30th June 2006
“This mega-mosque will have a massive impact on West Ham and across east London, and already mosque supporters are buying up residential properties in my own ward of Canning Town South and other areas. Yet the mosque plans have not been made public and it certainly has not yet received formal planning permission,” said Cllr Craig.
“I have spoken to residents and businesses around the mosque site, and they are astonished they have been told nothing. They smell a London Development Agency/Newham Council stitch-up, where decisions are taken over the heads of local people without their consent.
“We’re proud to live in a democracy where there is freedom of worship. But we also have freedom of discussion and debate, and there must be a public debate about the local and national issues surrounding this huge mosque,” said Alan Craig.
Cllr Craig is citing the following issues for public exposure and debate:
Security and terrorism links
Despite its claims to be peaceful and pietistic, specific links between Tablighi Jamaat and various terrorist organisations have been established at their home base in Pakistan, throughout central Asia and also in the US. Just across the Channel where the organisation is very strong, the highly-rated French intelligence services refer to Tablighi Jamaat as the “antechamber for fundamentalism” and respected Paris-based academic Marc Gaborieau considers Tablighi Jamaat a tight centrally-organised secretive and militant organisation with long-term plans for “the conquest of the world… in the spirit of jihad”.
“The nature of Tablighi Jamaat and its apparent links with terrorist organisations must be subject to detailed public scrutiny before the mosque is approved,” said Alan Craig. “This task must be undertaken urgently.”
Community impact
Tablighi Jamaat’s current European headquarters are in the Savile Town area of Dewsbury, west Yorkshire. The mosque and school were built in the late 70s and early 80s, and since then the area has been virtually taken over by the organisation. As one local expert said, Savile Town has been colonised by Tablighi Jamaat.
If this has been the effect of Tablighi Jamaat on Dewsbury over the past 25 years, how much more will their massive new mosque impact West Ham and the surrounding areas? Newham rightly prides itself on its mix of diverse communities. Do we want a significant part of east London taken over by one single faith-group?
“Have the authorities consulted and informed the residents of West Ham?” said Cllr Craig. “I think not. My own consultations show that the local community has been kept in the dark about this by the LDA and Newham Council.”
Social inclusion
Tablighi Jamaat claim the mosque will include all the local community, be open to all people and will welcome those of all faiths.
“The Tablighi Jamaat spokesman has obviously studied the Ken Livingstone dictionary of political correctness and uses the necessary smooth inclusive words about the mosque,” said Alan Craig.
“Personally I object to much secular political correctness but the language is easy to use. Furthermore the language clearly contradicts Tablighi Jamaat’s strict Deobandi form of Islam so it is important to ask if they really mean what they say:”
1 What will be the role of women? What is the role of women at the present Tablighi Jamaat headquarters in Dewsbury? Will women have inclusive roles on the mosque’s governing body and management committees?
2 Will the mosque hold multi-faith services that treat all faiths equally, like the recent service at Westminster Abbey?
3 Will the mosque abide by the government’s new Sexual Orientation Regulations? Will they open their facilities for use by gay and lesbian groups? At their mosque school will they – as required - teach that same-sex civil partnerships are equivalent to heterosexual marriage?
4 If the mosque is for all the community, will non-Muslim members of the community be involved in the running of the mosque both on its staff and on its management committee?
Funding
The building of Tablighi Jamaat’s Dewsbury headquarters was funded by Saudi sources in the late 70s, and it is assumed that their huge West Ham mosque will be similarly financed.
Yet Saudi funding has been under increasing scrutiny since 9/11 and governments have since closed down a number of Saudi charities in the West because of their terrorist and jihadist links.
The mosque may cost up to £100m. Will Tablighi Jamaat name their sources of finance? Will these sources themselves be open to scrutiny and also to examination about their future control and influence over the mosque?
If they are Saudi sources, will Tablighi Jamaat support the UK’s values of freedom of worship and speech – from which they themselves are benefiting? Saudi Arabia currently bans all non-Islamic religions. Will Tablighi Jamaat campaign for the reciprocal right of churches, temples and other places of worship to be built in that country?
“We cannot allow the mosque to go through without debate and public questioning,” said Alan Craig, “ and we certainly cannot allow a LDA/Newham Council stitch-up.”
“We must insist that this is brought into the light.”
- Ends -
Editors’ Notes
Queries: Cllr Alan Craig 07939 547198
Alan Craig is Christian Peoples Alliance councillor for the Canning Town South ward of the London Borough of Newham and is leader of the CPA group on the council.
Promoted and Published by Alan Craig on behalf of Newham CPA, 64 Burke Street, London.
Newham Council Opposition Leader challenges “Stitch-up” over Massive West Ham ‘Olympics Mosque’“Resi
“This mega-mosque will have a massive impact on West Ham and across east London, and already mosque supporters are buying up residential properties in my own ward of Canning Town South and other areas. Yet the mosque plans have not been made public and it certainly has not yet received formal planning permission,” said Cllr Craig.
“I have spoken to residents and businesses around the mosque site, and they are astonished they have been told nothing. They smell a London Development Agency/Newham Council stitch-up, where decisions are taken over the heads of local people without their consent.
“We’re proud to live in a democracy where there is freedom of worship. But we also have freedom of discussion and debate, and there must be a public debate about the local and national issues surrounding this huge mosque,” said Alan Craig.
Cllr Craig is citing the following issues for public exposure and debate:
Security and terrorism links
Despite its claims to be peaceful and pietistic, specific links between Tablighi Jamaat and various terrorist organisations have been established at their home base in Pakistan, throughout central Asia and also in the US. Just across the Channel where the organisation is very strong, the highly-rated French intelligence services refer to Tablighi Jamaat as the “antechamber for fundamentalism” and respected Paris-based academic Marc Gaborieau considers Tablighi Jamaat a tight centrally-organised secretive and militant organisation with long-term plans for “the conquest of the world… in the spirit of jihad”.
“The nature of Tablighi Jamaat and its apparent links with terrorist organisations must be subject to detailed public scrutiny before the mosque is approved,” said Alan Craig. “This task must be undertaken urgently.”
Community impact
Tablighi Jamaat’s current European headquarters are in the Savile Town area of Dewsbury, west Yorkshire. The mosque and school were built in the late 70s and early 80s, and since then the area has been virtually taken over by the organisation. As one local expert said, Savile Town has been colonised by Tablighi Jamaat.
If this has been the effect of Tablighi Jamaat on Dewsbury over the past 25 years, how much more will their massive new mosque impact West Ham and the surrounding areas? Newham rightly prides itself on its mix of diverse communities. Do we want a significant part of east London taken over by one single faith-group?
“Have the authorities consulted and informed the residents of West Ham?” said Cllr Craig. “I think not. My own consultations show that the local community has been kept in the dark about this by the LDA and Newham Council.”
Social inclusion
Tablighi Jamaat claim the mosque will include all the local community, be open to all people and will welcome those of all faiths.
“The Tablighi Jamaat spokesman has obviously studied the Ken Livingstone dictionary of political correctness and uses the necessary smooth inclusive words about the mosque,” said Alan Craig.
“Personally I object to much secular political correctness but the language is easy to use. Furthermore the language clearly contradicts Tablighi Jamaat’s strict Deobandi form of Islam so it is important to ask if they really mean what they say:”
1 What will be the role of women? What is the role of women at the present Tablighi Jamaat headquarters in Dewsbury? Will women have inclusive roles on the mosque’s governing body and management committees?
2 Will the mosque hold multi-faith services that treat all faiths equally, like the recent service at Westminster Abbey?
3 Will the mosque abide by the government’s new Sexual Orientation Regulations? Will they open their facilities for use by gay and lesbian groups? At their mosque school will they – as required - teach that same-sex civil partnerships are equivalent to heterosexual marriage?
4 If the mosque is for all the community, will non-Muslim members of the community be involved in the running of the mosque both on its staff and on its management committee?
Funding
The building of Tablighi Jamaat’s Dewsbury headquarters was funded by Saudi sources in the late 70s, and it is assumed that their huge West Ham mosque will be similarly financed.
Yet Saudi funding has been under increasing scrutiny since 9/11 and governments have since closed down a number of Saudi charities in the West because of their terrorist and jihadist links.
The mosque may cost up to £100m. Will Tablighi Jamaat name their sources of finance? Will these sources themselves be open to scrutiny and also to examination about their future control and influence over the mosque?
If they are Saudi sources, will Tablighi Jamaat support the UK’s values of freedom of worship and speech – from which they themselves are benefiting? Saudi Arabia currently bans all non-Islamic religions. Will Tablighi Jamaat campaign for the reciprocal right of churches, temples and other places of worship to be built in that country?
“We cannot allow the mosque to go through without debate and public questioning,” said Alan Craig, “ and we certainly cannot allow a LDA/Newham Council stitch-up.”
“We must insist that this is brought into the light.”
- Ends -
Editors’ Notes
Queries: Cllr Alan Craig 07939 547198
Alan Craig is Christian Peoples Alliance councillor for the Canning Town South ward of the London Borough of Newham and is leader of the CPA group on the council.
Promoted and Published by Alan Craig on behalf of Newham CPA, 64 Burke Street, London.
