A FANATICAL Muslim group campaigning to impose sharia law on Britain wants to turn Buckingham Palace into a mosque, it was revealed last night.Days before a potentially incendiary rally in central London, the hardline Islam4UK group claims to have uncovered historical evidence which challenges the right of the Queen to live at the royal property.
Notorious hate preacher Anjem Choudary is calling for the palace to be renamed Buckingham Masjid, the Arabic word for mosque.
The Mall, which approaches the palace, would become Masjid Road.
Choudary, the right-hand man of exiled cleric Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, spoke out as he urged Muslims across Britain to join Saturday’s rally to demand a complete overhaul of the British legal system and the introduction of sharia courts.
The protest is due to begin at 1pm outside the Houses of Parliament and end at Trafalgar Square, less than a mile from Buckingham Palace, raising concerns over security.
Last night angry politicians and fellow Muslims condemned Choudary’s comments.
Tory MP Philip Davies compared Choudary to the leader of the BNP, saying: “This man’s a complete idiot. He’s the Muslim equivalent to Nick Griffin. I’m all for free speech and people having the right to have their say but, equally, there are all these ridiculous laws the Government has introduced about inciting racial hatred. Quite clearly, that’s what he is doing.
“If these laws are in place, they have to work both ways – they can’t apply to just one group of people.”
In a rambling diatribe, Choudary wrote on the Islam4UK website: “There is a spark that has ignited and its flame has become unstoppable.
“We find ourselves in the year 2009, waiting for Rome to fall, waiting for the White House to fall and indeed waiting for Buckingham Palace to fall.”
Choudary said that under sharia law the Queen’s official residence in London would have a dome fitted and a tannoy system to call followers to prayer.
The Palace would be used as a judiciary court for handing down sharia punishments and a detention place for “prisoners of war”.
In addition, the building would become the headquarters of the Islamic States’ supreme leadership and the Department of Information and Culture.
Choudary also called for the Crown Jewels to be melted down into “more appealing jewellery, free from idolatrous engravings or symbols such as crosses or human beings”.
Islam4UK’s website shows mock-up images of the Palace as a mosque and the Crown Jewels being melted.
Choudary added: “At present, Buckingham Palace is nothing more than a hollow building exploited by the rich and withheld from any real use.
“Under the sharia this would never happen, rather the British community would see it converted into a flourishing mosque which would be of a great benefit, not only for those residing in London but also the country as a whole.”
The Islam4UK movement is made up of leading members of the banned radical al-Muhajiroun group which was once led by Choudary. Around 15 per cent of people convicted in the UK of terrorism-related offences in the last decade were either members of the group or had links to it.
The Centre for Social Cohesion last night warned of the dangers of Choudary’s preachings.
Houriya Ahmed, a researcher for the independent think-tank , said: “I think they are just doing this for publicity.
“Anjem Choudary is a ridiculous man. But that does not mean his ideology is not dangerous.”
Muslim leader Abdul Hamid Qureshi, chairman of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, said: “The sad fact is that this organisation is driving the agenda. What they are saying is totally wrong. They are only a small bunch of people. There is no sense in it – it is not Islam.”
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “We are discussing the potential demonstrations on October 31.”
Source: Daily Express
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