British Muslims call on Anjem Choudary to call off controversial march
BRITISH Muslims have united in condemning a planned march by a controversial Islamic group through the streets of a town famous for honouring fallen British soldiers.
Islam4UK, which describes itself as a platform for the global front Al-Muhajiroun, sparked fury after it announced plans to march through the streets of Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire.
Hundreds of people line the market town’s High Street regularly to pay their respects as the bodies of servicemen are driven past from RAF Lyneham.
Anjem Choudary, head of Islam4UK, said up to 500 of its supporters will march through the streets with “symbolic” empty coffins to honour “innocent Muslim men, women and children” who have died during the conflict in Afghanistan.
No date has been set for march but the groups plans have been met with fury with more than 350,000 people having already signed up to a Facebook campaign opposing the march.
Now British Muslims have voiced their disgust at the plans.
The Wiltshire Islamic Cultural Centre urged the group to call off the march, warning Anjem Choudary they will hold him responsible for any backlash as a result of “their proposed irresponsible and irrational actions”.
In a statement on their website the group said: “We, along with all other Muslim community groups in Wiltshire and the surrounding area, including Bath Islamic Society and Swindon Thamesdown Islamic Association, unreservedly condemn this march and call on the organisers, Islam4UK to not go ahead with it.
The group added a majority of British Muslims “have nothing to do with this group.”
Other Muslim groups, including British Muslims for Secular Democracy (BMSD) and The Muslim Council of Britain also condemned the march.
Dr Shaaz Mahboob, Vice Chair of BMSD, says: “We stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Wootton Bassett and the Armed Forces. The vast majority of British Muslims accept our Armed Forces are doing an admirable job under exceptionally difficult circumstances. It is only because of the sacrifice of these brave soldiers that extremists like ‘Islam4UK’ are able to protest freely. Anjem Choudary and his followers betray everything this country stands for and the very constituency they claim to represent, which is ordinary British Muslims.”
