My attempt to protest Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky
An anti-Semite by the name of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky will be addressing an otherwise very respectable Mosque tonight in my local area of Kilburn.
He is the head of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), the website of which has an article clearly demonstrating the extent to which he views Jews as plotters. An article on that website details a recent seminar given by a deeply dubious character Sheikh Yusuf Ali who talks about the Zionist plot against Muslims; then clearly details Zakzaky noting “the Jewish plot against Islam is manifested in Iraq as they sent Bush to capture Iraq for them”. There is of course the obligatory reference to the “protocols”.
According to his biography on the official website of the IMN:
The goal of the Islamic movement is to enlighten the Muslims as to their duties as individuals and as a community. The movement owns more than three hundred primary/secondary schools located in different places mainly in the northern part of the country. They are known by the name of Fudiyyah Schools. This is in addition to many Islamic centers and other institutions. The movement also owns the Nigeria’s most widely circulated newspaper, Al Mizan, in the Hausa language.
It also details Zakzaky’s arrests, which the site claims were “for his ideas”.
The Jerusalem Post – one of the few publications with details of Zakzaky’s visit – mentions details of the host of the conference, the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC). They say:
The IHRC is a Hezbollah and Islamic Republic supporting organization. At an anti-Israel rally in Hyde Park during the Second Lebanon War, its chair Massoud Shadjareh wore a Hezbollah flag as did research director Reza Kazim, who was seen chanting phrases like “We are all Hezbollah” and “Bomb, bomb Tel Aviv.” At a pro- Israel rally in London’s Trafalgar Square in 2008, Kazim was ejected by the police for filming within the roped off area.
According to an article written by the Middle East Strategic Information written in 2009:
- Zakzaky’s IMN is growing popular among impoverished Nigerian Muslims
- He believes Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden do not exist, acts of terrorism in the west are organised by western intelligence services, and that Tony Blair was behind the 7/7 bombings
- He claims Nigeria’s secularist leaders perform ritual sacrifices removing unborn babies from their Mother’s wombs by ripping them out
- He believes Jews are “”dastardly infidels” and draws inspiration from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and the deceased Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin
He has been and gone now, but came almost unnoticed.
I hate to come across all Eustonite or “decent” but if Geert Wilders or Le Pen or someone dreadful like that came to our town, we’d be all over them like a rash, but with figures such as Zakzaky – who is not small beer by the way, he is the head of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) – we give it a miss.
Some may say that Zakzaky has never committed terror himself, which is why it is not important, but this does not disprove his threat. Some may say, in his words, he does not cause terror. This is questionable, but I’m careful not to make claims I cannot substantiate. During the conference season, the Quilliam Foundation held an event on how non-violent extremism can be just as dangerous as violent extremism. Whether directly or indirectly, Zakzaky has sounded off to the tune of racial discrimination and religious violence, and this should not be sniffed at.
Some will perhaps accuse me, and have done before, of making straw man of whom to knock down. The point here is that I’m not accusing anyone of supporting Zakzaky – though there obviously are some who do - and I’m certainly not saying that in the absence of an anti-fascist picket of him, that I should therefore deduce the anti-fascists in fact support Islamic fascists. It is not true. But I have difficulty understanding why people like Zakzaky don’t wind them up to the point of protest, whereas smaller targets like David Irving, do.
Now let me quickly qualifiy this before I get myself into trouble. Of course Irving is bad news, and has dangerous ideas, but at least he is an army of one; him and maybe some idiots in the National Front or Combat 18. His words are largely ignored by the vast amount of thinking human beings, and are taken on board by a small group of twits that if they express their counterfactual opinions, land themselves in court. Zakzaky, on the other hand, is the head of a church, has many followers and is fiercely anti-Semitic – context, here, is all.
In my quest to get more airplay on Zakzaky, I wrote to three individuals/organisations that I thought could maybe help; Peter Tatchell, Hope not Hate and Unite Against Fascism.
I requested their help in numbers to picket the arrival of Zakzaky and ask questions of the mosque why they felt it responsible to invite someone with a evident history of anti-Semitism and crime.
I saw something on him at the Jerusalem Post and some bits on Harry’s Place blog here and here, as well as a cross-post on the Spittoon website, but when I read next to nothing about him in the mainstream press I wrote to the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Jewish Chronicle – as well as tweeting Martin Bright and Stephen Pollard – Hampstead and Highgate Express and the Kilburn Times.
The only response I got from any of these places was Peter Tatchell to tell me he was ill and had no campaign funds. Tatchell in his email recommended I contact the Board of Deputies of British Jews and contact local news sources – which I had done. It is a great credit to the man for at least writing back to me and taking my email seriously; there indeed is someone who will not allow sentimentalities affect his principles, and I can’t talk highly of him for doing so.
Tatchell’s first line said it all: “I share your anger about Mosques hosting extremist clerics and preachers. It is no better than having a right wing white racist speaking.”
There is no such thing as a “decent” left. There are leftwingers and rightwingers, with some mixing in the middle, and there are hypocrites and those who allow confused politics affect principles. I do not level this charge at anyone in particular, but in the fight against fascism in all its forms, we can’t just sit on our hands, we should be pulling our fingers out.
In the end I went down to the mosque by myself, and I was ineffective and nervous about getting on the wrong side of anyone. But were I backed up with the same level of energy certain organisations reserve for other far rightwingers, we could have told a number of people what we think about foul ideas infiltrating vulnerable communities.
I have been urging the British authorities for some time to ban Zakzaky entry from the UK, based on his virulent antisemitism, his intimate links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and his open support for the Lebanese Hezbollah and Hamas terrorist organisations (indeed, his organisation’s uniformed processions always carry Hezbollah flags and portraits of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders). The British government does not owe Zakzaky and his ilk anything nor does it have an obligation to allow him to spread his hatred on British soil. We have plenty of our own extremists that we have to tolerate. Some individuals have joined me in lobbying the Home Office and I understand that there was some confusion over his visa and that in future he will be excluded. I would like anti-racist and progressive-minded organisations in the UK, including faith-based organisations (Jewish and Muslim), to encourage the government to state publicly that Zakzaky and his organisation are not welcome in the UK as a stand against this kind of violent hatred. Zakzaky’s crusade should stay in Nigeria.
Thank you very much for your comment Daniel. I’m familiar with your work, have you written anything on Zakzaky yourself?
Yes, I interviewed a former Iranian ambassador who said that Zakzaky was an Iranian agent assisting with Tehran’s project of exporting the Islamic revolution to Africa: http://www.mesi.org.uk/ViewBlog.aspx?ArticleId=49
Galloway shows support for Hezbollah and the elected represenatives of the Palestinian people , Hamas, so that should not be used as an excuse to ban the guy. Or do we think Canada banning Galloway was correct?
Actually I find calling Palestinians terrorists highly insulting. I may rethink my attitude towards this blog.
It’s not merely that Zakzaky is supportive of Hamas and Hezbollah or that he has called for Israel’s destruction, but that he has openly expressed antisemitic hatred and called for violence against Jews. George Galloway has not, as far as I know. If we are willing to oppose and challenge Islamaphobic hatred by the likes of the EDL and the BNP on the streets of England and seek to stop them spreading hatred in their demonstrations, then we should certainly prevent similar thugs coming in from abroad. Zakzaky is a dangerous man, not just for his hatred but the nature of the paramilitary organisation he heads, which includes battalions of young children and is trained and armed by Tehran.
You find calling Palestinians terrorists highly insulting so you Edgar? Did Carl call Palestinians in general terrorists? Of course not; that would be grossly insulting. But to call some Palestinians terrorists, specifically those in Hamas and Hezbollah, is surely indisputable.
In fact it has just occurred to me that you have posted nothing on Israels loyalty oath. Now I have gone through your back catalogue and have only just realised you are the intelligent version of Shiraz Socialist. Fuck me how did I miss that!
If you want my opinion on the loyalty oath, I think it is disgraceful, and not in the spirit of multiculturalism. But I’m assured there are hardheaded persons inside the knesset who will kick up a fuss, in addition to Jews and Arab Israelis on the streets.
Carl is a prolific blogger, but is he required to write about absolutely every issue so that you, Edgar, can judge his righteousness according to your standards of perfection? In the past, by the way, contributors to this blog have called for people to demonstrate against the Israeli incursion in Gaza and have supported a boycott of settlement goods. But that’s not enough for Edgar.
(By the way, “the intelligent version of Shiraz Socialist” seems like a high compliment to me.)
I stopped myself from smiling like a child when told I am the intelligent version of Shiraz Socialist. Edgar’s statement about me “calling Palestinians terrorists [being to him] highly insulting” would not receive sympathy from many – particularly not from me; not least because I didn’t do that.
The good thing is that Zakzaky’s visit didn’t exactly draw the large crowds he’s used to in Nigeria. Here are the pictures, published on his website: http://www.islamicmovement.org/picturesoflondonconfab10.htm
But I don’t believe that this conference was the only reason he is in London.
If you want to read the views Zakzaky and his friends have of Jews, you only have to read the website: http://www.google.co.uk/search?rlz=1C1RNPN_enGB396GB396&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=site:www.islamicmovement.org+jew
For instance, this page: http://www.islamicmovement.org/israelmonsterat60usman.htm
‘Western media and governments are constantly reminding us of the suffering of Jewish people in World War II. “Survivors” of the myth of Holocaust are annually remembered and the day is widely observed … This atrocity is achieved today under the bogy of Zionism, a brain child of the Jews. Zionism is an international doctrine which aims to make Israel a “Super Nation” of the Jews dominating all human races. It is established on erroneous belief that Jews are the “chosen people” by God, created to be served by other creatures. This is why today it is mobilizing economic, social, political and geographical resources available in the world for its idea of global domination. For this obvious reason, Zionism is not regional, it is rather a world-wide human phenomenon whose dimension and depth are enormous and call for thorough study by Muslims. To achieve this insidious intent, the Zionist do not consider any sacrifice too great, be it financial, intellectual or human.’
The message is that the Nazi Holocaust was a myth used to assert Jewish global domination. No wonder Zakzaky and his comrades quote heavily from the Protocols forgery. How on earth anyone can justify or condone this fascist beats me. Is it because he is Black and Muslim that you can treat such bigots as misunderstood children and not the fascists they are? And what does it say about the IHRC and the Islamic Centre of England that they invite this Holocaust denying antisemite and leader of an Islamist paramilitary group to talk on Islamic activism?
Thank you Dan for your comments. You give us a lot to think about. I agree with you that there is nothing substantial to suspect Galloway is himself anti-Semites, but he does support organisations which play on anti-Semitism, but not because they are anti-Semitic, but for other reasons. This, however, shows Galloway unable to distinguish groups, rendering him falling foul of that old cheshnut, my enemy’s enemy is my friend.
The IHRC is a trickier number; a friend of mine – who I trust very much – told me he had attended an event where the IHRC came off politically more dangerous than some of the cageprisoners representatives, which doesn’t surprise me in the least. In general, it’s difficult to see whether the IHRC, in inviting Zakzaky, were inviting debate (unlikely), are also unable to see good anti-Israeli’s from bad (also quite unlikely), whether they actively support him (one would hope unlikely), or whether they find him an acceptable expert on the subject at hand (more likely, but unjustifiable given what we know about the Nigerian).
I don’t think it is because he is black and muslim necessarily that people don’t show opposition to Zakzaky more actively. I’m sure, if we were to get UAF or HnH in a room, told them his views, they’d concur he is dangerous. But try and get them wound up about such figures, you could be ignored, met with nonchalence, or even told you miss the wider picture which is that the UK/US/Israeli imperialists cause terrorism.
In short, I don’t have the answers, and I don’t want to simply write these anti-fascist groups off – as I’m sure no one does – but, as I conclude, they need to pull together on fascism of all stripes.
I was booted out of the HnH Facebook group for saying that the use of the Communist red star on its anti-fascist t-shirts could alienate non-Communist anti-fascists and aligns anti-fascism with another authoritarian ideology – the red star and other Communist symbols are banned in some ex-Communist countries, just as the swastika is banned in Germany. I appealed to HnH and was ignored. This was disappointing as I’d campaigned for HnH in successfully defeating BNP councillors in elections. As such, I think the focus of these anti-fascist groups is narrow and ideologically driven, rather than a genuine concern with all forms of racism, bigotry and fascism.
Zakzaky is clearly fascist as are his Iranian paymasters and deserves as much opposition as any American or Russian neo-Nazi invited over by the BNP. The indifference of HnH and UAF is unsurprising – a Black Muslim cannot, in their minds, be fascist.
I suppose ideology being at play is not limited to leftist anti-fascists; it doesn’t upset me but I’ve met people who dislike the conservative led website “there’s nothing British about the BNP” (TNBAtBNP) because they’re keen to argue on the BNP’s terms, that is to win back patriotism and nationalism from fascists. Some have suggested to me that patrotism is the problem and not the solution. I don’t necessarily agree with the sentiment, but I guess there is a level of ideology at work in TNBAtBNP. I respect UAF a little more for this reason actually; it has prominent leftists inside it, but there are also conservatives there, and their symbols represent neither left nor right.
Just to reiterate, I’m not sure it’s fair to say HnH and UAF don’t believe Blacks and Muslims can be fascist, but I think a lot of the attitudes inside those groups appeal to cultural relativism or try to pin the blame on western imperialism being the major impetus for their degenerate politics; which is in fact more imperialist in its mindset (terrorists are only reactive, US/UK/Israel are masters of the universe) than modern day so-called imperialism – much like how Pascal Bruckner recalls it in his book The Tyranny of Guilt.
For situations like this that arise in the future, might be worth dropping Antifa an email. This is a bit out of their tactical remit, but they have done stuff like demonstrated against both the NF and Abu Hamza in the past.
Antifa are on email now?
Oh, for God’s sake, they seem to have taken their bloody contacts list down. Why must my fellow travellers annoy me so?
Um, best bet is probably the Bristol phone then. At the very least, they should be able to point people in your area at you. 0845 126 5011
V interesting and important post. The left should indeed be more organised for campaigning against Islamists. UAF are useless and too ideologically compromised. I think HnH appreciate the need for this but are understandably focused on the electoral threat of the white fash. Ideally getting secularist from culturally Muslim backgrounds to join in (Muslims for Secular Democracy?) would also be the way to go.
Should anti-fascism be redefined so that existing organisations are made to see Islamism and Islamic bigotry as something they should oppose or should distinct campaigns be established?
what is the meaning of shi,a islam. And what is shi,a talking about historical of islam.