05:07:03 |
| #9 You are correct. It's a translation error. The correct translation should be "a 72 year old virgin" |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-01-23 17:29:58 |
| #8 Lol, Flash - you're a crack up! |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2003-01-23 14:20:01 |
| #7 Female martyrs are promised 72 towel boys, and a lancome gift pack. |
| Posted by: flash91 2003-01-23 11:48:51 |
| #6 Well they won't be Arab. There's a reason they were forced to wear those burqas... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-01-23 11:02:30 |
| #5 What does a virgin get when she arrives in paradise? 72 martyrs? |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-01-23 11:01:53 |
| #4 Maybe age is catching up with me, but the "72 virgins" always struck me as a bit odd. I mean, who the hell has the time? Instead, how about three more, uhm, "experienced" girls. Three would be a good number since it would allow for a nice blonde, brunette, and redhead set. Oh, and they should be good cooks as well. |
| Posted by: Patrick Phillips 2003-01-23 10:48:09 |
| #3 The whole misunderstanding is due to a copyist's error in the Koran very early on. The original text actually said "72 VIRGINIANS". There are plenty of those. |
| Posted by: Bent Pyramid 2003-01-23 10:02:42 |
| #2 I've always wondered if everyone gets 72 virgins, where the heck do they come from? Do they get recycled? "Enquiring minds want to know" |
| Posted by: Denny 2003-01-23 09:25:11 |
| #1 We ought to run it on PBS also. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-01-23 09:24:43 |