Undercover Mosque Documentary

Sheila Musaji

A television documentary called “Undercover Mosque” showing extremist statements filmed in mosques in Britain was shown on British television this week.  A reporter from the TV program went undercover and visited mosques and secretly recorded speeches and discussions.  A majority of the clips are from the Green Lane mosque.  Most of what is shown is anti-democratic and anti-Western.

In the course of the program there are short clips in which a number of different individuals are heard to make a number of extremist statements such as: —we hate the kuffar, and giving a definition of the word kuffar to include Christians and Jews; —Advocating segregation of Muslim children from non-Muslim children; —Saying that women are created ‘deficient’, women shouldn’t be allowed to leave the house without their husbands permission, and by the age of 10 women must wear hijab and if they don’t they should be hit;—AIDS is a Christian missionary conspiracy;—Calling democracy kuffarocracy.  The documentary also shows DVD’s and literature available at mosques which could be considered anti-Western or anti-Semitic.

Someone has downloaded this program onto YouTube and it may be seen at:

1 of 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peFQWuk4nuo
2 of 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuCLC8kjWCI&mode=related&search=
3 of 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5t5EqWX92k&mode=related&search=
4 of 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMztM0Z7BYE&mode=related&search=
5 of 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4Zv3BUmwqs&mode=related&search=
6 of 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvjvNScmTQA&mode=related&search=

Explanations given to the documentary producers by mosque leadership included:  - a separate group had rented the mosque for a program and they did not know what they would be talking about;  the individual was a guest speaker and they did not know ahead of time what he would be saying;  the views are not representative of the community, etc.  Explanations given by the Imams included the ‘fact’ that the statements were taken out of context, or not the full statement, etc. ...  After looking at both the documentary and the explanations it would seem that what is required is not an attempt to explain the unexplainable, but an apology.  These are very poor representatives of the Muslim community who are misrepresenting Islam.

Abu Usamah, the Imam of the Green Lane Mosque, one of those in the documentary did a video response to the claims of the program which can be viewed at:

1 of 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20wq6gCpgb4&mode=related&search=
2 of 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqqwGE3WgAk&mode=related&search=
3 of 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTyts_-PH8Y&mode=related&search=
4 of 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqY9lcvAs4Y&mode=related&search=

Sheikh Yasir Qadi on Islam channel also responds to the Undercover Mosque documentary at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcOKzcPQkGY&mode=related&search= 

This documentary is quickly becoming the newest “hot” topic of discussion:

Britain’s New Preachers of Hate
The Out of Context Line of Defense, Does It check Out?
Police probe Sh. Feiz Muhammad, Firebrand Cleric
MP Demands Investigation of Mosques After Documentary Airs
Saudi Arabia’s Export of Radical Islam
Muslim Preacher Defends TV Comments
Channel 4 accused of ‘creating mischief’ in documentary
Preacher Urges Muslims to Ignore British Law
Anti-Semitic DVDs
Preaching Poison
Preaching Hate
Britain’s Moderate Islamists
Radicals vs Moderates: British Muslims at a Crossroads
TV Investigation Finds Hate DVD’s at Mosque
Police Sieze Sheikh’s Videos

Over the past several years there has been a great deal of discussion within the Muslim community on the subject of how best to deal with extremism within the Muslim community. 

American Muslims Have a Special Obligation, Ingrid Mattson
American Muslims Struggle for the Soul of Islam Hasan Zillur Rahim
Criticism Strengthens Community Malik Mujahid
Extremism Is a Deadly Disease
Moderate Muslims Under Siege Khaled Abou El Fadl
Playing Into the Hands of the Extremists: Hilali Khan Translation of Qur’an Dr. Robert D. Crane
Religious Extremism: Muslim Challenge and Islamic Response, Dr. Robert D. Crane
Muslim Voices Against Extremism and Terrorism - Resources (collections of articles and references)
- Part I Fatwas
- Part II Statements by Organizations
- Part III Statements and Articles by Individuals
- Part IV A Few Quotes
- Part V The Muslim Majority Who Don’t Get Publicity
- Selective Hearing of Muslim Voices Against Extremism
Sh. Hilali’s Racist Rhetoric, Irfan Yusuf
Shura and Democracy Dr. Tariq Ramadan
Silence of the Imams: Muslim Clerics Must Challenge Extremists
Through the Looking Glass: Hilali Khan Translation of the Qur’an Sheila Musaji
What Islamists Think and Why It Doesn’t Work
Who Speaks for Islam Dr. Abdul Cader Asmal

Perhaps this documentary will serve as a strong incentive for serious discussions within local, regional and national Muslim organizations to produce some clear guidelines for dealing with this issue.  Muslims in every community need to speak out strongly and clearly to their mosque leadership if they hear any speeches or khutbas that are extremist in nature.  Muslims in every community need to check out the materials in their local mosque libraries and bring any extremist materials to the attention of mosque leadership.  Muslims in every community need to let their leadership know that we will not tolerate extremism in our communities and that if the leadership doesn’t take action, then we will cancel our memberships and stop our financial contributions to mosques or Islamic organizations who allow extremists an opportunity to express their views.  We need to let speakers know when they are out of line. 

We need to isolate the extremists, and to publicly condemn such extremist statements as those heard on this documentary.  We know that there are those who are looking for something negative to publicize about the Muslim community, it makes no sense for us to allow such clowns to make it so very easy for them to do so.