Anjem Choudary

 

Anjem Choudary (born in 1967) is a British Islamist and follower of Omar Bakri Mohammed. He has made threats on various occasions, and founded two Islamist organizations which were later designated and banned as terrorist by the British government.^[1] Choudary has urged Muslims to not cooperate with the police in fighting terrorism,^[2] and has recently called for the assassination of the Pope.^[3]

Personal background

Choudary is the son of a Welling market trader, and is of Pakistani heritage.^[4]

He was a medical student at the University of Southampton, where friends say he called himself "Andy" and used drugs and alcohol, although Choudary denies this. He seemed not to be very religious at the time, except for expressing anger at the publication of The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie.

After failing his first-year exams in medicine, Choudary switched to commercial law. His final year as a law student (1990-1991) was at Guildford.

Choudary moved to London and taught English as a second language until he found work at a legal firm and completed the qualifications to become a lawyer.^[4]

He married 22-year-old Rubana Akhtar in 1996, who had recently joined al-Muhajiroun, which he led at the time.^[5] They settled in Ilford, Essex, and had three children together: one daughter (Bintanjan, 8), and two sons (Luqman, 6, and Hediyah, 1).^[6]

Choudary stopped practicing law, and left his wife and three children to "concentrate on his extreme brand of Islam" and set up a new Islamist group in Lebanon. They are in the process of divorcing.^[7][6][8]

Political background and activities

Choudary, along with Omar Bakri Muhammad, led Al-Muhajiroun, an organisation now banned under anti-terroirist legislation which operated in the United Kingdom until its dissolution in 2004. He now speaks for Bakri, who was banned from Britain on 12 August 2005 by Home Secretary Charles Clarke on the grounds that his presence in Britain was "not conducive to the public good."^[9][10] Choudary is also a spokesman for Al Ghurabaa, an organisation banned for the glorification of terrorism in the United Kingdom.^[11]

Training in Britain

On November 7, 1999 the Sunday Telegraph reported^{[citation needed]} that Muslims were receiving weapons training at secret locations in Britain. Most of those who trained at these centers would then fight for Osama Bin Laden's International Islamic Front in Chechnya, while others would fight in such places as Kosovo, Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kashmir. The report identified Anjem Choudray as a key figure in recruiting for these training centers.^[12][13]

Threat to British Jews

On October 17, 2000 Choudary issued a press release as the UK head of Al-Muhajiroun, threatening British Jews not to support Israel in any way. The press release said, in part, that it is an "Islamic obligation upon Muslims everywhere to support the Jihad against those who fight Muslims anywhere in the world or who occupy Muslim land," "the Qur'an is explicit in making Israeli aggressors and occupiers legitimate targets for Muslims wherever they may be" and that "if you support Israel financially, verbally or physically you will become part of the conflict."^[14]

Jameah Islamiyah School

In 2003 or 2004 Choudary organized an Islamic-themed camping trip, at which Omar Bakri Mohammed lectured, on the 54-acre grounds of Jameah Islamiyah School at Mark Cross, Crowborough, East Sussex. The trip, which was advertised by word-of-mouth, was attended by 50 Muslim men, most of whom were members of al-Muhajiroun. Bakri claimed the activities at the camp included lectures on Islam, football, and paintballing.^[1]

On September 1, 2006 police began a search of the school due to allegations that it was used in the training and recruitment of terrorists. According to testimony from Al Qaeda suspects held at Guantanamo Bay extra-judicially, in 1997 and 1998, Abu Hamza and groups of around 30 of his followers held training camps at the school, including training with AK47 rifles and handguns, as well as a mock rocket launcher.^[15]

The police investigation of the school grounds ended with no arrests, and students and faculty were allowed to return on September 23, 2006, the first day of Ramadan.^[16]

Deportation from Lebanon

In November 2005 the government of Lebanon deported Choudary and three other followers of Omar Bakri Mohammad to Britain. The men claimed they were there to help Bakri set up a madrasah.^[17]

New organization

In late November 2005, soon after he was deported from Lebanon, Choudary attended the launch of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah, an organization that was intended to be the successor to Al-Muhajiroun.^[18] This organization operates mainly through an invitation-only Internet forum, of which Anjem Choudary is a prominent contributor, under the screen name "Abou Luqman." A reporter visiting the site found calls for holy war, and recordings by Osama Bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Omar Bakri Mohammed.^[19]

Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons protest

On March 15, 2006 he was arrested in connection with the 3 February protest march, organized by Al Ghurabaa in response to the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.^[20][21] He was arrested again on May 4 at Stansted Airport for an alleged breach of bail, and charged with organising the protest without notifying police.^[22] On July 4, 2006 he was convicted and fined £500 with £300 court costs.^[23]

Forest Gate raid protest

On June 9, 2006 Choudary participated in a demonstration outside the Forest Gate police station in London to protest the arrest of two Muslim terrorism suspects, as well as alleged mistreatment of Muslims by police. The demonstrators displayed signs bearing anti-government and anti-police slogans. The family of the suspects asked that this protest be boycotted.^[24]

7/7 bombing press conference

At a press conference in Walthamstow, East London, on the eve of the first anniversary of the 7 July 2005 London bombings, Choudary said that Muslims in Britain were "oppressed" and had the right to defend themselves "by whatever means"; he thought that a "Bosnia or Kosovo-style" civil war between British Muslims and non-Muslims was becoming a possibility. He also said that he would not notify police if he were to learn of another terrorist bombing plot, and that "I don't think Muslims can co-operate with police."^[2]

Pope Benedict XVI's Regensburg lecture protest

On 17 September 2006, Choudary participated in a protest outside Westminster Cathedral against a lecture by Pope Benedict XVI in which Benedict XVI said that the practice of spreading a faith through violence (implying it was commanded by Muhammad, according to a 14th century text quoted in the lecture, possibly referring to sura 9 of the Qur'an) is contrary to God's nature.^{[citation needed]}

Choudary told a reporter, "Whoever insults the message of Muhammad is going to be subject to capital punishment. I am here have a peaceful demonstration. But there may be people in Italy or other parts of the world who would carry that out. I think that warning needs to be understood by all people who want to insult Islam and want to insult the prophet of Islam."^[25] Police launched an investigation into the protest,^[26] but no charges were laid.^[27][28]

Choudary made similar comments a month later at a debate hosted by the University Philosophical Society of Trinity College, Dublin, in which he (along with Sulayman Keeler of al-Ghurabaa and Omar Brooks of the Saviour Sect) opposed the motion "This House Believes That Islamist Violence Can Never Be Justified." He said, "The Pope needs to be careful in what he says because you only need to see what happened to Theo van Gogh and Salman Rushdie. People should be aware that certain punishments in Islam are justified for certain actions."^[29]

On the acceptability of killing non-Muslims

In a BBC interview Choudary was asked why he would not say with Omar Bakri Mohammed, "I condemn the killing of innocent people." Choudary replied,

At the end of the day, when we say "innocent people" we mean "Muslims". As far as non-Muslims are concerned, they have not accepted Islam. As far as we are concerned, that is a crime against God.^[30]

Call for holy war in Somalia

Choudary posted a statement on the "Followers of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'aah Muntada" online forum calling on British Muslims to join the "divine call of jihad" and fight with the Union of Islamic Courts against the Somali government. In his statement he said the "obligation of supporting jihad all over the world is fard ayn... This honourable act must be carried out according to your own capabilities because... Muhammad said strike the [infidels] with your wealth, hands and tongue."^[31]

Film: Obsession

The film named Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West briefly exposes Choudary's alleged Islamist hypocrisy on the subject of terrorism, by documenting both the moderate view he expresses in public to the Western media and the support he secretly offers to the "Magnificent Nineteen" behind closed doors. The Magnificent Nineteen is an epithet originally given by al Muhajiroun,^[32] and subsequently by other British Islamists, to the hijackers in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S.

References

External links

• Transcript of BBC interview
• "The War Within", Special Investigations Unit, CNN, 20 January 2007 - transcript of a documentary featuring an interview with Choudary

Video

• Anjem Choudary interviewed by Jeremy Paxman Newsnight, BBC
• The Killings of Non-Muslims is Legitimate
• Radical Islamist vs Christiane Amanpour

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