The Baroness, Islamic Extremists and a Question of Free Speech

'The Creator is the one who should decide what the laws
should be,' said Abu Essa Niamatullah

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Two groups campaigning to get British Muslims involved in the election are "clever fronts" to win political access and influence for Islamists holding extreme views, writes Andrew Gilligan.

At first glance, it looks admirable: two closely connected campaigns, called YouElect and Mend (Muslim Engagement and Development), to get British Muslims involved and voting in this year’s general election.

Mend says it is “creating and supporting an environment in which British Muslims can confidently and critically engage in politics”. One of YouElect’s leaders, Jamil Rashid, told the Islam Channel: “We’re all part of this society, so I think it’s extremely important that Muslims stand up and be counted.” Who could disagree? That, no doubt, is why the Electoral Commission has made Mend an “official partner” in registering Muslim voters for the coming campaign; why at least 10 Labour and Tory MPs joined the launch of Mend’s “Muslim manifesto” in the Commons earlier this month; and why even Lynton Crosby, the Conservative campaign director, addressed a Mend fringe meeting at last year’s Tory conference.

Mend also holds events with police chiefs, gets funding from the EU and is a “key partner” in the Hacked Off campaign for state-backed controls on the press. The truth, however, is that these distinguished bodies and people have been conned. Both Mend and YouElect are clever fronts to win political access and influence for Islamists holding extreme and anti-democratic views.

When not giving reassuring interviews, Mr Rashid is a director of the London-based Muslim Research and Development Foundation, the think tank of one of Britain’s most notorious hate preachers, Haitham al-Haddad, an extremist cleric and Sharia judge from east London.

Haddad describes democracy as “filthy”, regards music as a “prohibited and fake message of love and peace”, states that Jews and Christians are the “enemies of Allah” who will “all go to hellfire” and advises Muslims not to “integrate … as simple as that”.

On March 6, Mr Rashid spoke at a rally organised by Cage, the pro-terrorist lobby group which had the week before provoked outrage by describing Mohammed Emwazi, “Jihadi John”, as a “kind and gentle” man who had been “radicalised by MI5”. He described Cage as “the leaders in our community – we are all Cage, and we stand with them in all their endeavours”. Ismail Patel, the director of YouElect, is also spokesman for the British Muslim Initiative, closely linked to Hamas, the terrorist group which wants to destroy Israel, and the Muslim Brotherhood, which wants to replace secular democratic government with a caliphate under Islamic law.

Then there is Mend. It, too, has defended Cage, accusing the media of trying to discredit the group after the “Jihadi John” episode. It, too, has links to Haddad, who, despite his views on democracy, has appeared in a Mend video urging Muslims to vote. He has said in the past that voting may be permissible to return a Muslim majority government in “50 years, something like this” as a prelude to “Islam spreading all over the world”.

Mend is next month launching an election tour, to “reinforce the importance of electoral participation” and encourage Muslims to go to the ballot box. A star speaker at five of the six events listed will be Abu Eesa Niamatullah, another British extremist who opposes democracy. » | Andrew Gilligan | Sunday, March 22, 2015

Islamic 'Radicals' at the Heart of Whitehall

Lady Warsi arrives in Downing Street on July 6, 2010

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Baroness Warsi gave official roles to people with links to Islamist groups

Entryism, the favourite tactic of the 1980s’ Militant Tendency, is when a political party or institution is infiltrated by groups with a radically different agenda. Since Militant’s Trotskyites were expelled from the Labour Party, the word has rather fallen out of fashion.

But now, according to one Muslim leader, Islamic radicals are practising entryism of their own — into the heart of Whitehall – courtesy of a woman who was until recently a government minister.

Baroness Warsi, the first Muslim woman to sit in Cabinet, handed official posts to people linked to Islamist groups, including a man involved in an “unpleasant and bullying” campaign to win planning permission for the controversial London “megamosque” proposed by a fundamentalist Islamic sect.

He sits – alongside other radicals or former radicals and their allies – on a “cross-Government working group on anti-Muslim hatred” set up by Lady Warsi and Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister.

Some members of the group are using their seats at the table to urge that Whitehall work with Islamist and extremist-linked bodies, including one described by the Prime Minister as a “political front for the Muslim Brotherhood”. Some are also pressing to lift bans on foreign hate preachers from entering Britain, including Zakir Naik, who has stated that “every Muslim should be a terrorist”. » | Andrew Gilligan | Sunday, February 22, 2015

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Anti-terrorism chief quits over failure to expel suspects: Senior official quits over fears scheme to deport terrorists isn’t working » | Robert Mendick and Robert Verkaik | Saturday, February 21, 2015

'Trojan Horse' Teacher Breaks into Girl's Phone

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Parent complains to police over school's action to uncover 'forbidden' relationship with a fellow 16-year-old pupil

A teacher at one of the Birmingham state schools allegedly taken over by Muslim radicals in the so-called “Trojan Horse” plot has been reported to police after he broke into a female pupil’s mobile telephone to prove she was having a “forbidden” relationship with a boy.

The girl, who at 16 is over the age of consent, had her telephone confiscated by the teacher during a Sunday event at Park View School last month. Two members of staff told The Telegraph the device was then taken, without her permission, to a shop for its passcode to be broken, and its contents unlocked and examined by the school.

Images of the girl with the boy, a fellow Year 11 pupil at Park View, and text messages between them, obtained from the phone, were used by the school as evidence to suspend her, weeks before her GCSE exams. The boy was also suspended, but more briefly. » | Andrew Gilligan | Sunday, May 18, 2014

Head Teachers Raise 'Serious Concerns' Over Islamic School Take-over

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Head teachers' leaders voice concerns for the first time over an alleged Islamic plot to infiltrate schools in Birmingham as Ofsted confirm that its own investigation has spread to three more state primaries

Head teachers today raised "serious concerns" for the first time over an alleged plot to spread Islamic principles in the state education system as it emerged that an official investigation has spread to more schools.

The National Association of Head Teachers said it had found "concerted efforts" to infiltrate a series of its members' schools in Birmingham.

In a statement, the union said attempts had been made to "alter their character in line with the Islamic faith", including sidelining parts of the curriculum and attempting to influence the appointment of Muslim staff.

Russell Hobby, the general secretary, also warned that the action was unlikely to be "limited to Birmingham" and may have spread to other areas, adding: "I think it is connected into the large cities around the country."

The disclosure was made as Ofsted confirmed that its own investigation into the plot - dubbed Trojan Horse - had spread from 18 to 21 schools in Birmingham. The three additional schools are primaries. » | Graeme Paton, Education Editor | Friday, May 02, 2014

Canada: Homegrown Terrorism

Read the Sun News article here | Wednesday, April 03, 2013