TELL WHITEHALL

in the Daily Mail

...according to senior American intelligence sources, Hamza evaded the extensive security measures surrounding him to send a series of questions to Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama Bin Laden's right-hand man.

Al-Zawahiri is believed to be hiding with Bin Laden in the lawless mountain region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Late last year, Al-Zawahiri - who has a £13million bounty on his head - posted a message on an extremist website run by Al Qaeda saying he would answer questions on any topic.

US intelligence tracked all the email replies and among them were messages from Abu Hamza. It is understood they were sent from an email address known to be linked to the cleric.

The sources say they have no doubt that al-Zawahiri was personally involved in answering the questions and that those posed by Hamza had genuinely originated from him...

....US counter-intelligence chiefs are said to be particular concerned because Hamza's questions suggest Al Qaeda may be planning a new front in its activities in Egypt - where both Hamza and al-Zawahiri were born - and openly discuss the murder of police and other law enforcement officers.

Hamza wrote: 'I have two questions for you, our great Shaykh.

'First: When will there be a wing of the organisation in Egypt? And if it is there, how can one join the caravan?

'Second: What is your opinion of the officers of State Security in Egypt? Are they committing unbelief? And is it permissible to kill them? Or does the matter have its particulars?'

Al-Zawahiri answered: 'First, the days will reveal to you what you didn't know. And news will come to you from those who didn't have it.

'Second, I believe the officers of the State Security Anti-Religious Activities Branch and who investigate Islamic causes and torture the Muslims are infidels, each and every one of them.

'They know more about the Islamic movements than many of those movements' members know about them.

'And it is permissible to kill the officers of State Security and the rest of the personnel of the police, whether we declare them unbeliever individually or declare them unbelievers in general, if that is the framework of a combat campaign.

'As for the discretion of your brothers in Qaeda al-Jihad Group, it is to focus at this stage on striking American and Zionist targets and targets of the states allied with it in the aggression against the Muslims and on serious efforts to change the regimes in the hire of the Crusaders and Jews. And Allah knows best.'

Last night a Whitehall source said: 'If the Americans had information that a terror suspect in Britain was in communication with senior figures in Al Qaeda, I am confident we would be informed.'

This is referring to a question answer session with Al Zawahiri a while back which did indeed feature a question from an "Abu Hamza". When I saw him preach he would often say that Mubarak was a dictator, and its not just Muslims who believe this. I heard the same thing on Channel 4 news the other day. Obviously I have no idea whether a question was smuggled out of Belmarsh. The finger could only point to his family or lawyers as they are the only ones allowed to visit. I like the answer from Whitehall. Seems to be saying that they haven't been notified about any of this doesn't it?

BOMBPLOTWIFE

'Bomb plot' wife gave false name

Mike has been down to a bit more of this trial than I have now, the last two days or so have been very interesting. I sat down to eat my lunch outside court and the woman giving evidence sat in front of me. Fuckers were filming her from behind a hedge. When we got back in a few of the jurors who were in their outdoor smoking area complained about being asked to move out of shot! The judge said he couldn't do anything about it but he deplored such actions. He said the witness had enough on her plate giving evidence and shouldn't be filmed in the middle of such an ordeal.

Al Faisal

Daniel Sandford has done a great interview with Abdullah Al-Faisal. I am relieved that he speaks against bombing innocents. Article on the BBC website here

Creative spelling

from the Telegraph, Abu Hamza extradition is no cause for rejoice apparently...

HAPPY SOLSTICE

Just about recovered enough to post this. Went to the Stones for solstice. I stopped going for a couple of years because I was finding it a bit leary, happy to report that I didn't see none of that. Leary English K heads may have been present, more predominant were some very bright east Europeans and Spanish having a great time. Nice to see them appreciating the UK from its epicentre. I didn't take any drugs. I've sort of had enough of them at the moment. I had stuff to work out through the night, I needed to know what I think about a few things. We arrived at about 2 AM and got into the stones maybe an hour before sunrise. It was drizzly the whole time but never properly raining or very wet. The Policing was the lowest key stuff I have ever seen there. At night there was even a little rave in the car park left untruncheoned. We got chucked out about 9AM. Really nice hassle free night. Stonehenge in whatever incarnation it is allowed to happen is still the most important summer festival in the UK.

car park

Very low key security watched by Brian in wizard hat on the left

Floodlit before sunrise

party time

communication

chucking out time

According to the BBC there were 28,ooo there which of course makes us wonder how many would turn up on a weekend if there was no rain. If you haven't see the BBCs bafta award winning Stonehenge doco its here

Pagans and partygoers celebrate the summer solstice at Stonehenge (Canadian Press)
BBC etc etc

Long Time Coming

Britain's High Court ruled Friday that a radical Muslim preacher accused of helping set up a terrorist training camp in rural Oregon should be extradited to face terrorism charges in the United States.

Obviously I feel I should get to the States to cover this. At the moment I can't see how.

Abu Hamza loses extradition fight (BBC)
Cleric faces US extradition after appeal loss (CNN)
Hamza faces extradition to the US (The National - Abu Dhabi,United Arab Emirates)
Raise a hook if you're leaving Britain (The Sun)
HAMZA: KICK HIM OUT NOW (Express)

etc etc etc

I'm not going to say too much about this right now, obviously I will be taking an interest in the evidence presented against him and possibly getting some reaction from people that know him. The only thing I can see wrong with the coverage which is going on is

The July 7 London bombers were inspired by his sermons and the would-be bombers of July 21 were regular worshippers at the Finsbury Park mosque in north London where he was formerly the imam.

The first statement is no doubt true but I don't think it can be claimed that the 21/7 guys were regular worshipers at all. A couple of them were photographed once or twice.

FREEDOM

I'm in the crowd, saying, don't give me fear. Give me freedom.

and check out David Davis' resignation speech. Will he have a David Icke moment and declare himself to be a Son of God? Stay tuned. Its all making me feel guilty for being flippant.

Now don't contact Osama OK?

Abu Qatada was freed from jail last night – on condition he does not contact Osama Bin Laden. A “ludicrous” bail ruling also means Qatada cannot receive visits from the world’s most wanted man. Described as the al-Qaeda warlord’s No 2 in Europe, Qatada has additionally been barred from contacting preacher Abu Hamza...

...Yesterday Mr Justice Mitting also ordered Qatada must not contact Bin Laden deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri...

FIVE FLOORS OF SHIT

Went to the opening of Goldsmiths Fine Art degree show and it didn't disappoint. Five floors of utter shite as usual. I must go to more of these. There must have been something good.. Hang on.. erm.. Oh a swing. I liked a swing made of nice wood with brightly coloured ropes holding it. I went round with a friend. We made sure to show appreciation for the huge concrete pillars which hold the building up. What else was good? Oh yeah a couple of cartoons, err.. something with coal and a swirly grey floor. Totally banal crap which says fuck all in general. There were some interesting posters which said something. Banksy style logos but I can't remember any of them now. We both decided that the best two pieces of art on exhibit belonged to a girl with a see through blouse and an improbably decorated purple bra.

SHEIK GOOGLE

Interesting interview with Omar Bakri May 1st 2008. He talks about his exit from the UK, his views on his "Islamic duties" here, where he went wrong, The Quilliam Foundation etc. Fascinating stuff.


If we were extreme from the truth then we deserved condemnation but clearly we were extreme from the falsehood. Recent events have vindicated our ideas and approach. But now unfortunately I am no longer in the UK to play a useful role. However, I believe we succeeded in laying the seeds for robust Islamic activism in the UK. Nevertheless, the most disgruntled and radical youths are currently not receiving any proper guidance and direction. So they have turned to Sheikh Google [ie the Internet] for direction. This has increased the threat of terrorism. These people will adopt and implement what is suitable for Afghanistan in the UK.

HAMID

I met Hamids daughter for the first time since the trial. Very sad, don't really know what I can do to help. She said her dad keeps on being moved from cell to cell and block to block. No one who isn't family is allowed to visit. She asked me to write to him, but I don't really know him. I asked if Nasreen Suleman or Phil Rees had written or been in contact with her. I thought they would be more help than I as they actually know Hamid. She said she is up for doing some filming with me. Hamid is appealing his sentence soon. He has written some poetry inside

Fruit

The fruit that i gave was so bitter
But not as bitter than what i said
I'd rather speak the truth
Then tell a lie
My word comes from the heart
My tongue can be sharper than a knife
Words can kill, words can destroy
Words can have a lasting effect

The truth is bitter,the truth is great
So accept reality for life is hell -
Accept the truth
For i am telling you
That there is one way
And live with love and kind
Find God
It will all become sweet

HAMID



Behind My Mask

Behind my mask lies another man,
When the world is in silent,
No one can see or hear the whispers of the night,
There is another side
That only releases in the darkness of the time
Staying up through the night
Crying to your lord
With the tears of your heart

HAMID


We didn't talk a lot on a hot day, I didn't know what to say. I explained that things were a lot more straightforward for me because Atilla pleaded guilty.

AHHH JIHADIS ETC

Can't blog or compute much as I have a bit of repetitive strain in my arm and have a gig on Saturday and must rest it.

Islamic fanatics are openly using the internet to recruit children in Britain, says Civitas

This article mentions Islambase who feature some of my videos.

Muslim children in Britain 'brought up to hate their homeland'

Muslim parents to blame for children turning to extremism

CARDIACS ON THE RADIO

CARDIACS will be performing three songs live in the studio on Marc Riley's Brain Surgery show on Monday 23rd June between 7 and 9:30pm, On BBC 6 Music. Tune in early. The first song will be performed at 7pm and the following two at 7:30.

iPlayer

Hey I'm not surprised the BBC iPlayer is crashing the net. Its great. I can watch The Apprentice anytime I like. If you can catch it- Last Man Standing's Trobriand Cricket episode is amazing

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

..."Yes, this is what I wish, to be a martyr for a long time," Mohammed said. "I will, God willing, have this, by you."...

...One of the civilian attorneys he spurned, David Nevin, later told The Associated Press that he would attempt to meet with Mohammed to "hear him out and see if we can give him information that is helpful."

Asked how any attorney could defend a man who wants the death penalty, the Boise, Idaho, lawyer said: "It's a tricky matter. I don't have a good answer for you."

Waleed bin Attash, who allegedly selected and trained some of the hijackers, asked the judge whether the Sept. 11 defendants — who all face possible death sentences — would be buried at Guantanamo or if their bodies would be shipped home if they were executed.

Kohlmann, a Marine colonel with a crewcut who was dressed in black robes, refused to address the question.

The five co-defendants were at turns cordial and defiant at their arraignment, the first U.S. attempt to try in court those believed to be directly responsible for killing 2,973 people in the bloodiest terrorist attack ever on U.S. soil. All five said they would represent themselves....

WEDNESDAY IS THE NEW FRIDAY

We won!

rock star faces

rock star bassist

An Uncle of Funk

One shit hot singer

I fuckin love squatted pubs. We did the radio show again, another fantastic night. I think I was a bit pissed by the time we started and abandoned the guitar to itself a couple of times, leaving strangled loops and feedback going and jumped about like Bez from the Happy Mondays. Probably not the best idea for radio but there you are. Towards the end of the gig I wasn't sure what was going on but everyone seemed pretty happy so maybe I got away with it. We'll see. This sort of thing makes you forget "making it" as a muso eh. Its just great fun. I think we got back about four AM. I was pissed off that I missed Immortal Technique up the road in the Coronet, but pleased to find the guys who promoted the gig were still up when we got back and jamming down the road. There is a recording somewhere I will put some of it up when it surfaces.

Phil and Linda

squatted pubs rock

THE SECOND COMING...

Bloody hell- Its Obama!

In a symbolic move, Obama spoke in the same hall where McCain will accept the Republican nomination at his party's convention in September. Campaign officials, citing the local fire marshal, put the crowd at 17,000 inside the eXcel Energy Center, plus another 15,000 outside.

McCain addressed a smaller crowd by design, an estimated 600 in his audience and another 600 outside.

One campaign began as another was ending.

Well that was a surprise. I've been watching this from afar with my pals in Sparkleland. She is not usually wrong about these things, I'm glad she was this time. Not that I'm expecting Obama to do anything. If he is the lesser of evils, I suppose that is OK. Obviously I hope for a "surge". A reaction around the world to a black president which might push him into doing something. I hope for him to speak in a language which will out date the mindset of my republican friends. Will he? We'll see. Anyway the Pakistanis are happy:

A former senior Pakistani diplomat, who was briefly ambassador to the United States, Tariq Fatemi, said that Mr. Obama’s “idealism” struck a chord with Pakistanis.

“Barack Obama would do very well in improving the image of the United States. He would position the United States more as a force for moral values rather than for brute force,” he said.

PH7 radio

We are back on PH7 Radio tomorrow (Wednesday) show starts at 10 not sure when we'll get to play... We'll be improvising maybe with a couple of singers..

Academia

via Pickled Politics here

DANCE ENERGY

...The Netherlands-based group’s research into sustainable partying has yielded plans for the world’s first eco-club, which will use some fancy physics footwork to pump its dancers’ energy back in to the house.

When clubbers press down on the spring-loaded floor, it dips about 2 cm and activates a flywheel, which starts to capture the kinetic energy of their bumping and grinding and convert it to electricity, similar to the electro-mechanical process of a handcrank or bicycle-back LED light...

TALK. WHY NOT?

Norman Kember:

"I always think we are in danger of demonising Islam and I think we have to have a more open discussion about these things. The government obviously doesn't."

Mr Kember also wanted people to try to speak with Qatada more to "understand what his position is and why he takes it".

With all this in mind I popped round to Hajj's place at the weekend. I was a bit nervous because I knew there would be a gathering of his Muslim brothers there. I was also curious if I would recognise anyone from Finsbury park or if anyone would recognise me. My friends advised me to wear some smarter clothes but I always thought it better to be accepted for who I am which has never been a problem with Hajj. Things get too bloody complicated otherwise eh. Arriving at Hajj's front gate there were maybe 15 guys of various ages and races. Hajj was in the middle and spotting me saying

"No. Sorry. We don't allow any fundamentalists in here thank you!"

Kemal and another Jamaican brother called Ismael pounced on me with the Muslim hard sell..

"You can have a go" said Hajj "But I'm telling you now you'll be wasting your breath. Two years he heard Abu Hamza preach. Are we any better than him?"

Ismael meeting a fresh non-Muslim guest was undeterred.

"Seriously, help yourself." I said. "Say whatever you like. I understand that you want me to be a Muslim and I will answer as honestly as I can."

We proceeded to have the usual conversation I go through with Hajj's guests about why they believe there is a God, and why I am not sure if there is one or not. They all think that the world around us is proof that there is a God. It might be. How do I know? How do I know which one? Another friendly Cypriot guy joined in. He turned out to be a life coach. He had a great story about a house visit from MI-5. The usual. Someone who didn't like him had called them saying he was Al-Quaida. He ended up with the MI-5 guys number.

"Call me if there is any problems.."

I suppose turning up on my own to these sort of things where everyone is fervently discussing their "deen" must look like I want to become a Muslim. I explained my reasons for my first approaches to Finsbury park mosque and why I have carried on visiting Hajj.

I discussed Quilliam with them. Not surprisingly they were dead against the idea, accusing them of trying to invent a new Islam. I agreed that it looked to me that the Quilliam guys had got needlessly embroiled in arguments about theology but invited them to ponder whether the reasons the guys had started it up were pure ie- peace between "them" and "us". I said that I was worried that so many would look at them and condemn them without a conversation which might make their lives more difficult in future. I said I hoped that if they were unhappy with Quilliam they should still look for alternative channels to forge links with non-Muslims for all of our saftey and greater trust. I wanted to film with this in mind.

I think everyone believed I was genuine. I don't remember feeling uncomfortable once, let alone any hostility or suspicion. None of this surprises me, Hajj is the sort of person who if he accepts you his friends do too. Whenever they got together in the front yard to pray I nipped outside the gate for a cigarette. Kemal was all "Why didn't you bring your camera round?" which is a very good sign for future film work. We discussed Hamza. Again I found that those who knew him best were the nicest, and the most filmable of people. i explained that this made me want to pull my hair out, and my lack of success in convincing the family to film with me.

As people came and went we moved on to subjects we could relate about and I am very hopeful. Turns out Ismael used to play in a band in Jamaica. Hajj's garden is a very comfortable place to be on a summer night. I told a few of the guys about my website. Hajj said he had been on the phone to Atilla in Belmarsh and said he was OK.

Just in case anyone still believes any horse shit about free market economics...

Great article in the Guardian with some great pictures by David Parkins

...Bob Diamond, the American chief executive of Barclays Capital in London, earned £22m in 2006 and was the sort of person who saw no reason why his money-making activities should be curtailed by red tape. But in August and September 2007, once the going had got tough, Diamond conducted a vigorous campaign against the Bank of England's Mervyn King for failing to provide the same sort of help to banks in the UK as was being provided by the Fed or the European Central Bank, which had stepped in after BNP's problems. As one commentator noted, this state of affairs was tantamount to the police being forced to provide a getaway car to bank robbers for fear that even greater damage would be caused by not doing so....

in G2 tomorrow:The War on the middle class
on Wednesday: How to put the modern monsters back in their cage

www.thegodsthatfailed.co.uk

London Tube Party

Boris Johnson blamed for Tube party violence
Facebook Tube party that ended in drunken riot...
London Tube Party Closes Six Stations, Sparks Arrests

I got there a bit late and they had already closed Liverpool st tube. This was the scene outside and inside Liverpool st station. Everything I saw was good natured if very very raucous. There were people of all ages there.

No go area?

Also do check out the Channel 4 Dispatches about Somalia entitled Warlords Next Door (available on the web on 4oD). This sort of stuff is everything Dispatches should be about.