Muslims Against Crusades
Encyclopedia
Muslims Against Crusades (abbreviated MAC) is a banned Islamic group in the United Kingdom. The group was founded in 2010 by Abu Assadullah. Professional boxer Anthony Small
and Islam4UK spokesman Anjem Choudary
are associated with the group.
Muslims Against Crusades believe that Muslims are not "obliged to obey the law of the land in whatever country they reside". In 2011, the group proposed that Muslims should set up independent emirate
s in select cities in the UK, operating under Sharia
entirely outside British law. The group suggested the towns of Bradford
, Dewsbury
, and Tower Hamlets in the East End of London
as the possible first testbeds for these entities. The group has often clashed with the English Defence League
. Home Secretary
Theresa May
banned the group from midnight on 11 November 2011, making membership or support of the group a criminal offence.
and in Kensington
on 11 November 2010, when two large plastic poppies
were burned during the Remembrance Day
silence.
Throughout 2010 and 2011 there were various protests against the imprisonment of Muslims, with calls for their release; and calls for a withdrawal from Muslim
countries. There was a protest against Pastor Terry Jones during the Quran burning incident in Florida in early April.
They applied to stage a demonstration in London to disrupt the Royal Wedding on 29 April 2011, but were rejected by Scotland Yard
. They planned to burn effigies of Prince William and Kate Middleton on the wedding route through central London. They later cancelled their protest due to a "Possible danger to life"
On 7 May, hundreds of UK Muslims and MAC members held a pro-Bin Laden rally outside the U.S. Embassy, London and staged Salat al-Janazah (funeral prayer) for Bin Laden. Protesters clashed with police when they tried to storm the embassy. Anjem Choudary
—a British national of Pakistani descent, who organised the protest, predicted an attack similar to the 7 July 2005 London bombings
in response to bin Laden's death.
On 30 July, around 50 members of MAC and Waltham Forest Muslims marched for two hours from Leyton Tube station to Walthamstow town square calling for democracy to be replaced by Sharia law and chanted slogans such as ‘democracy—hypocrisy’, ‘Sharia for UK’ and ‘Secularism go to hell’. In August, members of Muslims Against Crusades held a demonstration denouncing the Shia denomination and "anti-Islamic" Shia regimes of Syria and Iran. To mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, around 100 men linked to the group protested outside the U.S. embassy in London, burning U.S. flags and chanting through megaphones. The protest could be heard by mourners in the September 11th Memorial Garden near-by, where a minute's silence was being observed to mark the first plane hitting the World Trade Centre in New York City.
On 10 November 2011, British Home Secretary
- Theresa May
banned the the group after it planned to repeat the poppy
burning demonstration. Membership of Muslims Against Crusades would effectively be made illegal after midnight on that day.
Anthony Small
Anthony Small is a professional boxer who has held both he British and Commonwealth belts at light middleweight. He goes by the alias 'Sugar Ray Clay Jones Jr.' , in homage to Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Cassius Clay, and Roy Jones Jr. Small converted to Islam at the age of 24 and is...
and Islam4UK spokesman Anjem Choudary
Anjem Choudary
Anjem Choudary is a British former solicitor, and, before it was proscribed, spokesman for the Islamist group Islam4UK. He is married, has four children, and lives in Ilford, London....
are associated with the group.
Muslims Against Crusades believe that Muslims are not "obliged to obey the law of the land in whatever country they reside". In 2011, the group proposed that Muslims should set up independent emirate
Emirate
An emirate is a political territory that is ruled by a dynastic Muslim monarch styled emir.-Etymology:Etymologically emirate or amirate is the quality, dignity, office or territorial competence of any emir ....
s in select cities in the UK, operating under Sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
entirely outside British law. The group suggested the towns of Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
, and Tower Hamlets in the East End of London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
as the possible first testbeds for these entities. The group has often clashed with the English Defence League
English Defence League
The English Defence League is a far-right street protest movement which opposes what it considers to be a spread of Islamism, Sharia law and Islamic extremism in the UK. The EDL uses street marches to protest against Islamic extremism...
. Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
Theresa May
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May is a British Conservative politician who is Home Secretary in the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition government. She was elected to Parliament in 1997 as the Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, and served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party, 2003–04...
banned the group from midnight on 11 November 2011, making membership or support of the group a criminal offence.
Rallies
MAC is responsible for a number of incidents including protests outside the Royal Albert HallRoyal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
and in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
on 11 November 2010, when two large plastic poppies
Poppy
A poppy is one of a group of a flowering plants in the poppy family, many of which are grown in gardens for their colorful flowers. Poppies are sometimes used for symbolic reasons, such as in remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime....
were burned during the Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. This day, or alternative dates, are also recognized as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth...
silence.
Throughout 2010 and 2011 there were various protests against the imprisonment of Muslims, with calls for their release; and calls for a withdrawal from Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
countries. There was a protest against Pastor Terry Jones during the Quran burning incident in Florida in early April.
They applied to stage a demonstration in London to disrupt the Royal Wedding on 29 April 2011, but were rejected by Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
. They planned to burn effigies of Prince William and Kate Middleton on the wedding route through central London. They later cancelled their protest due to a "Possible danger to life"
On 7 May, hundreds of UK Muslims and MAC members held a pro-Bin Laden rally outside the U.S. Embassy, London and staged Salat al-Janazah (funeral prayer) for Bin Laden. Protesters clashed with police when they tried to storm the embassy. Anjem Choudary
Anjem Choudary
Anjem Choudary is a British former solicitor, and, before it was proscribed, spokesman for the Islamist group Islam4UK. He is married, has four children, and lives in Ilford, London....
—a British national of Pakistani descent, who organised the protest, predicted an attack similar to the 7 July 2005 London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
in response to bin Laden's death.
On 30 July, around 50 members of MAC and Waltham Forest Muslims marched for two hours from Leyton Tube station to Walthamstow town square calling for democracy to be replaced by Sharia law and chanted slogans such as ‘democracy—hypocrisy’, ‘Sharia for UK’ and ‘Secularism go to hell’. In August, members of Muslims Against Crusades held a demonstration denouncing the Shia denomination and "anti-Islamic" Shia regimes of Syria and Iran. To mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, around 100 men linked to the group protested outside the U.S. embassy in London, burning U.S. flags and chanting through megaphones. The protest could be heard by mourners in the September 11th Memorial Garden near-by, where a minute's silence was being observed to mark the first plane hitting the World Trade Centre in New York City.
On 10 November 2011, British Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
- Theresa May
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May is a British Conservative politician who is Home Secretary in the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition government. She was elected to Parliament in 1997 as the Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, and served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party, 2003–04...
banned the the group after it planned to repeat the poppy
Remembrance poppy
The remembrance poppy has been used since 1920 to commemorate soldiers who have died in war. They were first used in the United States to commemorate soldiers who died in World War I . Today, they are mainly used in current and former Commonwealth states to commemorate their servicemen and women...
burning demonstration. Membership of Muslims Against Crusades would effectively be made illegal after midnight on that day.