*** Why wait 5 years until it hits here? Get ahead of the curve - stop trying to play catch-up with guys with bombs in their gitch or fuses in their turbans. ;) MS ***
FROM: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/jan/09/university-islamic-extremism-students
http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/jonathanbirdwell
Protect healthy extremism
In the panic over Islamic extremism at UK universities, we must not forget that some student radicalism is natural and valuable
With Yemen's deputy prime minister announcing that Umar Farouk Abdulmuttallab, the alleged Detroit bomber, "joined al-Qaida in Britain" before landing in Yemen, attention turns again to the role that UK universities play in producing terrorists among the doctors, lawyers and engineers in their graduating classes. On cue, vice-chancellors across the UK have announced that they will convene a working group to determine how to prevent the extremism that underlies acts of terrorism. But a clumsy overreaction by vice-chancellors will serve only to exacerbate the violent radicalisation they are seeking to prevent.
Counter-terrorism officials are right to be concerned about universities. There is a history stretching back into the early 1990s of groups such as Hizb ut-Tahrir and al-Muhajiroun operating both openly and under cover across UK universities. A number of violent extremists have graduated from UK universities, where participation in certain student organisations seemed to strengthen their opposition to western foreign policy and contributed to their support for violent attacks. However, an overwhelming larger group of individuals shared similar views and yet have not carried them to the point of violence.
Extremists target universities for recruitment because young people of university age are idealistic, passionate, curious and rebellious. They are more open to radical ideas, alternative ways of living and different ways to view the world. From hippie communes, to hardcore vegans, socialists and environmentalists to so-called Islamists, many students want to be radical and subversive. Ideas that perpetuate the "status quo" and support the establishment are inevitably uncool at university. But this does not make you violent.
In the Telegraph, Anthony Glees argues that, "British universities must look at their Islamic Societies and demand assurances that no radicalisation will be allowed. If they can't give those assurances, they should be disbanded." Glees fails to recognise a key point: extremism of some form or another on university campuses is inevitable, but not all extremism is violent.
It is difficult to know where to draw the line, particularly when it comes to Islam: should groups advocating the recreation of the Khalifah (caliphate) – a unified Islamic government – be disbanded or denied university support? University officials need to ensure that they focus only on those groups that advocate or glorify violence, not those that share goals that, while extreme, are consistent with the "blue sky", idealistic and radical thinking found within and across universities.
Efforts to tackle radicalisation on UK campuses, if they are to be successful and not counterproductive, must be able to recognise and distinguish between different types of radicalisation: radicalisation that is normal and healthy among those at university (be it Islamic, environmental or rightwing) and that which could lead to violence.
Research into terrorism tends to look exclusively at violent extremists and point to their similarities in order to piece together a workable profile to aid security services. Such an approach fails to account for the fact that a wide range of individuals may share these views and characteristics without ever coming close to contemplating violence. This is where "profiling" extremists falls down, and risks alienating large swaths of society. While similarities between violent and nonviolent extremists are widespread, our research has begun to reveal subtle but important differences between the two groups.
Professors and vice-chancellors are ill-equipped to distinguish healthy radicalisation from potentially violent radicalisation – the security services themselves do not know enough about these differences. Professors across the UK have already resisted calls for them to effectively spy on their students and it is important these temptations are not revisited.
But there is an important difference between attempting to spy and seeking to understand. Vice-chancellors can aim to better understand how extremist groups such as Hizb ut-Tahrir operate on campuses. They should also seek to stop radical preachers from being allowed to broadcast their views with the university's support. But they should not and cannot seek to dampen the passion and exploration that is such an important and valuable part of the UK university experience. In an age of political apathy we cannot afford to further depoliticise our young people.
Showing posts with label londonistan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label londonistan. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
WEST YORKSHIRE POLICE RACISM?
*** And in the face of this, Muslim agents protect everyone else just the same because of their Islam even against the accusations of traitor from their community. This is the kinda thanks we get. I guess some really do think they can fight this fight without us. Let me know how that works out for everyone. MS ***
FROM: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/5373958/West-Yorkshire-Police-accused-of-racism.html
West Yorkshire Police has launched an inquiry into its disciplinary procedures after a series of accusations from the leaders of local branches of the Police Federation and the Black Police Association.
Terrorism experts warned last night that the infighting could damage the force's vital role in combating Islamist extremism.
The claims of racism, set out in a dossier leaked to The Sunday Telegraph, could impact on West Yorkshire's ability to recruit black and Asian officers, thus affecting its ability to track and infiltrate al-Qaeda-linked terror cells.
Most of the cases in the dossier centre on the force's Professional Standards Department (PSD), which investigates other officers within the force.
They include examples of ethnic officers being treated more harshly than white officers facing identical disciplinary allegations.
In one case, a Muslim officer who was fasting during Ramadan was allegedly asked to fetch a "bacon buttie" for a senior officer.
In another case, an ethnic minority officer claims he was called a "terrorist" by a senior officer because he was carrying a rucksack.
The dossier also includes allegations of evidence being fabricated against black and Asian officers, claims of bullying and suggestions that the PSD deploys "oppressive interviewing tactics" when questioning ethnic minority officers about alleged misdemeanours.
Anita Patel of the West Yorkshire Black Police Association and Peter Scott, secretary of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, have written to Deputy Chief Constable David Crompton asking him to launch an investigation into whether ethnic officers are being "disproportionately subjected to disciplinary procedures".
The letter said: "Many of our black and minority officers and staff believe the PSD has a real lack of community and cultural understanding and tend to stereotype officers and staff and their families from ethnic backgrounds.
"It is clear from speaking one-to-one with individuals that the message being delivered into their communities is one of distrust and the police being an institutionally racist organisation."
The letter warns that the situation could lead to "civil unrest" in ethnic minority communities.
It adds: "These cases are not isolated and we are aware of other black and minority ethnic staff and officers within the organisation that are being investigated disproportionately."
Three of the July 7 bombers lived in West Yorkshire, and the local force now runs one of three regional Counter-Terrorism Units, working alongside MI5 to gather intelligence on Muslim terror groups and other extremists.
West Yorkshire is the second major force to be tarnished by a row with its own minority officers.
Infighting within the Metropolitan Police last year led to Britain's most senior Muslim officer, Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, leaving the force with a £300,000 pay-out in return for dropping a race and age discrimination claim he brought against Commissioner Sir Ian Blair.
Last October the Met branch of the Black Police Association called on ethnic minority applicants to boycott the force because of what it described as a "hostile and racist" environment.
Concerns from West Yorkshire's officers appear to have wider backing than the London campaign, which did not enjoy official support from the local Police Federation branch.
Professor Paul Rogers, a terrorism expert from Bradford University, said: "West Yorkshire is hugely significant in counter-terrorism terms.
"It is one of the key forces outside London, particularly in terms of its ethnic mix and also because of the units which are based there."
Garry Hindle, head of security and counter-terrorism at the Royal United Services Institute, said: "If there is a climate of racism in West Yorkshire Police that is going to be a problem because it will hold back their ability from a counter-terrorism perspective.
"It may damage the way the force can recruit and retain people from ethnic minorities."
Mr Crompton, West Yorkshire deputy chief constable, said: "The concerns that were brought to my attention have caused me to review each of the cases that feature in the correspondence. I have also commissioned a wider analysis of disciplinary outcomes.
"I am satisfied, at this stage, that the force is acting entirely appropriately in each of the investigations. Nevertheless, the wider review is still in progress and involves the staff associations. The findings of this review will be reported to the police authority who monitor discipline and litigation."
He added: "It is disappointing to learn that correspondence between a staff association and the force has been leaked in this way."
FROM: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/5373958/West-Yorkshire-Police-accused-of-racism.html
West Yorkshire Police has launched an inquiry into its disciplinary procedures after a series of accusations from the leaders of local branches of the Police Federation and the Black Police Association.
Terrorism experts warned last night that the infighting could damage the force's vital role in combating Islamist extremism.
The claims of racism, set out in a dossier leaked to The Sunday Telegraph, could impact on West Yorkshire's ability to recruit black and Asian officers, thus affecting its ability to track and infiltrate al-Qaeda-linked terror cells.
Most of the cases in the dossier centre on the force's Professional Standards Department (PSD), which investigates other officers within the force.
They include examples of ethnic officers being treated more harshly than white officers facing identical disciplinary allegations.
In one case, a Muslim officer who was fasting during Ramadan was allegedly asked to fetch a "bacon buttie" for a senior officer.
In another case, an ethnic minority officer claims he was called a "terrorist" by a senior officer because he was carrying a rucksack.
The dossier also includes allegations of evidence being fabricated against black and Asian officers, claims of bullying and suggestions that the PSD deploys "oppressive interviewing tactics" when questioning ethnic minority officers about alleged misdemeanours.
Anita Patel of the West Yorkshire Black Police Association and Peter Scott, secretary of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, have written to Deputy Chief Constable David Crompton asking him to launch an investigation into whether ethnic officers are being "disproportionately subjected to disciplinary procedures".
The letter said: "Many of our black and minority officers and staff believe the PSD has a real lack of community and cultural understanding and tend to stereotype officers and staff and their families from ethnic backgrounds.
"It is clear from speaking one-to-one with individuals that the message being delivered into their communities is one of distrust and the police being an institutionally racist organisation."
The letter warns that the situation could lead to "civil unrest" in ethnic minority communities.
It adds: "These cases are not isolated and we are aware of other black and minority ethnic staff and officers within the organisation that are being investigated disproportionately."
Three of the July 7 bombers lived in West Yorkshire, and the local force now runs one of three regional Counter-Terrorism Units, working alongside MI5 to gather intelligence on Muslim terror groups and other extremists.
West Yorkshire is the second major force to be tarnished by a row with its own minority officers.
Infighting within the Metropolitan Police last year led to Britain's most senior Muslim officer, Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, leaving the force with a £300,000 pay-out in return for dropping a race and age discrimination claim he brought against Commissioner Sir Ian Blair.
Last October the Met branch of the Black Police Association called on ethnic minority applicants to boycott the force because of what it described as a "hostile and racist" environment.
Concerns from West Yorkshire's officers appear to have wider backing than the London campaign, which did not enjoy official support from the local Police Federation branch.
Professor Paul Rogers, a terrorism expert from Bradford University, said: "West Yorkshire is hugely significant in counter-terrorism terms.
"It is one of the key forces outside London, particularly in terms of its ethnic mix and also because of the units which are based there."
Garry Hindle, head of security and counter-terrorism at the Royal United Services Institute, said: "If there is a climate of racism in West Yorkshire Police that is going to be a problem because it will hold back their ability from a counter-terrorism perspective.
"It may damage the way the force can recruit and retain people from ethnic minorities."
Mr Crompton, West Yorkshire deputy chief constable, said: "The concerns that were brought to my attention have caused me to review each of the cases that feature in the correspondence. I have also commissioned a wider analysis of disciplinary outcomes.
"I am satisfied, at this stage, that the force is acting entirely appropriately in each of the investigations. Nevertheless, the wider review is still in progress and involves the staff associations. The findings of this review will be reported to the police authority who monitor discipline and litigation."
He added: "It is disappointing to learn that correspondence between a staff association and the force has been leaked in this way."
Friday, May 21, 2010
INQUEST INTO LONDON BOMBINGS 7/7
*** We are not doing enough to counter this empty ideology of death and warmongering in the name of Jihad. When you let one side of the story perpetuate for so long without a counter message - you run the risk of having the wrong ideas harden and once that happens, it becomes almost impossible to correct. Conventional approaches are now outdated and simply do not work, except to exacerbate the problem. Imagine the tragic irony - that Western governments are doing more to recruit for extremism than any zealot ever could. PLEASE let's do something about this. MS ***
FROM: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/100521/world/world_uk_july2005_london_transit_attack_inquest
A British judge ruled Friday that an upcoming inquest on the July 7, 2005, attacks on London's transit system can look into possible failings of security services.
The decision, which was handed down by High Court judge Heather Hallett in London, was viewed as a victory for the families of the 52 commuters who died in the attacks on three trains on the city's underground system and one bus.
"The scope of the inquest into the 52 deaths will include the alleged intelligence failings and the immediate aftermath of the bombings," the judge said in her ruling.
Hallett said the families "want to know in essence the answer to two simple questions: Why were [the bombers] not put under surveillance? Had they been, might the London bombings have been prevented?"
Security agencies had argued against the move, saying it could compromise national security.
The inquest will also look into the aftermath of the attack. Some families want to know whether victims might have survived if the emergency response had been faster.
The inquest hearing is to start in October.
British security services have said they had the ringleader of the attack, Mohammed Sidique Khan, and another of the bombers under observation a year before the 2005 bombings. The U.K.'s domestic intelligence service, MI5, eventually decided Khan was not an important target.
FROM: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/100521/world/world_uk_july2005_london_transit_attack_inquest
A British judge ruled Friday that an upcoming inquest on the July 7, 2005, attacks on London's transit system can look into possible failings of security services.
The decision, which was handed down by High Court judge Heather Hallett in London, was viewed as a victory for the families of the 52 commuters who died in the attacks on three trains on the city's underground system and one bus.
"The scope of the inquest into the 52 deaths will include the alleged intelligence failings and the immediate aftermath of the bombings," the judge said in her ruling.
Hallett said the families "want to know in essence the answer to two simple questions: Why were [the bombers] not put under surveillance? Had they been, might the London bombings have been prevented?"
Security agencies had argued against the move, saying it could compromise national security.
The inquest will also look into the aftermath of the attack. Some families want to know whether victims might have survived if the emergency response had been faster.
The inquest hearing is to start in October.
British security services have said they had the ringleader of the attack, Mohammed Sidique Khan, and another of the bombers under observation a year before the 2005 bombings. The U.K.'s domestic intelligence service, MI5, eventually decided Khan was not an important target.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
LONDON RADICALS BARK...I MEAN SPEAK
*** There are people who know this mindset - so why not work with them instead of taking a we-know-best approach? Because we can all see how well that worked out. MS ***
FROM: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/February/How-London-Became-a-Terrorist-Hotbed/
Great Britain recently raised its terror alert to "severe" following reports that al Qaeda was plotting new attacks.
But Britain may be facing an even greater threat from within -- one the British government helped to create.
CBN News recently traveled to London to interview a number of leading Islamic radicals who have settled there with the full knowledge of the British government.
All Eyes on London
Just one year before attempting to blow up an airliner over Detroit, Christmas Day bombing suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab studied engineering at University College London.
During his stay there, he networked with known Islamic radicals. Security sources believe he may have linked up with al Qaeda.
Abdulmutallab is just one of many Islamic terrorists with ties to London. Some live there with help from the state.
One example is Yasser al-Sirri, who faces a death sentence in Egypt.
Then there is Anjem Choudary. To date, he has not been charged with terrorism, but his pro-jihad views have led some to call him Great Britain's most hated man.
"Many people love the idea of jihad, you know?" Choudary told CBN News. "And they want to engage in it."
A radical Islamist can find a little bit of everything in London. Ex-jihadists, current jihadists, "wannabe" jihadists: they're all there. So how did this happen?
During the 1980s and 1990s, British authorities granted asylum to a number of Islamic terrorists wanted in their home countries.
"All of this happened under the assumption that if you allowed these people to operate in London, if you allowed them to do whatever they wanted to do, they would not be attacking Britain," terrorism expert Peter Neumann explained.
Neumann is author of the book Old and New Terrorism and heads the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization in London.
"The government, quite cynically, thought that whatever happened in other countries, whatever these people were plotting in other countries, was of no concern to the British government," he added.
Policy Backfires
On July 7, 2005, explosions proved the British government's open door strategy horribly wrong, as al Qaeda-linked terrorists killed 52 people in a series of bombings against London's mass transit system.
One year later, London was the staging ground for a massive al Qaeda plot to blow up 10 transatlantic airliners.
"Only then did the policy change," Neumann said. "However, the seeds of the radical Islamists' activity had already been sown."
Yasser al-Sirri has lived in London since 1994. In Egypt, he belonged to a terrorist organization led by al Qaeda's second-in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri. In 1993, he was found guilty of participating in a failed assassination plot against Egypt's then-prime minister and sentenced to death.
His recent interview with CBN News marked his first appearance on an American television network.
"The British government knows about my activities, my situation," al-Sirri said. "Everything is clear and I have done nothing to break the law."
The British government locked al-Sirri up in 2001 on terrorism charges. He was found not guilty and later released, but American officials still want to get their hands on al-Sirri.
In 2005, he was found guilty in a U.S. federal court of assisting terrorist mastermind Omar Abdel Rahman, the notorious "blind sheikh" behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
False Accusations?
Both the U.S. and Egypt have tried to extradite al-Sirri from Britain for years. He declares he is innocent.
"Many times the American government uses the wrong people for spies or to get intelligence information," al-Sirri claimed. "Some people do business with the FBI, CIA and give them wrong information and sometimes the wrong decision is made."
Al-Sirri didn't help his cause in 2008 when he was photographed walking on a London street with Abu Qatada, al Qaeda's spiritual leader in Europe.
Qatada received asylum in London in 1993 and collected welfare benefits for years. He is now in prison and awaiting deportation to Jordan, where he has been convicted on terrorism charges.
"There was a permissive environment to some extent," said Oxford-based terrorism expert Mahan Abedin. "There was the issue of a lot of foreigners, foreign fighters for instance, and foreign ideologues basing themselves here in London and finding a receptive audience."
Aaad al-Faqih is wanted in his native Saudi Arabia for allegedly seeking to overthrow the Saudi regime.
CBN News recently conducted an off-camera interview with al-Faqih in his London home.
He was designated by the U.S. and U.N. as a global terrorist in 2004 for alleged links to al Qaeda but maintains his innocence. Al Faqih says he meets with British government officials regularly and that they respect his work.
He believes there will be more confrontation between the West and the Muslim world, including terrorist attacks "even bigger than in 2001."
British officials have pushed to deport men like al-Faqih and Yasser al-Sirri back to their home countries. But the European Union and a number of British judges have blocked these efforts over human rights concerns.
"Over years, perhaps decades, a whole sub-culture had grown up," Neumann observed. "And to get to grips with that only through law enforcement and intelligence is very difficult. This subculture of jihadism still exists."
In April 2008, Britain's then home secretary said that British intelligence was monitoring some 2,000 individuals, as well as 200 radical Islamic networks and 30 active terrorist plots.
The British government banned Anjem Choudary's group, Islam4UK, last month under the country's counter-terrorism laws.
Choudary calls for Islamic Sharia law to be enforced in the United Kingdom. His group praised the 9/11 hijackers as "the magnificent 19."
"There is a huge amount of support for people like sheikh Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri [among British Muslims]," Choudary told CBN News.
A Ticking Time Bomb?
Choudary -- who collects welfare benefits from the state -- says his group is a non-violent political and ideological movement. But several former members have been convicted on terrorism charges.
"There are many youth out there who do contact us and do come to our talks and they have other ideas," Choudary said. "And we can make sure that those energies are channeled through discussion, dialogue, interaction. But if you take us out of the picture, then you have a very volatile situation."
"It's not a threat. It's a warning. It's a reality check," he added.
Abedin said things have improved significantly in London since 2005 and the British government has taken important steps to battle radicalism among young Muslims.
"The permissive environment that prevailed prior to July 7, 2005 is no longer the case," he said. "Radical preachers like Omar Bakri Mohammed, like Abu Hamza, for instance, have departed the arena. They've either been deported, expelled, or imprisoned.
But others like Anjem Choudary walk the streets of London as free men.
"I think that the British government is sitting on a tinderbox, you know, full of dynamite" he said. "And they have the matches in their hand and they're being very flippant."
"They're not dealing with it properly," Choudary continued. "It could all blow up in their face and it could be a very vicious situation."
FROM: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/February/How-London-Became-a-Terrorist-Hotbed/
Great Britain recently raised its terror alert to "severe" following reports that al Qaeda was plotting new attacks.
But Britain may be facing an even greater threat from within -- one the British government helped to create.
CBN News recently traveled to London to interview a number of leading Islamic radicals who have settled there with the full knowledge of the British government.
All Eyes on London
Just one year before attempting to blow up an airliner over Detroit, Christmas Day bombing suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab studied engineering at University College London.
During his stay there, he networked with known Islamic radicals. Security sources believe he may have linked up with al Qaeda.
Abdulmutallab is just one of many Islamic terrorists with ties to London. Some live there with help from the state.
One example is Yasser al-Sirri, who faces a death sentence in Egypt.
Then there is Anjem Choudary. To date, he has not been charged with terrorism, but his pro-jihad views have led some to call him Great Britain's most hated man.
"Many people love the idea of jihad, you know?" Choudary told CBN News. "And they want to engage in it."
A radical Islamist can find a little bit of everything in London. Ex-jihadists, current jihadists, "wannabe" jihadists: they're all there. So how did this happen?
During the 1980s and 1990s, British authorities granted asylum to a number of Islamic terrorists wanted in their home countries.
"All of this happened under the assumption that if you allowed these people to operate in London, if you allowed them to do whatever they wanted to do, they would not be attacking Britain," terrorism expert Peter Neumann explained.
Neumann is author of the book Old and New Terrorism and heads the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization in London.
"The government, quite cynically, thought that whatever happened in other countries, whatever these people were plotting in other countries, was of no concern to the British government," he added.
Policy Backfires
On July 7, 2005, explosions proved the British government's open door strategy horribly wrong, as al Qaeda-linked terrorists killed 52 people in a series of bombings against London's mass transit system.
One year later, London was the staging ground for a massive al Qaeda plot to blow up 10 transatlantic airliners.
"Only then did the policy change," Neumann said. "However, the seeds of the radical Islamists' activity had already been sown."
Yasser al-Sirri has lived in London since 1994. In Egypt, he belonged to a terrorist organization led by al Qaeda's second-in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri. In 1993, he was found guilty of participating in a failed assassination plot against Egypt's then-prime minister and sentenced to death.
His recent interview with CBN News marked his first appearance on an American television network.
"The British government knows about my activities, my situation," al-Sirri said. "Everything is clear and I have done nothing to break the law."
The British government locked al-Sirri up in 2001 on terrorism charges. He was found not guilty and later released, but American officials still want to get their hands on al-Sirri.
In 2005, he was found guilty in a U.S. federal court of assisting terrorist mastermind Omar Abdel Rahman, the notorious "blind sheikh" behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
False Accusations?
Both the U.S. and Egypt have tried to extradite al-Sirri from Britain for years. He declares he is innocent.
"Many times the American government uses the wrong people for spies or to get intelligence information," al-Sirri claimed. "Some people do business with the FBI, CIA and give them wrong information and sometimes the wrong decision is made."
Al-Sirri didn't help his cause in 2008 when he was photographed walking on a London street with Abu Qatada, al Qaeda's spiritual leader in Europe.
Qatada received asylum in London in 1993 and collected welfare benefits for years. He is now in prison and awaiting deportation to Jordan, where he has been convicted on terrorism charges.
"There was a permissive environment to some extent," said Oxford-based terrorism expert Mahan Abedin. "There was the issue of a lot of foreigners, foreign fighters for instance, and foreign ideologues basing themselves here in London and finding a receptive audience."
Aaad al-Faqih is wanted in his native Saudi Arabia for allegedly seeking to overthrow the Saudi regime.
CBN News recently conducted an off-camera interview with al-Faqih in his London home.
He was designated by the U.S. and U.N. as a global terrorist in 2004 for alleged links to al Qaeda but maintains his innocence. Al Faqih says he meets with British government officials regularly and that they respect his work.
He believes there will be more confrontation between the West and the Muslim world, including terrorist attacks "even bigger than in 2001."
British officials have pushed to deport men like al-Faqih and Yasser al-Sirri back to their home countries. But the European Union and a number of British judges have blocked these efforts over human rights concerns.
"Over years, perhaps decades, a whole sub-culture had grown up," Neumann observed. "And to get to grips with that only through law enforcement and intelligence is very difficult. This subculture of jihadism still exists."
In April 2008, Britain's then home secretary said that British intelligence was monitoring some 2,000 individuals, as well as 200 radical Islamic networks and 30 active terrorist plots.
The British government banned Anjem Choudary's group, Islam4UK, last month under the country's counter-terrorism laws.
Choudary calls for Islamic Sharia law to be enforced in the United Kingdom. His group praised the 9/11 hijackers as "the magnificent 19."
"There is a huge amount of support for people like sheikh Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri [among British Muslims]," Choudary told CBN News.
A Ticking Time Bomb?
Choudary -- who collects welfare benefits from the state -- says his group is a non-violent political and ideological movement. But several former members have been convicted on terrorism charges.
"There are many youth out there who do contact us and do come to our talks and they have other ideas," Choudary said. "And we can make sure that those energies are channeled through discussion, dialogue, interaction. But if you take us out of the picture, then you have a very volatile situation."
"It's not a threat. It's a warning. It's a reality check," he added.
Abedin said things have improved significantly in London since 2005 and the British government has taken important steps to battle radicalism among young Muslims.
"The permissive environment that prevailed prior to July 7, 2005 is no longer the case," he said. "Radical preachers like Omar Bakri Mohammed, like Abu Hamza, for instance, have departed the arena. They've either been deported, expelled, or imprisoned.
But others like Anjem Choudary walk the streets of London as free men.
"I think that the British government is sitting on a tinderbox, you know, full of dynamite" he said. "And they have the matches in their hand and they're being very flippant."
"They're not dealing with it properly," Choudary continued. "It could all blow up in their face and it could be a very vicious situation."
Sunday, January 24, 2010
RADICAL PREACHER GOES BACK TO JAMAICA
FROM: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2010/01/25/2003464335
AP, KINGSTON
Monday, Jan 25, 2010, Page 7
A radical Muslim cleric who served time in a British jail for inciting murder and stirring racial hatred has returned by private jet to his native Jamaica after several unsuccessful attempts to deport him from Kenya.
Abdullah el-Faisal arrived in Kingston on Friday night on a jet paid for by the Kenyan government, traveling from Burkina Faso to Antigua via Cape Verde, authorities said.
Ken Baugh, Jamaica’s foreign affairs minister, said on Saturday he had no information about the cost of the flight or other details.
El-Faisal spoke briefly to reporters before he left in a minivan with two members of the local Muslim community.
“I’m traveling for two days and you want me to give you an interview?” he was quoted as saying in Saturday’s edition of the Jamaica Observer newspaper. “It was a very good flight. It was a private jet. I am very happy to be back home.”
It is unclear where el-Faisal will live in Jamaica. He previously lived in Spanish Town, just outside Kingston.
Deputy police chief Glenmore Hinds said police would maintain surveillance on him but did not provide specifics.
“We’ll be doing everything to ensure the safety of Jamaicans will not be compromised,” he said.
El-Faisal once led a London mosque attended by convicted terrorists and Britain has said that his teachings heavily influenced one of the bombers in the 2005 transport network attacks in London that killed 52 people.
In 2007, Britain deported him to Jamaica after he spent four years in jail for urging the killing of Americans, Hindus, Jews and Christians.
Last year, el-Faisal toured several African countries until he was arrested last month in Kenya. Muslim youth demanding his release staged a deadly protest on Jan. 15 at a downtown Nairobi mosque resulting in the arrest of 400 people. The Muslim Human Rights Forum said at least five people were killed when police shot at demonstrators, while the government says one person died.
Attempts to deport el-Faisal failed earlier this month when he was denied a transit visa when he arrived in Nigeria en route to Gambia, which had agreed to host him. He was then flown back to Kenya.
Britain, South Africa, Tanzania and the US earlier denied el-Faisal the transit visas he needed to return to Jamaica.
It was unclear on Saturday what country may have issued el-Faisal a transit visa.
Government officials in Burkina Faso did not return calls for comment. Authorities in Antigua said no one aboard a private plane is required to present paperwork if passengers do not disembark.
AP, KINGSTON
Monday, Jan 25, 2010, Page 7
A radical Muslim cleric who served time in a British jail for inciting murder and stirring racial hatred has returned by private jet to his native Jamaica after several unsuccessful attempts to deport him from Kenya.
Abdullah el-Faisal arrived in Kingston on Friday night on a jet paid for by the Kenyan government, traveling from Burkina Faso to Antigua via Cape Verde, authorities said.
Ken Baugh, Jamaica’s foreign affairs minister, said on Saturday he had no information about the cost of the flight or other details.
El-Faisal spoke briefly to reporters before he left in a minivan with two members of the local Muslim community.
“I’m traveling for two days and you want me to give you an interview?” he was quoted as saying in Saturday’s edition of the Jamaica Observer newspaper. “It was a very good flight. It was a private jet. I am very happy to be back home.”
It is unclear where el-Faisal will live in Jamaica. He previously lived in Spanish Town, just outside Kingston.
Deputy police chief Glenmore Hinds said police would maintain surveillance on him but did not provide specifics.
“We’ll be doing everything to ensure the safety of Jamaicans will not be compromised,” he said.
El-Faisal once led a London mosque attended by convicted terrorists and Britain has said that his teachings heavily influenced one of the bombers in the 2005 transport network attacks in London that killed 52 people.
In 2007, Britain deported him to Jamaica after he spent four years in jail for urging the killing of Americans, Hindus, Jews and Christians.
Last year, el-Faisal toured several African countries until he was arrested last month in Kenya. Muslim youth demanding his release staged a deadly protest on Jan. 15 at a downtown Nairobi mosque resulting in the arrest of 400 people. The Muslim Human Rights Forum said at least five people were killed when police shot at demonstrators, while the government says one person died.
Attempts to deport el-Faisal failed earlier this month when he was denied a transit visa when he arrived in Nigeria en route to Gambia, which had agreed to host him. He was then flown back to Kenya.
Britain, South Africa, Tanzania and the US earlier denied el-Faisal the transit visas he needed to return to Jamaica.
It was unclear on Saturday what country may have issued el-Faisal a transit visa.
Government officials in Burkina Faso did not return calls for comment. Authorities in Antigua said no one aboard a private plane is required to present paperwork if passengers do not disembark.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
AL QAEDA - WHITE ARMY OF TERROR
*** Almost a year to the day of this article. Connecting dots... MS ***
FROM: http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/AlQaeda39s-white-army-of-terror.3667425.jp
Published Date: 13 January 2008
By Richard Elias
HUNDREDS of British non-Muslims have been recruited by al-Qaeda to wage war against the West, senior security sources warned last night.
As many as 1,500 white Britons are believed to have converted to Islam for the purpose of funding, planning and carrying out surprise terror attacks inside the UK, according to one MI5 source.
Lord Carlile, the Government's independent reviewer of anti-terrorism legislation, said many of the converts had been targeted by radical Muslims while serving prison terms.
Security experts say the growing secret army of white terrorists poses a particularly serious threat as they are far less likely to be detected than members of the Asian community.
Since the 7/7 and 21/7 London bombings, police and intelligence services have had considerable success in identifying, disrupting and stopping extremist plots. As a result, groups such as al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen have been forced to change tack. Converting white non-Muslims has been one response.
The trend is well established in the United States. American-born Adam Gadahn is one of the FBI's top 10 most-wanted terrorists after converting to Islam and rising through al-Qaeda's ranks to become a prominent spokesman.
One British security source last night told Scotland on Sunday: "There could be anything up to 1,500 converts to the fundamentalist cause across Britain. They pose a real potential danger to our domestic security because, obviously, these people blend in and do not raise any flags.
"The exact figure of those who have converted to Islam and turned to terror is not precisely known. Not everyone who converts becomes radicalised and it may be that just two-fifths go down that path, but it remains a significant and dangerous problem."
Carlile said he was not aware of specific numbers, but confirmed to Scotland on Sunday that Whitehall was aware of the new threat and was actively tackling it. He said: "These people are an issue and are potentially very dangerous. There have been cases of non-Muslims converting before, and of these, Richard Reid, the so-called Shoebomber, is the most obvious example.
"They are more difficult to detect and the security services are right to place some focus on this issue."
Carlile said the majority of converts were targeted when they were in prison: "These (converts] are outside the standard type of profile which most police forces would have of a terrorist, which is male, young, and of Middle Eastern or Asian appearance. That is why they are so potentially dangerous."
Carlile added: "The Home Office has a lot of money, millions of pounds, which is being put forward for communities and fighting radicalisation. There is no question how tackling this issue is best achieved: it is achieved at a community level."
Security experts say radical Muslims in prison have become adept at identifying potential new recruits to their cause. Those in custody for the first time, the young and the lonely are particularly susceptible.
Initially, the approach is made to comfort, console and support, with very little reference, if any, to religion.
However, after several 'chats', the conversation will be turned towards the subject and, gradually, over a period of weeks or months, it is possible to complete the conversion.
Robert Leiken, director of the Immigration and National Security Programme and a specialist on European Muslims based at the Nixon Centre in Washington DC, said: "To me, the figure of 1,500 seems reasonable as many, perhaps less than a third, will actually go on to become radicals.
"New religious recruits always tend to be more zealous than those who have grown up with that specific religion."
Edwin Bakker, a Dutch-based security specialist, has studied at length the issue of radical conversions. He said: "The question is relevant and timely. Newcomers to Islam are extra-sensitive to perceived discrimination of Muslims and Islam-bashing.
"They feel they have to defend Islam – one of the essential concepts of Jihad – and they feel they have to prove themselves as newcomers."
But one of Scotland's leading Muslims disputed the claims of radicalisation, saying Islam's strict moral code made it unattractive to many westerners.
Bashir Maan added: "I do not know of any Islamist terror group in Scotland and, considering as a Muslim a person must pray five times daily, abstain from drinking (and] sex outside marriage, adhere to strict dietary and many other rules, it is impossible to convert to Islam a young person brought up in this very liberal society.
"I agree that the security services must be vigilant and keep their eye on everybody, but I think in this case they seem to be over-reacting."
*** Well, unless you are with the government, you probably would not know of any Islamist terror groups in Scotland Brother Bashir. Secondly, Muslims don't always do what they're supposed to; no different than someone from any other religion or code. Third, it is hardly IMpossible to convert someone from this path: I have done it myself and seen it done right in front of me. MS ***
FROM: http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/AlQaeda39s-white-army-of-terror.3667425.jp
Published Date: 13 January 2008
By Richard Elias
HUNDREDS of British non-Muslims have been recruited by al-Qaeda to wage war against the West, senior security sources warned last night.
As many as 1,500 white Britons are believed to have converted to Islam for the purpose of funding, planning and carrying out surprise terror attacks inside the UK, according to one MI5 source.
Lord Carlile, the Government's independent reviewer of anti-terrorism legislation, said many of the converts had been targeted by radical Muslims while serving prison terms.
Security experts say the growing secret army of white terrorists poses a particularly serious threat as they are far less likely to be detected than members of the Asian community.
Since the 7/7 and 21/7 London bombings, police and intelligence services have had considerable success in identifying, disrupting and stopping extremist plots. As a result, groups such as al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen have been forced to change tack. Converting white non-Muslims has been one response.
The trend is well established in the United States. American-born Adam Gadahn is one of the FBI's top 10 most-wanted terrorists after converting to Islam and rising through al-Qaeda's ranks to become a prominent spokesman.
One British security source last night told Scotland on Sunday: "There could be anything up to 1,500 converts to the fundamentalist cause across Britain. They pose a real potential danger to our domestic security because, obviously, these people blend in and do not raise any flags.
"The exact figure of those who have converted to Islam and turned to terror is not precisely known. Not everyone who converts becomes radicalised and it may be that just two-fifths go down that path, but it remains a significant and dangerous problem."
Carlile said he was not aware of specific numbers, but confirmed to Scotland on Sunday that Whitehall was aware of the new threat and was actively tackling it. He said: "These people are an issue and are potentially very dangerous. There have been cases of non-Muslims converting before, and of these, Richard Reid, the so-called Shoebomber, is the most obvious example.
"They are more difficult to detect and the security services are right to place some focus on this issue."
Carlile said the majority of converts were targeted when they were in prison: "These (converts] are outside the standard type of profile which most police forces would have of a terrorist, which is male, young, and of Middle Eastern or Asian appearance. That is why they are so potentially dangerous."
Carlile added: "The Home Office has a lot of money, millions of pounds, which is being put forward for communities and fighting radicalisation. There is no question how tackling this issue is best achieved: it is achieved at a community level."
Security experts say radical Muslims in prison have become adept at identifying potential new recruits to their cause. Those in custody for the first time, the young and the lonely are particularly susceptible.
Initially, the approach is made to comfort, console and support, with very little reference, if any, to religion.
However, after several 'chats', the conversation will be turned towards the subject and, gradually, over a period of weeks or months, it is possible to complete the conversion.
Robert Leiken, director of the Immigration and National Security Programme and a specialist on European Muslims based at the Nixon Centre in Washington DC, said: "To me, the figure of 1,500 seems reasonable as many, perhaps less than a third, will actually go on to become radicals.
"New religious recruits always tend to be more zealous than those who have grown up with that specific religion."
Edwin Bakker, a Dutch-based security specialist, has studied at length the issue of radical conversions. He said: "The question is relevant and timely. Newcomers to Islam are extra-sensitive to perceived discrimination of Muslims and Islam-bashing.
"They feel they have to defend Islam – one of the essential concepts of Jihad – and they feel they have to prove themselves as newcomers."
But one of Scotland's leading Muslims disputed the claims of radicalisation, saying Islam's strict moral code made it unattractive to many westerners.
Bashir Maan added: "I do not know of any Islamist terror group in Scotland and, considering as a Muslim a person must pray five times daily, abstain from drinking (and] sex outside marriage, adhere to strict dietary and many other rules, it is impossible to convert to Islam a young person brought up in this very liberal society.
"I agree that the security services must be vigilant and keep their eye on everybody, but I think in this case they seem to be over-reacting."
*** Well, unless you are with the government, you probably would not know of any Islamist terror groups in Scotland Brother Bashir. Secondly, Muslims don't always do what they're supposed to; no different than someone from any other religion or code. Third, it is hardly IMpossible to convert someone from this path: I have done it myself and seen it done right in front of me. MS ***
Monday, January 18, 2010
LONDONISTAN : THREAT FROM THE UK ?
FROM: http://news.rediff.com/interview/2009/dec/31/americans-blame-uk-for-rise-in-islamic-extremism.htm
Accusing Britain of being a "menace to the outside world", Americans have blamed their closest ally in Europe for the rise of Islamic extremism amid growing anger over the UK's perceived failure to tackle extremism.
Senior policymakers in the United States point to the recent attempt to bomb a transatlantic jetliner by Nigerian man Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who is thought to have become radicalised in London.
They said it was further evidence that one of the biggest threats to US security came from Britain, where the capital has been dubbed "Londonistan" by critics.
According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, they also criticised the "ghettoisation" of British Muslims, compared with the "assimilation" of Muslims in America.
Muslim immigrants to the US were much better integrated in society and considered themselves Americans "within a generation" because the US embraced the "melting pot" concept, Marc Thiessen, former chief speechwriter for President George W Bush and a former Pentagon aide, was quoted as saying by the British daily.
"The British have an immense problem. There are more challenges in Muslim immigrants integrating into British society than there is in America, a lack of assimilation, a great deal of alienation," said Charles Allen, a recently-retired veteran Central Intelligence Agency officer who was intelligence chief at the department of homeland security under Bush.
British universities are coming under the spotlight in the anti-terrorism campaign, with critics calling them a hotbed of extremism.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown [ Images ] recently highlighted the universities as one of the key areas where authorities needed to act against extremist influences.
The failed suicide bomber Abdulmutallab was president of the Islamic Society at University College London between 2006 and 2007, while he was studying for an engineering degree, the report said.
"The UK is a menace to the outside world. It's been a problem for years now. This is just one more example," said Daniel Pipes, a scholar on radical Islam and former adviser to Rudolph Giuliani during his presidential campaign, said.
Professor Anthony Glees, director of Brunel University's Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies, has suggested that dozens of British universities have become a breeding ground for extremists.
"The problem stems from the fact that extremists and extremist recruiters have seen universities as safe spaces from which to recruit students," Glees said, adding authorities are "not properly supervising what goes on at campuses, they weren't and they're still not, and it is clear they don't intend to do so in the future."
Though the UK Home Office refused Abdulmutallab a student visa in May and put him on an immigration watch list, they did not pass this information to the US.
Thiessen underlined that the US was "in grave danger" as "we are lowering our defences" "in response to the hue and cry from the European Left and to appease European opinion".
As a result, the Al Qaeda [ Images ] had "worked much harder to get Westerners, people who live in the West, who may be citizens of the West" to become recruits and train in places like the tribal areas of Pakistan and Yemen, he said.
Accusing Britain of being a "menace to the outside world", Americans have blamed their closest ally in Europe for the rise of Islamic extremism amid growing anger over the UK's perceived failure to tackle extremism.
Senior policymakers in the United States point to the recent attempt to bomb a transatlantic jetliner by Nigerian man Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who is thought to have become radicalised in London.
They said it was further evidence that one of the biggest threats to US security came from Britain, where the capital has been dubbed "Londonistan" by critics.
According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, they also criticised the "ghettoisation" of British Muslims, compared with the "assimilation" of Muslims in America.
Muslim immigrants to the US were much better integrated in society and considered themselves Americans "within a generation" because the US embraced the "melting pot" concept, Marc Thiessen, former chief speechwriter for President George W Bush and a former Pentagon aide, was quoted as saying by the British daily.
"The British have an immense problem. There are more challenges in Muslim immigrants integrating into British society than there is in America, a lack of assimilation, a great deal of alienation," said Charles Allen, a recently-retired veteran Central Intelligence Agency officer who was intelligence chief at the department of homeland security under Bush.
British universities are coming under the spotlight in the anti-terrorism campaign, with critics calling them a hotbed of extremism.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown [ Images ] recently highlighted the universities as one of the key areas where authorities needed to act against extremist influences.
The failed suicide bomber Abdulmutallab was president of the Islamic Society at University College London between 2006 and 2007, while he was studying for an engineering degree, the report said.
"The UK is a menace to the outside world. It's been a problem for years now. This is just one more example," said Daniel Pipes, a scholar on radical Islam and former adviser to Rudolph Giuliani during his presidential campaign, said.
Professor Anthony Glees, director of Brunel University's Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies, has suggested that dozens of British universities have become a breeding ground for extremists.
"The problem stems from the fact that extremists and extremist recruiters have seen universities as safe spaces from which to recruit students," Glees said, adding authorities are "not properly supervising what goes on at campuses, they weren't and they're still not, and it is clear they don't intend to do so in the future."
Though the UK Home Office refused Abdulmutallab a student visa in May and put him on an immigration watch list, they did not pass this information to the US.
Thiessen underlined that the US was "in grave danger" as "we are lowering our defences" "in response to the hue and cry from the European Left and to appease European opinion".
As a result, the Al Qaeda [ Images ] had "worked much harder to get Westerners, people who live in the West, who may be citizens of the West" to become recruits and train in places like the tribal areas of Pakistan and Yemen, he said.
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