The ICC bit the bullet and issued an arrest warrant against Al-Bashir for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and being an all around lunatic. Not included in the indictment was a description of how he’s also a terrorist-boosting, sharia-imposing Islamist:
Beyond the genocide and mass murder that Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir has presided over in his 20 years in office, it is important to remember what al-Bashir is: a radical Islamist imposing the type of sharia law and carrying out policies that most Islamists approve of. While the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir for Darfur… that genocide was only one in a long series of actions taken in the name of Islam that have caused us all great harm… When he seized power in 1989 he did so as a self-proclaimed Islamist, in the company of Hassan al-Turabi… The regime of al-Bashir is not an “ordinary” criminal regime, such as that of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe or Charles Taylor in Liberia. Rather, it is a theologically-motivated regime that provided some of the important theological and financial support for radical Islamist movements around the world. Al-Bashir and al-Turabi hosted not only al Qaeda, but Hamas, Hezbollah, whose members were able to enter without visas in order to foster revolutionary solidarity and networks. Sudan, under al Bashir, became an Islamist terrorist Disneyland, where all could mix and mingle. The imposition of sharia law, the war against non-Muslims in the south, and the Darfur genocide, are all follow-ons to those years.
Not to worry though. Al-Bashir is still getting the recognition he deserves from Iran and Hamas:
Iran and the Palestinian militant group Hamas showed their support for Sudan’s president Friday, sending top officials to the Sudanese capital and denouncing the international warrant for his arrest on charges of war crimes in Darfur. Their visit came as the United Nations human rights group warned that Sudan’s expulsion of 13 aid organizations from Darfur could also constitute a war crime. Sudan took the step in retaliation after the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court issued a warrant against President Omar al-Bashir on Wednesday… Iran’s parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, arrived in Khartoum along with Moussa Abu Marzouk, the No. 2 figure in Hamas’ Damascus-based leadership. Larijani told reporters at the airport that the ICC’s arrest warrant is an insult. Also in their delegation were Syrian Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Abrash and representatives from other Palestinian militant factions. Iran and Hamas have been long time allies of al-Bashir, whose government is dominated by Muslim fundamentalists and military officers.
I don’t think he’s particularly worried. It’s not like the ICC is going to swoop in and get him in the next few months. By the time anyone gets around to trying to enforce the warrant, in fact, he’ll already be comfortably ensconced under an Iranian nuclear umbrella.
Oh well. At least the ICC – to which Obama is considering committing the US – will still be able to go after Israel.
References:
* The Hague issues arrest warrant for Sudan’s Bashir for war crimes [Ha'aretz]
* Why The Al Bashir Arrest Warrant is Important [Douglas Farah]
* Iran, Hamas dispatch solidarity missions to Sudan president [Ha'aretz]
* Obama to commit to the ICC? [Hot Air]
* International Criminal Court Gearing Up For Most Shameless Anti-Israel Legal Decision Evuh [MR]
Previously:
* If Anti-Zionism Isn’t Supposed to Be Anti-Semitism, Someone Should Probably Tell the Anti-Zionists
* Islamist Sudanese Students Demand End To Gaza Lockdown, Existence Of USA
* Sudan Preventing Reporters From Conveying True Extent Of Teddy Bear Riots
