In contrast to the horrendous response of Asghar Bokhari – I’ve just seen Quilliam’s Usama Hasan being interviewed on BBC Breakfast. He discussed the pernicious influence of extremist speakers in mosques and campuses, and asserted that it was not enough to come out with platitudes such as ‘Islam is a religion of peace’ in response to horrific attacks – it’s also necessary to identify and criticize the ideology behind the violence. He also described how he came under fire for inviting a British Muslim serviceman to Leyton mosque (where he used to serve as Imam). Usama Hasan particularly noted that extremists were too often lent support by left wing groups. If Bokhari’s response was horrendous so, obviously, were some comments from extremists on the other side – threats to behead Muslim children for example. As Maajid Nawaz put it.
Gene adds: The BBC reports that the two alleged killers were known to the security services and that one, Michael Adebolajo, is a Muslim convert from a Christian family.
