Posted on 07/19/2005 6:57:57 AM PDT by Pikamax
Militant says 'no negotiation' as Blair talks with Muslims By Philippe Naughton, Times Online
One of the country's most controversial Islamic militants accused the Government of trying to divide the Muslim community today as Tony Blair welcomed community leaders to No 10 Downing Street for talks on how to react to the July 7 bombings.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Anjem Choudary, leader of the militant group al-Muhajiroun, refused to condemn the suicide bombings on the Tube and a London bus and gave warning that there was a "very real possibility" of another terror attack in the UK.
"I don’t think one should legitimately sit down and negotiate," Mr Choudary said. "I think the time for talking, quite honestly, is over. Now is the time for action. You can’t sit down and negotiate while you are murdering Muslims in Iraq."
He added: "It is not a question of whether one condemns or condones what took place on 7/7 - 7/7 is a reality. We need to see what caused this particular effect, otherwise we are going to continue in a cycle of blood and I believe another 7/7 is a very real possibility. The concept of self-sacrifice operations is as old as the divine text, manifest in the Koran and the actions and sayings of Mohammed."
Among those attending this morning's meeting is Sir Iqbal Sacranie, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, and a group of Muslim peers and MPs. Michael Howard, the Conservative Party leader, and Charles Kennedy of the Liberal Democrats are also invited.
Sayeeda Warsi, a Conservative Party vice-chairmwoman also attending the talks, said Mr Choudary’s opinions were rejected by the vast majority of Muslims.
"Anjem Choudary is clearly a very angry young man and there are many angry young men in Britain at the moment and they come from all faiths," she told Today. "But I am absolutely shocked by his comments. Ninety-nine point nine per cent of Muslims have come out and very, very clearly condemned the criminal acts on July 7.
"On Friday, a broad range of scholars issued religious guidance at the Regent’s Park Mosque which said there was no basis whatsoever for those attacks in Islam and that these attacks were in fact prohibited in Islam."
Ms Warsi added: "What we have to look at is how we deal with the root causes of terrorism. That anger must be channelled by a dialogue, and I think today is a start."
The Downing Street talks come as Government and the police appeal for Muslim leaders to move from condemnation of the July 7 attacks to active engagement in counter-terrorism - including allowing an unprecedented encroachment into mosques, Islamic schools and community organisations.
They will also be urged to throw their weight behind a cross-party agreement to rush new laws on to the statute book by December preventing the preparation and incitement of terrorist acts and the training of terrorists.
But Muslim leaders are expected to demand a more equal partnership in return for their co-operation and to point out that the political disenchantment among Muslim youth is partly driven by high rates of unemployment and social exclusion.
Longer-term measures also under consideration by the Government include forcing mosques to make criminal record — and possibly police intelligence — checks on any person given unsupervised access to young people.
Schools and children’s homes already have a statutory obligation to make these checks. Many religious groups routinely follow suit, but most mosques and Muslim community centres do not.
Ministers are understood to be astonished that no screening is done of imams, officials and volunteers in mosques, who can spend hours talking to impressionable teenagers.
Another area of concern is the role played by more than 100 independent Islamic schools operating outside the state system.
David Bell, the head of Ofsted, said in January that such schools were a potential threat to national identity. He called on the Government to monitor their growth to ensure that pupils learnt "the wider tenets of British society", such as "respect for other cultures in a way that promotes tolerance and harmony".
There has been controversy over state-funded Muslim "faith schools". But ministers believe that these are a better way of meeting parents’ desire for an Islamic education, not least because they have to follow the national curriculum and are subject to regular inspections.
Muslim groups promised last night that there would be a "robust discussion" with the politicians at today’s meeting. One senior community leader, who did not wish to be named, said: "They cannot pass the buck on to the Muslim community. We are prepared to come in as partners but we are not the police, we are not security agents. We will help and assist those people but we cannot do their jobs for them."
The Home Office is also drawing up measures to regulate the activities of immigrant imams after concerns over the activities of poorly educated radical clerics from Pakistan. Visa rules have already been tightened to ensure that they have a basic command of the English language, but they may soon have to show their qualifications, as well as face a post-entry assessment.
Mr Clarke will publish his new counter-terrorism Bill in September. It will then be introduced into Parliament in October and rushed through within two months. It will enable the police to act against people planning terrorist acts even before the precise details are known; outlaw the expression of sentiments uttered with the intent of encouraging others to commit terrorist acts; and outlaw providing or receiving training in the use of hazardous substances for terrorist purposes.
You forgot the hundreds maimed...
The fact that this cochroach is still alive and living safely in Britain is proof of how the UK is doomed. Their reponse to these attacks so far has been pathetic. There is no such thing as "moderate Islam". It is repulsive to see this wussy Blair trying to "work with" Muslims for "tolerance". what the hell is wrong with him? Britains have been murdered. Heads must roll. Imam must be jailed and deported. To even meet with a single Muslim "leader" only 10 days after the attacks is to insult the memories of those who were victims.
Not really.
I read that fast and my mind played tricks on me. I thought it said, "sit down dinner". I suppose that's not far behind, though.
Why cant they ATLEAST deport him ?
Jeff
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