October 12, 2006

SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL





Abu Hamza preaches against shopping your Muslim brothers to the Police, but in the same sentence speaks out unequivocally against terrorist acts in this country. If the first bit gets to the TV but the second doesn't have we as a nation been told a "half truth"?

Pre 7/7, if this was WIDELY PUBLICIZED would we have been safer?

This is about how the news from Finsbury Park was made. The journalist in the blue suit is Dan Rivers, then of ITN. Not sure who the guy in the brown jacket is. The tall guy in the long black coat is Vivian White from Panorama who seemed pretty cool to me.

I've often seen the concept of Malung TV News as my "Sympathy for the Devil" project. In this case "the Tabloid Devil" believes himself to be on the side of God. You might have noticed that I haven't put a lot of Hamza's words into my movies so far. To be honest I thought he was a bit boring and as you will see, I struggled to hold my camera still.

I've edited this as real time as possible. The whole concept of a "street protest mosque" was really fascinating me at the time and I was enjoying the high drama of it all. Of Hamza's posse who would speak to me, all gave the impression they thought only a nutter would bomb in this country. If they hadn't I'd have stopped filming. I scare very easily. ...

4 comments:

Julaybib said...

I have never thought Abu Hamza is the demon the media make him out to be. And it does say in the Qur'an something which could be interpreted as meaning that one should not 'shop' your fellow Muslims. On the other hand, what A.H. says about the MCB is fair comment. If you read Jonathan Birt's essay on the MCB in 'Muslims Under Pressure' (Ed. Tahir Abbas), it is difficult not to see them as a product of the Blair Office (they initially albeit briefly supported the war in Afghanistan, let's not forget). Mind you, I'm sure A.H. would not have much time for the likes of liberals like me.

Wasalaam

TMA

DAVE BONES said...

Its very hard to know from street level just who he is. This is just a little film showing "the other side" o be taken alongside everything else about him. I would be interested to know what you made of The Suicide Factory.

dweller said...

Hi Dave, I enjoyed watching those. That guy was really bugging those reporters and with you questioning them they didn't look at all comfortable.

DAVE BONES said...

You can see they arrive with an agenda eh? It was a bizarre day.