Sheik Omar Bakri Mohammed will not be returning to Britain
Britain said today that it would bar Sheik Omar Bakri Mohammed, a London-based Syrian cleric, from returning to the country from Lebanon. Sheik Mohammed, known for his incendiary anti-Western views, was granted asylum by Britain some 20 years ago and has lived here ever since.
The Home Secretary has issued an order revoking Omar Bakri Mohammed's indefinite leave to remain and to exclude him from the U. K. on the grounds that his presence is not conducive to the public good," the statement said.
This is what The New York Times and the Telegraph are reporting this morning. It must be viewed as a right and good decision on the part of the Home Secretary. Naturally, there are going to be those who see Omar Bakri Mohammed's ban from Britain as a violation of his human rights, if he happens to be deported to a country where he might be tortured or sentenced to death. But Lord Falconer had this to say about it: "The deportee has got rights, but so have the people of this country. If they are threatened in terms of national security, that is something that the government has got to protect them against as much as possible."
However, Inayat Bunglawala, a spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, is quoted as saying:
"He is someone who for 20 years was given shelter by this country and he has spent almost all that time vilifying this country and its values," Mr. Bungalawala told the BBC. "With his often very offensive remarks, he has contributed toward the demonization of British Muslims."
Enough said.
The Home Secretary has issued an order revoking Omar Bakri Mohammed's indefinite leave to remain and to exclude him from the U. K. on the grounds that his presence is not conducive to the public good," the statement said.
This is what The New York Times and the Telegraph are reporting this morning. It must be viewed as a right and good decision on the part of the Home Secretary. Naturally, there are going to be those who see Omar Bakri Mohammed's ban from Britain as a violation of his human rights, if he happens to be deported to a country where he might be tortured or sentenced to death. But Lord Falconer had this to say about it: "The deportee has got rights, but so have the people of this country. If they are threatened in terms of national security, that is something that the government has got to protect them against as much as possible."
However, Inayat Bunglawala, a spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, is quoted as saying:
"He is someone who for 20 years was given shelter by this country and he has spent almost all that time vilifying this country and its values," Mr. Bungalawala told the BBC. "With his often very offensive remarks, he has contributed toward the demonization of British Muslims."
Enough said.
posted by manzarali at
6:54 AM
