Rally wanted UK Islamic state

4:00pm Tuesday 22nd November 2005

A RALLY calling for Britain to become an Islamic state is thought to have been planned by a man linked to militant extremists.

A leaflet was handed out by members of the Saviour Sect, a group linked to banned cleric Omar Bakri.

They planned to stage the rally in Waltham Forest Asian Centre, Orford Road, Walthamstow.

Urgent action was taken by the council and police after it emerged that the venue had been hired under a fake name for an Eid party.

Local Muslim leaders have condemned the sect and its sentiments.

Abdul Muhid, 22, has been named by police as the man thought to have organised the rally. He was charged with inciting racial hatred and a public order offence after an incident near Selborne Walk shopping centre, Walthamstow, last year. He was arrested at a religious stall after complaints that a man had made homophobic and racist comments. The charges were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service earlier this year because of identification difficulties.

Det Ch Insp Simon Rose, of Waltham Forest police, said: "The event was cancelled once the true nature of the booking became apparent.

"The content of the flyers distributed in conjunction with the breaching of the conditions for hiring prevented the event from being one that would be in the public interest."

Police feared the event could lead to public disorder, but there was no trouble on the day, November 6.

The leaflet stated there must be "no negotiations" in the campaign for Britain to become an Islamic state.

The Sunday Times newspaper published an investigation into the Saviour Sect in August. A reporter spent two months working undercover in London.

It was claimed: "The reporter witnessed one of the sect's leading figures, Sheikh Omar Brooks, telling a young audience that it was the duty of Muslims to be terrorists and boasting, just days before the July 7 attacks, that he wanted to die as a suicide bomber."

A council spokeswoman said: "It is clear that the centre was misled over the details of the booking and what was planned was a rally open to the public.

"Waltham Forest has a long history of good community relations and the council takes its duty to promote good relations between people of different racial groups seriously."

Tariq Mahmood, executive committee member of Waltham Forest Islamic Association, said: "These pictures and images do not help our communities to integrate.

"People who are involved in these kind of activities give our community a bad name.

"They make life difficult for everyone who wants to live a peaceful life and we condemn what they have done. They would not be welcome at our mosque."

Hanif Qadir of the Active Change Foundation, which works to bring young people from all cultures together, said: "Whoever they are, they are not behaving like Muslims. I know my religion and it is a beautiful one. Islam was spread by examples of trust and piety, not this way."

The Guardian tried unsuccessfully to contact the number on the flyer

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