London, United Kingdom
- Anjem Choudary rubs his hands in the chill, winter air. He is
standing behind a table in the centre of London's Chinatown, protesting
about Chinese oppression of the Uighurs, largely to the indifference of
passers-by more interested in the aromas of dim sum and roasted duck
emanating from the surrounding restaurants.
Choudary's tailored black thobe
appears to offer little resistance to the afternoon cold, but he has
higher forces keeping him warm, he says. Growing up the son of a market
trader, Choudary spent the best part of two decades shivering behind
market stalls in south London.
"Children's and ladies' wear," he recalls. "We didn't have the patter like some of the other traders."
Choudary has the patter now; these
days his stall sells Sharia law and the Khilafah. In recent years, he
has been on most of the British media's speed dial for on-demand
extremism; provocative stunts such as burning poppies on Remembrance
Day, and denunciation of British foreign policy.
But since British soldier Lee Rigby
was killed in Woolwich in May, Choudary's willingness to put words to
arguments widely considered beyond the pale of acceptable public opinion
has been under scrutiny as never before.
They are pumping people up with so much hatred. They are basically
walking them to the brink and they are then saying, 'Okay, you take the
last step on your own and we have nothing to do with that'. And that is
quite disingenuous, because they know exactly where that is going to go.
- Peter Neumann, International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation
|
One of the two men currently on trial
for Rigby's murder at London's Old Bailey last week told the court he
had attended demonstrations organised by the al-Muhajiroun network,
which Choudary founded with radical cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed in 1996,
and which gained notoriety for celebrating the 9/11 hijackers as the
"Magnificent 19" in 2001.
Al-Muhajiroun and its various offshoot
guises such as Muslims Against Crusaders and Islam4UK have been
periodically banned, while Syrian-born Bakri has been barred from the UK
since leaving the country shortly after the 2005 London bombings that
killed 52 people.
But last month, a report by Hope Not Hate,
an anti-extremism campaign group, described Choudary and al-Muhajiroun
as "a gateway to terrorism" and identified at least 70 people convicted
of terrorism offences or involved in plotting or carrying out attacks
that it said were linked to the network.
"Groups like al-Muhajiroun are
essentially gateways into more extreme forms of activity," Peter
Neumann, director of the International Centre for the Study of
Radicalisation, told Al Jazeera.
"They are pumping people up with so
much hatred. They are basically walking them to the brink and they are
then saying, 'Okay, you take the last step on your own and we have
nothing to do with that'. And that is quite disingenuous, because they
know exactly where that is going to go."
Extremism report
The British government has also taken a
harder line since the current coalition took office in 2010, with
Islamist extremism now seen as fuelling terrorism and radicalisation,
rather than being tolerated and even channelled as a means of drawing
people away from violence.
That was crystallised earlier this month with the release of a government report
on extremism, which proposed measures to give authorities new powers to
silence radical preachers, censor extremist websites, and curb the
activities of individuals and groups suspected of promoting or raising
money for terrorism.
Choudary says he is only expressing
grievances that many Muslims share, and has not encouraged anyone to go
abroad to fight or carry out attacks on British soil, calling
allegations of his links to terrorism "complete fantasy".
He has repeatedly said British Muslims
live under a "covenant of security", though he acknowledges that others
such as al-Qaeda and al-Shabab "hold differing Islamic opinions".
Tougher rules on extremism would "push
people into our arms", he added. "People already know the government
has no scruples when it comes to demonising and vilifying Muslims, and
the youth will be further pushed towards us by these kind of measures."
 |
| Brick Lane in east London has been the scene of recent demonstrations against alcohol [AP] |
During his trial, Michael Adebolajo
told the court he had attended Al-Muhajiroun demonstrations, but said he
"didn't agree with everything they said", and had come to the
conclusion that "no demonstration will make a difference".
Adebolajo and his co-defendant Michael Adebowale deny murdering Rigby. A verdict is expected as early as this week.
Asked about Choudary, he told the court: "If he would speak about jihad I would find it very difficult to accept what he had to say because I never knew him to fight jihad. I think he is a good man, however, he encourages his followers that jihad in this country is not allowed."
‘Antics and stunts’
Some of Choudary's closer followers
have also recently fallen foul of the law. Earlier this month, three
members of a self-styled "Muslim Patrol", which attempted to impose
Sharia law in areas of East London, were jailed on charges relating to
an assault on a group of men drinking alcohol in the street and
harassment of a couple holding hands.
Commenting on that case, Choudary
said: "I did have a word with them afterwards and said there are certain
things that can’t be changed physically, but these guys should be
patted on the back for some of the other work they have done."
Critics say stunts such as the Muslim
Patrol inflame Islamophobia, pointing out the far-right English Defence
League was formed as a direct consequence of al-Muhajiroun
demonstrations against British soldiers returning from Afghanistan.
Nick Lowles, co-author of Hope Not
Hate's report, told Al Jazeera that Choudary and his supporters had a
"symbiotic relationship" with far-right counter-jihadist groups.
"Their antics and stunts and
connections to violent extremism have brought trouble on Muslim
communities and obviously they have to deal with the consequences," said
Lowles.
Understanding how and why someone is radicalised or why someone
engages in terrorism is hugely complex and there is no presence of a
single factor.
- Jonathan Githens-Mazer, University of Exeter
|
Choudary is deeply reviled by many British Muslims, with many also criticising the media for giving him a platform.
"Every community has its nutters and
extremists," said Azad Ali, head of community development for Engage, an
organisation encouraging greater Muslim involvement in British civic
life. "Choudary capitalises on it but where is the responsible
journalism? Why would the BBC invite him on? To give the other view?
What other view? The view of 10 people? What about the view of three
million people?"
Others point out the lack of scholarly credentials of a man who describes himself as a "renowned caller to Islam".
"Some people have tried to hijack the
term 'Salafi' of late, especially Anjem Choudary's risible band of
followers, and that is something we won't stand for at all," Abdul Haq
Ashanti, a spokesman for Brixton Mosque, told Al Jazeera.
"It's unhelpful for him to talk about
the iniquities of British foreign policy. Obviously there are iniquities
but I don’t want to hear it from him because actually it does more
damage, someone like him spouting off."
Becoming radicalised
Some experts also question the validity of drawing a simplistic link between Choudary and terrorism.
"You have individuals who movement
shop. They'll say, 'Oh, these guys aren't extreme enough for me. Does
anyone know someone who talks to me?' So is Anjem Choudary the cause, or
is it that people who are orientated towards [extremism] seek out Anjem
Choudary?" said Jonathan Githens-Mazer, an expert on radicalisation at
the University of Exeter.
"Understanding how and why someone is
radicalised or why someone engages in terrorism is hugely complex and
there is no presence of a single factor."
Choudary said he had no issue with
being labelled an extremist. A few weeks later he led a Shariah Project
march calling for the prohibition of alcohol through Brick Lane, a
street at the heart of London's Bangladeshi community that is famous for
its curry-and-lager fuelled nightlife.
Numbers were small but vocal, with
activists distributing leaflets warning that shopkeepers would face
public lashings for selling alcohol in an Islamic state.
"When you live in Britain and the
majority of the people are integrated into the liberal democratic
lifestyle and they believe in secularism and freedom and democracy, then
obviously you are going to look extreme from those views," says
Choudary.
"I am extreme to people who believe in
manmade law. We are a minority definitely, but we are a growing
minority around the world who believe in the Sharia, who believe
sovereignty belongs to God, and who want to implement it." |
