Muslim community praises terrorist who held Texas Jewish synagogue hostage

The brother of Malik Faisal Akram, the UK citizen who was shot and killed after an 11-hour hostage standoff at a Jewish synagogue in Texas, has claimed that his brother had a previous criminal record,” reports Breitbart.

Gulbar Akram, the brother of terrorist Malik Faisal Akram, who took four hostages at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas on Saturday, has revealed that his brother had a criminal record in comments to UK media, raising questions about how he was allowed into the United States.

According to Inzamam Rashid, North of England correspondent or Sky News, Gulbar Akram said of his brother: “He’s known to police. Got a criminal record. How was he allowed to get a visa and acquire a gun?” In a previous statement, Gulbar claimed that his brother suffered from “mental health issues.”

Akram was shot dead after an 11-hour standoff following the release of four hostages taken in the Texas synagogue. During the hostage situation, he was heard calling for the release of al Qaeda linked Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani national who was convicted of attempting to kill American military officers while being detained in Afghanistan.

In a now-deleted facebook post from the U.K., the ‘Blackburn Muslim Community’ praised the terrorist as a martyr:

“May the Almighty forgive all his sins and bless him with the highest ranks of Paradise. May Allah give strength and patience to his loved ones in dealing with their loss,” they wrote, then deleted.

Apologising for the post, the page followed up on Monday morning,  writing: “We posted about the death of a local individual yesterday and utilised a standard template with generic wording that is used on all of our death announcements. After learning about the full circumstances surrounding his death, the post was removed.”

“Christians in northwest Nigeria are living in terror after receiving letters threatening death unless they close their churches,” reports Christiannews.net.

A police spokesman said Zamfara State Police have beefed up security at churches and increased intelligence-gathering in response to the letters that warn Christians will be killed or kidnapped if places of worship are not shut down.

“There’s fear and panic here since the letter was received,” Mary Ibrahim, a resident of Gussau, the Zamfara state capital, told Morning Star News by text message. “Christians no longer find it easy to attend fellowship and Bible Study programs in churches.”

Police said they are trying to determine who sent the letters, while area residents suspect Islamic extremists among Fulani herdsmen or members of Boko Haram.

“A letter was sent to our churches warning that the Christians must close down churches, or we’ll be attacked,” Ayuba Matthew, also of Gussau, told Morning Star News. “We are worried that these Fulani terrorists will carry out their threats, as they’re now in complete control of the rural areas of Zamfara state.”

Many Christians in Zamfara, Nigeria are staying away from church meetings, while others are moving out of the state, residents said…

In this year’s World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria broke into the top 10 for the first time, jumping to No. 9 from No. 12 the previous year.

Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a recent report…

Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians’ lands and impose Islam as decertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.