Monday, February 19, 2007
UK set to ban ââ¬Ësupermosqueââ¬â¢
LAHORE: Britain was likely to block plans to build a ââ¬Åsupermosqueââ¬Â ââ¬â capable of holding up to 70,000 - the Sunday Telegraph reported.
It said that the government was expected to reject the proposal since it would be located too close to the main venues of the Olympic Games, which London is set to host in 2012.
However, the governmentââ¬â¢s main objection is that Tablighi Jamaat - an ultra-orthodox Muslim organisation with close links to the Wahhabi form of Islam practised in Saudi Arabia and which sends hundreds of British Muslims to Pakistani madrassas every year ââ¬â is behind the plans. Two of the 7/7 London suicide bombers are believed to have visited one of the groupââ¬â¢s mosques, while a leaked United States intelligence memo claimed that Al Qaeda was using the group to ââ¬Ånetwork with other extremistsââ¬Â.
However, more than 3,000 Muslims living near the planned site in West Ham, in Londonââ¬â¢s east end, have also called for halting the project, stressing that any new mosque should include all strands of Islam.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\02\19\story_19-2-2007_pg1_6
UK set to ban ââ¬Ësupermosqueââ¬â¢
LAHORE: Britain was likely to block plans to build a ââ¬Åsupermosqueââ¬Â ââ¬â capable of holding up to 70,000 - the Sunday Telegraph reported.
It said that the government was expected to reject the proposal since it would be located too close to the main venues of the Olympic Games, which London is set to host in 2012.
However, the governmentââ¬â¢s main objection is that Tablighi Jamaat - an ultra-orthodox Muslim organisation with close links to the Wahhabi form of Islam practised in Saudi Arabia and which sends hundreds of British Muslims to Pakistani madrassas every year ââ¬â is behind the plans. Two of the 7/7 London suicide bombers are believed to have visited one of the groupââ¬â¢s mosques, while a leaked United States intelligence memo claimed that Al Qaeda was using the group to ââ¬Ånetwork with other extremistsââ¬Â.
However, more than 3,000 Muslims living near the planned site in West Ham, in Londonââ¬â¢s east end, have also called for halting the project, stressing that any new mosque should include all strands of Islam.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\02\19\story_19-2-2007_pg1_6