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Sajad Al-Hairi (front) protesting with members of Muslims Against Terrorism on Tuesday |
Young British Muslims protest against ‘professionals preaching hatred’
YOUNG British Muslims this week hit out at “professionals” preaching hatred in Westminster’s colleges, community centres and mosques.
Sajad Al-Hairi, a planning official at City Hall who lives in the borough, organised a picket outside Downing Street on Tuesday.
The protest, on the sixth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Centre, also followed the botched bomb plot in the Haymarket in June.
“Enough is enough,” he said.
Mr Al-Hairi delivered a letter to Gordon Brown warning the Prime Minister of the growing influence of extremist interpretation of Islam known as ‘Wahhabism’.
The 28-year-old said: “There are imams in central London preaching this. I can understand when it is disillusioned young British Muslims – but when it comes from professionals we decided we need to make a stand.
“The Wahhabi cult treats everyone that does not share their extremist interpretation of Islam as infidels. This includes Muslims like me that have been brought up to understand that the Prophet Mohammed preached tolerance when it came to other religions.”
Mr Al-Hairi, who is spearheading the the council’s multi-million project to refurbish Theatreland, added: “I have to deal with this every day. I have encountered this at every stage in my life since I came to Westminster 16 years ago. I hear it in community centres and see it on blogs. In my days at University College London I was isolated for not praying in a particular way.”
Representatives from the Islam Centre of England in Maida Vale, the Abrar Foundation in Edgware Road, the Khoei Foundation in Queens Park attended the peaceful demonstration on Tuesday.
The council last month launched a scheme giving free lessons in leadership skills to young Muslims.
The move follows a survey showing teenagers felt they had “no legitimate outlet for protest” and were disillusioned with the opinions of their elders.
They have earmarked £70,000 to train a dozen teenagers and hire halls for political debates. |
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