Radical UK-born Muslim preacher Anjem Choudary finally behind bars

Radical UK-born Muslim preacher Anjem Choudary finally behind bars

British police reveal his links to 500 Islamic State jihadists

By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST News Service

LONDON, UK (ANS – August 20, 2016) – Britain’s anti-terror laws are under scrutiny following the belated conviction of the UK-born Muslim hate preacher Anjem Choudary, almost 20 years after his terrorism links first emerged.

According to The Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/), Choudary is finally behind bars as British police revealed he has links to 500 British jihadists fighting with Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (also known as ISIS), in Syria.

The 49-year-old, who is said to have spent two decades radicalizing a generation of would-be terrorists, was convicted after swearing an oath of allegiance to Islamic State (IS).

“But there remain questions over why it took so long to bring a successful prosecution against Choudary after it emerged he has links to 15 terror plots since 2000,” said The Telegraph story.

“And how,” it added, “he was able to use social media to promote his extremists’ views without being censored.”

British born Choudary, and one of his followers, Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, 33, were convicted last month following a four-week trial at London’s Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales.

But details were only made public on Tuesday when a judge lifted reporting restrictions that had been imposed during a similar case featuring some of his associates. He is currently in Belmarsh prison awaiting sentence.

UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: “These dangerous individuals were recruiting sergeants for Daesh [Islamic State]. They poisoned the minds of vulnerable people and their warped and twisted propaganda offered support and succor to a murderous and barbaric terrorist organization.

“The Government is clear. We will continue to confront those who promote hate and threaten our way of life. Together we will protect communities from extremism and defeat this toxic ideology.”

The Telegraph went on to say that for almost two decades Choudary, as leader of the now banned al-Muhajiroun (ALM) Islamist group, “goaded the authorities with inflammatory comments and deliberately provocative statements.”

He refused to condemn the 7/7 London bombings -- a series of coordinated terrorist suicide bomb attacks that took place on July 7, 2005 in central London, which targeted civilians using the public transport system during the rush hour, and killed 56 (including the four perpetrators) -- demanded the imposition of Shariah (Islamic) Law across Britain, and once called for the Queen to wear a burka.

“By using his legal training and forensic understanding of terrorism legislation he always managed to stay just right side of the law and avoid prosecution,” added The Telegraph.

Police finally got their chance when they discovered material online in which he praised the murderous Islamic State regime.

Choudary used social media to promote his extremist views, but during his trial it emerged that companies including Twitter and YouTube had repeatedly refused to remove controversial posts, even after it was arrested.

The father of five, who is a qualified solicitor (attorney), could be jailed for up to ten years when he is sentenced next month.

Choudary’s incarceration will also create a headache for the authorities who are desperate to prevent him radicalizing other inmates while in prison, which has previously been described as a “jihadi training camp,” but human rights legislation means he can only be held in solitary confinement with the permission of the British Justice Secretary.

Wilson, Chowdhry, Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA), has told the ASSIST News Service that he wonders if the UK is prepared for a “backlash” following these two convictions.

He told ANS, “It has taken too long, but it is a great day for anyone who is concerned with the rise of radical Islamism in the UK. I hope that he and his fellow defendants are given the maximum allowable sentence.

“We understand that the only way the police were able to do this was using undercover operations and one particular obscure law, because Choudary used his solicitor’s training to stay just within the letter of the law whilst violating its spirit.”

Mr. Chowdhry then revealed a “particular interest in this case” because Anjem Choudary, before his arrest, “lived within about 500 meters of the BPCA office.”

He then said, “His is not an isolated case, and there are problems with radical Islam in just about every area of the UK, and we should not allow a kind of totemic victory such as this to distract us from the serious challenges our society faces on this issue.”

Chowdhry particularly referred to a disturbing situation in the city of Bradford, which has a large Muslim population, where Nissar Hussain, a Christian convert and his family “have suffered several waves of prolonged and extreme abuse in two different locations in the city over the last 15 years.”

He added: “Late last year this included a violent assault outside his home that was little short of attempted murder, as well as threats against the lives of his children, such as the family are wanting to leave the city altogether.”

Wilson Chowdhry also revealed that he has alerted his local Members of Parliament (MP’s) to his “concerns that the conviction of Anjem Choudary may trigger a backlash.” He is calling for an increase in security forces patrolling British streets and becoming more involved in counter terrorism espionage. He says that he “fears that the fundamentalist ideology requires proponents to strike terror within nations preventing true justice.”

Wilson also stated: “The eradication of fundamentalism has to be a primary target for all society, especially during these times where myths built up by fanatical leaders like Anjem Choudhry have already had a chance to infect passionate Muslims.

“I don't for one instance believe that all Muslims are filled with hatred for non-Muslims, but I fear that unless more is done to knit our communities together then a polarization will consume our nation. Already our fractured communities have increasingly isolated themselves from one another creating schism. This has culminated in the rise of groups like the EDL, Britain First and Pegida – which is basically the National Front in another guise.”

He concluded by saying, “I will be praying for peace in Britain, especially as the attacks in France, Germany, and many other nations, remind us that we are all vulnerable. Moreover, I hope security forces in Britain stay on high alert following this sentence as the extremist emotional response to Mr. Choudhry's conviction will be to react with violence.”

For more information, please go to: www.britishpakistanichristians.co.uk.

Photo captions: 1) A grinning Anjem Choudary with his supporters. (Getty Images). 2) Anjem Choudary outside the British Houses of Parliament. 3) Wilson Chowdhry speaking in London. 4) Nissar Hussain, a UK-born convert from Islam pictured in a Bradford hospital after being brutally set upon by hooded thugs with a pickaxe handle who targeted him as a “blasphemer.” 5) UK Muslims make their views known. 6) Dan Wooding with his BPCA award.

About the writer: Dan Wooding, 75, is an award-winning winning author, broadcaster and journalist who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, and is now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for more than 53 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. Dan is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS), and is also the author of some 45 books. Before moving to the United States, he was a senior reporter in London with two of Great Britain’s largest-circulation newspapers, the Sunday People and the Sunday Mirror. He was also an interviewer for BBC Radio One. Dan has also been given a special award by the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) for his long-standing reporting on Pakistani affairs.

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