There has been a significant breakthrough.
Daud Abdullah has reversed his apparent position, as set out in the Istanbul Declaration. He wishes to make the following clear
Dr Daud Abdullah categorically stated that he does not condone, encourage or support the killing of any human being be they Jews, Zionists, Muslims and non-Muslims.
Secondly, he doe not condone, encourage or support attacking British soldiers and warships, in this country or anywhere else in the world.
Here is the letter, which also appears on the website of the Hamas/Muslim Brotherhood affliated Muslim Association of Britain: a constituent member of the Muslim Council of Britain.
That is a step in the right direction. As matters stood, until today, the plain language of the Istanbul Declaration that Daud Abdullah signed committed him to support – as a matter of religious duty – both the killing of Jews and attacks on British troops.
However, the signature of Daud Abdullah – and a few other peers and MCB worthies – is not enough. He has not withdrawn his name of the Istanbul Declaration and he must do so, clearly, unequivocally and immediately.
It is impossible to overstate the seriousness of Daud Abdullah’ s conduct. As one Government source told The Times:
“That’s the kind of rhetoric that the London bombers used to justify their attacks. And the message in this case is not coming from the internet or Bin Laden, but from the second most senior guy in Britain.”
The Government has already moved to sidestep the MCB. Whether or not the Government ever works with the MCB again, the seven questions that we asked last week still need to be answered by Daud Abdullah and the MCB:
1. Paragraph 7 of the Istanbul Declaration reads:
“The obligation of the Islamic Nation to regard everyone standing with the Zionist entity, whether countries, institutions or individuals, as providing a substantial contribution to the crimes and brutality of this entity; the position towards him is the same as towards this usurping entity.”
(a) Daud Abdullah must explain, in detail, what he understood the words “the position towards him is the same as towards this usurping entity” to mean.
(b) It is imperative as a condition of re-engagement that the MCB condemns, without equivocation or limitation, terrorist threats against such persons, countries or individuals.
2. Paragraph 8 of the Istanbul Declaration reads:
“The obligation of the Islamic Nation to regard the sending of foreign warships into Muslim waters, claiming to control the borders and prevent the smuggling of arms to Gaza, as a declaration of war, a new occupation, sinful aggression, and a clear violation of the sovereignty of the Nation. This must be rejected and fought by all means and ways.”
(a) Does Daud Abdullah accept that this statement treats “foreign warships” in “Muslim waters” as a “declaration of war”. Will he explain why he signed a statement calling for “the Islamic Nation” to fight “by all means and ways” such a ”declaration of war” .
(b) As a condition of re-engagement, the MCB must condemn, without equivocation or limitation, the assertion that the presence of “foreign warships” in “Muslim waters” is a “declaration of war” against “the Islamic Nation”.
3. The MCB must also make it clear that it does not regard this religious ruling as a statement of the “obligations” of “The Islamic Nation”, and condemns any person who asserts that any Muslim should treat it as such.
4. Daud Abdullah must explain why he signed this statement. He must apologise for having signed this statement, publicly withdraw his name from it, and explain clearly why he is doing so.
5. The MCB must promise that neither Daud Abdullah, nor any other MCB member or affiliate, will participate in the so-called “Global Anti-Aggression Campaign“, or in any other conferences substantially led by Hamas, Hezbollah, or any other terrorist organisation.
6. The MCB must make it clear that any person or constituent organisation who does participate in such a conference in the future will be expelled from the MCB.
7. It appears that a number of members of bodies affiliated to the MCB have also signed the document. If any of them have signed it, they must publicly take the same steps to distance themselves from the Declaration as Dr Abdullah, or be expelled from the MCB.
The fact is, the MCB is completely unapologetic about its conduct over their senior officer’s support for terrorism. Here is a page in which defiant messages from supporters of the MCB have been posted, condemning the Government for standing up to threats of terrorism, and defending Daud Abdullah. This evening, Dr Abdul Bari – himself, a former President of the pro-jihad Jamaat-e-Islami front group, Islamic Forum Europe – is going to deliver a “focused and trenchant” speech in Oxford on the subject of the mess that the MCB has got itself into.
A little humility at this point from the MCB might be appropriate.
Finally, although it is a relief to know that Daud Abdullah now opposes the killing of Jews or terrorism against the British armed forces, what about the other British residents whose signatures appear on the Istanbul Declaration?
They include:
- Rachid Ghannoushi
- Mohammed Sawalha, President of the British Muslim Initiative and IslamExpo
- Abdul Qayum, the Chief Imam of the Jamaat-e-Islami controlled East London Mosque
These individuals should be investigated by the police, and if the evidence warrants it, prosecuted and if convicted, deported.
