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Mumia Abu-Jamal (born Wesley Cook April 24, 1954) is an American activist and journalist who was convicted and sentenced to death in 1982 for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. Abu-Jamal became involved in black nationalism in his youth and was a member of the Black Panther Party until October 1970, after which he became a radio journalist, eventually becoming president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. On December 9, 1981, Faulkner was fatally shot while conducting a routine traffic stop of Abu-Jamal's brother, William Cook. Abu-Jamal was found at the scene with a bullet wound from Faulkner's gun and his own discharged revolver beside him. He was arrested and charged with Faulkner's murder. Prosecution witnesses identified Abu-Jamal as the shooter and two testified that he had confessed to shooting Faulkner. A jury convicted Abu-Jamal on all counts and sentenced him to death. He spent the next 30 years on death row. After a succession of all possible appeals by Abu-Jamal were exhausted, his conviction was upheld but his death sentence vacated. He was resentenced to life in prison without parole. District Attorney Seth Williams later stated that no further appeals would be filed in pursuit of the death penalty. Activists, celebrities, and liberal groups have criticized the fairness of Abu-Jamal's trial, professed his innocence, and opposed his death sentence. The Faulkner family, public authorities, police organizations, and conservative groups have maintained that Abu-Jamal's trial was fair, his guilt undeniable, and his death sentence appropriate. Once described as "perhaps the world's best known death-row inmate" by ''The New York Times'', during his imprisonment Abu-Jamal has published books and commentaries on social and political issues, including ''Live from Death Row'' (1995). ==Early life and activism== Abu-Jamal was given the name Mumia in 1968 by his high school teacher, a Kenyan instructing a class on African cultures in which students took African classroom names. According to Abu-Jamal, 'Mumia' means "Prince" and was the name of Kenyan anti-colonial African nationalists who fought against the British before Kenyan independence. He adopted the surname Abu-Jamal ("father of Jamal" in Arabic) after the birth of his son Jamal on July 18, 1971.〔 His first marriage at age 19, to Jamal's mother, Biba, was short-lived.〔Bisson, p.119 quoted at 〕 Their daughter, Lateefa, was born shortly after the wedding. Abu-Jamal married his second wife, Marilyn (known as "Peachie"),〔 in 1977. Their son, Mazi, was born in early 1978.〔See ages given in: and 〕 By 1981, Abu-Jamal was living with his third and current wife, Wadiya.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mumia Abu-Jamal」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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