Bakri speaks out against Blair government
British Muslims are increasingly being forced to choose between rejecting their religion or leaving the country, exiled outspoken Muslim cleric Omar Bakri said yesterday.
Speaking to Reuters in Beirut, Bakri said the police lockdown in the wake of the London terror atrocities on July 7th had prompted many Muslims to consider their future in Britain.
Four British Muslims killed themselves and 52 others on London’s Underground and bus system last month.
The so-called “hate preacher”, barred from returning to Britain, his home for 20 years, said he had no plans to return to a country where Muslims were increasingly treated like terrorists.
“When the London attacks happened, they had no one to blame, so they threw it at me… The accusations kept coming even while I was asleep, so I came here,” the 46-year-old said.
“I will not stop myself from speaking the truth, neither will I sell my religion and become a collaborator of the British government like the Muslim Council of Britain.”
He said the Blair government has begun a campaign to attack “moderates” and accuse them of links to terrorist organisations.
The Muslim Council of Britain is a mainstream group representing Muslim views.
Bakri was once leader of al-Muhajiroun, a group that condoned the September 11th, 2001, terror attacks on the US.
