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UK Islamist groups not just rattled – now they’re banned!

Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. - 7/20/2006

Just one week after reporting on the anti terror group VIGIL’s exposure of radical Islamic cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed’s ongoing cyber preaching from Beirut to radical Muslims in the United Kingdom and elsewhere through a US-based chatroom, the UK government has banned the groups he was preaching to- the Saviour Sect and al-Ghurabaa (offshoots from the previously disbanded group al Mujahiroun).

“Two UK-based Islamist groups are to become the first to be banned under laws outlawing the glorification of terrorism”, the British home secretary has said today. John Reid said he was taking action against Al-Ghurabaa and the Saved Sect. Under an order put down in Parliament, it will be an offence to belong to the groups, encourage support for them or wear clothes suggesting support. Mr Reid said the move sent a signal that the UK would not tolerate people who supported terrorism”. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5188136.stm

VIGIL’s sting revealed hours of recorded conversations and lectures – some from Bakri and others from London-based Abu Izzadeen (formerly known as the Jamaican electrician, Trevor Brooks). These recordings and some private exchanges between VIGIL infiltrators and members of Al Ghurabaa and the Saviour Sect – including exchanges related to raising funds for terror and recruiting jihadist fighters from Britain- were handed over to the UK authorities last week. Currently the Crown prosecution Service is deliberating over whether to prosecute Trevor Brooks, who has regularly glorified terrorism (contrary to the UK 2006 Terrorism Act) and called for the destruction of all jews, amongst other atrocities.

VIGIL is happy with the UK government’s decision to ban the two groups. Dominic Whiteman, VIGIL spokesperson, said today,” John Reid today did a good thing, which all Britons should personally thank him for. Both Al Ghurabaa and the Saviour Sect are fetid groups full of the worst Islamic extremists we have in the UK. These men and women are worse than the Nazis were in the 1940’s –they espouse insane totalitarian goals and short-sighted life-hating ideologies which deserve an even more crushing defeat than the Nazis got. We look with interest to see whether the ban will be followed by arrests of the group’s leaders and followers. We are sure that the UK government - with the help of the excellent British police and security services – will not just ban but silence Al-Ghurabaa and the Saviour Sect forever more. VIGIL’s infiltrators have sat through hours of these groups’ lectures and I assure you – their vile content, intellectual shortcomings and abuse of good, peace-loving Muslims worldwide will best echo off the inside walls of a prison cell, where they will be able to rant as much as they like away from the sane and life-lovers.”

Asked whether the groups will just take up new names and continue to rant from other locations (Bakri is in Beirut and outside of UK jurisdiction), Whiteman answers, “ if they do, then groups like VIGIL will find them, infiltrate them and have them banned too. There are many new laws we would like to see introduced in the UK and elsewhere, which would help put an end to these nuisance preachers and easily-led followers. We will continue to lobby for greater access to ISPs by police forces, make it easier for private groups to invoke terror laws in legal actions, seek compensation for those injured or killed in terrorist atrocities from the terror-supporters, have extremists taken off unemployment and disability benefits they purposefully use to suck dry the state and push resolution after resolution until these extremists realise they are devil-worshippers, not Muslims, and either take up useful lives or surrender themselves as beyond help.”