Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani-American sent by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) to carry out a bombing in Times Square, New York, has been sentenced to six consecutive life sentences. It is worth noting what he said during a five minute statement before his sentencing:
This is my whole life and I will sacrifice it one thousand times for Allah
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Muslims don’t abide by any other laws because those laws are corrupt. We only believe in Shariah law. How can I be judged by a judge that doesn’t understand the suffering of my people? We don’t accept your [American] democracy or your freedom because we already have shariah law and freedom.
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The war with Muslims has just begun…the defeat of the US is imminent.
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the past nine years, the wars against Muslims hasn’t achieved anything. We want to defend and if nothing changes we will keep terrorism. We will defeat you with time.
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my last message, there is only one God… Embrace Islam and become Muslim.
What can we glean from these short statements? Although one should be careful not to over analyse here, there are some things worth pointing out:
- He makes no specific reference to his actions being in response to American drone attacks in Pakistan
- His main concern appears to be an ideological devotion to the establishment of Sharia law
- His definition of freedom is a state run under Taliban-style Sharia law, and he is clearly willing to kill in order to preserve, and ever spread, this way of life
- He, like all other Salafi-jihadists, is convinced that the United States is waging a war against Islam and Muslims and that he is part of the vanguard tasked with repelling this assault