A Refuge
A man battered in Parliament, clobbered in the media, and berated by his own MPs needs a welcoming refuge.
Jeremy Corbyn does have one – the Finsbury Park Mosque.
Labour’s leader paid a visit last Friday. He had nothing but praise for the mosque, saying “I strongly support it”, “I value this mosque”, and “I admire the participation of the community in this mosque and the role this mosque plays in the community”. He also offered greetings on behalf of “sister” Diane Abbott.
The mosque is keen too. No wonder. Here’s its chairman Mohamad Kozbar:
He [Corbyn] has been consistent in opposing the controversial counter-terrorism laws that hugely impact communities, and specifically Muslims, introduced since the Iraq war of 2003.
Kozbar shares Corbyn’s “our fault” world view too. Our foreign policy is to blame:
While some may dismiss a connection between foreign policy and life at home, it is sadly a reality. Foreign interference by some Western powers has made things worse which in effect impact on Muslims in the UK – the young in particular.
It is no surprise therefore to see that a small minority of young British men and women have decided to join and fight alongside the extremists abroad, in recent times the so-called Islamic State
The relationship is very deep. Corbyn has been a champion of the mosque for years and has held surgeries on the premises. Islington Council does its bit too. It has gifted £78,500 to the mosque over its last four financial years.
This is outrageous. The Finsbury Park Mosque is a pillar of the extremist community. It should be scrutinised, criticised and shunned, not lauded and funded.
This post presents some of the evidence.
The Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas
The mosque is closely linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.
Here’s how close it gets. This picture shows Kozbar (fourth from left) with Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza in 2012. Kozbar came to Gaza with one of the “Miles of Smiles” convoys, a Hamas support operation run by Interpal, the charity at the heart of the Hamas UK network.
The “armed wing” of Hamas gratefully welcomed the visit:
During a press conference on the Palestinian side of the border, Sheikh Saeed said that “the arrival of the convoy is a new page of the Jihad against the occupation of the Palestinian territories,” confirming that “the occupation is doomed and Palestine will definitely rise again”.
“Sheikh Saeed” is a leading figure in the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood. He’s the man to Kozbar’s right in the picture above.
Mohammed Sawalha is in the picture above as well (third from right). He is a trustee of the Finsbury Park Mosque, alongside Kozbar.
Sawalha was memorably described by the BBC as a “fugitive Hamas commander” and is indeed very close to the terrorist group to this day. Sawalha was also a signatory of the notorious jihadi war cry known as the Istanbul Declaration.
Zaher al-Birawi, another Hamas UK operative, can also be seen in the picture to Kozbar’s left. On the right are the fanatical Israel haters of the PSC, Sarah Colborne and Hugh Lanning.
This is Kozbar’s nightmare world – Hamas, jihad, terror.
Hate Preachers at Finsbury Park Mosque
Back in London, Kozbar’s mosque is a home for hate preachers. Here’s a selection.
Fadel Soliman
Fadel Soliman is an Egyptian fan of Muslim Brotherhood luminary Yusuf al-Qaradawi and was inspired to become an imam by Anwar al-Awlaki of al-Qaeda. He says Israelis are Nazis and they control American foreign policy. He supported the killers of western troops in Iraq. He’s keen on barbaric sharia punishments. He has even justified sex slavery in Islam.
Abdullah Djaballah
When Iraq was invaded, Abdullah Djaballah called his fellow Algerians to “wage holy Muslim war against U.S. and British invaders in Iraq”. He says “The Jews have no conscience, and they are described in the book of Allah [i.e., the Qur’an], may his name be exalted, as having all the bad qualities: lies, jealousy, treachery, cowardice, aggression which includes killing”. He believes Israel was responsible for 9/11. Corbyn posed for pictures with him when he visited the mosque.
Muhammad Salah
Muhammad Salah says apostates from Islam must be killed. As for Israelis, they must not even be given water to drink. Indeed, Zionists “are much worse than any disease that we have ever known.” He beseeches Allah for “the chance to die for his sake and to prove to the coward Zionists that the Muslims are still there and the offspring of Mohammed will definitely come back to free Jerusalem”. Salah is also the “religious adviser” of Huda TV, a horrible extremist satellite channel.
There are more preachers one could note but you get the idea.
Defying Counter-extremist Measures
With this kind of record, Mr Kozbar has something to lose in counter-extremism debates. So he opposes the government’s “Prevent” measures and resorts to ridiculous scaremongering like this:
PREVENT will have a chilling effect on open debate, free speech and political dissent. It will create an environment in which political change can no longer be discussed openly.
His fellow signatories to that letter include extremists Haitham al-Haddad, Khalid al-Fikri, and Shakeel Begg. Perfect company for Mr Kozbar.
Gay Marriage Is “Not Normal”
Kozbar also signed this letter opposing gay marriage. Note this paragraph:
We are concerned that this radical change to the institution of marriage will impact on what is taught in schools. Muslim teachers will be forced into the contradictory position of holding private beliefs, while teaching a new legal definition of marriage. Muslim parents will be robbed of their right to raise their children according to their beliefs, as gay relationships are taught as something normal to their primary-aged children.
Imagine Mr Kozbar’s outrage if someone said following Islam must not be seen as “something normal”.
Scenes From an Israel Hatred Rally
This clip will give you another good picture of the mosque. It shows an anti-Israel rally last summer.
British Jews who serve in the IDF are bracketed with British Muslims joining Syrian jihadi groups. They should be prosecuted. “Genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” are spat out repeatedly. It doesn’t matter that these are ridiculous charges, no matter what you think of Israel and its armed forces. It’s about inciting hatred and that’s fine, nay, very important. Any company merely connected to Israel should be boycotted by Islington council – targeting Israeli goods is not enough. Israel shouldn’t exist at all, actually. Palestinian “resistance” – as in Hamas – is praised. And so on.
Corbyn was at that hatred rally. He objected to none of this. Instead he saluted the audience and the mosque.
Lawfare and Thuggery
One reason the mosque’s story is not well known is fear. Its critics are to be shut down with lawfare and thuggery. Policy Exchange did beat them in the courts. This blog was targeted too and stood its ground. But many people are not ready to put up with so much hassle, from “Islamophobia!” screeching to big legal bills.
Try in person and you may end up locked up by Mr Kozbar inside the premises.
Islington and the Country
I don’t think there’s much hope for Islington. Mr Corbyn is but one of many left wing idiots and double standards racists in that part of London.
The country is another matter. It will never warm to Mr Corbyn, I trust, and I hope that the story of the Finsbury Park Mosque becomes one of the reasons why.
By the way, Mr Kozbar will be in Parliament tomorrow night, hosted by Sister Diane.
Mr Kozbar (right) with Hamas hardliner Mahmoud al-Zahar (centre) and Mr Harrath (second from right), the head of Islam Channel
Mr al-Zahar on the Jews
