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Bin Laden's on way
 Sickening sight ... Abdul Rehman Saleem burns the Union Jack yesterday and warns of bloodshed on the streets of London |
This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/294
Omar Bakri Mohammed of Al Muhajiroun justifies targetting children & beheading non Muslims - calls for Abu Hamza's release
September 27, 2004
MIM: British police have "de arrested" the former leader of the Finsbury Park Mosque Abu Hamza Al Masri in jail, and it is doubtful if the UK will comply with the American demand for his deportation to stand trial on terrorism charges in the U.S.
Hamza's Finsbury Park mosque, which he ran together with Omar Bakri Mohammed , is once again in the news as the launching pad for one of the terrorists involved in the school massacre in Beslan.
This should come as no surprise, since Al Muhajiroun leader Omar Bakri Mohammed has been garnering publicity for condoning kidnappings and beheadings, recruiting Mujahadeen and suicide bombers, and saying that his group supports school hostage takings in Britain.
The British goverment's reponse has been to consider "outlawing flag burning in public places", citing the fact that Al Muhajiroun's recently public burnings of the Union Jack in the presence of Abu Hamza Al Masri and Omar Bakri Mohammed are offensive to the sensibilities of some Britons. http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/38
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For their part, British Muslims are feeling so victimised that they lamented their plight in "British Muslims feel under siege since 9/11 attacks". (see article below).
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http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1318445,00.html
Two other members of the group, loyal to Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, are also believed to have been active in the
Russian security sources described Kamel Rabat Bouralha, 46 years old and the oldest of the three, as a 'key aide' of Basayev, who has a £5.5 million price on his head. Basayev has boasted of training the men who took control of the school and wired it with explosives. Investigators believe that the three men, all Algerian-born, travelled to
Russian investigators are thought to have now identified most of the 33 men who occupied the school in Beslan last month. They include two Algerians in their mid-30s called Osman Larussi and Yacine Benalia. Both are thought to have been based in
General Ilya Shabalkin said that Bouralha had been detained while attempting to leave
Senior sources at Scotland Yard are investigating the Russian information. Former associates in London confirmed that Bouralha had been a frequent visitor at Finsbury Park mosque from around 2000.
According to Russian security sources, there are up to 300 Arab mercenaries operating with rebel formations in Chechnya. However, Moscow has been keen to exaggerate 'foreign' elements among Chechen militants, often blaming 'al-Qaeda' despite little evidence to suggest the group's involvement. Recently some analysts have tried to establish links between Chechen militants and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al-Tauhid group, which is holding Ken Bigley hostage in Iraq.
The Observer has obtained detailed reports into al-Zarqawi's group compiled largely from 'communications intercepts' by a Western intelligence service. A series of telephones seized from militants has allowed investigators to build up a picture of a European network that stretches from Poland to the UK. There are several references to obtaining false documents from London.
Interactive guide
Russian school hostage crisis
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http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3540902
Islamic Leader Wants Suspects Released for Hostage
By Nick Allen, Crime Correspondent, PA News
The leader of the radical Islamic group Al-Muhajiroun today said that extremists held in Britain – such as Abu Qatada and Abu Hamza – should be released in exchange for Iraq hostage Ken Bigley.
Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed refused to condemn or condone the terrorists threatening to execute Mr Bigley and said he backed their cause – the removal of British and American troops from Iraq.
He said the beheading of the British hostage by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's ruthless Tawhid and Jihad group would be "something unpleasant" but blamed the Government for not negotiating and accused Prime Minister Tony Blair and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw of "giving the green light" for the execution to go ahead.
Bakri, who praises the 9/11 hijackers as the "magnificent 19", told PA News: "All foreigners should leave Iraq and and leave Arabia. The forces in Iraq have the right to fight foreigners.
"They are arresting foreigners in a Muslim land – I believe he (Mr Bigley) should not be there in the first place regardless of his mission."
He went on: "That does not mean I condone his killing. To see the beheading is something unpleasant. No one wants to see it, nobody likes to watch it.
"But every day we see what is going on in Iraq and we see how our brothers are reacting.
"By condemning them we are condemning the cause they stand for and I cannot condemn the cause.
"I believe myself there must be some flexibility from the the British Government in order to save the life of the British hostage.
"If you just ignore the threat you see what happened to the two Americans.
"You are giving the green light to the kidnappers to take the life.
"That is irresponsible of the British Government to take that approach.
"They have been given the green light by Jack Straw who says ‘we are not going to do anything'."
London-based Bakri, 44, claimed that hook-handed preacher Abu Hamza – currently in Belmarsh jail facing extradition to the United States on terror charges – was a "hostage" of the British Government.
And he claimed Abu Qatada, the extremist cleric suspected of links to Osama bin Laden and detained under emergency anti-terrorism legislation, had also been "kidnapped".
Bakri said: "What about the kidnapping of Abu Qatada, what about the kidnapping of Abu Hamza, people kidnapped here from their own homes?
"The Government have kidnapped a lot of Muslims in the UK and in America. They kidnapped the whole of the Iraqi people.
"Why not release Abu Qatada in return for the British hostage? It would be easy to send him there (to Iraq) and release him."
Bakri, a Syrian father of seven, moved to the UK in 1985 after being deported from Saudi Arabia because of his membership of a banned group.
The Home Office has since given him leave to remain in the UK for five years but is reviewing his status.
Earlier this month he sparked outrage by suggesting that an attack on a British school, as happened in Beslan, Russia, would be justified as long as women and children were not deliberately killed and only died in crossfire.
His group was recently forced to call off a conference in London commemorating the 9/11 attacks which they believe were a "good deed".
They have been condemned as "outcasts" by mainstream British Muslim groups but public statements have stopped short of infringing the law on incitement to racial hatred.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/09/05/wosse705.xml
Cleric supports targeting children
By Rajeev Syal
(Filed: 05/09/2004)
An extremist Islamic cleric based in Britain said yesterday that he would support hostage-taking at British schools if carried out by terrorists with a just cause.
Omar Bakri Mohammed, the spiritual leader of the extremist sect al-Muhajiroun, said that holding women and children hostage would be a reasonable course of action for a Muslim who has suffered under British rule.
In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Mohammed said: "If an Iraqi Muslim carried out an attack like that in Britain, it would be justified because Britain has carried out acts of terrorism in Iraq.
"As long as the Iraqi did not deliberately kill women and children, and they were killed in the crossfire, that would be okay."
Mr Mohammed, 44, who lives in Edmonton, north London, but is originally from Syria, also claimed that the Chechen rebels were not responsible for the deaths of more than 350 people - at least half of them children - who are so far known to have died in Beslan.
"The Mujahideen [Chechen rebels] would not have wanted to kill those people, because it is strictly forbidden as a Muslim to deliberately kill women and children. It is the fault of the Russians," he said.
The father of seven came to Britain in 1985 after being deported from Saudi Arabia because of his membership of a banned group. He has since been given leave by the Home Office to remain in Britain for five years but the Government is reviewing his status.
He gave an interview yesterday to promote a "celebratory" conference in London next Saturday to commemorate the third anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Andrew Dismore, the Labour MP for Hendon, was infuriated by Mr Mohammed's comments. "That sounds to me like incitement and I will report him to Scotland Yard," he said. "It is an insult to most moderate Muslims, who are sick of people like this claiming to represent them."
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Latest News:
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm
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Ken Bigley deserves to be beheaded - says Muslim Convert
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/5983_1023464,00430005.htm
Khalid Kelly, a Mulsim convert, has caused outrage by declaring that Ken Bigley, the British engineer held hostage in Iraq and under threat of being beheaded by his captors, deserved to die.
Bigley's family has been issuing emotional appeals to the captors asking them to spare his life. Bigley himself sent a moving appeal to Tony Blair to help in his release. He said he did not deserve to die. In the midst of all this, Kelly has caused utter dismay by saying the Brit engineer in Iraq was a "legitimate target". Kelly, called fanatic by some, also praised Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who has been threatening to behead Bigley.
Those who know Kelly are not surprised. He is the spokesman for the fanatical British Al-Muhajiroun group, which crowed over the September 11 attacks. Kelly was quoted saying: "Bigley has no one to blame but himself. I've no sympathy with him whatsoever. He is not innocent. He is there fighting with the Americans. What are people complaining about? This is a wartime situation."
Dublin-born Kelly, who lives in a £190,000 terrace house, is a follower of cleric Omar Bakri Mohammad, who has been indulging in anti-Western tirades.
Kelly's remark "Al-Zarqawi sees every non-Muslim in Iraq as a legitimate target and he is not wrong," has angered moderate Muslims. Inayat Bunglawala, of the Muslim Council of Great Britain, said: "Kelly's total lack of compassion for an elderly man is utterly despicable. The fact that he shows no sympathy exposes the bankruptcy of his own soul."
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http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3500449
1:35pm (UK)
Call to Outlaw Flag Burning
By Nick Mead, Political Staff, PA News
Latest News:
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_7-9-2004_pg4_9
Muslim cleric in UK defends hostage-taking
Washington: The Britain-based extremist cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed of al Muhajiroun has been quoted here as saying that he would support hostage-taking at British schools if carried out by terrorists with a just cause.
Al Muhajiroun has an active presence in Pakistan, besides other countries, and is said to raise a fair amount of money from there.
The controversial cleric said holding women and children hostage would be a reasonable course of action for a Muslim who has suffered under British rule. He told Sunday Telegraph, "If an Iraqi Muslim carried out an attack like that in Britain, it would be justified because Britain has carried out acts of terrorism in Iraq. As long as the Iraqi did not deliberately kill women and children, and they were killed in the crossfire, that would be okay."
The interview that the "rest of the world is bound to find revolting beyond words," as one Muslim put it, also expressed the view that the Chechen rebels were not responsible for the deaths of more than 350 people - at least half of them children - who are so far known to have died in Beslan. "The Mujahideen would not have wanted to kill those people, because it is strictly forbidden as a Muslim to deliberately kill women and children. It is the fault of the Russians," he said.
Omar Bakri Mohammed, who moved to Britain in 1985, has seven children. He was deported by Saudi Arabia and permitted by the British Home Office to reside in the country for five years. His continued stay as a legal resident is under review at present. He is organising a "celebratory" conference in London on 11 September to mark the third anniversary of the World Trade Centre and Pentagon attacks by al Qaeda. Andrew Dismore, a Labour MP, was angry at the cleric's endorsement of violence. "That sounds to me like incitement and I will report him to Scotland Yard. It is an insult to most moderate Muslims, who are sick of people like this claiming to represent them." khalid hasan
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British Muslims feel under siege since 9/11 attacks
Sept.10,2004
http://www.masnet.org/news.asp?id=1645
LUTON, ENGLAND (Masnet & News Agencies) There were fears yesterday that a controversial conference to commemorate the 9/11 hijackers and other al-Qaida members would provoke some in England to attack British Muslims, the Guardian newspaper reported.
Omar Bakri, leader of the Islamic group al-Muhajiroun, reportedly plans to hold the convention this Saturday, on the third anniversary of the attack on the twin towers, at an as yet undisclosed location in east London, according to the Guardian.
Anjam Choudry, the UK secretary general of al-Muhajiroun, rejected suggestions that the conference would be a celebration of the 9/11 hijackers, but confirmed it would feature videos of Osama bin Laden and discussions of jihad, as well as a lecture dedicated to dead al-Qaida leaders, the British newspaper reported.
Meanwhile the September 11 attacks in the United States have left Britain's Muslim community feeling "under siege" and increasingly the target of racist incidents, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported this week.
"Things have turned upside down," said Akbar Dad Khan, a member of the Muslim association Building Bridges in Luton, Bedfordshire, and home to a large Muslim population. "The community is feeling that it's under siege, he told AFP.
Racism, aggressive behavior, insulting remarks towards Muslim-looking women and men have reportedly increased.
According to a study conducted by experts and university professors who examined relations between the country's various racial groups, anti-Muslim sentiment has increased since the September 11, 2001 attacks, according to AFP.
The study determined that Muslims were subjected to verbal and physical attacks and were reportedly discriminated against in the workplace.
Britain has an estimated two million Muslims, many of whom come from South Asia.
Khan told AFP that the wearing of the headscarf has also become a controversial issue since the well-publicized ban in France.
"The issue of hijab (headscarf) has become central as it is in France," he said. "Before 9/11 nobody bothered."
He lamented the fact that the Muslim community was now seen as suspect and as supportive of terrorism, when, in fact, he said it was very integrated.
In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, Mosques are now providing legal assistance and offering counseling to parents or children in need of help.
"It keeps getting worse and worse," said Haji Muhammad Suliaman, a well-respected Muslim leader in Luton. "9/11 damaged the Muslim community," he told AFP in an interview.
He told the news agency he was especially concerned about the attitude of police, which in recent months has carried out a number of highly-publicized anti-terrorist raids, including in Luton.
Yasseen Rahman, a spokesman for the council of mosques in Luton, said although there was a small number of extremists within the community, not everyone should be regarded as suspect.
"There is a small minority of extremists and the Muslim community at large has come out very clearly against them," he told AFP."The Muslims feel very scrutinized, mistrusted.
"That was not the case before 9/11."
Keeping in mind such concerns, a parliamentary committee in August called on Home Secretary David Blunkett to scrap draconian counter-terrorism laws passed in the wake of the September 11 strikes, AFP reported.
Blunkett must end the detention of foreign terror suspects without trial "as a matter of urgency", the all-party Joint Committee on Human Rights said in a damning report.
Under the anti-terrorism law foreign nationals who are suspected international terrorists can be interned indefinitely.
Home Office figures show that fewer than one in five of those arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 were subsequently charged with offences under the legislation, AFP reported.
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http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/Al-Muhajiroun
MIM: Al Muhajiroun according to Wikipedia:
Al-Muhajiroun (Arabic: The Emigrants) is an ultra-extremist Islamist group operating in the UK, which splintered from Hizb ut-Tahrir in 1996. It is led by Anjem Choudary and was notorious for its conference "The Magnificent 19", praising the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks.
Al-Muhajiroun activities always target the following as a matter of duty and worship to please Allah (SWT):
1. To establish public awareness in society about Islam as a belief (Aqeedah) from which emanates a complete system of life i.e. Shari'ah in order that Islam becomes the Intellectual leadership in society.
2. To create public opinion in society about Islam as a complete system of life and about the call of Al-Muhajiroun.
3. To persuade Muslims to implement Islam and to persuade non-Muslims to embrace Islam or to accept it as a political way of life and a solution for their problems.
4. To highlight the issues and the problems facing Muslims locally or globally in order to establish an Islamic bond between the community and the Ummah i.e. Muslims worldwide.
5. To create a high profile for Al-Muhajiroun to enable them to penetrate into the society and to let the whole world talk about them and their ideas in order to establish contact and links with the masses and the people of power i.e. the army.
6. To formulate a fifth column as a community pressure group which is well equipped with the Islamic culture e.g. ruling, social, economic, judicial, penal and ritual systems in order to become capable of implementing Islam fully and comprehensively in society.
7. To establish Al-Khilafah in order that Islam dominates the World (Izhaar ud-Deen) and becomes the World order.
This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/294