Cherie Blair Defends Islam (II)

Yesterday I wrote about Cherie Blair's robust defence of Islam, and particularly the role of Muslim women, when questioned by an interviewer about her sister Lauren's conversion.

Some of the comments she made came as she addressed a conference in Madrid to honour the "European Muslim Woman of Influence".

She was particularly adamant that wearing a burqa or any other covering is a woman's choice, and Westerners only disapprove or see it as a threat as a nice way of expressing their latent racism and Islamophobia (well, it can certainly be argued that was the subtext).

In fact, she said that the Burka is "no more of a threat than a nun's habit."

Which is rather strange - because Friday brought us our second European "Burka-clad Muslim woman in the dock" story of this week.

(Actually, I'm wrong; the first woman, Roshanara Choudhry, didn't actually appear in the dock - because she, er, didn't recognise the jurisdiction of the British court as it wasn't operating under Sharia law. Still, details, details).

This second one comes from Germany, and concerns Filiz Gelowicz, the wife of one of the four men convicted in March of plotting to attack US troops and interests, as well as infidels generally, on German soil:

The wife of a German convert to Islam who was convicted of plotting a thwarted attack on U.S. targets in Germany went on trial herself Friday on charges of supporting terrorist organizations.

Filiz Gelowicz, 28, is accused of supporting the Islamic Jihad Union and the German Taliban Mujahideen by helping provide euro3,000 ($4,225) to fund terrorist training camps in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region between 2009 and 2010. She faces up to five years in prison.

One of two male co-defendants, identified only as 21-year-old Alican T., also went on trial in the Berlin state court on suspicion of supporting the same terrorist organizations. The other, Fatih K., 31, is in Turkish custody awaiting extradition to Germany.

When they were charged in August, prosecutors said in addition to raising the money that Alican T. posted 16 radical Islamic videos on the Internet trying to recruit new members for jihad, or holy war, while Filiz G. posted more than 1,000 videos, comments and texts online.

In six contributions, Filiz F. specifically asked Muslims in Germany to join Islamic Jihad Union, the German Taliban Mujahideen and al-Qaida.

How many nuns have appeared in the dock during that time? Or, at all? How many refuse to recognise the judge because Britain isn't a Catholic country?

Not that I'm calling Cherie Blair a delusional fool at best and a useful idiot at worst, you understand.

Hat tip: Weasel Zippers.