Samina Malik

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Samina Malik, the self described Lyrical Terrorist, was the first woman to be convicted under the UK's 2006 Terrorism Act. Malik, a 23 year old Heathrow Airport shop clerk from Southall, West London, was found guilty of "possessing records likely to be used for terrorism", but was earlier acquitted on the more serious charge of "possessing an article for terrorist purposes".

The documents in question include a library of books, on techniques of terrorism, firearms and heavy weapons, poisons, and hand to hand combat. Many of these books and manuals are written by and for extremist Islamic groups. A large number of poems and personal writings were also found, dealing with a wide range of subjects. In several poems, Malik expresses her admiration for mujahideen, her desire to be a martyr, her approval of beheadings, and her contempt for non-Muslims (whom she refers to as "kuffars"). Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, has said that Malik associates on-line with other extremists and has accused her of being involved with "terrorist related" groups (including "Jihad Way", an organization which promotes al-Qaeda and other radical Islamist groups). He also contends that in the past she has tried to donate money to a terrorist organization.

Malik was in contact with Sohail Qureshi.^[1]

The name "Lyrical Terrorist" is Samina Malik's on-line handle, which she used to post poems on extremist websites. Malik picked the name, she said "because it sounded cool". At various times she also called herself "Stranger Awaiting Martyrdom" and "Daughter of the Martyr". The last was a tribute to her grandmother who had died in 2002, Malik said.^[2] That year, while attending Villiers High School, she began writing, starting with love poems. Later she turned to poetry inspired by the rap of 50 Cent and Tupac Shakur, writing under the name "Lyrical Babe". In 2004 she became more religious, began wearing the hijab and changed her nom de plume to "Lyrical Terrorist". Although her defence council has compared her poems to the esteemed British poet Wilfred Owen, Malik herself has called her poetry "meaningless".^[2] She says that her words have been taken "too literally and out of context". She is also quoted as saying "I am not a terrorist", and blames her exposure to radical cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri on "the media's continuous spotlight and through his preaching, which the media continuously kept shedding light upon."

Malik was held under house arrest prior to sentencing. The judge in this case, Peter Beaumont, has said that Malik is "in some respects a complete enigma to me". He also warned that "all sentencing options" would be available on December 6, when the case was due to return to court. On 6 December, she was given a nine-month suspended jail sentence, she was the first woman to be convicted under the Terrorism 2000 Act.