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June 4, 2006
UK: New Fuehrer At Muslim Council For Britain
The reign of "Sir" Iqbal Sacranie, the homophobic and anti-semitic secretary general of the Muslim Council for Britain is over. Sacranie, who said at the time of Khomeini's fatwa against Salman Rushdie that "death is too good for him", and who also tried to invite Osama bin Laden to Britain in 1996, has been in power for four years.
Elected first in 2002, Sacranie, an accountant, has now served two terms of two years. According to MCB regulations, this is the maximum term possible. His 2005 knighthood came as a surprise to many in non-Muslim Britain, and Salman Rushdie said that if Sacranie was the best Muslim Blair could find, then Britain "had a problem".
Sacranie has refused to attend Holocaust Memorial Day, though he made time to attend a memorial service for the wheelchair-bound terrorist Sheikh Yassin, the founder of Hamas. His dissembling ways were a positive gift for "frothing Islamophobes" such as ourselves. His arguments with the BBC have provided a source of entertainment and an insight into his true deviousness and ability to twist facts to his own ends.
Born in Malawi, Sacranie helped to set up the MCB in 1999.
As an outgoing gesture of contempt for the government which gave him his knighthood, Sacranie made an ominous statement on the bombings of 7th July last year, which killed 52 people travelling on London Transport. Sacranie said on BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We are suffering the consequences of the conflict. I think if we had not gone to Iraq, the situation perhaps would not have been where we are today."
Asked if the attack would not have happened if Britain had not gone into Iraq, he replied: "I personally don't think that would have happened, as much as one simply, utterly and totally condemns what act took place and cannot ever relate it to any justification by any person to carry out those acts, acts of criminality. But then again, one can only speculate at the moment."
Recently, the MCB called again for an independent inquiry (at tax-payers' expense, of course) into the 7/7 attacks. The MCB has 400 affiliate Muslim organisations under its wing, so perhaps it could fund such an inquiry itself. Sadly, there will not be a public inquiry into why Muslims seem so keen to use violence to solve disputes, but a quick read of the Koran should easily answer those doubts.
Today, at the MCB's Annual General Meeting, held at the London Muslim Centre, a new fuehrer was elected. The outgoing deputy secretary of MCB, Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, has become elected as the new secretary general, states Reuters and the BBC.
So who is Muhammad Abdul Bari? Well he is a teacher, who works in Tower Hamlets, east London, and he is the Chairman of the East London Mosque. He has written a book on "Building Muslim Families", bemoaning Britain's society and advising Muslim families on ways to "withstand the storm of secularism and materialism" in the UK.
According to a biography: Dr. Muhammad Abdul Bari is an educationalist with a PhD and PGCE from King's College London and a Management degree from the Open University. He has worked as an Air Force Officer, Researcher in Physics, Science Teacher and now as SEN Specialist in London and has broad experience in Da'wah and Youth and Community work, having held senior positions with organizations like the Muslim Council of Britain and the Islamic Forum Europe. Dr. Abdul Bari is a member of the Inner Cities Religious Council and Pan-London Advisory Group on Faith, is a facilitator of Race Equality Unit's (REU) 'Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities Parent Programme' and writes extensively on youth and community issues. He is passionate about faith and community issues. He is passionate about faith and community regeneration, with a view to achieving common good for humanity. He is married with four children.
That is the official version. But it appears that like his predecessor, this new Fuehrer is also refusing to acknowledge that anti-semitism is a problem in the Muslim world, either because he chooses to feign ignorance, or he is antisemitic.
This is an extract from the BBC Panorama programme, "A Question of Leadership", which was broadcast on August 21 last year, and which exposed the links which some of MCB's leaders and 400 affiliate groups had with anti-democratic ideologies.
John Ware: The East London mosque received $1m from the Saudis towards their new centre. The mosque's links to Saudi go back many years.
The mosque's Chairman Dr Bari remains to be convinced that his honoured guest Sheikh Sudais has repeatedly vilified other faiths.
John Ware: Do I take it that if you were satisfied he had said such things you would not have invited him over?
Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, Chairman, East London Mosque, Deputy Secretary General, Muslim Council Of Britain: Well of course if it was proved that he exactly said this thing that you mentioned then why do you invited people who would be saying like this?
John Ware: I mean, let me say what else he's reported to have said, he said: 'There should be no peace with the rats of the world.' Again he refers to Jews as the scum of the human race, offspring of apes and pigs, and he has also referred to Christians as worshippers of the cross.' You don't see Christians in those terms?
Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari: I don't see Christians in those terms.
John Ware: You don't see Christians in those terms?
Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari: No.
John Ware: No. And idol worship - you don't see Hindus as idol worshippers, do you ? I'm sure you don't, do you? Do you?
Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari: Well... why are you bringing all this?
John Ware: You, er, I mean you do not regard Hindus as idol worshippers?
Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari: Well Hindu... you mean the definition? When it's idol worshipper, different people worship God in different manners.
John Ware: Mmm.
Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari: Once again you are entering into the theological debate and Muslims worship one monotheistic God and many other communities may have different versions of God.
John Ware: No, I understand that.
Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari: The Trinity may be one of them.
John Ware: I understand that.
Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari: And it all depends how you use the word and explain the word.
John Ware: Sure, but this is harsh.. you wouldn't... I mean no, I accept all that, but this is different, isn't it. This is very harsh language; this in effect denounces other faiths, Hindus, Christians and Jews.
Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari: Well denouncing any faith is not acceptable in Islam, that's not the Prophetic teaching. We need to know the source of this and this is very dangerous thing, that character assassination of Muslim scholars and leaders are getting very widespread.
John Ware: I'm not trying to assassinate his character I'm simply trying to deal with the facts. That's all I'm trying to do.
Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari: No, I know, you are mentioning... you are saying facts but we have a question whether these are facts.
John Ware: The facts are easily checkable - we found a selection of the Sheikh's sermons on a Saudi website covering mosques in the holy cities of Medina and Mecca - with English translations.
Sheikh Abdur-Rahman Al-Sudais: Monkeys and pigs and worshippers of false Gods who are the Jews and the Zionists.
That documentary caused a storm of protest from the MCB, with the rather effiminate publicity officer of the organisation launching into a tirade about how the BBC was "pro-Israel".
But Al-Sudeis is famous for his anti-semitic views. Dr Bari would be a fool to pretend, as he did last year, that he is not aware of his benefactor's hatred of Jews. But considering Bari has spent time as a deputy to Sacranie, it is perhaps inevitable that he shares some of his former boss's prejudices. "If you hang around with sh*t, you become sh*t", as my dear old granny should have said.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at June 4, 2006 3:19 PM
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