Why does the East London Mosque lie? Do they think that we are stupid? Do they think that they won’t be found out?
Earlier today, the ELM posted the following comment in habibi’s thread, discussing the hosting of events featuring the Al Qaeda recruiter, Anwar Al Awlaki, by the ELM:
On January 1 2009 al Qaeda preacher and recruiter Anwar al Awlaki was allowed to address a meeting at the mosque’s London Muslim Centre by video link from Yemen.
No, the video was a pre-recorded lecture. You’ll note even the Telegraph piece you quote began with the claim: “…will feature a videotaped lecture from Anwar al-Awlaki, who is banned from entering the United States…”
Not that you could be blamed for glossing over the Telegraph’s dodgy claims, because their opening claim that he was “banned from entering the United States” was nonsense.
As for the poster, it is not planes crashing into the twin towers, rather a ruined Statue of Liberty in a clichéd apocalyptic vision. But hey, fair enough, this should be off limits to all Muslims after 9/11.
At the time more than four years had passed since the 9/11 Commission spelled out Awlaki’s links to 9/11.
Thanks for the link. If the mosque had bothered to read that 500+ page report, they would have read “We have been unable to learn enough about Aulaqi’s relationship with Hazmi and Mihdhar to reach a conclusion.”
…Awlaki had just published a sickening and very alarming pamphlet…
Of course, this came out after the letter. At which point, the mosque banned further appearances.
Not that the facts of the matter should spoil your predictably slanted attack.
Lies.
This is how the event was advertised:
Anwar Al Awlaki (video lecture, exclusively recorded for this event) plus live Q&A via phone link.
Let’s pass over the defence of the poster, shall we?
As for the suggestion that the ELM had no reason to believe that Awlaki was a political and religious extremist – that is crap as well. In fact, as far back as 2003, Awlaki addressed the ELM/LMC, where he urged Muslims not to report fellow Muslims under any circumstances:
A Muslim is a brother of a Muslim, he does not oppress him, he does not betray him and he does not hand him over…You don’t hand over a Muslim to the enemies…
So, again. Either the ELM have so little understanding of Islamist and jihadist politics that they are completely unable to recognise it, and to prevent this sort of extremist recruitment on its premises. Or this is yet more dissembling, designed to obfuscate the ideological closeness between the hierarchy of the ELM and some of the worst hate preachers in the world.
The ELM are cocky fascists. No pasaran.
PS: The ELM commenter posted under the name “Sam”. We do get a number of comments from IFE supporters, who all seem to be called things like “Mary” or “Geoff” and on a few hilarious occasions, “Ann Frank”.
Ted Jeory notes a similar phenomenon on his blog:
I’m also receiving an increasing number of comments which make specific, unsubstantiated allegations of wrongdoing and illegality against named individuals. In practically all these cases, pseudonyms such as Richard, James, John, Andrew, Charlotte, Rachel, Alfred and Albert are being used by the commenter.
Very odd.
UPDATE
Indeed, the East London Mosque itself confirms that Awlaki did answer questions live at the event. Here is a letter they sent to The Times:
The organisers played a pre-recorded lecture on “Judgement Day and the Afterlife” by Anwar Al-Awlaki. Al-Awlaki did however answer questions through a telephone link-up on the subject, which was moderated by the chair of the event.
So, why is the East London Mosque now denying that such an event took place?
