Bob? Is that you, Bob?
Posted on 07/27/2005 5:47:06 PM PDT by blam
Leading cleric rails at injustice of 'Muslim bashing'
By Nick Britten
(Filed: 28/07/2005)
The most senior Islamic cleric in Birmingham claimed yesterday that Muslims were being unjustly blamed in the war on terrorism and that the eight suspects in the two bombing attacks on London "could have been innocent passengers".
Mohammad Naseem, the chairman of the city's central mosque, called Tony Blair a "liar" and "unreliable witness" and questioned whether CCTV footage issued of the suspected bombers was of the perpetrators.
He said that Muslims "all over the world have never heard of an organisation called al-Qa'eda".
Mr Naseem, who was speaking after police seized Yasin Hassan Omar in Birmingham, delivered his unprompted outburst when he was invited to a press conference with West Midlands police and Birmingham city council to help calm fears of racial or religious tension after the arrest.
It was held near the police cordon in Heybarnes Road, where Omar was arrested.
His comments shocked senior police officers.
Sources said that attempts to encourage Muslims to pass them information on the bombers' activities would be hindered. One said: "We are trying to gain the trust of the Muslim community and these kinds of comments have the opposite effect. All they do is encourage communities to close ranks against us."
To the obvious embarrassment of council officials and police standing next to him, Mr Naseem said the Government and security services "were not to be relied upon".
He said: "Tony Blair has told lies on going to Iraq and in a court of law if a witness has proved to be a liar he ceases to be a reliable witness. So we cannot give our blind trust to the Government.
"To have that trust it is important that the process of law should be independent, open and transparent. I am also sad that unfortunately the impression has been given that Muslims are to be targeted in this war against terror. There seems to be a directive to target Muslims. Why do we not have an open mind about this?
"Muslim bashing seems to be more earnest than the need for national unity and harmony. Terrorists can be anybody - we will have to see [whether the bombers are Muslims]. The process is not open; the process is not transparent; the process is not independent. I do not have faith in the system as it stands."
Mr Naseem is one of the most respected Muslims in the city and is considered a moderate. He has regular meetings with the chief constable to discuss religious harmony.
Mr Naseem said that while it was vital that terrorism was stamped out and that there was never any justification for it, the Government had not helped by going to war in Iraq.
Dismissing the Prime Minister's insistence that the war had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks, he said: "Tony Blair … is not going to be perceived as a reliable witness. His comments could motivate someone to take the law into his own hands.
"Some people have been caught but I have not seen any evidence. The process of law is not open."
Asked about the suspects' DNA being found at the scene of the first attacks, he said: "DNA can match you, but that does not mean you are going to commit a crime. Thousands of youths are passing by and caught on CCTV, so how do you know it is them?"
He added: "We must rely upon trust that we have between communities.
"We must remain united in the fight against terrorism but the process should be independent and open, not like the Hutton inquiry, not like the Lord Butler inquiry." And, in an editorial in The Dawn, the central mosque's newsletter, Mr Naseem writes: "Where is the evidence that four youths whose pictures were caught on CCTV cameras…were the perpetrators? How did we reject the possibility they were just innocent victims of this terrible happening? They had bought return train tickets."
Ah, Houston, we have a problem!
Bob? Is that you, Bob?
Life's a bitch in dar-es-harb.
It's Islam's version of Howard Dean!
Bob? Is that you, Bob?
Dan, is that you, Dan?
Mohammad Naseem should be the first of a million in the UK sent back to their natural habitat.
"He said that Muslims "all over the world have never heard of an organisation called al-Qa'eda"...
(Blink...Blink!...)
He deserves five in the head just for saying that.
What's the Frequency, Dan??
Is Mr.Naseem's ass large enough to accomodate a minaret?
These people may just be REALLY stupid
Kill A Commie For Mommie
Seven Dead Monkeys Page O Tunes
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/09/05/wosse705.xml all thse kinds of people people should be _______________ (fill in the blank)
The UK gets a taste of what it means to be a "moderate" Muslim...
Of course, one of the perps had a trunk load of bombs in his car... The police must of planted that... Right...
>Tune to .357 inches by .333 seconds.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.