Bush: 'Curse of the planet'
2003-02-07 21:32
London - Deposed from his mosque because of his anti-Western rhetoric, cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri took his radical brand of Islam to the streets on Friday and told worshippers US President George W Bush is a curse to his people and the planet.
The Egyptian born-activist, who is wanted in Yemen on terrorism charges, also said the space shuttle disaster was an alarming sign from Allah that America will face fresh calamities.
It was no coincidence that the Columbia disintegrated over Texas, al-Masri told 100 worshippers, who knelt in the street outside Finsbury Park mosque in north London.
"It is the headquarters of Mr Bush. It is a message for him. You are a curse for your people, for the planet and mankind. The message is that some big calamities are going to drop on your head."
A mainstream Muslim leader quickly denounced the cleric's "publicity seeking antics" as "grossly offensive".
"He seems to have no understanding of the damage that his rhetoric does to community relations in this country and the harm it does to ordinary British Muslims," said Inayat Bungalwala of the Muslim Council of Britain.
Al-Masri has been ordered to stop preaching at the mosque by a government body because his "extreme and political" statements conflict with the mosque's charitable status.
The mosque's trustees have said the modern red-brick building, which was closed following an anti-terrorism raid last month, will remain barred and shuttered until it can be cleansed of al-Masri's "spiritual filth".
But the cleric, who lost both hands and an eye fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan and has metal hooks attached to the stumps of his wrists, has vowed not to be silenced, especially on Fridays, the Muslim day of worship.
The Columbia disaster "shows the evil coalition between Israel and America is immoral and is going to be disintegrated," he told worshippers, who knelt on plastic sheeting in St Thomas's Road facing toward Mecca.
James Bond-style villain
With his flowing robes, blind milky-gray eye and hooks, the cleric cuts an imposing figure and is reviled by Britain's tabloids which portray him as a James Bond-style villain.
The US Treasury says al-Masri is a member of the Islamic Army of Aden, the organisation that claimed responsibility for the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen, and it has frozen his funds. He is wanted in Yemen for allegedly orchestrating terrorist activities there, but as a British citizen is protected from extradition.
Al-Masri denies any involvement in violence and says he is only a spokesperson for political causes. But terrorism experts fear his vociferous anti-American message could radicalise Britain's disaffected Muslim youth.
Magnus Ranstorp, of the Centre for Terrorism and Political Violence at St Andrew's University, said al-Masri "tapped into Islamic revolutionary sentiment".
"He is not a real player, but he has the potential for being a conduit. There have been those like Richard Reid who have listened to Abu Hamza, and rather than persuade them to embark on the path of jihad (holy war), he has possibly facilitated the journey," Ranstorp said.
In the last few years, the mosque has become a centre of radical Islam. Officials say previous worshippers included "shoe-bomber" Richard Reid and extremists who plotted to blow up the US Embassy in Paris.
Last month, anti-terrorist police raided the mosque and seized documents, computers and other items as part of an investigation into the discovery of the deadly poison ricin in a London apartment. Seven North African men were arrested, and one was charged with terrorist offences.
The British government says it is closely monitoring the cleric's words and actions. - Sapa-AP
- SAPA