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Islamic radicals make mockery of hate laws
David Cohen10.11.08
JUST days after Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced tough new measures to name and shame foreign-based extremists and prevent them coming from abroad to stir up hatred in the UK, firebrand preacher Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad cocked a snook at her new initiative, the Evening Standard can reveal.
More than 200 Muslims at a packed public meeting in Tower Hamlets were told by organiser Anjem Choudary: "We have a special surprise, a special treat for you. Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad will be joining us on a live feed from Lebanon." He added: "As Muslims, we will not submit to any man-made law, any government, or any prime minister - Bush or Brown - or [to] Jacqui Smith. We submit to Allah."
Choudary, who with Bakri led the fanatical Al-Muhajiroun organisation - notorious for its glorification of terrorism and the 9/11 attacks before its banning and dissolution in 2004 -warmed up the crowd, two Sundays ago, with his own inflammatory rhetoric.
"It is our religious obligation to prepare ourselves both physically and mentally and rise up against Muslim oppression and take what is rightfully ours," he said. "Jihad is a duty and a struggle and an obligation that lies upon the shoulders of us all. We will not rest until the flag of Allah and the flag of Islam is raised above 10 Downing Street."
To loud cheers of "Allah Akbar" [God is great], he railed: "There are three types of Muslims, those in prison, those of us that are on our way [to prison] and non-practising Muslims. Brothers and sisters, if you do not fear your home being raided by the Kufar [non-believer] police, you are not enforcing the Sharia."
Later, in front of a huge banner that exhorted "Muslims rise against British oppression", he introduced the star turn, 50-year-old Omar Bakri, who was standing by in Lebanon. A giant screen, six-feet high and six-feet wide, had been set up to project the image of the extremist known as "the Tottenham Ayatollah". He was refused re-entry to the UK in 2005 as "not conducive to the public good" after vowing that Muslims would "give the West a 9/11 day after day after day".
But when a problem with the live internet video feed failed to yield a picture, Mr Choudary phoned his colleague from the stage and put the receiver to the microphone. The connection was loud and clear and Bakri spoke for 15 minutes.
Apart from a group of elders with long groomed white beards sitting in the front row, most of the 200 men in attendance were Muslims in their late teens or early 20s, mostly dressed in shalwar kameez with westernised accessories - trainers, hoodies and jackets. At the back of the hall, segregated by partitions, were more than 50 women wearing burkhas.
"Do not obey the British law," Bakri told them. He praised his hero Osama bin Laden for being a warrior and exclaimed: "We must fight and die for Islam - this is the map and road to Jennah [heaven]." He said that Muslims did not need to obey man-made laws and that if anyone ordered them to, they should say they are Muslims "loud and proud". He branded the new anti-extremist laws "crazy".
Indeed, it is the new rules, announced two weeks ago by Jacqui Smith, that are meant to prevent "preachers of hate from spreading extremism in our communities". Yet here was Bakri doing just that, potentially grooming the next batch of homegrown suicide bombers. And there was not a uniformed police officer in sight.
The four-hour meeting, organised by Choudary using a website called Islam For The UK, took place right under the noses of Tower Hamlets council in a community arts centre the council rents out at £78 an hour. But neither the council nor the police nor the Home Office appeared to realise that Bakri had broadcast live into the heart of London.
Were the organisers - and perhaps Tower Hamlets council - in breach of the law for allowing Bakri to speak?
Nobody seemed to know. A Home Office spokeswoman said: "This appears to be something that the new measures, which only prevent individuals from coming here and spreading their hate in person, do not cover."
Later, in a prepared statement, the Home Office said: "The UK is determined to stop those who spread extremism through preaching violent messages in our communities, but it is for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to investigate any breach of the law."
When told of this, a Metropolitan Police spokesman was nonplussed. "It's the Home Office that makes the laws," he said. "If it doesn't know whether something is against the law, then who does?"
Yet, of course, the police have a duty to investigate and decide if the organisers should be prosecuted.
Choudary, 41, a lawyer - who is said while at Southampton University (where he called himself Andy) to have indulged in alcohol, cannabis and casual sex before embracing fundamentalism - is the only one who appears clear on the issue. He told the Standard: "The Government decided Omar Bakri's presence here is not conducive to the public good but he's not been found guilty of any criminal offence and so there is no restriction on interacting with him by video or phone link."
A spokesman for Tower Hamlets council confirmed the meeting had taken place at the council-owned Brady Arts and Community Centre on Hanbury Street just off Brick Lane. He said: "We liaised with the police and were advised there were no major concerns about the group running this event. We were unaware that Omar Bakri was involved, as this was not indicated on the advance publicity. In future we will strengthen our vetting by asking for a list of proposed speakers, including those on conference links."
But Ed Husain, co-founder of the counter-terrorism think-tank the Quilliam Foundation, says Tower Hamlets has long turned a blind eye to the activities of local extremists. "We cannot afford for Tower Hamlets, home to Britain's largest Muslim population, to become a hotspot for radicals. The seeds of terror are sown at these events," he said.
He also criticised the police for taking their eye off the ball. "It's well known that Choudary is Bakri's spokesman in the UK, and that this group, Islam For The UK, is a splinter group of Al-Muhajiroun and Hizb ut-Tahrir, the originators of extremism in Britain. So why is this group not banned and its leaders arrested? To call for London's young Muslims to disobey British law and to rise up until the flag of Islam flies above 10 Downing Street is alarming and terrifying."
The event, billed as a conference to "rise to defend the honour of the Muslims", had been advertised on several extremist websites with links to the Islam For The UK website, which calls for Sharia law to be introduced into Britain. Beyond a kiosk selling home-made curry and Coca-Cola for £3 and a table where Islamic DVDs were for sale at £2 a copy, was a main hall where the audience prayed in Arabic before the meeting got under way.
Besides Bakri, there were three other speakers: Abu Muaz, head of the UK Salafi Youth Movement; Abu Yahya, spokesman for the Followers of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'aah, and Abu Rumaysah, a student at the London School of Shari'ah.
Each spoke for 40 minutes, their talks interspersed with video clips from Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo that were designed to fuel the meeting's "grievance theme" of Muslims being oppressed by Britain and the West. As an example of this oppression, one speaker said: "In the UK, terrorists get 40 years in prison whereas murderers and paedophiles walk free after five years."
Abu Muaz spoke out against UK imams, claiming they are too soft and tolerant. He said that "speech was not enough" and that it was time to "take action". "You must destroy the West," he declared.
But the most provocative was student leader Abu Rumaysah, who spoke to the crowd as if they were trainee terrorists. "Delete unnecessary material from your computers, take precautions not to attract attention to yourself and prepare your family for [police] raids," he said. He added that they should support the families of Muslims who were arrested and that Islam will only take over the UK if Muslims are proactive and enforce Sharia law in their own communities.
"Women need to be covered up, men lashed for fornication [outside marriage] and hands cut off for theft and breaking Sharia law," he said.
When a woman in a burkha asked how he could justify this when Islam was supposed to be a religion of peace, the crowd mocked her. But it was Choudary who rose to put her in her place. "Islam is not a religion of peace," he said. "It is a religion of submission. We need to submit to the will of Allah."
Later the Standard asked Choudary whether telling young British Muslims to "rise up" was inciting them to violence? He laughed. "By 'rise up' I mean rise up and air your views," he said. It was classic Choudary double-speak. His audience clearly gets his intent. But with the Home Office undecided about such gatherings, he seems to know exactly how far he can go and still get away with it.
Reader views (50)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
One day they will go too far, they will blow up a school, a kindergarten, a church, a hospital or something along those lines.
By then at the very latest, action will be taken. This has gone too far already, and all over europe people are (understandably) losing faith in their governments to protect them. once we are forced to protect ourselves though, expect things to get ugly.
- Gunnar, Frankfurt, Germany
All it takes for evils to triumph is the inaction of the good people. (some famous quote slightly paraphrased)
The horror! There should be atleast two public counter protest for every stunt the fanatics pull!
- Paxmax, Middle of Sweden
Typical British tomfoolery to invite a known "terrorist" to speak!
- Rehan Qayoom, LONDON
I'm glad for articles like this and other articles which expose the extremism of some Muslim groups. The truth is that extremism is only found in a small percentage of Muslims. HOWEVER....most of the moderate and peace-loving Muslims throughout the world are ENTIRELY UNWILLING to speak out against the extreme and hardline Muslims. I am very grateful for the faithful Muslims who are willing to speak out.
The adherents of groups such as those listed in the article are dangerous, reprehensible individuals. They are bad people, through and through. Anyone who defends these people is wrong.
Good work to the reporters and editors on this article.
- Fred, San Luis Obispo, CA. 93401
It think it goes without saying - though I'll say it anyways - that this gathering was certainly using hate speech. I also think that Islamophobia is a word that needs to be retired. A phobia is an irrational fear, and fear of this group is not irrational. Radical Muslims have proven time and again that they will do whatever they feel is necessary in order to acheive their ends. What's worse is that they do not see non-Muslims as human beings, so they feel justified in killing the rest of us like animals. They stand for a profound abuse of human rights, and I think they must be stopped. If that makes me "intolerant" and "Islamophobic," then so be it. I am also very sorry for the moderate, law abiding Muslims that have to put up with the image that these radicals are giving. I am sorry for the children of the radicals, who will have been brought up to hate. I find it almost hilarious, in a morbid way how willing people seem to be to have their culture annexed by a violent and abusive one, all in the name of peace and tolerance. Tolerance has to be earned, and I am strangely unwilling to tolerate someone who would torture or kill me and my family, given a sliver of a chance. Funny, that. You might call me intolerant, then. Better intolerant than dead. Nabil - I think there should be more Muslims like you. If there were more like you, I wouldn't be worried.
- Merlin, Canada
I think this guys have all the right to say so. Why should their words bother you. They submit to Allah alone and that is not wrong. As an advice, I see it nice that you should stop calling them radicals, because they are not.
- Ellen, Nairobi, kenya.
These people disgust me. If they hate the UK so much and its laws they should leave.
I am a practicing Muslim, and I find these people hypocritical. I love Britain, which has provided me with so many rights, and which has justice as the basis of their legal system.
These people should be engaged with in a public debate and their ideas dismissed- and this is coming from a muslim.
- Nabil, Essex
Islamic radicals make mockery of hate laws: No they don't, NuLiebour sponsored political correctness is the guilty party.
Like so many of the other PC laws that our Britain-hating politburo have introduced, they only apply to the white, Christian, heterosexual majority. In NuLiebour PC cloud cuckoo land, members of minority groups can only ever be victims.
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster
He added: "As Muslims, we will not submit to any man-made law, any government, or any prime minister - Bush or Brown - or [to] Jacqui Smith. We submit to Allah."
If they don't recognize the law of the land, why should the law of the land recognize them?
- Rogan, Irving
You must act now. The longer you let the cancer of islam grow, the harder it will be to eradicate it!
Soon you will not be able to!
Start sending them back where they belong....and let them eat oil!
- John, thunder bay, canada
Islam promotes a violent, intolerant, sexist, racist and revolutionary ideology. It should in reality be a proscribed and not permitted in any part of the free world.
We tolerate it and allow it freedom to fester here at our mortal peril.
- Adam, Harrow, Uk
Now that touchy, feely; warm and fuzzy; give us a group hug Obama is the President, get ready for some real hatred from these hate mongers. He will do nothing to stop the terrorism, except "now, let's sit down and talk this out, fellas." Get ready for some renewed bombins and terror come January 22, 2009.
- Margo, Philadelphia, PA
This is clearly seditious and as such warrants for those who organised the meeting and took part should be issued. It is time the gloves came off. Meetings of twenty or more Muslims should be licenced and attended by the police. Prior notification of all who are to speak should be compulsory and approved beforehand. Muslims who contravene our laws demonstrate they no longer wish to live in harmony here and should therefore be deported. No appeals, no long trials and no human rights.
- Tommo, Saltdean, UK
Home Office is protecting such elements. First they spend lot off money, providing all benefit on the tax payers income. Such elements are well establish with their own secretreat, on tax payer fund or illegal transfer to money. Lot of illegle and criminal peoples have been protecting in their den.Asylum should be stopped for such criminals and deported their countries immediately. These are the burden on natinal economy. How long you will protect them? How much money you will spend on them.They should go back and face the charges in their countries.Such bad elements are the burden on economy and society."GOD SAKE TALK IMMEDIALTE ACTION AND GET RID OF THEM"
- M Amjad, London
Hate laws? I don't need a law to make me hate these people.
- John, arezzo, italy
Thank you Labour,Thank you Tony Blair,Thank you Gordon Brown.This is what bad Government does.They appease these foreigners and oppress the local population.These Islamic idiots arent stupid.They have figured us out.They know which cards to play.The moment anybody protests their wish to introduce their disgusting law into our society,they shout racists and the Government freezes.
Deport the lot of them I say.Rescind their passports and throw out back to the Middle ages where they belong.And take Rowan Williamson with them.We should not have to tolerate this sort of behaviour from foreigners.Deport deport deport.
Triviality has become part of our national character now.It sickens me that while the general population focuses on Russel Brand/Jonathan Ross jokes gone wrong or who is winning X-Factor or who is bebooted out of BB,this is happening right under our noses.It wont be until a British woman is murdered according to Shiara law that any sort of action will be taken.By then it will be far too late.
- Phil, Edinburgh
All the more reason to support the Quilliam Foundation and it's efforts to counter these Islamists and there hate filled Ideology.
- Khurram, London
Cohen raises some interesting questions here. Why the heck is a platform for the Tottenham Ayatollah still being provided??? And why are the Home Office not looking into their laws to extend them to prevent ALL communications from being broadcasted to what can only be described as tomorrow’s suicide bombers.
Bakri has been prevented from gaining entry to the UK for a reason: simply to prevent his hate speeches reaching an audience as they insight violence and hatred. But has his banning to the UK been successful in limiting his discourse reaching pious young Muslims? The answer is clearly NO. Chaudry and his band of merry-men are popularising a warped and illegitimate interpretation of Islam. The government and Muslim organisations need to undermine these Islamists and expose their illegitimacy. All we ever here from the Muslim community is that a house was raided, or three terror suspects have been detained... where are all the positives??? Why don’t the moderate Muslims stand up and show all of the positive contributions they are making to society? These baddies are bringing a bad name to a religion, and the goodies are not fighting their corner. Surely the Jihad (struggle) for the goodies is to popularise the positives of Islam and bring to the attention of society in general that Muslims are making some fantastic contributions to the UK and humanity. Only when this is done will the baddies (muppets) be silenced!
- Andy, Bristol
HOW ABOUT WE MAKE A DEAL: WE WILL NOT COME TO YOUR SAND INFECTED COUNTRIES AND YOU WON'T COME TO OURS? We will not shove our political and religious believes on you and you do the same?
Oh, wait -- you want world domination!!!
- Mbr, USA
If to die for Allah is a 1st class ticket to paradise why is it that the mullahs don't seem in any hurry to get
there themselves, but are very keen to send other easily
corruptables. Perhaps they know that it's oblivion and not paradise that awaits!
- Kipper, Runcorn England
I know these baffons do not represent the majority of Muslims around the world I mean how could they? this crazy organization has only been around for a few year, and I do not want these people who do not respect either the law or basic human decency to cause any more of our rights to be sidelined under anti-terror legistlation. I say this to these Omar Bakri Zealots: if you do not like something about the way our country or nay other country is run, then protest like the rest of us, on the media, in protest marches, and at the ballot box, but whatever you do respect the rest of us, otherwise leave the country or even better leave the planet altogether.
- W Joseph, London, UK
why people such as these are not arrested and deported is beyond me. if they do not respect and abide by the laws of the UK (or anywhere else for that matter), then they should not be allowed to live in the UK!
- Jane, Sydney, Aust
'But it was Choudary who rose to put her in her place. "Islam is not a religion of peace," he said.' And can someone explain why he is not in gaol for Islamophobia or the greater crime of insulting Islam?
- Bluey, Sydney, Australia
The British government are in denial,but i don't believe the British people are, hence the incredible rise at local council elections in recent years of the British national party.
- Kev, London
To James, We don't need to ban religions, we just need to ban cults.....which islam "submission" surely is.
Just search "cult" for definitions and observe the similarities. No truly objective examination will result in a different conclusion.
- Doug, Romeo, Michigan, USA
I don't understand. What British oppression? Muslims in the UK have everything they could want: halal food, interest-free financing, many mosques, the ability to wear hijab...what else do you want??? While it's true many Muslims are unduly jailed for years while those actually guilty of crimes get off easy, 'sheikhs' like this dude are stupid. Get a law/politics degree, don't teach the already vulnerable Tower Hamlet-ers that violence is the only option!
Sincerely, your sister in Islam.
- Princess, london, UK
The Eloi don't want to hear this and probably didn't.
- Bl@Kbird, Canada
Coming soon to a neighbourhood near you..........
Yes, they DO want world domination. Nothing else will do. What part of "Do not obey the British law" and "We will not rest until the flag of Allah and the flag of Islam is raised above 10 Downing Street" don't our so called leaders understand?
- Anne Martin, Nova Scotia, Canada
why stop all religion? that is rediculous. I don't see crazy christians, buddists, and others strapping bombs to themselves, killing people systemically, trying to take over the world in their religions name, and preaching hate. all the other religions preach tolerance. Only one does not. get your head out of the sand and stop enabling these evil thugs. Why would they be in your country if they didnt want to assimilate? becasue they want to change your country...not make it better with you, not take advantage of what it has to offer. To change it into a muslim country. How long does it take someone to actually listen and take these evil dogs at their word? time is ticking. keep voting liberal. we'll all be beating our covered women within a decade.
- Drj, Sarasota USA
We need to start rounding these people up before they kill us all.
- John, Liverpool, England
Of course Islamic ideology (though not necessarily all Muslims) calls for world domination. Jihad (violent or otherwise) is mandated by the Koran. The Koran, and the teachings of modern Islamic scholars, are easily available online, so please check for yourselves. Now that parts of misogynistic, homophobic, faith-intolerant Sharia Law are legally binding in the UK, I'd say Islam is well on the way to achieving its aims.
- Dc, Tokyo, Japan
Well done, Brittan. You guys are so intelligent, you really deserve to continue existing as a country and I'm sure that, by 2050 or so, when the Muslims have enough numbers to permanently control vast swathes of the country politically through monolithic voting blocks (as they do now in the Netherlands) and the power to enforce sharia on the street in defiance of your laws in the manner that they do all over the world, with violence, you can all pat yourselves on the back at the great country you've left to your children. A multiculti paradise, just like Lebanon.
Churchill must be rolling in his grave.
- Amos, Sydney
OED definition of 'Sedition' in case the Home Secretary has forgotten: 'Agitation directed against the authority of a State's executive, conduct or speech tending to rebellion or breach of public order.' That's what I think I just read.
- Guy, London UK
OED definition of SEDITION:"Agitation directed against the authority of a State's executive,conduct or speech tending to rebellion or breach of public order."
Just thought I'd remind the Home Secretary in case she's forgotten.
- Guy, London UK
The UK and Europe needs immigration reform, it is shocking the UK allow people not use to a liberal democracy to enter the country.
- R. San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
well after having christianity force fed down my throat for the majority of my life I can only sympathise for for the millions of children who are having islam shoved down their throats. I sincerly hope this " religion " does not take hold in the U.K
- Valance, dallas tx
Could anything be clearer? You invited them into your country knowing what they were like in their own. Now they want all, and will likely get it. And mark this radical's words...Islam is not a religion of peace, and apart from a few individuals, never was.
- Gary Coulter, Australia
If you Brits are not going to fight the Muslim fifth column among you, why don't you just hand the keys to the country and the crown jewels over to Omar Bakhri and be done with it.
- Steve Gregg, Washington, DC
When Brand and Ross are pilloried for being silly but Choudary, Bakri et al can freely threaten the whole basis on which our society operates, it's time to expect a punch line!
- Victimlesscriminal, London
"You must destroy the West," he declared.
Just make sure you leave the dole and housing offices intact eh.
- Jimbob, Kensington
So where were Antifa England, Unite Against Facism, Socialist Unity, the Workers Revolutionary Party and all the other Far Left "pro gay", "pro women's rights" etc groups?
They're happy to turn up mob handed when anyone with a political view right of the Daily Mail expresses any type of opinion, but are always strangely quiet when people who seriously advocate the same genocidal hatred as the Nazis scream their bile from the rooftop.
- C., London, UK
Unbridled immigration marked the onset of death of the UK. At what point does someone have the courage to simply say that if you don't like the laws of our land get out and then start deporting these radical muslims?
Next they'll want to impose sharia on citizens of...sorry, they've already done that haven't they.
- Jim S, Boston, MA
Then it's about time to name, shame - AND deport.
- Jen06, Ohio, USA
I'm sure of this talk of destroying the West and taking over Downing Street and submitting the entire country to Islam through violent means is all a big mistranslation...wait, all of this was spoken in English?...uh...oh, hey look a pony! Ah.
- Roy, York
Great Britain has created a rod for it`s back by allowing these radical elements to have so much freedom.
They, the radicals hide behind a religion that claims to be peaceful, but in fact perhaps world domination is what they are really after.
- John Allen, Port Elizabeth South Africa
The only way to stop this is to ban religion full stop.
- James, London UK
Ed Husain's comments ring true. This chilling organisation should be banned immediately and its leaders arrested.
- Wpw, London
'Islam is not a reglion of peace'. quote Choudary We have been warned.
- Maggie, London
We are a tolerant society but to tolerate these fanatics and their attempts to brainwash young vulnerable British Muslims is very dangerous.
- Derek, London
The powers that be are total idiots. Of course it is possible to have live video conferences and talks and has been for years and years. However, the muslims have a point about our laws and the disparity in sentencing. However, they failed to mention that 40 years often only means 10 with good behaviour and bias.
- Helen, norwich
