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UK Muslim TV channel linked to al-Awlaki

2010-01-10

A London-based satellite broadcaster that describes itself as "the voice of authority for Muslims in the UK" has been accused of giving a platform to Anwar al-Awlaki, the extremist cleric with alleged links to al-Qaida and to the man charged with trying to blow up a transatlantic jet on Christmas Day. The Islam Channel, a free-to-air English-language channel that claims to be "a trustworthy source to the two million-plus population of Muslims in the UK", last year carried adverts for a box set of DVDs of Awlaki's sermons and for at least two events at which the cleric was due to be the star speaker via a video link. The channel's website has allowed visitors to click through to a pooled archive of Islamic scholars, from which they can download sermons by Awlaki, including "Stop Police Terror", "Brutality Towards Muslims" and "It's a War against Islam". Leading British Muslim organisations, including the Islamic Society of Britain, have promoted Awlaki's lectures in the past, but now condemn his views. Haras Rafiq of Centri, a counter-extremism consultancy, said Awlaki's online influence over young radicals was becoming a serious concern. "The internet has by far overtaken TV as the favourite pastime of youngsters in countries such as the UK and the ability for people to download Awlaki's sermons is helping to provide radicalisation on demand," Rafiq said. The channel's chief executive officer, Mohamed Ali Harrath, has been on an Interpol wanted list since 1992, Has he indeed? And the police have done nothing about it? Whatever happened to the kind of international cooperation Britain showed Libya recently? after his native Tunisia accused him of attempting to create "an Islamic state by means of armed revolutionary violence". Harrath denies the charges. A spokeswoman for the channel said it had been unaware its website had provided links to Awlaki's sermons. She said the sermons were in an online archive shared with many websites. "Islam Channel has not at any time given a platform to Mr Awlaki," she said. The channel has now removed the link. Maajid Nawaz, a former presenter on the Islam Channel who is now director of the counter-extremism think tank Quilliam, said: "Islam Channel is beamed into thousands of Muslim homes every night. With such influence, however, comes responsibility."

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Britain

Mohammed the Mole gets a name change

2007-12-02

First there was Mohammed the Mole and Dipak the Dalmatian. Now there is Morgan the Mole and Dipak the Dalmatian. A British children's author who named his fictitious mole Mohammed and the dog Dipak in an attempt to promote multi-culturalism, has backed away from the first for fear of offending Muslims. Author Kes Gray said he changed the mole's name after reading about the fate of British school teacher Gillian Gibbons who is in prison in Sudan for allowing her class to name a teddy bear Mohammed. Gray told The Sunday Times, London that he "had no idea at all of the sensitivities of the name Mohammed until seeing this case in Sudan" and he added that the Hindu and Muslim names for his animals characters had merely been a way to "embrace other cultures...I had no idea it would backfire like this. I was in Egypt this year and everyone was called Mohammed. I just thought it was a popular name". Gray's book, an illustrated volume called Who's Poorly Too, has sold 40,000 copies in Britain and abroad over the last eight years it has been in print. But the author says he decided to postpone a re-print and rename the mole to guard against the possibility of trouble from angry Muslims. Many believe Gray's self-censorship and caution may be political correctness gone mad especially as he has never received any complaints about the mole's name and many British Muslims have robustly attacked the Sudanese hardline on Gibbons as a bad advert for Islam. The overwhelming British Muslim plea for Gibbons to have been spared by the Sudanese judges came as 10,000 teddies, named Adam the Muslim Prayer Bear, were reportedly bought by Muslim families in Britain to raise money for Sudanese refugees. Adam bear's name is that of another prophet of Islam and at £15 a piece, he recites Assalam-o-alaikum when his paws are pressed. The bears, marketed by the Islamic Society of Britain, to raise funds for charity, have not sparked unease or complaints in the three years they have been sold.

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Britain

Crusaders become saints after Muslim complaints

2006-05-21

THE Crusaders, the Christian youth organisation, is having to change its identity after more than 100 years because of claims that its name is anti-Islamic, Marc Horne writes. The evangelical movement, with more than 20,000 members and championed by Sir Cliff Richard, will be known as the Urban Saints from January as schools and charities said its name might be offensive to Muslims. They claimed it was too closely associated with the crusades, the military campaigns in the 11th and 13th centuries to recapture Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims. “Our new identity is part of a recognition that we are now a 21st-century organisation and are not still stuck in the last century,” said Matt Summerfield, executive director. “There are some people who love the name Crusaders, but we recognise that others get very offended by it, as they think we are harking back to the historical crusades.” Some schools and fundraising groups had rebuffed approaches from Crusaders because of the “emotive” nature of their name, he said. “We have had situations with certain schools who felt they couldn’t run clubs under our name because they have a number of Muslim pupils. People are very wary these days about the possibility of being portrayed as politically incorrect and insensitive to other faiths.” But the name change would not alter the Christian character of the organisation. Rob Rawson, director of Crusaders Scotland, said the name Urban Saints was more relevant. “In the west of Scotland the term ‘saints’ often has Catholic overtones. We are stressing that the name is based on the biblical term — basically a follower of Christ. Crusaders is a strong, almost aggressive name which was fine in 1906, but is certainly not appropriate in 2006.” The rebrand was formally announced at an Albert Hall concert in London last night when 3,500 youngsters watched Christian rock bands and dance acts. Richard, who topped the charts with the religious anthems Saviour’s Day and Millennium Prayer, at first had reservations about the rebrand. “Sir Cliff’s reaction when he first heard the new name was that it would take some digesting,” said Bill Latham, his long-term manager and close friend. “It is fair to say that Urban Saints was not a name that appealed to him immediately. “He had a chat with the executive director of the Crusaders and the reasons behind the new name were explained to him. Now Sir Cliff is more well disposed to it than he was immediately, although he accepts that Crusaders was an outdated name.” Phil Gallie, the conservative MSP, was appalled that the Crusaders felt compelled to abandon a century of tradition. “Anyone with a modicum of common sense would recognise that the word Crusader doesn’t necessarily refer to Richard the Lionheart,” he said. “These politically correct gurus who forced this group to change their name are off their trolleys and should be ashamed of themselves.” Muslim leaders applauded the change. Sajid Quayem, of the Islamic Society of Britain, said: “The term crusader is still seen as offensive by many Muslims and Christians, particularly after George Bush misguidedly referred to the war in Iraq as a crusade. The name Urban Saints is quite groovy and will not cause offence to anybody.”

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Britain

Youth wing of UK Muslim group calls for jihad

2005-08-08

On a similar note, the "Valeurs actuelles" conservative french mag has recently revealed how openly sold islamic literature for young children in France emphasizes calls for jihad and rejection of the judeo-christians. By Shiv Malik Children as young as 11 are being targeted by radical Muslims who appear to have infiltrated a mainstream Muslim website, The Independent on Sunday can reveal. Literature aimed at children between 11 and 18 on the youth section of the Islamic Society of Britain (ISB) website calls on them to "boycott those who openly wage war against Allah". The article containing that quote, entitled "Imam Hassan al-Banna on jihad", goes on to say: "Jihad is a powerful invigorating yearning for Islam's might and glory ... which makes you cry when looking at the weakness of Muslims today and the humiliating tragedies crushing him to death everywhere. Jihad is to be a soldier for Allah. When the bugle calls ... you should be the first to answer the call to join the ranks for jihad." Other articles on atheism and secularism appear to be against integration. One article is entitled "Zionism, a black historical record", and another, "Israel simply has no right to exist". The ISB immediately disowned this content after being informed of it by the IoS, and promised to remove it. In a statement, a spokesman said: "We were not aware of the material being on the website and it is not in agreement and consistency with the ethos and message of the organisation. We will immediately look at this and remove anything that is disagreeable and apologise for any offence that has been caused." Nadeem Malik, a vice-president of the ISB, added that the literature was the responsibility of the organisation's youth wing, Young Muslims, which has a degree of autonomy. "Anything that is there is within the remit of the ISB," he said. "I'm not going to justify what is on there. But if it is on there it is a very small part of a much bigger structure that is very much against those views." He added that the ISB and Young Muslims UK were merged in 1994, and internal debate has created a contradiction of views in the organisation. At the heart of that debate is whether Muslims interpret the Koran literally or within its historical context. This has led to a situation where the mainstream of Muslims in the UK believe in integration, while a small, vocal minority is opposed to Muslims living within a non-Muslim structure of law and education. Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is non-violent, is one example of the radical groups. Hizb loudly claims to be non-violent, but devotes itself into recruiting young cannon fodder for groups that are violent. They also claim not to be an al-Qaeda front. It is made up of professionals - managers, academics and doctors - and has a membership of between 2,000 and 3,000. But its strict interpretation of the Koran leads it to instruct its members not to vote in a political system dominated by Kaffirs, or unbelievers. During this year's election, its members were told that to vote was forbidden by God.

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Britain

Charles fights death penalty for converts

2004-12-19

The Prince of Wales is brokering efforts to end the Muslim death penalty on converts to other faiths, The Telegraph has learned. He held a private summit of Christian and Muslim leaders at Clarence House this month to explore the centuries-old Islamic law under which apostates face persecution and even death. His intervention follows mounting anger at the treatment of Muslims who have converted to Christianity in a number of Islamic states. As an advocate of inter-faith dialogue, Prince Charles has come under pressure to criticise the religious law that, campaigners say, has resulted in hundreds of executions in countries from Iran to Sudan. Among the Christians at the confidential meeting was an Anglican archbishop from a part of Nigeria where Islamic Sharia law is enforced. Others included the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, and the Pakistani-born Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali. It is understood that the Muslim group, which included the Islamic scholar Zaki Badawi, cautioned the prince and other non-Muslims against speaking publicly on the issue. "I'm warnin' you! Yer takin' yer life into yer hands!" It argued that Islamic moderates could have more influence on the traditional position if the debate remained largely internal. A member of the Christian group said yesterday that he was "very, very unhappy" about the outcome. Patrick Sookhdeo, the international director of the Barnabas Fund which campaigns on behalf of persecuted Christians abroad, stressed that he was speaking on the record only because details of the meeting had already leaked. He urged the prince and Muslim leaders in Britain to criticise openly the traditional Islamic law on apostasy, calling for it to be abolished throughout the world. "My view, and I think the other Christians shared it, is that when something is wrong it must be stated as a wrong." Other Christian leaders were more sympathetic to the worries of the Muslims that public criticism could prove counter-productive. Besides Dr Sookhdeo and the Bishops of London and Rochester, others Christian leaders at the meeting included the Archbishop of Kaduna in Nigeria, the Most Rev Josiah Idowu-Fearon, and a bishop from the Orthodox Church. Other Muslim leaders included Sayyed Yousef al-Khoei, the director of the London-based Al-Khoei Foundation, and Sher Khan, of the Islamic Society of Britain.

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Britain

Captain Hook gets 9 more months in the UK

2004-04-27

ABU HAMZA, the radical Muslim cleric who has been linked to five Islamic terrorist groups, has secured the right to stay in Britain for another nine months - in spite of the government’s attempts to deport him. The Special Immigration Appeals Commission yesterday postponed the hearing until 10 January, 2005, after several problems, including Mr Hamza’s refusal to appear in court during the Muslim month of fasting in Ramadan. The delay came as several new details emerged about Mr Hamza’s links to terrorist organisations in Britain and beyond, leading Muslim groups and MPs to unite in denouncing the delay in his hearing. Ian Burnett, QC, representing the Home Office, yesterday told a bomb-proof hearing room in London that the government can prove Mr Hamza offered "support and advice" to al-Qaeda before the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001. There is also evidence linking the cleric to terrorist cells including the GIA in Algeria, the IAA in Yemen - where he is wanted on terrorist charges - and a Kashmiri terrorist group known as the HUA. But Mr Hamza was granted the nine-month extension after he refused to submit evidence in his defence and changed his solicitor. There has also been debate about whether he was entitled to up to £250,000 in legal aid. I think the entire West is crazy... Mr Hamza, who has been banned from preaching in the Finsbury Mosque, London, by the Charities Commission, was not in court because he has filed no relevant papers in the last 12 months. Mr Burnett expressed the disappointment of the government that the proceedings against Mr Hamza, which began in April last year, look set to go on for two years, and that officials could not act sooner. Justice delayed is justice denied... He added that the cleric has used the Finsbury Mosque as a "centre of extremism and a safe haven for Islamic terrorists, enabling them to develop the support and contacts necessary to further violent aims." The judge, Mr Justice Ouseley, also expressed dismay that Mr Hamza was entitled to such a long delay in his hearing. "For my part, I find it difficult to see why the timetable was not adhered to," he said. Fury over the nine-month delay was yesterday echoed by the Islamic Society of Britain (ISB), which said Mr Hamza’s presence in the country is harming the reputation of Britain’s Muslims throughout the country. "He should be removed just as other members of extremist factions," said Naeem Raza, a director of the ISB. "He deserves to be thrown out. It is disgusting that he is still here." Even the turbans don't like him. C'mon, guys! What would Good Queen Bess do? Naseem Mohammed, the chairman of the Birmingham Central Mosque, said: "Mr Hamza needs to be removed and 99.9 per cent of Muslims do not agree with what he says. He is simply a madman." But still they keep him around... SECRET tapes containing the rantings of Abu Hamza were revealed in the Daily Mail yesterday. They outline his twisted views on suicide bombings, the West’s war on terror and his thoughts on Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, and George Bush, the US president. On suicide bombings, he tells supporters: "You don’t have to travel thousands and thousands of miles to become a shaheed [martyr] - you can be a shaheed right on your own doorstep. May Allah open our eyes for what’s good for us - so we don’t waste our efforts and our Muslim blood far away." If Sir Walter Raleigh could end up with a very short haircut, why can't Captain Hook? And on the UK terror crackdown, he says: "These laws are now coming one after the other. And the main goal is to destruct Islam and Muslims from Islam because Islam now is what makes their life difficult." The tapes also repeat his views on 11 September: "Wherever you are, death will catch up with you - even if you are in high elevated towers. Where is their ‘Superman’? They only know how to fly through windows. Who is to blame? The American government and their pressure cooker policy which exploded in their faces." He later adds: "These scenes are going to repeat." On Osama Bin Laden, he says: "Sheikh Bin Laden is not a normal person. He is an example for all mujahideen with his past experience, goals and achievements." And he mocks Mr Blair and Mr Bush, saying on the tapes: "The people who are spreading terror all over the planet, the people who have sanctioned children, they are killing them for tens of years; the people who have killed millions of children."

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