An Islamic scholar has been sentenced to life in prison in the US for urging Muslims to join the Taliban in Afghanistan and fight US troops after the 9/11 attacks. Ali al-Timimi was convicted by a court in Alexandria, Virginia, in April. The 41-year-old cleric says he is innocent and his lawyers have described the case as an attack on free speech and religious freedom. Defense lawyers argued that al-Timimi only told young Muslims that they might be better off leaving the country because it would be difficult to practice their faith in the US. Before his sentencing yesterday, al-Timimi said “I will not admit guilt nor seek the court’s mercy. I do this simply because I am innocent.”