'Holy war' mum spared jail

March 30, 2009

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Shella Roma

A WOMAN who produced a leaflet inciting people to commit terrorist acts has been spared jail.

Shella Roma urged readers to go abroad to fight a jihad or holy war. Manchester Crown Court heard that Roma, who was said to suffer from a 'dissociative disorder', produced two drafts of the document entitled The Call.

It refers to conspiracy theories and suggests that 9/11 took place to benefit the Freemasons and ends: "Will you go to Jihad (holy war)? Jihad: the choice is yours."

Prosecutor Jonathan Sharp said the leaflet written by the 'highly intelligent' mother-of-one referred to the events of 9/11 as 'an inside job'.

He added: "She affirms that the loyalty of British Muslims should be to their religion and that she has no allegiance towards the country in which she was born and grew up."

The 29-year-old made 200 copies of the leaflet and got her husband to distribute some of them outside a mosque.

She also left them lying round her home in Chester Street, Oldham, Greater Manchester, for visitors to pick up.

Police were tipped off about her activities by a copy shop worker in Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester.

Roma pleaded guilty to dissemination of a terrorist publication between October 2007 and January last year.

The charge was brought under Section 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006.

She was jointly accused with her 30-year-old husband, Amjad Mahmood, who denied the charge. Charges against him were ordered to lie on file.

Thomas Bayliss QC said his client Roma has 'some journalistic talent' but had suffered an unhappy upbringing and a difficult family life.

Judge Clement Goldstone QC told Roma: "For several years you have been interested in politics. In 2007 your interested was elevated to activism in support for the cause of Osama Bin Laden and his followers.

"Thus it was you recorded your thoughts and opinions in a document, of which you had 200 copies made.

"You sought to distribute them in two ways, by leaving them in your home for anyone who wanted to help themselves too, and, more significantly, by giving them to your husband to distribute outside the mosque to which normal, practising Muslims had gone to pray."

He told Roma that her crime carried a maximum sentence of seven years in jail and added: "On this occasion you are not going to prison."

Roma received a three-year community order with a two-year supervision requirement.

Judge Goldstone commended the copy shop worker.

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Jomov (30/03/2009 at 13:59)

I think she got off too lightly but that is the way of this country these days...nothing new here.

michelle49, Blyth (30/03/2009 at 14:09)

let them go and live with the taliban if thats how they feel or charge them with treason and send them to prison for a long time.

dessie, manchester (30/03/2009 at 14:16)

if they feel so strongly about the taliban then send them packing and never let them set foot on british soil ever again, people like these make me sick because we house them feed them!!!!!!

Fixit, Delft, Netherlands (30/03/2009 at 14:37)

Spread hatred and literature telling others to go and support terrorism against the UK and 'get off'.

Unlike the 2 blokes trying to buck a 'speeding offence' that got jail!

They both broke the law and deserve punishment, but what’s more serious?

Some say you couldn’t make it up? I think I agree..................

edinburgh red, edinburgh (30/03/2009 at 14:37)

Eh hate the country and all that we stand for, leave then, simple as that but should have served jail time first, mind you that isn't much of a punishment here is it, that's the one muslim law I would adopt here though there punishments dished out to offenders

treblewinner (30/03/2009 at 14:44)

End of the day she is enticing people to cause mayhem in our country, therefore should be treated like a terrorist threat and deported from our country.. If indeed her actions do cause harm here what will all the do-gooders say then.... ??

Count Alucard, Stretford (30/03/2009 at 14:50)

'No allegiance' towards the country in she was born and grew up in?

The country that gave you an education. That provides you with a national health service. Pays benefits when you hit hard times.

If you don't like it. PLEASE LEAVE.

abu dhabi city group (30/03/2009 at 15:42)

I'll tell you what, go out and do whatever you want aginst this country, preach hate, plot terrorist attacks against us, hand out leaflets and say you dislike everything about us and our way of life. Because you know what, nothing will happen to you. you're free to do whatever you want.

This countries a joke.

I feel for future generations if this continues as it is doing. namby pamby attitudes to people who want to destroy our way of life. And openly admit it.

Orb, Rochdale (30/03/2009 at 15:57)

Anyone see the irony - if this lady lived in the kind of state that she preaches her 'jihad' for she wouldn't be wearing that nice, fashionable western jacket, or being able to show her attractive features, or be able to be involved in political activism. She'd be a downtrodden slave. Ridiculous, isn't it?

citycentre, manchester (30/03/2009 at 15:58)

"I'll tell you what, go out and do whatever you want aginst this country, preach hate, plot terrorist attacks against us, hand out leaflets and say you dislike everything about us and our way of life. Because you know what, nothing will happen to you. you're free to do whatever you want. "

Other than plotting attacks, of which she does not appear to be accused sounds ok to me; being jailed for not liking the way things are or handing out leaflets cant be right, can it?

mys, urmston (30/03/2009 at 16:15)

A Complete joke. Not much else you can really say apart from if you dont want to be here then go away.

Trueman (30/03/2009 at 16:33)

Why some one would live in a country they clearly despise is beyond me.

These people the ones Brain washing others to go and attack our service men abroad are as bad if not worse than terrorists themselves.

Guten Tag, 1 UK Civ Div, Manchester (30/03/2009 at 16:35)

Maybe we could have a whip round and buy you a plane ticket to a country that panders to your needs and wants? I don't think Britain is the right country for you.

One Love, One Life, One CITYYYYY 1990 (30/03/2009 at 16:41)

citycentre, manchester
30/03/2009 at 15:58

Plotting attacks against innocent people such as the victims of the July 7th bombings should be enough to be executed nevermind jail... and if you think she should walk scott free for this well...

abu dhabi city group (30/03/2009 at 16:53)

'section 2 of the terrorism act 2006' = upto 7yrs custodial sentance.

you might as well rip that up. It means nothing.

poppa smurf, blue through and through.., Withington born and bread, now residing in sunny Cornwall (30/03/2009 at 17:10)

bloody typical.... send her packing... its people like her that make it so hard for decent law abiding british muslims who are as proud to be as british as the majority of us.. i dont care about race or ethnic background, were all the same under the skin, but i do care about people living in britan and hating us so much! why do you want to stay if this is how u feel? its because deep down u know that for all our faults we brits are the greatest people on earth and for such a small nation we never turn our back when help is needed and u wont get that from the types of people ur trying to promote and big up... go live off our island and im sure u'll be scampering back with ur tail between ur legs within 12 months and the sad thing is u would be welcomed back with open arms by our soft government... grow up, dont bite the hand that feeds you and be proud to be british.

abu dhabi city group (30/03/2009 at 17:19)

citycentre

2 posts blocked now. My post was an overview of so many cases, of which I'm apparently not allowed to comment on.

But the crux is this, I hope you or I are never affected by our courts decisions to let people walk away scot free. Cos it may shake your liberal beliefs.

Lets see if that alright with the moderators. 3rd time lucky.

Mark,Radcliffe. (30/03/2009 at 17:40)

Would she not be a suitable candidate for electronic tagging ? I'm sure some homeland security minded people would like to know this person's future movements.

citycentre, manchester (30/03/2009 at 17:45)

One Love, One Life, One CITYYYYY 1990

plotting attacks in this country should be punishable i agree, i have read the article and cant see anywhere she is accused of doing so. if questioning the official version of events and pledging aligence to a religon is worthing of years in jail then we have lost the freedoms she seems to want to oppose

Frostee, Oldham (30/03/2009 at 17:46)

abu dhabi city group - you too! I've also had a post blocked for some obscure reason, it certainly wasn't as bad as some already published. Why can't the moderators let us know what we've done wrong so that we don't repeat it?

prestatyn blue, prestatyn. (30/03/2009 at 17:55)

"Tipped off by a copy shop worker"Not by any of the people she handed these leaflets to.

Black Flag (30/03/2009 at 18:00)

citycentre: "being jailed for not liking the way things are or handing out leaflets cant be right, can it?"

To any intelligent person, no it can't be right, but unfortunately there are plenty of stupid people out there. Ironically, they tend to be the very same people who cry foul when the BNP get the same treatment that they want to see dished out to others.

Pippa, Manchester (30/03/2009 at 18:33)

Here we go again, she had "suffered an unhappy upbringing and a difficult family life." Whatever the crime, she was found guilty and should have been sentenced accordingly. Lots of people have unhappy childhoods and difficult lives but most of them don't commit crime. I also am at a loss as to why her husband, who was handing put the leaflets, has had the charge laid on file, does this mean he was or wasn't guilty?

abu dhabi city group (30/03/2009 at 19:01)

frostee

It appears free speech only comes in leaflet form in this great nation of ours.

Mine weren't too bad either. off to a-u-l tomorrow with some rhetoric and A4. it's the future, I've seen it with my own 2 eyes.

abu dhabi city group (30/03/2009 at 19:37)

'dissociative disorder'?

The art of not taking the blame for anything disorderly you're associated with?

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