- An extremist Islamic cleric based in Britain said yesterday
that he would support hostage-taking at British schools if carried out
by terrorists with a just cause.
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- Omar Bakri Mohammed, the spiritual leader of the extremist
sect al-Muhajiroun, said that holding women and children hostage would
be a reasonable course of action for a Muslim who has suffered under British
rule.
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- In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Mohammed
said: "If an Iraqi Muslim carried out an attack like that in Britain,
it would be justified because Britain has carried out acts of terrorism
in Iraq.
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- "As long as the Iraqi did not deliberately kill
women and children, and they were killed in the crossfire, that would be
okay."
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- Mr Mohammed, 44, who lives in Edmonton, north London,
but is originally from Syria, also claimed that the Chechen rebels were
not responsible for the deaths of more than 350 people - at least half
of them children - who are so far known to have died in Beslan.
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- "The Mujahideen [Chechen rebels] would not have
wanted to kill those people, because it is strictly forbidden as a Muslim
to deliberately kill women and children. It is the fault of the Russians,"
he said.
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- The father of seven came to Britain in 1985 after being
deported from Saudi Arabia because of his membership of a banned group.
He has since been given leave by the Home Office to remain in Britain for
five years but the Government is reviewing his status.
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- He gave an interview yesterday to promote a "celebratory"
conference in London next Saturday to commemorate the third anniversary
of the September 11 attacks.
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- Andrew Dismore, the Labour MP for Hendon, was infuriated
by Mr Mohammed's comments. "That sounds to me like incitement and
I will report him to Scotland Yard," he said. "It is an insult
to most moderate Muslims, who are sick of people like this claiming to
represent them."
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- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/09/05/wosse705.xml
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