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The man charged with the murder of the controversial Dutch film-maker Theo van Gogh has confessed to the killing at his trial in Amsterdam.
Mohammed Bouyeri, 27, said he acted out of his religious beliefs and that he would do "exactly the same" if he were ever set free.
Prosecutors say Mr Bouyeri killed Mr Van Gogh in a ritualistic murder committed in the name of radical Islam.
The November 2004 murder shocked the Netherlands and raised ethnic tensions.
Mr Bouyeri, who has dual Dutch-Moroccan nationality, could face a life sentence if he is convicted.
"I take complete responsibility for my actions. I acted purely in the name of my religion," he told the court in Amsterdam.
"I can assure you that one day, should I be set free, I would do exactly the same, exactly the same," he added.
His lawyer told the court on Monday there would be no defence case put forward by Mr Bouyeri or on his behalf.
'Martyr' hopes
Mr Bouyeri is accused of shooting and stabbing Mr Van Gogh to death as he cycled along an Amsterdam street.
A note stuck to his body with a knife threatened the Somali-born Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who wrote the script for Mr van Gogh's film Submission, about violence against women in Islamic society.
Mr Bouyeri was arrested following a shoot-out with police just minutes after Mr Van Gogh's killing.
The prosecution said Mr Bouyeri had hoped to die a "martyr" at the hands of the police.
The murder sparked a wave of revenge attacks on mosques and counter-attacks against Christian churches in the Netherlands.
"I take complete responsibility for my actions. I acted purely in the name of my religion," 27-year-old Dutch-Moroccan national Mohammed Bouyeri told the court in Amsterdam on the final day of his trial.
Prosecutor Frits van Straelen demanded a life sentence for Bouyeri for killing Van Gogh on an Amsterdam street on November 2, 2004. He recalled the particular brutality of the murder in broad daylight saying Bouyeri not only shot Van Gogh 15 times but also stabbed him and finally slit his throat.
According to the prosecutor the murder of Van Gogh, an outspoken columnist who often criticised Islam and the multi-cultural society, deeply shocked Dutch society.
The killing -- which happened in plain view of more than 50 witnesses while the filmmaker was cycling to work -- stoked ethnic tensions and sparked a wave of reprisal attacks primarily directed at the Muslim community here.
In addition to a life sentence, the prosecution also demanded that Bouyeri be stripped of his right to vote or stand for election for the rest of his life, "to literally place him outside of our democracy".
After the prosecution's closing statement Bouyeri, who had refused to say anything about his motives during the trial, took the opportunity to make a final statement.
"I can assure you that one day, should I be set free, I would do exactly the same, exactly the same," he said, speaking slowly in sometimes halted Dutch.
He said he felt an obligation to Van Gogh's mother Anneke, present in court, to speak, but offered no sympathy.
"I have to admit I do not feel for you, I do not feel your pain, I cannot -- I don't know what it is like to lose a child," he said as Van Gogh's family and friends looked on.
"I cannot feel for you ... because I believe you are an infidel," he added.
"I acted out of conviction -- not because I hated your son."
Van Gogh's mother listened quietly as Bouyeri, wearing a Palestinian black and white headscarf, spoke with a hint of admiration for her son.
"I cannot accuse your son of hypocrisy because he was not a hypocrite. He said things out of conviction," Bouyeri said of Van Gogh.
Fmr jarhead said:Here is the proof that Islam is the religion of peace! Seems a guy can't even worship as he please, anymore, thses days.
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/050712/1/3tfgc.html
dilloduck said:Agreed but this dead horse is stinking--Where are the suggestions for stopping the fanatic killing in the name of allah? Some that have a REALISTC chance at being accepted and implemented !!!!! All I'm hearing are extreme solutions spoken out of anger. One thing for sure---it will HAVE to include what we would consider religious discrimination. Can Americans accept that?
Can we ban a religious practice that encourages and sanctions murder??
Fmr jarhead said:I am all for banning any and all activity that condones and sanctions murder....seems elementary to me!
I think the practice of ritual killing of animal (sacrifice) was banned a long time ago, wasn't it? I think human should be afforded the same discretion, don't you?
Fmr jarhead said:I am all for banning any and all activity that condones and sanctions murder....seems elementary to me!
I think the practice of ritual killing of animal (sacrifice) was banned a long time ago, wasn't it? I think human should be afforded the same discretion, don't you?
deaddude said:No, kosher sacrifice of animals is legal as is the sacrifice of animals for almost religious purpose. This was decided in supreme court case CHURCH OF THE LUKUMI BABALU AYE, INC., et al. v. CITY OF HIALEAH
For more information go here
Fmr jarhead said:Thanks for the info....interesting....I wonder if the ACLU could make the arguement supporting the sacrifice of "infidels" by radical muslims, then.
Fmr jarhead said:Thanks for the info....interesting....I wonder if the ACLU could make the arguement supporting the sacrifice of "infidels" by radical muslims, then.
deaddude said:I fail to see how you can compare the sacrifice of a chicken to the murder of a human being.
