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Hate preacher Bakri targets young people through Web campaign
Danny Brierley29 Oct 2008
AN internet recruitment drive by extremist preachers aimed at young Muslims in London is set to undermine the Government's aim to make it harder for radicals to enter the country.
The Home Office wants to introduce rules making it easier to bar preachers of hate from Britain.
But a Standard investigation has uncovered dozens of YouTube videos filmed by a radical Islamic sect and its exiled leader Omar Bakri Mohammed as part of its latest recruitment drive.
The clips by Islam for the UK include messages and interviews with Lebanon-based Omar Bakri, the former head of disbanded group al-Muhajiroun.
"This is the same network that was banned under anti-terrorism legislation in 2006 [al-Muhajiroun] in all but name," said Neil Doyle, a researcher who has tracked the internet activities of radicals on the internet for 15 years.
"The signs are that it has embarked on a major recruitment drive. Omar Bakri is reaching a wider audience on the internet than he would do if he was in the UK."
Some of the films were recorded at a youth conference in Walthamstow last month.
The Home Office said: "We cannot stop radical preachers reaching Britain through the internet." YouTube said it was investigating the videos.
Reader views (8)
The west is not anti-Islam per se, but is anti being killed, intimidated by, and/or culturally undermined by terrorists who advocate a particularly aggressive and deadly interpretation of Islam, which kills and distresses more Muslims than others of any other faith. It would make sense for Muslims to demand better security from western governments, but this cannot happen until western governments stop embracing the immorality of moral equivalence and multiculturalism, which ensures that Muslims dare not raise their heads above the parapet in protest.
- Charles Smyth, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 02/11/2008 13:19
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>> Muslims are continually humiliated and abused
Maybe, but this is normally caused by other Muslims.
More Muslims die in terror attacks caused by other Muslims in a single year that have died at the hands of the "Western Imperialist Aggressors" over the last 50 years.
Only a few days before, a woman was buried up to her next in Somalia and stoned to death after she was found guilty by Sharia Law of adultery. The court failed to produce the four witnesses and the man with whom she is supposed to have had an un-Islamic liaison but still managed to murder her in public regardless.
- Adam, Harrow, UK, 30/10/2008 08:34
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Gareth, the kind of attacks that the religious extremists carry out are inexcusable. Much of the problems they have in their own countries is a result of continuing inequities and social imbalance within their own societies, making the religious leaders the final arbiters of morals - and these faith based so-called 'leaders' influence people into counting not only their own, but the lives of everyone else cheap; an exercise in cynical fanaticism where THEY don't have to put their own lives on the line to force their 'message' on everyone else. Are they exploited by outsiders? Yes - because they are so busy fighting themselves they have forgotten what personal worth is, leaving them open to exploitation by their own as well. They are led by rhetoric rather than reason.
Its so much easier than thinking, just being a 'martyr', when they are taught to believe 'how else will their lives have any meaning in their meaningless existence!'
I'd have a lot more respect for them if they were fighting for their own SOCIETY instead of trying to impose their RELIGIOUS BELIEFS on everyone else (much like you seem to think the rest are doing to them). Like it or not, they are connected to the rest of the world.
If you expect the rest of the world to do nothing when they use terror as a weapon, then you are part of the problem, not the solution.
- Rogan, Irving, 29/10/2008 23:32
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A far easier solution to all such problems would be to CHANGE OUR FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC POLICIES, making them less anti-islamic, more fairer and promoting and celebrating our diverisities with the wealth this brings into our society - instead of forcing all citizens to live by ONE set of ideals (the Labour's party's ideals) which seems to me to be a forceful assimilation into and acceptance of a single culture whether it is in harmony or in antagonism with our beliefs and choice of lifestyle -and in doing so, creating an Orwellian society for ourselves.
- Adam Ant, Manchester, 29/10/2008 15:08
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You're not gonna get away with this Omar Bakri Mohammed! We're going to name and shame you! Muahauhauhaa!
:/
- Liam, Londonistan, 29/10/2008 12:46
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The kind of violence committed by these people is actually very small compared to violence committed by our government and by our allies. In addition this kind of propaganda is nothing in compared to the kind we have in the west. While I don't believe in any kind of violence I think we have to see the extremists actions in the context of what is happening around the world. Muslims are continually humiliated and abused. The solution lies in looking at the causes rather than the symptoms.
- Gareth, Tokyo Japan, 29/10/2008 12:42
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Given that the intelligence services are fully aware of whom is being possibly influenced by these Internet communications and other sources of influence, it is only necessary to directly communicate--as does Israel's IDF-- with these individuals and warn them of the consequences of putting Al Bakri's or other similar messages into harmful action.
This can be followed up by arresting and issuing another warning under the witness of a suspect's solicitor, at his/her's own expense, and be obliged to sign a suitably worded document/contract.
Furthermore, those who travel to Pakistan, and are highly suspect, should have their passports revoked upon landing in Pakistan, so that they have no way to legally return to the UK and/or EU, which will also place responsibility on Pakistan's government to address the problem of militant training being exported back to the UK and/or EU. Their must not be more legislation which impacts everybody else, who are not terrorists or Islamic insurrectionists.
- Charles Smyth, Belfast Northern Ireland., 29/10/2008 11:52
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Maybe Chinas control over what its citizens have access to on the internet, is not such a bad idea. Inconvenient yes, but when the world has these hate preacher types running around it, preying on vulnerable young minds, maybe it is worth the inconvenience for our own protection.
- John, cambridge,uk, 29/10/2008 11:20
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