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November 19, 2005
UK: New Islamic Group to Succeed Al-Muhajiroun
The man at left is Omar Bakri Mohammed, who formerly led al-Muhajiroun, an Islamist group which is accused of sending a suicide bomber to Mike's bar in Tel Aviv in 2003. Al-Muhajiroun broke up in October last year, but they have at least two active successors, the Saviour Sect and Al-Ghurabaa.
Both the Saviour Sect and Al Ghurabaa share most of the same members, and Omar Bakri Mohammed, now in exile in Lebanon, was their spiritual leader. He is still their figurehead, but obviously he can no longer attend any UK meetings, as he has been barred from returning to the UK by Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary.
Now, according to the BBC, a new group has emerged to officially continue the "work" of al-Muhajiroun. The group calls itself Ahl ul-Sunnah Wa al-Jamma, which sounds like something from a Bob Marley lyric, but is intended to be taken seriously.
Launched at a north London charity shop, the speaker at the launch, one Simon Sulayman Keeler, made an introduction in which he said "The Queen is enemy to Islam and Muslims. We are not interested in what she says, her public relations with Muslims and her subjects. We see in reality her actions all around the earth, her forces, army, navy, her air force bombing, destroying Muslims, killing our families, destroying our properties and occupying our land."
Keeler (who sounds like a convert) was joined at the introduction by Anjem Choudary, formerly of al-Muhajiroun, who has praised the 9/11 twin towers as "magnificent" and who recently taunted relatives of victims of the 7/7 London bomb attacks. Choudary, a lawyer, recently was deported from Lebanon, where he had been staying with three others, helping Omar Bakri Mohammed in his attempts to build a madrassa. He recently shocked students at Trinity College, Dublin, when he said that Ireland was a legitimate target for Islamists.
Also attending the launch were Abu Yahya, another former al-Muhajiroun member, and also Abu Izzadeen (aka Omar Brooks) and Abu Azair. Azair and Izzadeen, members of the Saviour Sect and al Ghurabaa, caused controversy when they announced on BBC that the "covenant of security" which stopped Britain being a target of Islamist attack, had now been breached.
Ahl ul-Sunnah Wa al-Jamma claims to have a thousand followers, but in reality, it is only the same group of core followers from al-Muhajiroun. Anjem Choudray said that although Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed was not on the executive committee, "We would love for the sheikh to have a role".
Keyword: Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah (ASWJ)
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at November 19, 2005 9:16 PM