Posted on 08/30/2002 8:04:23 PM PDT by MadIvan
ORGANISERS of the Salafist conference in Birmingham that Kerim Chatty was planning to attend were desperate yesterday to distance themselves from any link to the 29-year-old Muslim convert.
As delegates began to arrive at the Salafi Islamic Centre in the city, the sponsors of the three-day conference insisted that they did not support extremist groups such as al-Qaeda. Their spokesman, Abu Kahadeejah, said: “Many people claim to be Salafis but they don’t really know what it means. This does nothing for our cause.”
Police have been watching several members of the Salafi community living in the UK since September 11. Some are believed to be taking part in the Birmingham conference.
A steady procession of vans and minibuses arrived at the centre, near Birmingham City’s football stadium, yesterday carrying hundreds of delegates. Most were dressed in traditional Muslim robes and many brought children.
Up to 3,000 people are expected to attend the conference, which opened yesterday at Small Heath, two miles from the city centre. Many turning up to pay their £10 entrance fee tried to hide their faces from the waiting camera crews and police kept watch from the steps of their police station next door.
Several leading Islamic scholars are scheduled to speak, including some from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. In the past some militant Salafi scholars from abroad have been refused visas to preach in Britain.
Organisers of the event, Salafi Publications, were indignant about the unwanted publicity caused by the attempted hijack. Mr Kahadeejah said: “We abhor terrorism and those who practise it are not good Muslims . . . they are sinners and will have to answer to Allah for their actions. Any person who knowingly boards a plane with a weapon with the deliberate and wilful intent to cause harm to innocent civilians, then the position of Islam . . . is well known.
“Islam does not sanction these type of acts, including terrorism, hijackings and suicide bombings. These are not the ways that Islam sanctions to bring about societal change. Salafi is not extremist but . . . a puritanical form of worship.”
Mr Kahadeejah handed out a slim red book published by his group that condemned the September 11 attacks.
The Salafi bookshop, which is hosting the Birmingham conference for the sixth year, also runs an internet discussion forum. Some of the messages include virulent attacks on Jews and homosexuals as well as America.
Osama bin Laden describes himself as follower of the Salafi branch of Islam, also known as Wahhabism, which wants to do away with nation states and man-made laws.
All the terrorist suspects arrested in Europe since September 11 have claimed to be students of this strict branch of Islam, which boasts of its hardline interpretation of the Koran. Richard Reid, who tried to blow up an airliner over the Atlantic using explosives hidden in his shoes, was taught this ultra-conservative brand of Islam at a London mosque along with Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called 20th hijacker.
Mohammed Atta, the leader of the September 11 hijackers, was carrying Salafi literature in his luggage.
Prominent British Muslims were concerned about what effect yesterday’s attempted hijack by another alleged Salafi follower would have on the Islamic community here. Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, leader of the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain, said: “It’s horrifying because it again reinforces the image of Islam and Muslims being irresponsible.”
The Salafi doctrine appeals to young Muslims who favour “God’s law” over the British courts. Known as the “pious pioneers” of Islam, Salafis have been recruiting thousands of members among British-based Muslims in the past year.
Two London-based extremist groups which staged a rally in Trafalgar Square last weekend, Al-Muhajiroun, led by Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad, and the Supporters of Sharia, run by Abu Hamza, claim to be Salafis.
Another of the more notorious followers is John Walker Lindh, the so-called American Taleban who was arrested fighting in Afghanistan and who went to Yemen to study the Salafi doctrine.
Six men charged earlier this week in the US with plotting terrorist attacks are all described as Salafists. One of them, James Ujaama, claims to have been recruited at a North London mosque.
In traditional Islamic scholarship Salafi means “early Muslim” and refers to someone who died within the first 400 years of the birth of the religion. But the term has been revived by those who want to purify Islam. Fundamentalist followers say that this gives them licence to purge their enemies and bin Laden argues that it also places an obligation on them to wage Jihad, or holy war.
Remember, however, he said sarcastically, it's a religion of peace.
Regards, Ivan
Best Regards, Ivan
Best part of this is making it clear that these "salafi" types are the equivalent of wahhabism - a clear and present danger to the non-muslim world. Oh and let's remember that Saudi Arabia is the biggest promoter of this extremist crap.
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