Al-Qaeda, Qutbism, and Britain (part 2)

Similarly, The Evening Standard reported that former British MI5 officer David Shayler claims to have evidence to prove that "British secret service agents paid up to £100,000 to al Qaeda terrorists for an assassination attempt on Libyan leader Colonel Gadaffy in 1996." Although Qadaffi himself escaped without injury from this attempt, the bomb which was intended for him killed several innocent bystanders.

French intelligence officials have blamed MI5 for sheltering Abu Qatada, a Palestinian Qutbist mouthpiece in the U.K. who has become famous for calling to open acts of terrorism in Algeria as well as other parts of the Muslim and non-Muslim world. The BBC reported that the "senior al-Qaeda leader is reportedly being looked after by British intelligence at a safe house in northern England - but security sources are denying the claim."

"In April the Sunday Times said Mr. Qatada had turned "supergrass" for MI5," the article mentions, "a theory fuelled by the arrests of several Muslim extremists in Germany who had met him."

The BBC report states: "Now senior European intelligence officials have reportedly told Time Magazine that Mr. Qatada and his family are being lodged, fed and clothed by British intelligence services."

"'The deal is that Abu Qatada is deprived of contact with extremists in London and Europe but can't be arrested or expelled because no one officially knows where he is,' says the source, whose claims were corroborated by French authorities according to the magazine."

The Observer's Jason Burke mentioned the following: "Some French officials have gone so far as to brief newspapers that Qatada was allowed to escape internment because he was an 'MI5 agent'. They also allege that Britain was a 'revolving door' for Islamic militants because of lax asylum policies."

In another Observer article entitled "Bin Laden mastermind 'still hiding in Britain,'" it is noted that the British Home Office "faces growing international pressure to explain why the cleric, believed to have played a pivotal role in a number of terrorist gangs across the continent, has not been arrested."

The article mentions that there has been "speculation that he has been giving information to British intelligence services in return for his freedom, but this has been denied by a senior police source."

On October 26, 2002, it was reported in British newspapers that Abu Qatada was arrested. However, it should be pointed out that for years, he had been calling openly to repulsive acts of terrorism, particularly in relation to Algeria. This was highlighted in his "edicts" which would appear in a publication called al-Ansaar. Those who are aware of his situation from amongst the Muslim community know that he would consistently issue these edicts, and then recant from them, only to return to what he had previously held.

Regardless of the truthfulness of these accusations regarding Abu Qatada's alleged cooperation with British secret services, it can be said for certain that the British government has taken a questionably, and at times suspiciously lax policy towards these Qutbist spokespeople. The likes of Abu Qatada, Abu Hamza al-Masri (al-Misri), Muhammad al-Masari (al-Massari), Omar Bakri, Yasser al-Sirri, Sa'd al-Faqih, Muhammad Suroor Zain al-'Aabideen and many other Qutbist heads have all been granted immunity by the British government.

In June of 2002, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ran a four part series called "The Recruiters," in which it interviewed such British Qutbist leaders as Abu Qatada and Abu Hamza al-Masri, exposing the position that the British government has taken towards these extremists.

Referring to the "dozens of suspected terrorists like Abu Qattada living in London," the CBC's Terence McKenna quotes Gilles Kepel, a leading academic, as saying: "Britain was perceived mainly as a sanctuary and no terrorist activity took place in Britain, probably for that reason." Kepel continues: "Britain was even nicknamed by the militants 'Londonistan,' meaning that people from Afghanistan, Pakistan, what you call in English 'The Stans,' had gathered in London where they found, for many of them, political asylum, and they were able to organize their networks. Probably the condition for the deal, but this was never made explicit of course, was that they would not have any activity against British interests on British soil."

McKenna quotes Jean-Louis Bruguiere, a Paris judge, as saying: "I can say that if he was in France he would already have been arrested in this business. This was not the case because he was in Britain, and Britain apparently permits this sort of activity." McKenna added, "Abu Qatada is on the American government's list of most wanted terrorists. His name also appears on terrorist lists in France and in Canada. But not in Britain."

Britain's policy of harbouring international terrorists has caused many acts of terrorism to be planned and openly called to from British soil. Consequently, formal diplomatic protests have been pursued with the British Foreign Office. Amongst others, Algeria, Turkey, Libya, Yemen and Egypt have been very vocal in these complaints.

Muhammad al-Masari, the chief of CDLR (The Committee for the Defence of Legitimate Rights), has repeatedly called to acts of terrorism in collaboration with other Qutbist organizations and individuals from his safe haven in London. Furthermore, he has continually called for a violent overthrow of the Saudi government and its replacement with an instantaneous Khariji state. Despite all of this, al-Masari was granted "exceptional leave" to remain in Britain. In April of 1996, the British Home Office granted al-Masari a four-year refugee permit to remain on British soil. In spite of what he has said and done prior to and following September 11, he still resides in Britain.

As a result of their extremist methodologies of political expediency, these Qutbist groups and individuals are susceptible to being infiltrated by intelligence agencies, wherever they may be. This infiltration can either entail being spied on, or being spied on while being manipulated and provoked into action. With the immunity they have acquired in Britain particularly, they have been allowed to use freedom of speech as the medium to destabilize Muslim lands by calling people in those countries to acts of terrorism.

Although the previously mentioned BBC article referred to Abu Qatada as being a "senior al-Qaeda leader," it would be inaccurate to imagine that all of the Qutbist leaders of Britain and the world belong to a group called "al-Qaeda." As Abu Hamza al-Masri himself said regarding Abu Qatada: "He's like us: he's a supporter of al-Qaeda but has no formal links to the group."

Al-Qaeda are but a small number of hardened jihaadi/takfiris, whereas their Qutbist sympathizers are those who belong to an informal, ideological entity of "militant Islamic resistance movements around the globe."

- abridged from the book: The 'Wahhabi' Myth

Patrick McGowan, Calls for Secret Shayler Trial, The Evening Standard, October 8, 2002.

Britain 'Sheltering al-Qaeda Leader', BBC, July 8, 2002.

Jason Burke, Al-Qaeda Trained Hundreds from UK, The Observer, February 24, 2002.

Antony Barnett, Paul Harris and Burhan Wazir, Bin Laden Mastermind Still Hiding in Britain, The Observer, May 5, 2002.

Daniel McGrory, Richard Ford and Michael Evans, British Nab Bin Laden's Lieutenant, The Daily Telegraph, October 26, 2002.

Terence McKenna, The Recruiters, CBC, June 2002.

Al Qaeda Suspect Held, Reuters, October 25, 2002.