Dismaying news that the newly re-opened Finsbury Park mosque, the notorious fulcrum of Islamic extremism which was shut down because of the activities of its former imam, Abu Hamza -- who is now being held at Her Majesty's pleasure -- has fallen once again into the hands of extremists. The Sunday Times reported last weekend that one of the fivew trustees appointed to give the mosque a fresh start, Mohammed Kassem Sawalha, is a former military commander of Hamas. The paper reported;

'Sawalha’s link with Hamas emerged after he was named as a co-conspirator in an American court case involving racketeering and conspiracy. Last week the cleric, who arrived in Britain 15 years ago and has been given indefinite leave to remain, said that he still supported Hamas, notorious for its suicide attacks in Israel.However, he said he was committed to peace in Britain and would help to run the mosque in an open and inclusive way. “I am supported by the Muslim community and have been working ever since I arrived for that community,” he said.

'Asked whether he supported the military activities of Hamas, he replied: “I have no comment on the question of military activity. I am working here to give a new direction to this mosque and break with the past.” According to US court documents, Sawalha was a leading militant in the early 1990s “in charge of Hamas terrorist operations within the West Bank”. The documents, from the federal court in Chicago, claim he met two of the three “conspirators” accused of laundering millions of dollars to finance Hamas activities, including the purchase of weapons.The purpose of the first meeting with the men was alleged to have been to discuss revitalising Hamas’s operations. He met one of the men a second time in London in January 1993. Sawalha allegedly directed him “to provide money to various Hamas members and provided him with contact information”.Although Sawalha is named as a co-conspirator, he has not been charged. Asked last week if he faced arrest in the United States, Sawalha said: “I have not tried to travel there.” '

One again, the question has to be asked -- what in heaven's name are the British authorities playing at, allowing this to happen again and refusing to countenance the action necessaary to put a stop to it? Is it going to take a Theo van Gogh-style murder, or worse, before they finally admit to the nature of the threat and their complicity in nurturing it?

Posted by melanie at February 16, 2005