By now readers of this blog will be familiar with Anwar al Awlaki, the preacher of hatred and jihad.
Here’s another snippet from his work. In a broadcast to “brothers and sisters in Pakistan”, he says this:
There are more and more Muslims who are coming to the conclusion that jihad must be part of our programme of revival and change in the Muslim world, that the occupying enemy must be fought, and that the tyrants also must be fought. Now Pakistan and Afghanistan, with their long history of Islam, their large populations, and their location, are and will be charting the new history of this ummah.
So you need to realise where you are now. You are in a focal point. You are in centre stage. You are in a place where probably, you may have already recognised, that history is being made in that particular part of the world.
So, the terrorists killing British troops in Afghanistan are the heroes of the ummah.
You can listen to the whole poisonous speech here if you like.
The UK is of course another important target for Awlaki. This weekend, he will address an audience in Tower Hamlets.
Another speaker at the event will be Murtaza “Jews and Christians are our enemies” Khan, widely known as a hate preacher since the broadcast of Undercover Mosque.
The third speaker is Uthman Lateef of the Hittin Institute. It has published a call for Israel’s annihilation, whilst (amazingly) making the absurd claim that Jews will prosper in an Islamic state of Palestine:
Therefore, the modern scholarly opinions too seem to suggest that the Muslims were never anti-Semitic nor did they ever persecute Jews because of their religion. If the Muslims have this historical record then they should be allowed to run the affairs of Palestine and other Islamic lands ensuring that the Islamic law is implemented comprehensively, as it was the effective implementation of this law in the first place which produced the ‘Golden Age’ discussed above. The ‘One State Solution’ based upon the Islamic model supported by Shari’ah is a cohesive model that allows a diverse multitude of ethnicities to co-exist and enjoy the same freedoms and rights that are thwarted by the Zionist state today. The ‘Two State Solution’ based upon Secular Democracy does not qualify to be a solution for the conflict, but rather will only intensify the divisions between the Muslim Palestinians. Furthermore, the proposal of the ‘Two State Solution’ is divisive and advocates the segregation of a ‘Jewish’ Sate from a Secular ‘Muslim’ state, proving that it is not a long term solution for the Middle East.
Lateef also spoke at the last London event Awlaki addressed, as reported here.
By the way, the Muslim Council of Britain, which has claimed to oppose extremism, is listing the event on its web site.
The meeting will be held at the Brady Centre, a Tower Hamlets facility.
If you would like to ask the Centre why it is hosting a jihadi event, its e-mail address is bradycentre(at)towerhamlets.gov.uk.
UPDATE
Paging Jacqui Smith! I think this is one of the most ludicrous official takes on jihadi preaching I have ever seen.
Statement from Tower Hamlets Council
“The council considered its own procedures and policies and consulted with the Police about whether the event planned for this weekend at the Brady Centre should go ahead. We also sought advice from the Home Office. These enquiries did not present us with grounds to prohibit the playing of Anwar Al Awlaki’s recorded message at the conference.
Tower Hamlets is a borough where people from different backgrounds get on well together and where there is a strong community spirit. Whereas national and local government must not allow people with extreme views to undermine this spirit and the cohesiveness we see every day on our streets, we need to ensure that views are expressed as part of an open debate and can be democratically challenged.
The council must at all times act within the law and censorship of any kind is a dangerous step towards the erosion of civil liberties. The event and its participants are not acting unlawfully, and Mr Awlaki is not prohibited by the Government. We will of course, continue to work relentlessly for our residents, doing everything we can to support them to consider and reject expressions of violence and hate in any form.”
The Tories are on the case:
Shadow security minister Pauline Neville-Jones, who has written to Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, said: “I am shocked that a known extremist is being allowed to speak in a taxpayer-funded venue used by vulnerable young people.
“I have written to Jacqui Smith calling on her to make sure this does not go ahead.
“I am amazed that she has done nothing to stop this despite her tough talk. Perhaps her focus has been elsewhere. Public funds and facilities, including local council funding and facilities, must not be given to extremist groups.
Well, Jacqui?
