Van Gogh murder accused wanted to ‘become a martyr’

A Dutch-Moroccan man accused of murdering a filmmaker critical of Islam believed he was doing God’s will and wanted to die a “martyr” at the hands of the police, prosecutors told a pre-trial hearing yesterday.

Mohammed Bouyeri, 26, is charged with the 2 November shooting and stabbing of Theo van Gogh, whose film accusing Islam of condoning violence against women outraged many Muslims.

The suspect, who was injured in a gun battle with police before he was arrested in eastern Amsterdam, was not at the hearing.

“In a letter to his family he said he had chosen to do his duty to Allah and to give his soul for paradise,” the prosecutor, Frits van Straelen, said.

“[He] wanted to become a martyr.”

The killing, which aroused memories of the murder of the anti-immigration politician Pim Fortuyn by an animal rights activist in 2002, provoked a spate of attacks on mosques and Islamic schools across the Netherlands, highlighting rising hostility towards foreigners in a country once renowned for its tolerance.

It also led to soul-searching and heated debate about how to improve integration of the country’s one million Muslims.

Jan Peter Balkenende, the Dutch prime minister, convened a meeting with community and religious groups in The Hague yesterday to discuss ways to reduce racial tension.

“There is the danger that people and groups become embittered and alienated and turn away from each other. We must reverse that tide,” the ANP news agency quoted him as saying.

Read Another Article

Killer had help, Dutch court is told
Canadian polygamy laws need to be reviewed: activist

Related News Articles Topic(s): Mohammed Bouyeri Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com Mohammed Bouyeri Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog