Muslim extremists who handed out leaflets calling for homosexuals to be
hanged, stoned and burned to death were facing up to seven years in prison last
night.
The group handed out the material in the street as well as posting it through
letterboxes in a hate-filled campaign calling for the execution of gay people
who they claimed were at the root of society’s problems.
Ihjaz Ali, Kabir Ahmed and Razwan Javed are the first to be prosecuted under
new laws against inciting hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation.
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The pamphlet, called The Death Penalty?, showed an image of a mannequin
hanging from a noose and quoted Islamic texts that said capital punishment
was the only way to rid society of homosexuality
Yesterday as they
were found guilty at Derby Crown Court, residents spoke of how the three
fundamentalists wanted to transform their small area of Derby into a
‘medieval state’ under Sharia law.
Anyone who dared to question their extreme agenda was branded an ‘M15
agent’ or a ‘sell-out,’ they said.
Last night it emerged that:
Muslim fanatic and hate preacher Anjem Choudary was secretly invited
by the group’s ringleader, Ihjaz Ali, for a series of meetings in Derby;
The group had links with the extremist organisation Al-Muhajiroun,
which is banned under UK anti-terror laws;
Moderate Muslim leaders who spoke out against the group’s activities
were targeted in a hate campaign in which their faces were printed on
‘wanted’ posters;
Police had to be called during local elections because the group’ s
supporters were standing guard at polling stations, ordering Muslims not
to vote.
Guilty: Razwan JavedGuilty: Kabir
AhmedGuilty: Ihjaz Ali
During the trial, the court heard how the group’s activities intimidated
residents and left gay people frightened to walk on the streets.
The first, entitled ‘Death penalty?’ proclaimed that ‘Allah permits the
destruction’ of gay people and that ‘the only question is how it should be
carried out’.
The second, entitled ‘Turn or Burn’, featured a burning figure in a
blazing lake of fire and warned that the decriminalisation of homosexuality
was ‘the root of all problems’.
A third, entitled ‘GAY - God Abhors You’, warned of ‘severe punishment’
for homosexuals.
A fourth leaflet linked to the group, which was never distributed,
described homosexuality as a ‘vile, ugly, cancerous disease’. It referred to
‘queer sinners’ and ‘faggots’ and posed the question ‘Gay Today, Paedophile
Tomorrow?’
Secret guest: The video hoswing police arriving at the meeting where
preacher of hate Anjem Choudary (in white) is addressing the group
Ali, 42, Ahmed, 28, and Javed, also 28, all of Normanton, Derby were
found guilty of distributing threatening written material intending to stir
up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation. They will be sentenced next
month.
Two others who distributed the leaflets, Mehboob Hussein, 44, and Umar
Javed, 38, also of Normanton, were cleared of inciting hatred.
The offence was created by an amendment to the Criminal Justice and
Immigration Act, brought in March 2010.
Stirring up hatred against homosexuals now carries the same penalties as
inciting hatred based on race or religion.
During the trial, gay residents told of the impact the leaflet campaign
had on their lives. They gave their evidence from behind screens because
they said they were terrified of the group knowing they were gay.
The leaflet was handed out outside and near the Jamia Mosque, pictured,
in Derby's Rosehill Street and in streets around the local neighbourhood in
July 2010
Ben Summerskill, head of the gay rights group Stonewall, said extreme
anti-gay propaganda had become a choice tactic for preachers of hate, who knew
that other extremist messages – relating to terror or religious hate – would
land them in prison.
‘It’s clear that one form of extremism fosters another,’ he said. ‘It’s no
surprise there’s a link between violent and extreme homophobia and religious
extremism.’
At his trial, ringleader Ihjaz Ali insisted he was just a ‘hard-working,
family man’ with traditional Muslim views.
But yesterday a video emerged which shows Ali at a meeting with notorious
hate preacher Anjem Choudary. Ali booked the room in a local community centre on
‘several occasions’ for secret meetings with the notorious fanatic.
Choudary has frequently praised the terrorists who carried out the 9/11
attacks and called for all gays to be stoned to death.
Ali, a taxi driver, had told community centre staff he wanted the room for an
‘Islamic discussion group’. But police were called in when they realised
Choudary was attending the meetings.
On the video, taken in 2009, bearded Ali can be seen remonstrating with
police officers as they order Choudary out, telling him he is ‘not welcome’ in
Derby.
Holding a letter the police have handed him, Ali can be heard saying: ‘You
say to me according to this letter…(that I)… support violent extremism.’ The
policeman replies: ‘Of course you do.’
Labour councillor Fareed Hussain said the footage of Ali with Choudary was
‘not surprising.’
He said that Ali was ‘openly associated’ with Al-Muhajiroun – a group headed
by Choudary and banned under British law because of its suspected links to
international terrorism.
Ali, he said, had ‘openly distributed literature’ in the name of Al-Muhajiroun
from a stand on the Normanton high street. And he would ‘subject younger Muslims
to pressure’ to take part in his fundamentalist campaigns.
‘I think it is extremely likely Ali and his associates are still linked to
Al-Muhajiroun,’ the councillor added. ‘I don’t for a minute believe these five
who distributed the leaflets were operating in isolation.’
One resident, who did not want to be named for fear of being targeted, said
the extremist group led by Ali ‘wanted to turn the clock back to a medieval
state’ under Islamic law.
Another, Oweyss Lal, 18, a sales consultant, said: ‘They target teenagers
who are not very educated. Anyone who speaks out against them is labelled an MI5
agent or a sell-out.’
Mr Hussein said although they ‘did not represent a majority at all,’ Ali and
his accomplices were ‘very aggressive, vocal and intimidating’.
During local elections in 2006, a group of Muslim men gathered at the polling
station in Normanton to intimidate voters. ‘They told people that voting was
forbidden by Islam and any government is illegitimate unless it is an Islamic
caliphate,’ he said.
‘I had to call the police – they were scaring people.’
Mr Hussein said he was then singled out himself in a frightening poster
campaign. In the same week the ‘death penalty’ leaflets were distributed,
hundreds of ‘wanted’ posters appeared in Derby accusing Mr Hussein and other
Muslim community leaders of ‘selling out’ to a western agenda.
‘The alleged crime was encouraging Muslims to be part of wider society,’ he
said. ‘I was shocked – the posters were very intimidating.’
One gay resident summed up the atmosphere in the area.
‘It used to be lovely round here,’ he said.
‘Now, because of these people, you don’t feel safe. I don’t have any problems
with Muslims. But these lot need to realise we live in England, not some Islamic
state.’
