December 31, 2013

ATILLA MESSAGE TO OBAMA

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.. Happy New year one and all. I had no idea Atilla was speaking again, I saw him for the first time since he has been out a coupla weeks back. I went round Hajj's place and we played dominoes.
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ATILLA VIDEO COMING

October 10, 2013

ROCK ON TOMMY

I thought I would come out of blog retirement to encourage Tommy. I don't know why I like extremists, they are just fascinating. I think its because I used to be a bit of a christian extremist growing up. Knocking on peoples doors telling them about Jesus was scary but there is something about moving with conviction which I have missed, so when I see it in others, especially when it is a controversial direction in the face of the norms of the mainstream alseep culture it interests me.

I never had a look at the EDL, my attempts to engage with the United British Alliance who came down to protest Hamza years before the EDL existed are here. My film with the National front in Bermondsey is here.

 I have always been interested in Tommy because of the way he comes across. I fucking hate all these middle class journos who twist what he says much more than I could ever hate Tommy. Now they are asking if he has changed his racist ways when it was they who continually reported him as racist which he continually denied.  It still goes on with Paxman saying "If the EDL aren't a racist organisation what are they?" They think they are being clever, it just looks pathetic and at worst a fucking denigration of free speech.

Its pretty much the same as how they refused to broadcast Abu Hamza's continual exhortations against terrorism in the UK. I don't see why intelligent journalists do this. Its like reducing real life to their own soap opera. I think if someone is expousing extreme views it is crucial in a world of free speech to report exactly what those fucking views are. Its actually not difficult either. What gives these egomaniac journos the fucking nerve to add their own layer of grease?

Anyway,  I have always disagreed with Tommy about the nature of the threat this country faces but I think Tommy is as genuine now as he has always been. I don't know. Its just little things like when he asked Jon Snow if he was happy he had left the EDL. Also I know personally from the four or five times I have been in solitary doing Vipassna, its just really good for you. 

It is just stupid to expect Tommy to have completely changed his views. He is on a learning curve and having not grown up in a working class community I have no right to comment on where that learning curve might take him but Quilliam seem like a safe set of hands to accompany him in this case.  

He has been able to articulate a lot of white working class resentment which middle class politicians and journos of all persuasions ignore. It exists whether we like it or not, I always thought that the fact these types had moved on from basic racism to "against Islamic  extremism" was a good thing. I wonder now if the people he can relate to have some faith in him he can be of use talking to them where others cant. Whether we might go on some sort of journey together through this doco. I hope so, it is what the very best TV docos are all about.

When I heard the way he spoke about what Quilliam were doing, he sounded genuine and also made me think yeah, hang on- what are they doing? I look forward to the coming doco. Yeah all the Fundamentalist Muslims I filmed laugh at Quilliam. I don't doubt that dislike of them is one of the only things which unites the Islamic community. I have no idea but I think Majid reaching out to Tommy is the best thing he has done and it touched me to hear how he described how it happened, relating to his own experiences with Amnesty international going out on a limb for him while he was in a much nastier jail that Tommy has been in. 

Yeah people can jaw about how he is being "careerist" and that the EDL were a lost cause anyway blah blah blah.  I have seen how peoples egos get over inflated by publicity, it happened to Atilla. It even happened to me when we became news for a short while when squatting, but I don't think it necessarily follows that people who become spokespersons for extreme views are capable of such cynical manouverings a lot of people are accusing Tommy of. Anyway, all the best Tommy. 

from David.

Tommy and Maajid debating around the Breivik incident 
BBC piece
Tommy on Newsnight
South London Anti fascists say bollocks
as does someone in the Guardian
Mehdi Hasan in the Spectator
and someone on Liberal Conspiracy
Liberty GB say 
"people must face the possibility that some Muslims are sincere in their moderation. If they don't, then they may well come across as bigots"
Do you take Tommy Seriously? The most interesting hour of radio I have heard in a long while on  Three Counties Radio

 Tommys old Tw@
 Tommys "new era" tw@
Maajid Nawaz's Tw@ 
 sorry for the tw@ joke I just can't get the hang of twitter but looking at both these twitter feeds it is easy to see the important work both these guys are already involved with. 

July 04, 2013

ALI BEHESHTI

Very interesting news on the BBC about our old friend Ali Beheshti's turn around. As I have said before he was always one of the friendliest people outside Finsbury park and I was surprised when he was arrested for fire bombing.

I filmed him playing with fire outside the US embassy, he is the guy holding the burning picture of George Bush

April 29, 2013

THE ANSWER IS -FUCK KNOWS

The Express are trying to link the Boston bombing with Hamza

Did Abu Hamza inspire Boston bombers?

THE Boston bombers’ murderous attack on the US city’s marathon may have been inspired by the rantings of extremist preacher Abu Hamza. US intelligence officials suspect Hamza’s widely publicised extradition from Britain to the US last year could have fuelled Tamerlan and Dzhkhor Tsarnaev’s warped jihad campaign.

Last night a senior US intelligence source said: “The most high-profile cleric who has come to the US was Hamza.
“He made a lot of headlines and this is something they would not have missed. These types of people always have someone to inspire them and Hamza fits the bill.
“He may be in prison but if you listen to the internet chatter there are still a lot of people talking about Abu Hamza. He is considered very highly.
“These two got a lot of inspiration from the internet and from reading material on those who preach hate. We are looking at all paths.”
Hamza, who is being held in a high security jail in New York, had no contact with the brothers.
 However, videos of Hamza are readily available on the internet. Those containing his more radical sermons calling for a jihad against the west are distributed among a select group by file sharing.

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March 08, 2013

Abu Hamza's US trial to start next year

THE terror trial of radical British preacher Abu Hamza al-Masri will start on March 31 next year, the US judge presiding over his case since he was extradited last year says.
Judge Katherine Forrest had initially scheduled the trial for mid-2013, but said the long delay appeared necessary because of the vast amount of discovery material lawyers have to pour over, including many of the sermons Abu Hamza made at mosques in Britain.

and here is an interesting article about the judge, Katherine Forrest

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January 08, 2013

MESSAGE TO YOU

via Mr Hamza's wife. This wasn't directly to me but I am assuming it is genuine

An Update on my husband Sheikh Abu Hamza 6/01/13
Since my husband sheikh Abu Hamza was extradited from the UK to America on the 5th of October 2012. Since then, my husband has not been allowed to see anyone face to face not even his solicitors.
The times the American government allowed my husband to see his solicitors on a number of occasion. Even then, the visit has been behind a glass window. Not only that, the glass window had a curtain over the glass to prevent my husband from looking at his solicitors face to face...
All this time, he has remained in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day in a small room with no window and no sunlight. For one hour, he is allowed to stretch his leg just next to his sell where there is not even enough room to even do that.
It has been three months now since he’s extradition but, he was only allowed to call me once. On a contrary, alhmdulillah I have revived few letters from him. Me and my family also write to him on a regular bases.
Since he’s been there, his hair has not being combed due to a comb not being available for him. He doesn’t even know the direction of the kibla so he prays to a direction by guessing where the kibla is.
The American government knows my husband is disabled!. But when the guards bring food for him, they bring food which is wrapped with plastic. When my husband tries to open it with his teeth, half of the food is spilled all over the floor. Walahi this is an oppression being done to my husband knowing full well that he has no hand. This people who have detained my husband unlawfully do nothing but aggravate the situation and make things difficult for him intentionally. They have stripped his dignity and violated his honour. His faith and religious practices attacked, but Alhmduliullah, Allah is the watcher and the ultimate protector of those who are week and Allah (SWT) does not let the deeds of anyone to be lost. Allah will hold EVERYONE (ALL human beings, without an exception) accountable for their actions on the day of judgement where there is no doubt!
Despite all these, Alhamdulillah my husband sheikh Abu Hamza is happy and is in a good spirit. He knows that this is the path he has chosen and his words are always, “Allah is with me, Allah is with me”
He has said to let all the brothers and sisters who has written letters to him know that, they are always in his special du'aas. He is happy to know that the umma has not forsaken him. He said not to worry, in sha Allah.
It would be nice for the brothers and sisters to write letters to him as much as you can so that he knows his brothers and sisters have not forgotten about him and that he knows he is always in your du'aas.
I can’t stress enough the importance of everyone making du’aa for him, as this is the most powerful weapon we have. He needs our support right now and has a right to our support. So please brothers and sisters, make du’aa and remember the only crime he committed is that he says he believes in Allah. The prison is not the place for him. His place is with His family, especially his children.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“One who helps a fellow Muslim in removing his (or her) difficulty in this world, Allah will remove the former’s distress on the Day of Judgement. He who helps to remove the hardship of another, will have his difficulties removed by Allah in this world and the hereafter. One who covers the shortcomings of another Muslim will have his faults covered up in this world and the next by Allah. Allah continues to help a servant, so long as he goes on helping his own brother (or sister). Muslim
We will all be called to account and asked what we did for our brothers and sisters that are suffering around us, the least we can do is make du’aa for them.
Barakallahufikum for all those brothers and sisters who have supported my husband for all these years. Your help, love and concern for him has not gone unnoticed. Your reward is with Allah (SWT). I ask Allah, the almighty to give you, the good of this world and the good of the hereafter.. Ameen
Umm Hamza

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