The report by Sharia Watch UK, which we reported on yesterday, highlighted a number of individuals who have spoken at, or been invited to speak at British universities. The group believes that universities have been turned into “hotbeds of Islamic Extremism” and point to an All Party Parliamentary Group which said there was “damning evidence” of serious problems in UK universities.
Here, we bring you examples of speakers highlighted in the report.
Hamza Tzortzis is an activist with the Islamic Education and Research Academy (iERA) and a former member of Hizb ut-Tahrir – which calls for a global Caliphate under sharia law. iERA was banned from University College London in March 2013 when its members attempted to enforce gender segregation on a university campus
He has said: “If someone’s going to fight against the community [Muslims] they should be killed”, “the punishment is beheading… you don’t feel any pain with it.”
“We as Muslims reject the idea of freedom of speech, and even the idea of freedom.”
“Those who claim that making homosexuality a criminal act is wrong are totally inconsistent.”
Haroon Qureshi is another activist with iERA. According to their website, he has been a guest at events hosted by local children’s scouts groups in south London.
Alomgir Ali is an activist with the Muslim Research and Development Foundation.
He has claimed: “For a woman, it is best for her to stay in her home, because her home is a natural form of hijab.”
Haitham al-Haddad is a senior figure and “judge” at the Islamic Sharia Council in east London. Statements attributed to him show his view towards women have no place in a modern society and he believes that a man can rape his wife, even if they are separated.
“Sisters please don’t show your husband that you are competing with him. I know that many women in the West and unfortunately in many Muslim countries, because now they are following the same style and they don’t want to show that women are inferior to husbands, to their husbands or to men, and they don’t want to show that they are not equal. In fact, this equality between the two genders is a very evil thing.”
“So until you apply [for divorce], until you are granted that, you are legally his wife and if he wants to sleep with you, unless there is a very fundamental or there is a huge problem, which I cannot mention now, you have to give him his right.”
“It is consensus of all the scholars that female circumcision is sunnah [proper].”
Saleem Chagtai is an activist and head of public relations with iERA. He endorses the death penalty for apostasy and has said that people who leave Islam are lunatics or must want to be killed.
“If you want to leave Islam, then that is considered pretty much one of the worst things that you can do. The person is given the chance to repent, to think about what they are doing, and really, given that it is a capital offence, then really only a person who wants to be a martyr or a lunatic would actually go and advocate, ‘yes I have left the religion and am open about it'”.
Yusuf Chambers is an activist (and founding member) of iERA. According to the report on iERA by the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, Chambers supports the death penalty for homosexuality and death-by-stoning for adultery.
Samer Issawi was “affiliated with the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was arrested in April 2002 and sentenced to 26 years in prison for membership of an illegal organisation, attempted murder and possession of explosives. During the second intifada he was convicted of manufacturing and distributing pipe bombs, and in several incidents opened fire indiscriminately on Israeli civilian vehicles.”
Abdurraheem Green is one of the most concerning characters to have spoken at UK universities in 2014, according to ShariaWatch. Previous remarks from him include:
“First of all I don’t like to use this word ‘gay’. This word ‘gay’, to use it is already to be fooled by the propaganda of these people, OK? This word is used in order to make this evil and vile act acceptable in society.”
“Adultery is punishable by death, and a slow and painful death by stoning. It is indicative of just how harmful this crime is to society.”
“…the husband is allowed, to prevent her from evil, to apply some type of physical force. This is a type of very light beating…But a type of physical reprimand in order to bring her to goodness is allowed.”
“But it is our responsibility and because of that Allah requires that the woman is obedient to her husband. That when he tells her to do something and he commands her she should do her best if it’s within her capability, if, this is important, if it’s within her capability she should do it.”
Murtaza Khan is a staunch misogynist and anti-Semite who describes Jews as “enemies” and supports adulterers being stoned to death.
“For how long have we seen our mothers, our sisters, and our daughters have to go and uncover themselves before these filthy non-Muslim doctors?” he asks.
“Why is the punishment for a married individual more harsher than for a young man, or a man who has not been married before, etc, or a woman. It’s because the married man has that form of release. And the woman as well. So the punishment for them becomes stoning to death.”
Azzam Tamimi is a strong supporter of Hamas who has described suicide bombing as “a noble cause. It is the straight way to pleasing my God and I would do it if I had the opportunity.”
Tamimi has also called for the destruction of Israel (at a British university) and said: “You shouldn’t be afraid of being labelled extreme, radical or terrorist. If fighting for your home land is terrorism, I take pride in being a terrorist. The Koran tells me if I die for my homeland, I’m a martyr and I long to be a martyr.”
Abu Salahudeen has a history of advocating violence against the West, and is openly anti-Semitic. He has said:
“As long as the West continues to use military power to suppress, oppress, torture, rape, murder, genocide, ethnocide Muslims off the face of the planet Earth, we must stand up and defend ourselves”.
“I’m not telling you brothers to do it here in England, you have to do what your conscience and your Imaan feels is best for you. I can’t tell you what to do, but I’ll tell you this much. As long as the West continues to define the torture in a bloody manner, then maybe we have to go down a bloody route”.
Asim Qureshi has been described as “one of the worst extremists in Britain.” He has told people to call suicide bombings ‘martrydom operations’ and said that international law does not forbid Muslims joining terror organisations.
“We embrace the mercy. We embrace every single thing that is set upon us and we deal with it because we have no fear. So when we see the example of our brothers and sisters fighting in Chechnya, Iraq, Palestine, Kashmir, Afghanistan then we know where the example lies. When we see Hezbollah defeating the armies of Israel, we know what the solution is and where the victory lies. We know that it is incumbent upon all of us to support the jihad of our brothers and sisters in these countries when they are facing the oppression of the west.”
Omar El-Hamdoon is active in the Muslim Council of Britain, the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Muslim Association of Britain, and the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board. In a debate with the One Law for All campaign El-Hamdoon publically endorsed death by stoning as a punishment for adultery. He has also called for “Islamophobia” to be made a criminal offence in Britain.
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