Around the World: United States

Judge grilled on religion

Accused Sept 11 architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed asked a US military judge whether he belonged to an "extremist" religious group, at an unusual Guantanamo war-crimes court hearing on Tuesday

Mohammed, acting as his own attorney, asked Marine Col. Ralph Kohlmann about his views on religion and torture at a pre-trial hearing of five accused Sept 11 co-conspirators.

"We are well-known as extremists and fanatics, and there are also Christians and Jews that are very extremist," Mohammed told the judge.

"If you, for example, were part of Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson's groups, then you would not at all be impartial towards us," he said, referring to US evangelical Christian leaders who have denounced Islam as violent.

(China Daily 09/25/2008 page11)