Good!  Abu Qatada Deported from Britain

by Sheila Musaji

One of the Muslim preachers of hate has been deported from Britain to Jordan.  The British government has been attempting to deport him for several years, but concerns over whether or not he might be tortured in Jordan postponed the deportation.  According to BBC UK

“... The Palestinian-Jordanian cleric’s deportation was finally able to proceed after the UK and Jordan signed a treaty agreeing that evidence obtained through torture would not be used against him.

Home Secretary Theresa May said she was glad that the government’s determination to remove him had been “vindicated”.

“This dangerous man has now been removed from our shores to face the courts in his own country,” she said.  She added that she wanted to streamline such deportation processes in future.  “I am also clear that we need to make sense of our human rights laws and remove the many layers of appeals available to foreign nationals we want to deport.

“We are taking steps - including through the new Immigration Bill - to put this right.” ...

According to Al Arabiya Abu Qatada pleaded not guilty to terror charges pressed by military prosecutors just hours after his deportation from Britain.  ““State security court prosecutors charged Abu Qatada with conspiracy to carry our terrorist acts,” a judicial official told AFP.  “He was remanded in judicial custody for 15 days in the Muwaqqar prison,” in eastern Jordan.”

I hope that the British government (and the American and Canadian governments) are really able to clarify and tighten the laws so that such individuals cannot continue to manipulate a law that they do not respect in order to protect themselves against the consequences of their actions.

There are a few more of the Muslim lunatic fringe that need to be deported.  Among them, Mohammad Al-Arefe and Yasser Al-Habib.

It seems that the British are ahead of America on beginning to find ways within the law to counter the preachers of hate no matter what their religious or political cause. 

For example, just last week there were at least three instances in Britain where such individuals discovered that their particular form of bigotry will not be tolerated.  In the first case, another preacher of hate, Tony Miano, an American anti-gay evangelist went to the Wimbledon tennis tournament in Britain and was arrested for his anti gay preaching.  He should also be deported back to America, and/or banned from returning to Britain.  In the second instance, Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer, two American anti-Muslim hate mongers were banned from entering Britain.  In the third instance, A Muslim television channel based in Britain was given a heavy fine for broadcasting a program featuring Abdul Qadir Jilani which urged Muslims to commit murder in the name of their religion.

If in Britain and North America and Canada, we can clarify what legally constitutes hate speech or incitement to violence, and enforce the law consistently, we can do a much better job of marginalizing such individuals.

The mainstream Muslim community has very few options for countering our own lunatic fringe within the law - however, we can continue to denounce them.  We can also hope that the legal authorities will listen when we tell them that particular individuals are a concern, and that the media will stop giving a platform to such individuals to spew their venom. 

SEE ALSO:

Abu Qatada deported from UK to stand trial in Jordan http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23213740

Abu Qatada deported from UK http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/07/abu-qatada-deported-from-uk

Abu Qatada: The security problem Jordan doesn’t need? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23197677

Yasser Al-Habib The hate sheikh of the Home Counties: Firebrand cleric fuelling global conflict between Muslims sets up HQ in idyllic village http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2357021/The-hate-sheikh-Home-Counties-Firebrand-cleric-fuelling-global-conflict-Muslims-sets-HQ-idyllic-village.html

Britain should ban Geller & Spencer, and deport Al-Arefe & Al-Habib, Sheila Musaji http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/britain-should-ban-geller-spencer-and-deport-al-arefe-al-habib/0019876

Freedom of speech under attack by Islamophobes in Tennessee, Sheila Musaji http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/freedom-of-speech-under-attack-in-tennessee

How do we solve a problem like Anjem Choudary and Islamic Emergency Defence? , Sheila Musaji http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/how-do-we-solve-a-problem-like-anjem-choudary-and-islamic-emergency-defence/0019896

Islamist cleric Abu Qatada pleads ‘not guilty’ to Jordan terror charges http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2013/07/07/Jordan-vows-credibility-as-Britain-sends-Abu-Qatada-home-.html

Muslim television channel fined after preacher of hate incited murder live on air http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/10162099/Muslim-television-channel-fined-after-preacher-of-hate-incited-murder-live-on-air.html

Wimbledon tennis preacher arrested for gay hate http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/wimbledon-tennis-preacher-arrested-gay-hate040713