BAN DEM

So Mr Choudharys group has been banned under its current names. I heard that he and maybe twenty others had been interviewed by MI-5 for a number of months so maybe this isn't the knee jerk reaction to the Wooton Basset thing some news papers are touting it to be. I don't really want to stand up for Mr Choudhary as I don't agree with probably most of his views and he can speak for himself, that said I don't think a ban is a good idea, and I can't see it working.

Newsnight was vaguely interesting. I don't know why Mr Choudhary doesn't answer Majid Nawaz question about apostacy, if he is proud of Islamic law, and Islamic law says apostates should be killed why not say so? Majid's point about Choudhary receiving money from the government doesn't really mean a lot though does it? Surely this is two government sponsored people arguing with each other.

I do understand how "Moderate" Muslims might think Choudhary et al are causing them problems and I'm really not sure what the best thing is to do, but it is quite obvious from Paxman's body language that he doesn't find Mr Choudhary to be a scary person, and I never have done either. Their meetings aren't scary at all. People connected to terror have passed through his group? That is not a surprise. I am sure people passed through peaceful Irish Republican groups on their way to the IRA. Anyway lets see what happens.

As I have said before here, I did consider filming with Mr Choudhary a while back but I struggled with the concept of doing something useful which wouldn't end up rolling with the rest of the gravy. He suggested I make something about his work as judge of a Shariah court.

If you watch this edition to the end, thankfully there is something I would consider useful- Newsnight host a really interesting reunion between two of the "Tipton three" and one of their army jailors from Guantanamo
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Broadband extremism

Well the Al Muj relaunch sounds like it was mildly more exciting than usual. I couldn't get there but I have emailed Mr Waleed who I think might have been there. See what he says. The sex seggregation has never bothered me. The last two meetings we went to Elvira and I split up at the door but when I have wandered over with tapes or had to have a quick word with her about filming no one jumped up or "intimidated" us. I just don't get the big deal.

In other news someone who knows nothing about Mohammed Hamid has written a book which has been reviewed along with a few more War on Terr-r based titles here.

...Central to this global jihadism was a) the internet and b) martyrdom – a package that includes, supposedly: immediate admission to Heaven, marriage to 72 heavenly maidens and permission to bring along to Paradise 70 family members...

it should say- and unlimited broadband access...

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