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Bombers ‘pervert Islam’

ICbirmingham.co.uk, UK
Aug. 15, 2005
Emma Pinch
icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Monday August 15, 2005

An Islamic scholar has accused radical preachers such as Omar Bakri Mohammed of “shrouding” the killing of innocents with Koranic verses.

Speaking at a two-day conference in Birmingham, Abu Khadeejah stressed that it was vital to educate Muslim youths that suicide bombing was not a glorious death but a theological perversion.

He said the conference, entitled Orthodox Islam’s War on Terror and held over the weekend at the As-Salafi mosque in Small Heath, Birmingham, aimed to counter the effect of extremists who had been free to preach hate “for at least 15 years” prior to July 7.

Describing Bakri, other radical preachers such as Abu Qatada and those behind websites which glorify al Qaida attacks as irresponsible, Abu Khadeejah added: “They really should have been deported from England many years ago and there’s a doubt as to whether they should have been allowed into the UK in the first place.

“These individuals were allowed to call for the burning down of sovereign states, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan.”

Islam / Islamism

Islamism is a totalitarian ideology adhered to by Muslim extremists (e.g. the Taliban, Wahhabis, Hamas and Osama bin Laden). It is considered to be a distortion of Islam. Many Islamists engage in terrorism in pursuit of their goals.

Adherents of Islam are called “Muslims.” The term “Arab” describes an ethnic or cultural identity. Not all Arabs are Muslims, and not all Muslims are Arabs. The terms are not interchangeable.

Understanding Islamic Terrorism: Muhammad, Islam and Terrorism

Read up on Islam

Read up on Islamism

Research resources on islam

Research resources on islamism

The cleric believes groups such as Al-Mujaharoun have preyed on disenchanted young Muslims to spread a cult-like message of hate based on politics rather than religion.

“The issue of killing yourself has never been part of jihad in 1,400 years of Islamic history.

“Radicals have no precedence in Islam whatsoever and just because they shroud their message with Koranic verses does not make it more digestible.

“The solution is to educate people that integration in British society does not equal selling out your religion.”

Speakers at the event said they would welcome attempts to solve political issues in the Middle East, but warned that such efforts may do nothing to tackle the ideology which inspires al Qaida.

Amjad Rafiq said many preachers who openly supported Osama bin Laden came to Britain in the early 80s from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt and Algeria.

The lecturer added: “We have been warning against these people for 10-15 years.

“They use global events as an emotional tool to justify (terrorism) and our aim is to bring Muslims back into the theological area.

“We are at the forefront of warning against terrorism and these ideologies have to be rooted out – they are alien to Islam and they are inherently evil.” n Tony Blair is right to deport foreign Islamic extremists, the independent watchdog on anti-terror measures said yesterday.

Human rights groups have condemned agreements guaranteeing the safety of those returned to their home countries as not worth the paper they are written on.

Lord Carlile, the Liberal Democrat peer appointed to review anti-terror measures, said that was a “counsel of despair”.

“The Government is right to try and reach bilateral agreements with other countries to ensure that people who are present and whose presence is not conducive to the public good can be removed,” he said.

However, Lord Carlile warned that proposed new laws on how judges should interpret the Human Rights Act would amount to ” teaching your grandmother to suck eggs”.

Ministers have suggested legislation could force them to give more weight to national security.

“The judges do have in mind considerations of national security,” the peer said. “Judges do their best to balance the decisions of Ministers with human rights.