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Mosque 'has 20-year history of extremist recruitment'
Ross Lydall09.09.09
A London mosque was named today as having a 20-year history as a recruiting ground for extremists.
The Queen's Road mosque in Walthamstow was frequented by the leader of the airline gang that was convicted on Monday of attempting to blow up seven transatlantic flights.
Abdulla Ahmed Ali used the mosque, which is controlled by the ultra-orthodox Tablighi Jamaat sect, to meet associates.
Two decades ago, the same mosque was hosting talks by followers of Omar Bakri Mohammed, one of the first Islamic clerics in Britain to preach jihad.
Bakri Mohammed, who now lives in Lebanon, set up the al-Muhajiroun which he used to radicalise young men. His followers included two Britons responsible for a suicide bomb attack on Tel Aviv in 2003.
The revelation about the mosque is more evidence placing Walthamstow at the centre of the airline bomb plot.
Ali, who will be sentenced next week, tried to recruit school friends and the bomb factory was at a flat in Forest Road.
However, a Waltham Forest councillor said the teaching provided by the Queen's Road mosque was not part of the problem.
Afzal Akram said: "None of the mosques have been used to preach extremism."
Reader views (12)
Why waste time, energy and resources? There is just one question this so-called tolerant, embracing, inclusive British government needs to answer. Would we British be given the same liberties in the islamic states as muslims enjoy here or are they so blind that it is still not obvious that they have not been wary 'of the Camel's nose' ??? Wake up from your laxity and 'slumber' O Britannia before your replay the Trojan Horse destruction upon our little accommodating island!!!
- Elizabeth, London, UK
Politicians have to be aware now that knowledge is in the public domain of some sinister (to Britain) mosques being backed by some very wealthy Saudi and Deobandi sects. They are funding muslim schools, colleges and mosques in the UK. We have read and seen TV evidenced documentaries where even some highly respectable mosques carry anti infidel material and have preachers preaching against non muslims in Britain. We are tired of mosque committees blandly telling us they have no knowledge of what their bookshops sell. Or that they are not aware of or responsible for who preaches in their mosque side halls. We all know this is a nonsense as mosque committees know exactly who is allowed to hire or use their halls. Mosques are very strictly controlled by their administrators
Because some mosques are being funded by wealthy backers who are so blatantly anti British and anti western in their views and agenda, a majority of Britons find the building of very large super mosques in this country detrimental, even dangerous to Britain.
- Richard, London
The government knew about this, like the Finsbury Park Mosque being used for a weapons cache, and turned a blind eye. Socialists simply do not have the balls to tackle issues like this face on. There is only one language that Muslim extremists understand.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
A lot of Muslims will say, these hard line extremists don't represent us. Muslim extremists carry out their hate crimes and preaching in the name of their religion. There's the difference between your ordinary thug who carries out a mindless attack on someone. What shocks and disturbs most people in Britain is that places of *worship*, in this case some mosques, can have as priests/holy men/imams who preach hatred and even violence and deliberately set out to fill young minds with anger and hatred.
A majority in Britain, although by and large a secular country, would create a national uproar of outrage were any Christian minister to stand up in church and preach hatred against any other group of people. As well as being banished by the church's elders, he would most probably be up before the courts pronto on charges of incitement to hatred. The people just would not stand for it.
If non Muslims interfere in Muslim affairs, they're tagged as racists. If Muslims can be affronted by Danish cartoons and the like so readily, what we can't understand is, how is any practising Muslim able to know of a mosque harbouring imams and preachers of hatred, without being totally angered, affronted and outraged? Allowing a mosque and its imam to actively subvert and distort the Prophet's teachings would surely bring out mass protestations and demonstrations? Offence has been taken at so many other things in the name of Islam - but not yet at those who preach hatred in some mosques.
- Richard, London
Does this mosque have charity status? If so, it should be investigated by the charity commission. If its activities do not mean that charity status can be withdrawn, then that law needs to be changed.
Close it down? Maybe not. Better a nest of wasps that you know is there, than one that you don't. Better to make sure that the existing laws on incitement, etc. are strictly enforced, with absolutely no exceptions made if it's "cultural", or if the person doing the incitement is a preacher or imam, or if enforcing the law might cause offense to others. It's the law, and it applies equally to all.
- Nigel, London
Shut it, and all other hotbeds of terrorism down.
- Vince, London, West London area
I´m tempted to join the "close it down" group, but if the mosque is closed down, where will the extremists hold their meetings? They would more than likely disperse to other secret locations making it difficult for the intelligence and police forces to monitor. Maybe it´s best to leave them where they are so a close watch can be kept on them.
- Graham Rodhouse, Helmond, Netherlands
It's simple, SHUT IT DOWN! Sadly this is one of many mosques preaching hatred in and around London and there are MANY more around the nation that need to be exposed. How come nothing has been done since Channel 4 aried "Under Cover Mosque"? I am sick and tired of the PC Brigade making excuses for this serious issue and its time to tackle this head on.
- Dirk Diggler, Soho, London
I presume with this new knowledge the government will spring in to action by doing nothing except maybe giving them a grant of public money to expand their premises?
- Mr Opinion, london
Simple answer: Close it down. Now.
- Peter, Harrow, UK
I'm hoping we'll see the UAF/'anti facist' brigade protesting outside this mosque now this has come to light though i somehow doubt it,seems they're only interested in having a go at white people who are against this kind of Islamic extremism.
- Stephen, London
The ultra PC brigade in government suppressed and repressed us all from making any adverse comment about anyone from a non christian heritage. Only since America has intervened re Omar Bakhri, Abu Hanza and later hardline extremists looking to cause havoc on our streets, do they now acknowledge all the harmful elements who have been allowed to flourish. Some are even nurtured by our liberal benefits. What they are beginning to realise that their heads in the sand denial has given us an angry populace in its wake. People are voting (some reluctantly) BNP and many people want our traditions and cultural aspects of life to become dominant once again in their homeland. By being lax on crime, social cohesion and unbounded immigration, legal and illegal, they've set our country adrift. People want change. People want a turn around from all that.
- Richard, London
