It rarely makes the national news, but Minnesota has a huge problem with Somalians who have congregated here, refused to assimilate, and have been found to have a strong network of support for anti-American terror pipelines back to Somalia. The bastards move here, live here, suck up public services, and funnel money and actual terrorists back to Somalia for training in terrorist training camps.
Two women have been accused of funneling money to such terrorist funding operations. Now they are stirring up sh*t in the courtroom, like good Scuzlims.
When I see this human scum, it takes every ounce of Christian in me to step aside from the desire to just... see them killed. The look of them, their garb.... I want it eradicated.
Jury selection disrupted for 2 Minnesota women accused of funding Somali terror groupMINNEAPOLIS - A Minnesota woman on trial for allegedly funneling money to a terrorist group in Somalia was found in contempt of court Monday when she refused to stand for the judge, citing religious grounds.
Chief U.S. District Judge Michael Davis ordered Amina Farah Ali to be detained for the duration of the trial because of her "behavior in this courtroom." He also said if she continued to refuse to stand at the open and close of court sessions, and when the jury enters, she would be removed from the courtroom and would have to watch the proceedings electronically.
"I hope that you will rise when the jury appears, but that's your choice," Davis said.
Ali, 35, and her co-defendant, Hawo Mohamed Hassan, 64, are accused of being part of a "deadly pipeline" that sent money and fighters from the U.S. to Somalia.
As jury selection was set to begin Monday, Ali refused to stand when Davis entered the courtroom. She was briefly taken into custody, and later allowed to return.
Her attorney, Dan Scott, objected to Davis's decision, saying his client believes she has the First Amendment right to practice her religion — and that her beliefs should trump courtroom decorum. Scott said his client also has the Sixth Amendment right to confront her accusers.
"The mere failure to stand is not so disruptive that the case could not go forward," Scott said.
Davis said Scott's interpretation of the law is wrong.
David last week issued an order stating all parties must honor the rules of courtroom decorum, or risk being sanctioned. He stressed that he was not denying Ali's religion, but that she must follow the rules, just like everybody else.
"I have said I am doing this for religious reasons," Ali said through a court interpreter. "I am not going to stand up for anyone except Allah."
"I worry about my salvation," she said later.
Davis said he would give Ali time to think about her decision. She was allowed to stay in the courtroom while jury selection began, but once the trial gets under way, she will be removed if she remains defiant.
It's not the first time Ali has had skirmishes with the court system. When she was arraigned after her arrest last year, she told the court she thought she was arrested because of her Muslim faith, and that she did not need an attorney because "Allah is my attorney."
During court Monday, she continued to stand by her principles.
"When I came to this country, I was told I'd have freedom of religion," Ali said through a translator. "If I am not allowed to do so, you can kick me out of this country."
Scott said Ali is refusing to stand based on her interpretation of the hadith, the words of the Prophet Muhammad. Scott said his client believes that since Muhammad told people not to stand for him, she should stand for no one but God.
Ali and Hassan, both U.S. citizens of Somali descent, were among 20 people charged in Minnesota's long-running federal investigations into recruiting and financing for al-Shabab, which the U.S. considers a terror group with ties to al-Qaida. Investigators believe at least 21 men left Minnesota — home to the country's largest Somali community — to join al-Shabab.
Though others have pleaded guilty to related charges, the women are the first to go on trial.
Ali and Hassan maintain their innocence, saying they were collecting money and clothing for refugees. But prosecutors allege the women went door-to-door and held teleconferences to solicit donations for the fighters. In one of those recorded calls, investigators allege, Ali said to "forget about the other charities" and focus on "the jihad." In others, both women speak with the leader of a militia allied with al-Shabab, and Ali gets updates on the fighting.
Both women, of Rochester, are charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Ali also faces 12 counts of providing such support for allegedly sending more than $8,600 to the group from September 2008 through July 2009. Hassan faces three counts of lying to the FBI.
Each terrorism count carries a 15-year maximum prison sentence. The trial is expected to last about two to three weeks.
Hassan's attorney, Tom Kelly, has tried to get his client's case tried separately, saying the evidence is disproportionately against Ali, and could prejudice his client. He renewed that request again after Ali refused to stand, but Davis denied it.
