August 09, 2005

DUMPLINGS



relates to this early article.

Mr Hamza's crew thought they were coming across a bit agressive on the TV pushing and shoving with camera crews, so they changed tactics. Mr. Dumplings and his lot would surround the offending highly paid news crews one end berating them angrily for not being in Iraq, not coming here to pray etc.

Mr. Dumplings would always say "Go home. Cook your wife some dumplings. Fish and chips..."

Watching all these journalists I had seen on TV encountering him for the first time was hilarious. I'm sure they thought he was Al-Quida's most fearsome. There were photographers everywhere, yet if Mr. Dumplings thought that one of them had taken his picture he would go ballistic at them.

"Don't take my picture! Did you take my picture? Don't do it!"

At the other end, Abu Abdullah and Hajj would introduce journalists to Abu Hamza who would sit like king canute in an ancient sofa chair answering questions in a more dignified manner.

2 comments:

The Scrutinator said...

Interesting video. Interesting guy. It must have been hilarious to watch him work. (But as I watch, I ask myself if he'd turn in a brother he found out was planning an attack. How do we answer that question?)

But who's the other guy? The one who wears the terrorist-style head/face-covering? I saw several in the other video, too. Are those commonplace there? They're very out of place in the U.S.

Why would a faithful Muslim, with Allah on his side, have any need to hide his face? (That goes for Muslim militants around the world, too.)

DAVE BONES said...

They said they hid their identities because they didn't want to loose their jobs.

I always though the mask related to a romantic view of solidarity with such people in Palestine and Iraq.

Often when I filmed, someone would deliberately stand in the background wearing a mask. I think they liked the news reports looking the way they did.

They know the media are there, its sort of symbolism. But symbolism by a class of Londoner with their own rules.

I got on OK with most of them but don't know who they were. I can see that growing up in London as Muslims, events must be pushing them culturaly behind masks.

These guys walk and talk like Londoners, but they have separated themselves from society.

The Muslim world is a family whether people like it or not. If you squeeze it on one side it is no suprise that the "pips" burst out over here.

Unrest is channeled at different times in different ways no?
In the 1980s football volence and rioting were popular but how popular is suicide bombing?

Everyone gets excited but in reality there is little risk.