Islam4UK

Islam4UK is an offshoot of British Islamic extremist group Al-Muhajiroun led by Anjem Choudary. It declares itself to have "been established by sincere Muslims as a platform to propagate the supreme Islamic ideology within the United Kingdom as a divine alternative to man-made law" and "convince the British public about the superiority of Islam [...] thereby changing public opinion in favour of Islam in order to transfer the authority and power [...] to the Muslims in order to implement the Sharee’ah (here in Britain)".

The announcement of the ban by Alan Johnson this morning is a clear case of the oppressor and tyrant blaming the oppressed. Britain has today become an apartheid state, where Muslims are treated as second class citizens.

Islam4UK press release (12 January 2010)

On 12 January 2010 the British home secretary Alan Johnson moved to ban Islam4UK under the Terrorism Act 2000. Mr Johnson said: "I have today laid an order which will proscribe Al Muhajiroun, Islam4UK, and a number of the other names the organization goes by". It is already proscribed under two other names - Al Ghurabaa and The Saved Sect. The ban will come into effect on 14 January 2010, pending Parliamentary approval, and make it a criminal offence to be a member, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Responding to the ban Islam4UK issued a statement saying "Today's ban is another nail in the coffin of capitalism and another sign of the revival of Islam and Muslims." They restated their goal: "Therefore, we will one day liberate our land from occupation and implement the Shariah not just in Muslim countries but also right here in Great Britain. This is something that we believe in, live by and hope that in our lifetime we will witness". In a further statement, issued on the same day via their website, they stated that "Islam 4 UK has been contacted by authorities to (force) shut down its operations, we stress this name will no longer be used by us, but the struggle for Khilafah will continue regardless of what the disbelievers plot against the Muslims. It is the duty of all Muslims to rise up and call for the Khilafah wherever they may be.."

It is linked to preacher Omar Bakri Mohammed and his organization Al-Muhajiroun, which also included Choudary, and which was banned under the United Kingdom's Terrorism Act 2006.

On 16 October 2009, members of the organization protested against the visit to Britain by Dutch MP Geert Wilders. They carried banners with slogans such as "Shariah is the solution, freedom go to hell" and "Geert Wilders deserves Islamic punishment".

During Prime Minister's Questions on 25 November 2009, the Leader of the Opposition David Cameron challenged the Prime Minister Gordon Brown as to why the group had not been banned by the Government.

The Muslim Council of Great Britain (MCB) has condemned the group's marches, stating that "[it] is very irresponsible as it is bound to create further tension; it risks fuelling Islamophobia which has resulted in increased attacks on British Muslims and their institutions and properties". The MCB has also said that "It is very well known that these extremist groups are a handful of people and do not represent the views of mainstream Muslim public. The group is widely represented as "extremist" by the British media.

Proposed Wootton Bassett march

You may see one or two coffins being returned to the UK every other day, but when you think about the people of Afghanistan its a huge number (being killed) in comparison [...] I intend to write a letter to the parents of British soldiers telling them the reality of what they died for.

Anjem Choudary (January 2010)

In January 2010 the group announced plans to hold a protest march through Wooton Bassett, a town where informal public mourning takes place to honour the corteges of service personnel killed on active service, as they make their way from RAF Lyneham to Oxford. Reports that the group planned to carry empty coffins to "represent the thousands of Muslims who have died" were denied by the group. Choudary announced that the event would be peaceful, and that it was not timed to coincide with any mourning processions. The announcement was condemned by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who said that plans for the march were "disgusting" and that "to offend the families of dead or wounded troops would be completely inappropriate". The Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, indicated he would agree to any request from the Wiltshire Police or local government to ban the march under Section 13 of the Public Order Act 1986.

Choudary has said he chose Wootton Bassett to attract maximum attention, and, he asserted that 500 members of Islam4UK would carry 'symbolic coffins' in memory of the Muslim civilians 'murdered by merciless' coalition forces. By 5 January 2010, over 400,000 people had joined a Facebook group opposing the march.

The Muslim Council of Britain said that it "condemns the call by [...] Islam4UK for their proposed march in Wootton Bassett", and continues, "Like other Britons, Muslims are not opposed to Britain’s Armed Forces." The Wiltshire Islamic Cultural Centre stated "We, along with all other Muslim community groups in Wiltshire and the surrounding area, including Bath Islamic Society and Swindon Thamesdown Islamic Association, unreservedly condemn this march," adding, "Therefore we are putting the record straight and letting the media and general public know that the vast majority of Muslims have nothing to do with this group", and asking that Wiltshire Police ban the march. They stated that they, along with Call to Islam Centre and Masjid Al-Ghurabah, would counter demonstrate against "Islam4UK/Al-Muhajiroon".

The planned march was cancelled by the group, on 10 January 2010. The police never received a request for permission for the march.

External links

• Official website