Leading cleric rails at injustice of 'Muslim bashing'

Leading cleric rails at injustice of 'Muslim bashing'
Telegraph
28/07/2005

The most senior Islamic cleric in Birmingham claimed yesterday that Muslims were being unjustly blamed in the war on terrorism and that the eight suspects in the two bombing attacks on London "could have been innocent passengers". Mohammad Naseem, the chairman of the city's central mosque, called Tony Blair a "liar" and "unreliable witness" and questioned whether CCTV footage issued of the suspected bombers was of the perpetrators. He said that Muslims "all over the world have never heard of an organisation called al-Qa'eda"

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His comments shocked senior police officers. Sources said that attempts to encourage Muslims to pass them information on the bombers' activities would be hindered. One said: "We are trying to gain the trust of the Muslim community and these kinds of comments have the opposite effect. All they do is encourage communities to close ranks against us." To the obvious embarrassment of council officials and police standing next to him, Mr Naseem said the Government and security services "were not to be relied upon".

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"Muslim bashing seems to be more earnest than the need for national unity and harmony. Terrorists can be anybody - we will have to see [whether the bombers are Muslims]. The process is not open; the process is not transparent; the process is not independent. I do not have faith in the system as it stands." Mr Naseem is one of the most respected Muslims in the city and is considered a moderate. He has regular meetings with the chief constable to discuss religious harmony.

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"Some people have been caught but I have not seen any evidence. The process of law is not open." Asked about the suspects' DNA being found at the scene of the first attacks, he said: "DNA can match you, but that does not mean you are going to commit a crime. Thousands of youths are passing by and caught on CCTV, so how do you know it is them?"

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[I]n an editorial in The Dawn, the central mosque's newsletter, Mr Naseem writes: "Where is the evidence that four youths whose pictures were caught on CCTV cameras…were the perpetrators? How did we reject the possibility they were just innocent victims of this terrible happening?

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If you give an inch…
Telegraph Opinion
28/07/05

To improve community relations, West Midlands police yesterday invited the "moderate" chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque to take part in a press conference called to discuss the dawn raids on terrorist suspects in the city. Dr Mohammad Naseem used the platform to brand Tony Blair a "liar" and to denounce the security services. He disputed the notion that Muslims might in any way be responsible for the bombing campaign in London, suggesting that the men sought for last week's failed attacks were probably just innocent commuters, then adding, for good measure, that DNA science could not be trusted. Thus, what should have been an occasion to celebrate sound investigative police work descended into farce.

The police were visibly embarrassed by Dr Naseem's outburst. Supt Russ Smith suggested that the cleric might be suffering from shock brought on by "the unusual events of the last few hours". That may be true, but we nevertheless welcome Dr Naseem's comments because of the clear light they shine upon the absurdity of much official reaction to the current terrorist campaign.

The day after the July 7 atrocities, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick of the Metropolitan Police rebuked a reporter who had asked about the nature of the threat by saying: "Islam and terrorism don't go together." When senior police officers go to great lengths to make such prim and dubious politically correct statements, then it is not surprising that Muslim leaders such as Dr Naseem end up believing them, and expect to be taken seriously when they take those assertions to their logical conclusion. Vigilance, clarity of thought and strength of purpose are the correct responses to a terrorist threat. These are the qualities that most people have displayed in the past three weeks. The stakes are simply too high these days for anyone in authority to say anything that encourages the half-witted utterances of the likes of Mohammad Naseem.