Former Mosque Leader: 'Number One Target' for Extremists is Britain
LONDON – A former imam, or mosque leader, has warned that extremists are aiming to establish Muslim Sharia law in the United Kingdom, and that Britain has become the world's "number one target" for Islamic strategists.
Sam Solomon, a former imam and Islamic lawyer now living in the West, has raised concerns of "creeping" Islamization in the United Kingdom. He has written a special report on Islam in the latest edition of Witness magazine, published by Persecution watchdog Release International.
"The U.K. is the number one target of Islamic strategies in the West (because) the former British Empire controlled some of the largest Muslim communities. Immigrants from these countries... have taken full advantage of Britain's liberal politics," Solomon wrote.
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According to Release International, "Sharia law – strict Islamic law – is gaining ground in many nations, resulting in a challenge to basic human freedoms."
A statement released by the organization noted: "In Pakistan a bill that would impose the death penalty on any Muslim man who changes his faith has passed its first reading. A Muslim woman who converted to another faith would face life imprisonment."
The latest news has come as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday his government would consult on new counter-terrorism measures to ensure suspects are successfully prosecuted.
"The home secretary plans to consult - and we are seeking an all-party consensus on new measures to ensure successful prosecutions against terrorist suspects," Brown told Parliament, without giving further details.
He said he would also consider the case for an extension of the 28-day limit on pre-charge detention for terrorism suspects and on the use of intercept evidence in court.
Ex-imam Solomon, however, has raised concerns that the militants' aim is to establish Sharia law in the United Kingdom, applying first to Muslim communities, then extending to the entire population.
"It would be a huge mistake to say that Islam is just another religion like Judaism or Christianity," he wrote.
"Islam is a whole system: a social, political, religious, economical, educational, legislative, judicial and military system... with regulations that govern every aspect of the lives of its adherents."
Release stated that "where Sharia law has been applied in Pakistan, Christians have been accused of blasphemy and girls and women face abduction and forced conversion." In Nigeria, meanwhile, extremists have burnt churches and targeted and killed Christians, the organization reported.
Solomon further noted that "From Afghanistan to Algeria, Indonesia to Iran, at best there is the insidious daily obstruction of the rights of Christians by marginalizing them to a low citizenship status, especially when it comes to jobs, or a place at university."
A photograph in Release's Witness magazine vividly portrays what can happen. In the image, a young woman hides her face as four grim-faced policemen clad in black escort her from her home. Her shame is obvious. Her friends watch anxiously as she is led away to face charges.
The picture, Release explained, is of a woman in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, who has failed to wear an Islamic headscarf.
"The police are Islamic law enforcement officers. Their task is to enforce Sharia law, with its strict rules on dress, alcohol consumption and sexual behavior," Release stated.
"We receive daily reports of the persecution of Christians in Islamic nations, especially where Sharia law - strict Islamic law – applies," said Andy Dipper, head of Release International.
"We should be concerned about the increase of Islamic influence in our society because we love truth and righteousness and the freedom to worship God – not because we are afraid."
