The London-based radical has in the past caused outrage after reports that he called British leader Tony Blair a "legitimate target" for Moslems and urged followers to kill anyone involved in military action against Moslems. Police said then they had insufficient evidence to prosecute him for racial incitement, but would monitor his activities.
Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of the Arabic newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi, agreed that the raid could be a blow to moderates among the 1.8 million Moslems in Britain. "Definitely there will be more radicals. Frustrated people will become more frustrated. It will create hatred among young people and we don't need that," he told Reuters. "We should not treat everybody as terrorists. It is outrageous to raid a mosque like that," he said. "Police are panicking. Every Moslem is a suspect."
Radical preachers at the raided Finsbury Park mosque do not have to look far for recruits. Hundreds of unemployed Algerians gather in coffee shops and many gather at the mosque to hear fiery sermons every Friday. What moderate Moslems fear is a backlash against their community after the discovery of deadly ricin poison in London and then the death of a policeman in the following raids.
"Moslems have suffered increasing Islamophobia since Sept. 11," said Inayat Bunglawala, a spokesman for the Moslem Council of Britain. "Ordinary Moslems feel uncomfortable at work. They are looked at with suspicion, they are regarded with a wary eye," he said. "Moslems feel unease when a mosque is being raided but we understand the police have a difficult task to do." He added that if police believe crimes were committed, the suspects should be charged in court. They should not be detained indefinitely without charge.
The aftermath of September 11th exposed Britain as a fertile ground for militant Islamic groups. Security experts said the country's diverse population, the giant financial center in London, a Government perceived as relatively tolerant and good global transport links helped to create a small but potentially significant hub of extremists. "The trouble with terrorism is that you don't need large numbers to be a serious threat," said terrorism expert Paul Wilkinson. But he insisted that Britain should not over-react, warning of the dangers of a xenophobic backlash.
"I believe the measures we take should be compatible with democratic values," said the professor of international relations at Scotland's University of St. Andrews. "If we start over-reacting and creating an atmosphere of repression and fear among Moslems, we will create a greater recruiting bed for Al-Qaeda."
