Author Topic: British Muslims defiant over al-Shabab threat  (Read 731 times)

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Offline EC

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British Muslims defiant over al-Shabab threat
« on: October 26, 2013, 07:44:30 pm »
One of the things we hear - and too frequently say - is "Where are the Muslims condemning terrorist attacks?"

Right here.

Via al Jazeera: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/10/british-muslims-defiant-over-al-shabab-threat-2013102591313719196.html

Quote
London, UK - Prominent British Muslims who have spoken out against Islamic extremism say they will not be cowed despite being targeted by al-Shabab in a broadcast calling for do-it-yourself attacks by self-styled jihadists in the UK.

The video, which appeared on the internet last week and bore the watermark of the Somali armed group's al-Kataib media wing, is presented by a black-masked narrator with a southern English accent who urges aspiring jihadists to arm themselves with knives from B&Q, a popular DIY or "do it yourself" store famous for the slogan "Don't just do it, B&Q it".

It celebrates the murder of British soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich, south London, in May, and accuses Muslim community leaders who condemned the attack of being on the British government's payroll and of "mutilating the teachings of Islam".

It didn't make me scared. It just made me angry and more determined

-Ajmal Masroor, imam

Ajmal Masroor, a London-based imam and broadcaster, said police officers had visited his home late last Wednesday to warn him of a credible threat against his life made in an online video.

"It is a terrible piece of work and the content is vile and disgusting and horrific in many ways. It is a group of people who are glorifying violence and death. It didn't make me scared. It just made me angry and more determined," Masroor told Al Jazeera.

Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadan Foundation, which works to enhance understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims, said he had also received a visit from police in the early hours.

Shafiq told Al Jazeera he was concerned for the safety of his family, and said police had offered him protection at his Manchester home.

"It's shocked us all but it just makes you even more determined to make a stand against terrorism," he said. "Not because of what the government says, but because it is our Islamic duty to stand up against this. We must confront it wherever we find it."

Other figures targeted in the video included Mohammed Ansar, a filmmaker and broadcaster who regularly challenges both Islamic and far-right extremism, and Usama Hasan, senior researcher at the Quilliam Foundation, a counter-extremism think-tank.

Ansar said police were patrolling his neighbourhood and had installed alarm systems and reinforced locks and doors at his home. Summing up his response to the ordeal on Twitter he wrote: "Typical British responses if ever we saw them. Defiance and cups of tea."

The video also lists fighters from several British cities killed on the battlefields of Somalia and features footage of an al-Shabab member identified as Talha from Tower Hamlets, a London borough, calling on "all the Muslim men in Britain to come to jihad... and cut the necks of the disbelievers."

More at link.
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Offline EC

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Re: British Muslims defiant over al-Shabab threat
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2013, 07:45:14 pm »
Disclaimer - I know Ajmal, so this has a personal aspect, unlike many of the stories that get posted in World News. He is one tough SOB. Looks a little thin and frail, but strong as hell despite that. When he texted me to say he was on al Jazeera, I was really pleased. He is welcome in my home for an hour, a week, or a decade. No questions asked.
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