This is outrageous! Why is this woman being put in jail for writing poetry? Why not put rap stars in jail for advocating gang violence and the degradation of women? This woman has the right to free speech no mater what she is saying. Freedom of speech covers things we don't like to hear as well as things we do, and there can be no excuse for violating this woman's right to express herself.

Abigail Hollinshead, Huntingdon, England

If her ramblings are lyrical terrorism, then the victim is plainly the English language. However, on a more serious note, the courts have failed to uphold the right to free speech. If a rapper glorifies violence against women, will he be jailed for inciting violence - I think not. We are living in a McCathyist climate of fear with muslims the clear target. As a muslim, I abhor violence, and indeed the threat of violence but, equally, I believe that the right to free speech is the cornerstone of democracy. We must allow people to freely express themselves through legitimate and peaceful means, even where we may despise their views.

Haroon Abbasi, London,

Oh my goodness... Free speech is gone! I'm no Islamist but I remember the communist states of late as my granny and mum lived in Poland for years after ww2. We've gone over a line here and let's hear the opposition politicians and the arts community shout loud because we have to stop now or the jihad types might as well be in control anyway!! The state must be the servant of the people NOT the master
www.acidtheatre.blogspot.com

AcidDrip , Edinburgh , Scotland

"stocked a "library" of documents useful to terrorists"

What this woman had on her PC is nothing compared to the amount of terrorist stuff a person can find on the internet by using google (millions of documents/videos). Will our government also convict google under the new terrorism legislation?

moonshine, Bolton, UK

I wonder who the last person in England was to be found guilty of a crime just for writing something down or looking at something. I should think you'd have to go back to the Dark Ages to find such a case. I find it very disturbing that people can be jailed for writing poetry.

Simon, Chatham, Kent

This individual sounds rather adolescent and under-developed: both intellectually and emotionally. Nevertheless, the idea that her private views could be criminalised is highly offensive and deeply worrying. I myself have views that are - in some respects - strongly opposed to parts of the law as it stands. Should I therefore be criminalised and imprisoned? I think not. Let thought be free.

Cantab, cambridge,

If it were only thoughts she was having then how the bl**dy hell are we aware of them?

David Thijm, Stourbridge, UK

I am absolutely speechless. This is a witch-hunt. I'm sorry - don't people write personal thoughts and reflections in journals and blogs ALL the time? What right does the government have to police our thoughts and criminalise beliefs?

What if a young man went around writing poems about how much he supports the troops in Iraq? About how much he would like to join them and serve his country and fight off the insurgents. What if he said he'd be proud to use violence for an "honourable cause"? What if he read books about military tactics and taught his friends self-defence manouevres? Is this man breaking the law? Not anymore than this young woman.

We are free to support whatever cause we choose, in our hearts and minds. I don't agree with violence on principle. But let's face it, many people support it for a cause they deem worthy, and we cannot penalise them unless they are actively committing violent deeds.

This woman "facilitated" terrorism? What about King Abdullah? Puh-lease

NH, London, UK

This is amazing, where exactly is the crime and where is the victim? God help us if a young woman can be convicted of writing her thoughts and poems, whatever happened to free speech.

Andy, London, UK

Let's be honest, we certainly aren't turning into a new Russia or china, (although most current Russians would probably be highly offended that we are attributing such behaviours to their current state on not the USSR) but we are slowly turning into America it could be argued.

We aren't denying this 'lyrical terrorist' her rights of freedom of speech the issue is is the subject matter of her 'work'. Is is racist and inflammatory.

A Christian/Jew/Buddist etc would also and justifiably be taken to task if they wrote such dangerous literature.

This woman is an out and out racist and an anarchist - don't send her to prison where she could be 're-educated', send her to where she clearly wishes to be - an islamic fundamentalist state. I hear flights to areas of Taliban sympathetic Pakistan are cheap this time of the year.

Barney, Liverpool, UK

@shaunwalker

"No, sorry; terrorism is not art or poetry,"

and likewise, Art and Poetry are not terrorism. you answer your own question and then reach the opposite conclusion.

As for the commenter who said we are at war with a mindset...

You can't go to war with a mindset. The law should punish actions, not thoughts, otherwise that is the very definition of 'thought crime' and, history shows that such an approach turns everybody into informer or enemy of the state by the end. When radical Islamic clerics incite violence, that is a speech act, and they can and have been prosecuted and rightly so. To extend the same logic to some fantasists web page is absurd and will only serve to further the argument that the Western powers are not fighting against terrorism but seeking to intimidate Muslims.

Ian Blair, in contrast, appears to presently be getting away with murdering De Menezes, another action that was seemingly undertaken to terrify the British people.

Jason Kennedy, La Antigua, Guatemala

What is even more worrying,under this climate of fear, are these new laws that have been passed,whereby you can be convicted, not for something you did, but for something you might do. By going down this road it allows those in authority to cherry pick which part of society they deem a threat, today its the Muslim community, who knows who it will be tomorrow.

Be worried, be very worried!

John, Scotland, UK

If a non-muslim "artist" had written a poem about jihad and terrorism they'd face no police repression and possibly get it published. There have been stage plays and TV shows about suicide bombers, of course the writers of such are non-muslim, or "upper middle class" types. This is a BLATANT acttack on freedom of expression and a gross attack on muslims. Non-muslims are allowed to write all sorts of poems and lyrics. And non-muslims are allowed to have books about guns, military stuff, "Soldier of Fortune" type magazines. Non-muslims are also allowed to hold "radical" political views. For the time being, anyway.

Stuart Cornwell, London, England

Dear God...what thought crime is this person supposed to have commited? What threat did she pose? Another victory for the defenders of our "freedoms"...

Mick James, London,

Whilst I do not usually agree with this sort of "crimes", if only because I do not wish for us to be the new China or Russia, it's hard to justify writing such poems. How To Behead, anyone?
No, sorry; terrorism is not art or poetry, and calling for such things should not be tolerated. Have you seen her favourite TV shows?
Remember, freedom of speech only goes so far. Writing poems about terrorism is beyond this limit.

Shaun Walker, Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire,

Jailed for what? Did we jail Irish Republicans in Belfast for singing nationalist songs or owning books about the Republican movement?

The phrase 'lyrical terrorist' is just a hip-hop thing like 'lyrical gangster' and so on.

This person appears to have actually done nothing and to be something of a fantasist. In that respect, she is quite like the Blair govt (Robin Cook excepted, God rest his soul) who seemingly consumed and tried to peddle their fantasies to the British people.

They failed, but is this their legacy?

Digusting.

Jason Kennedy, Antigua, Guatemala

I'm inclined to agree really. I'm not at all happy about the threat from radical islam but this does seem very unsettling. We do seem to be getting very close to the good old thought police, don't we. Not quite there yet but it's looking dodgy.

Let's not forget that people who are old enough to really have any understanding of the character of the KGB and other communist security agencies are probably in their mid thrities by now. (Meaning people who were around at the time). For those younger than that it's all a bit "away in the past", a different place.

Be afraid. Be very afraid

John Smith, Newcastle, Britain

Sounds like we in Britain are treating people like Musharraf in Pakistan who has charged political activists with treason for making anti-government speeches.

John Deeds, london,

The West is at war with the Islamic terrorist mindset. She is, by collecting and promoting this filth, the enemy within. When enough people in this country realise and accept this, we may actually get somewhere defeating it. If all you can do is uphold her rights to free speech then you really need to wake up to what this person and thousands like her are doing in the UK.
There's free speech and there's subversion.

David Thijm, Stourbridge, UK

I assume that there is more to these documents than is shown in this piece, Miss Malik is obviously a disturbed young women but since when has it been a crime for putting their thoughts, even disturbing ones into writing, are we the new Russia or China?

Les, Southport, England.