al-Timimi’s Case Study
CRJ300 – Introduction to Criminal Justice
Colorado State University – Global Campus
Professor Lisa A. Hoston
February 22, 2015

Should al-Timimi’s advocacy of violence be unlawful? In this particular instance I feel that the “system” got it right. The idea to take on America and its people is an idea that too many groups such as the Muslims, and Islamic, just to name a couple are to willing to use the words of al-Timimi’s to advocate their cause against the U.S.
Ali Al-Timimi criminal history ties him to being the spiritual leader of the Virginia Paintball Jihad Network, a group of men indicted of crimes related to terrorism. Al-Timimi activities had him indicted in 2004 and was convicted in 2005 of soliciting and engaging others to levy war against the United States as well as attempting to contribute services to the Taliban. Members of the Virginia Paintball Jihad cell testified at Al-Timimi's trial that he convinced several of them to travel to Pakistan to obtain training for jihad from a U.S. designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.
The words of al-Timimi, at the time, were words that could have easily encouraged an already unsteady group of individuals to engage in war against the U.S. and its allies. The world as we know it today is still very unstable as a result of 9/11 and its consequences that at any minute utterance of such words could once again bring havoc upon a nation that has already suffered at the hands of groups and individuals that want to continue to harm to the U.S.
Our right to freedom of speech is a right that some individuals take for granted and want to use the right to deliver a message that that is clearly outside the realm of what that right is. Al-Timimi’s words are a perfect example of how individuals use the right to deliver a message that could easily be a message something other that their right to speak of their mind. These words he spoke were words that could have easily have sparked a situation similar to that of 9/11 and possibly even worse. What makes the incident even more of a concern is that they came at a time when Americans were still feeling the pain of 9/11 and still very sensitive.
There was mention in the case of Ann Coulter and her words in her writings. These words I felt had much less of an impact, as the likelihood of anyone other than the military invading these countries was very unlikely, but al-Timimi’s words certainly could have had a greater impact with the number of groups that are right here in our own back yard could have easily seen these words and what they were meant for, a means of encouragement and quite possibly just the type of encouragement need to spark violent situations throughout the U.S. with very little help from the outside.
At the time that al-Timimi spoke these words was, again at a very critical moment for the U.S., so the likelihood of an attack similar to 9/11 and all previous incidents, was probably greater than any potential thereat that exist now. I am thoroughly convinced that there are still small groups of individuals on U.S. soil that are in the planning stages of committing an attack of some sort> I am not convinced though that it is on the scale of 9//1, but none the less still attacks that could potentially injure more U.S. citizens.
I am not thoroughly convinced that we have more to fear from the suppression of free speech than from freedom of expression. Certainly the words of al-Timimi were definitely beyond the idea of free speech, and certainly far from a freedom of expression. I felt he would have been better served using his experience and education, as well as a better forum to “express” his views and ideas on how to counter what he felt was a wrong by the U.S. and its allies. When words such as al-Timimi’s are expressed in a way that constitute and encourage violence and harm as his words did, then yes we as Americans should be concerned and take note that this sort of behavior should not be tolerated!
Our nation is a nation that is obviously given more rights than others in other countries, and at times we as Americans abuse and take those rights to far. In the case of al-Timimi I feel that his history and his words were addressed accordingly, and in this instance the system got it right.

References
Schmalleger, F. (2014, 2012, 2010). Criminal justice: a brief introduction. New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.
Martin, Gus (2009). Understanding Terrorism: Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues Sage Publications, Inc.