Life sentence for Islamic fundamentalist Al-Timimi: an attack on
free speech  By John Andrews 27 July 2005  On July 13, Dr. Ali
Al-Timimi, a scientist and Islamic fundamentalist preacher, was
sentenced to life in prison without parole plus 70 years on
charges that he urged Muslim followers in the week following the
September 11 terrorist attacks to leave the United States and
support Islamic military efforts in Afghanistan, Pakistan,
Palestine, Indonesia and Russia.  Al-Timimi denied that he made
any such appeal. His defense was that he only counseled Muslims
that it might be wise to leave the United States because
practicing Islam in America would be difficult after September
11, and that they should relocate in an Islamic country where
they could freely practice their religion.  US-born Al-Timimi,
42, has been well known for years within certain Islamic circles
for his lectures on the fundamentalist “salafi” form of Sunni
Islam at the Center for Islamic Information and Education—also
known as the Dar al Arq