August 22, 2004

IN THE LAIR OF THE FUNDAMENTALISTS

This week we got an explanation of the Shariah laws on adultery. It was quite graphic considering there were children present. Mr. Abdullah had the adulterous Mr. Blunkett in his sights for stoning. For the stoning law to apply however, there apparently had to be four independent witnesses to the actual act of penetration (Mr. Abdullahs words) If one of them said that the adulterers were just laying on top of each other the law wouldn’t apply.

Only if Mr and mrs Blair, and Gordon Brown and his wife actually witnessed them having sex, and they would swear to it before God would Mr. Blunkett have to worry. Mr. Abdullah assured us he would receive his punishment in the next life. Whether there is a God or not I can never imagine having the urge to stone a complete stranger. I can’t imagine anyone at Finsbury Park being keen stoners either. Maybe I am wrong.

At these times those of us in infidels corner and the Police look at each other and smile at strange customs we don’t understand. I had an advance preview of all this on Wednesday when I finally got myself invited into the “ lair” I refered to in the title. Well, not really a lair but Hajj’s house.( Talking about keen stoners see HAJJ ON DOPE)

Hajj on Muslim attitudes to sexuality is going to be even more compulsive viewing than Abdullah’s preaching. I hope he talks like this with the camera on. He has an amazing Turkish Cypriot attitude and frank, almost crude way of speaking which is priceless. He has made a journey from being a very wordly man to being a very devout man, and boy can he tell it. He's got photo's of his life as a hippie, he's amazing. Just the sort of person NO ONE who reads the Sun would expect to find standing next to Hamza. Hajj has always been the person I could most relate to in Finsbury Park mosque and has always been the person who trusted me the most. Finally being in his house after a few false starts made me wish I had visited ages ago when Mr. Hamza was still amongst us.

With no idea as to who Hamza was I had always been too scared to get too close to what I had assumed MI-5 would have been all over. What an idiot, I’ve really missed out. It’s so weird to see the alleged Bin Laden of Britain’s closest supporters come across like an orthadox church group. Abdullah and Hajj had apparently had an argument . They are like brothers. Comical, human and un-terrorist like. I hope I can get this across on camera. I wasn’t filming or recording, I had broken Nick Broomfield’s rules about having a camera running at all times to my cost, though this was a necessary excercise in trust.

While Mr. Abdullah was talking to me Hajj was in the background smashing a Video machine on the floor in frustration. Abdullah talking about Islam with Hajj in the background mullahing the video in a London council estate is just the sort of picture of British fundamenal Islam I was looking for.

“I’m going to be very angry with my daughter when she gets home.” said Hajj, frustrated.

“ It was an innocent act. She put the child lock on for the protection of children.”
Mr. Abdullah gently admonished.


We had originally arranged the meeting as a chance for Mr. Abdullah to look through my footage (some 40 hours now) before he would decide whether to do this doc. Instead the meeting turned into an opportunity for Mr. Abdullah and Hajj to explain to me in a lot more detail what Islam was to them. I used to be part of a converting religion myself as a child, which involved knocking on complete strangers doors to tell them about Jesus on a Sunday afternoon in suburban Dorset.I didn’t feel like I was being preached at.

Mr. Abdullah left early and I carried on talking to Hajj until 11:30. He told me a little bit about how he had become a Muslim and how Hamza had become his teacher. He also tantalizingly started to tell me how it was he who had first spoken to Mr.Abdullah on his journey to Islam.

Before Mr. Abdullah left he set out some terms for my doc to continue. He wanted copies of all the tapes the film was to be cut from, just so as if anything was re-edited he would have the originals. He also wanted a list of questions signed by Channel 4 and Hamza’s lawyers. He had very little hope that what he said would get past the Zionists he thinks runs the media, but I get the feeling he at least believes my intentions are honourable.

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