Omar Bakri Muhammad
Encyclopedia
Omar Bakri Muhammad is an Islamist militant leader who was instrumental in developing Hizb ut-Tahrir
into a major organization in the United Kingdom
before leaving the group and heading another Islamist organisation, Al-Muhajiroun
, until its disbandment in 2004.
For several years Bakri was one of the best-known, high-profile Islamic radicals based in London
, and was frequently quoted and interviewed in the UK media. He vowed in December 2004 for example that Muslims would give the West "a 9/11, day after day after day," if Western governments did not change their policies. He has been described both as "closely linked to al-Qaeda
" — he released prepared statements from Osama bin Laden
after the 1998 United States embassy bombings
— but also as the "Tottenham Ayatollah," who has "long been regarded as little more than a loudmouth."
In 2005, following the 7 July 2005 London bombings
the Times
reported that "a dozen members" of his group Al-Muhajiroun
"have taken part in suicide bombings or have become close to Al-Qaeda and its support network." Shortly after, he left the UK, where he had sheltered for 20 years, for Lebanon
. While there he was informed by the Home Office
that he would not be allowed back into the UK. Lebanon
's state-run National News Agency said on November 12, 2010 that Bakri was among 54 people sentenced by a military court to life in prison with hard labor
after being accused of acts of terrorism
. After the decision Bakri told reporters, he would "not spend one day in prison", and said, "I will not hand myself in to any court. I do not believe in the law in Britain as in Lebanon," It was reported on November 14 2010 that he had been arrested by the Lebanese police and was being transferred to Beirut
.
, Syria
. According to Jon Ronson
his family had "chauffeurs and servants and palaces in Syria, Turkey and Beirut."
From the age of five he was enrolled in the al-Kutaab Islamic boarding schools (a primary school not teaching children anything but how to recite and keep Quran by heart) where he studied the Qur'anic Sciences, Hadith (the sayings of the Prophet of Islam and his Companions), Fiqh (Islamic Religious Philosophy), and Seerah (The detailed biography of the Prophet of Islam), etc.
During his early adulthood Bakri continued his studies through Musahaba (companionship) with numerous noteworthy and respected 'Ulema of Ash-Shaam studying Usul al-Fiqh, Al-I'jaaz, Arabic Language, I'lm al-Khataba, I'lm al-Tassawuf, Fiqh and Ilm as-Seerah.
Later, Bakri joined the Shari'ah Institute at Damascus University where he then studied Fiqh and Shari'ah.
Bakri joined the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood
as a young man but did not participate in their 1982 Hama revolt
against the Syrian Ba'ath Party and the government of Hafez al-Assad
.
When he completed his studies, obtaining a BA in Shari'ah and Usul al-Fiqh. In 1977 he left Syria, where he was wanted for being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and moved to Beirut
, Lebanon
where he began his studies in Shari'ah. Bakri obtained his MA in Fiqh ul-Madhaahib from the Imaam Uzaie University, Lebanon
.
In 1979 he left Lebanon and moved to Cairo
, Egypt
where he studied at Al-Azhar University
for six months. He left Al-Azhar before he could get a degree due to disagreements with his teachers.
In December 1979 he moved to Saudi Arabia
, where he joined the Madrassah Al-Saltiyyah studying and completing a Diploma in Jami' Al-Qur'an. At this time he also completed a thesis entitled, 'Nizaam al-Khilafahfil Islaam'.
Throughout his life, Bakri states that he joined many Islamic movements including Muslim Students, Ebad ul-Rahman, al-Ikhwan (al-Tali'ah section), and Hizb ut Tahrir. According to an interview with "Jamestown Special Correspondent" Mahan Abedin, Omar Bakri joined Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HT) in Beirut and maintained contacts with it in Cairo, and started an HT cells in Saudi Arabia" where "by 1983 I had built a team of 38 brothers." However, when he learned that "HT leaders in Kuwait were reluctant to form or organize any activities in Saudi Arabia," where HT was banned, it came as "a huge shock" and led to his suspension from the party. "Therefore on March 3, 1983 — the 59th anniversary of the destruction of the Ottoman Caliphate — I launched a separate organization [in Jeddah
] with the help of these 38 brothers and called it Al-Muhajiroun."
In 1984 the Saudi Arabian government arrested Bakri in Jeddah, but released him on bail. The government arrested him again in December 1985 in Riyadh
.
on January 14, 1986. Later he travelled to the United States
to study English
after which he traveled back to the United Kingdom
to assume the leadership of Hizb ut-Tahrir
and become their spiritual leader.
In the UK he worked for ten years helping to build up Hizb ut-Tahrir. In 1996 Bakri split with Hizb ut-Tahrir over disagreements on policy, style and methods, declaring Al-Muhajiroun an independent organisation and continued as its Amir until 2003.
He initially founded the group as a mainstream organisation supportive of international Islamist causes. The group did not directly associate itself with jihad
movements.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks
Bakri praised the attackers as "magnificent", and changed his leanings towards the theology and philosophy of Al Qaeda. Bakri then stated that he had become a Salafi
Muslim. Media outlets and British Muslims criticised him for his open support for various international jihad
ist organisations.
On September 13, 2001 Bakri told the Daily Mail
, "When I first heard about [the September 11, 2001 attacks], there was some initial delight about such an attack. I received a phone call and said, 'Oh, wow, the United States has come under attack.' It was exciting."
According to The Times
newspaper, Bakri was left alone by British law prior to July 2005 despite actions such as an issuing a fatwa
"containing a death threat against President Pervez Musharraf
of Pakistan
" because
But "the authorities may have been lulled into a false sense of security," because the covenant was not permanent. In November 2004 Bakri disbanded Al-Muhajiroun
, saying that "all Muslims should unite together against a hostile West." Three months later Bakri said this "covenant of security" was no longer in force having been violated by the British government. "Experts note," according to the Times, that the July London bombings
followed "four months later".
The same article reports "The Sunday Times
has identified more than a dozen members of ALM who have taken part in suicide bombings or have become close to Al-Qaeda and its support network." Including Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan "a computer expert now in a Pakistani prison", Zeeshan Siddiqui, from Hounslow, west London, Bilal Mohammed from Birmingham, and Asif Hanif.
Bakri has claimed an estimated £250,000 in state benefits since claiming asylum in Britain in 1986. He is currently banned from returning to the United Kingdom.
, Anjem Choudary
, Sulayman Keeler
, Abu Izzadeen
, and Abu Uzair
, a trained civil engineer who leads or led the Savior Sect.
laws. He was banned from returning by British Home Secretary
Charles Clarke
stating that Bakri's presence in Britain was "not conducive to the public good." He subsequently took up residence in Lebanon
. During the 2006 Lebanon War, he tried to flee Lebanon on a Royal Navy vessel evacuating British citizens. He was turned away by the British Navy however.
In 2005 Bakri made a televised appeal to the captors of Norman Kember
, a hostage in Iraq
. After his speech Bakri said, "I appeal myself to them, you see, that to show guidance and mercy to any victim in their hand. But after that I can't myself guarantee anything except to tell you these people mean business."
Bakri has reaffirmed the fatwa
on Salman Rushdie, saying from Lebanon, "Rushdie will continue living his life in hiding. Any fatwa will stand until it is fulfilled. He is always going to be worried about a Muslim reaching him."
During an online question and answer session a Vigil member asked Bakri if Dublin Airport should be a terrorist target because U.S. troops transit there on the way to Iraq. Bakri told the member to "hit the target and hit it very hard. That issue should be understood. Your situation there is quite difficult therefore the answer lies in your question." He also said the 7/7 London bombers were in "paradise
."
On the July 27, 2007 edition of Newsnight
, a special edition was entitled 'Battle for Islam' which Gavin Esler presented on the battle for the heart and soul of Islam Omar Bakri featured live from Lebanon alongside Reza Aslan
in Los Angeles, Benazir Bhutto
in the studio in London with Maryam Namazie
.
Currently he heads the Atibaa' Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah
movement.
Bakri, in his article, 'Omar Bakri Muhammad responds to media attack on family', states that "The truth is that my family six children (three males and three daughters); Muhammad (30 years old, married with 2 children); Yussra (27 years old, married with 3 children); Abdul Rahman (21 years old, married); Rukan (18 years old, married with no children); Rayah tul Islam (13 years old) and Bilal (10 years old)."
His daughter Yussra has worked as a pole-dancer is different clups in the United Kingdom.
MP Rupert Allason
described him as a "terrorist who believes in planting bombs and blowing up women and children in Israel
." Roland Jacquard, an expert on Islamic terrorism, said that "every al-Qaeda operative recently arrested or identified in Europe had come into contact with Bakri at some time or other."
and you are obliged to join. There is no need... to mess about." Two days later, in another broadcast, he said that dead mujaheedin "are calling you and shouting to you from far distant places: al jihad, al jihad. They say to you my dear Muslim brothers, 'Where is your weapon, where is your weapon?' Come on to the jihad."
Andrew Dismore
, a Labour MP, said, "With these words he may well be committing offences under the Terrorism Act
and other legislation. I will be raising this immediately with the Home Secretary and the Metropolitan Police."
claims he said "I am very happy today. As much as I regret the innocent people who passed away, with the USA you must pay." on his website. The Montreal Gazette
however claims that he said in an interview "If Islamists did it—and most likely it is Islamists, because of the nature of what happened—then they have fully misunderstood the teachings of Islam. ... Even the most radical of us have condemned this. I am always considered to be a radical in the Islamic world and even I condemn it." There may not be a contradiction, depending on the interpretations of the statements.
Bakri, discussing the 2004 Madrid train bombings, is alleged by The Times
to have said, "What happened in Madrid is all revenge. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, life for life."
, pending an investigation, but Fostok was allowed to board his flight. Responding to this, Bakri said,
Bakri claims that the money is a gift, but it has been reported that Bakri told followers on the Paltalk website in June 2006 that if they wanted to send him money for the financing of "mujahideen
" they should do so through his son Fostok, who "keeps [a] low profile." He posted Fostok's cell phone number and invited them to call him directly.
, but had returned home to Britain on temporary leave. On 4 February secret recordings of Bakri Muhammad emerged in which he calls for the attack. Bakri told listeners,
He previously called for a kidnapping-terrorist attack in 2005. In another incident he said he hoped someone would "capture British Muslims who are in the Army over there." He has said that a Beslan-style attack
is alright if children are not deliberately killed.
's "Them: Adventures With Extremists
", a documentary and book published in 2001, depicts Ronson's interactions with Bakri.
Ronson depicts Bakri as a charismatic orator who calls for the black flag of Islam to fly over 10 Downing Street, the stoning of fornicators, and closing of pubs before a cheering crowd of 5000. He tells Ronson, "I cannot take a day off, an hour off, even a minute off. I will take time off when I am with Allah, when I die in the battlefield and become a martyr."
But he also describes Bakri as living in a semi-detached council house, enjoying watching Disney's Lion King video, being unable to hold a fish caught on a fishing line, and calling himself "actually very nice."
In a phone call after the 9/11 attack on the evening of his arrest and release without charge, Bakri tells Ronson,
British Ambassador to Lebanon James Watt said, "We made no request for his arrest, nor for his extradition. As far as I am concerned, this is a very simple story — it is a Lebanese citizen who returned to Lebanon and has been arrested by the Lebanese police. We have nothing to do with it and it's not in our place to comment on what has happened."
In mid-November
2010, according to media reports Bakri said he had been sentenced to life in prison in Lebanon in a terrorism case that he knew nothing about.
Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international Sunni. pan-Islamic political organisation but keeps it open for all including shias,some of its beliefs are against sunni school of thought, whose goal is for all Muslim countries to unify as an Islamic state or caliphate ruled by Islamic law and with a caliph...
into a major organization in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
before leaving the group and heading another Islamist organisation, Al-Muhajiroun
Al-Muhajiroun
Al-Muhajiroun is a banned Islamist organisation that was based in Britain and which has been linked to international terrorism, homophobia and anti-semitism...
, until its disbandment in 2004.
For several years Bakri was one of the best-known, high-profile Islamic radicals based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and was frequently quoted and interviewed in the UK media. He vowed in December 2004 for example that Muslims would give the West "a 9/11, day after day after day," if Western governments did not change their policies. He has been described both as "closely linked to al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
" — he released prepared statements from Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
after the 1998 United States embassy bombings
1998 United States embassy bombings
The 1998 United States embassy bombings were a series of attacks that occurred on August 7, 1998, in which hundreds of people were killed in simultaneous truck bomb explosions at the United States embassies in the East African capitals of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya. The date of the...
— but also as the "Tottenham Ayatollah," who has "long been regarded as little more than a loudmouth."
In 2005, following 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....
the Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
reported that "a dozen members" of his group Al-Muhajiroun
Al-Muhajiroun
Al-Muhajiroun is a banned Islamist organisation that was based in Britain and which has been linked to international terrorism, homophobia and anti-semitism...
"have taken part in suicide bombings or have become close to Al-Qaeda and its support network." Shortly after, he left the UK, where he had sheltered for 20 years, for Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. While there he was informed by the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
that he would not be allowed back into the UK. Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
's state-run National News Agency said on November 12, 2010 that Bakri was among 54 people sentenced by a military court to life in prison with hard labor
Hard Labor
Hard Labor is the eleventh album by American rock band Three Dog Night, released in 1974 .- Cover Artwork :The original album cover, depicting of the birth of a record album , was deemed too controversial and was soon reworked with a huge bandage covering the "birth". The cover also includes an...
after being accused of acts of terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
. After the decision Bakri told reporters, he would "not spend one day in prison", and said, "I will not hand myself in to any court. I do not believe in the law in Britain as in Lebanon," It was reported on November 14 2010 that he had been arrested by the Lebanese police and was being transferred to Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
.
Early life and education
Bakri was born into a wealthy family in the ancient city of AleppoAleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. According to Jon Ronson
Jon Ronson
Jon Ronson is a Welsh journalist, documentary filmmaker, radio presenter and nonfiction author, whose works include The Men Who Stare At Goats. His journalism and columns have appeared in British publications including The Guardian newspaper, City Life and Time Out magazine...
his family had "chauffeurs and servants and palaces in Syria, Turkey and Beirut."
From the age of five he was enrolled in the al-Kutaab Islamic boarding schools (a primary school not teaching children anything but how to recite and keep Quran by heart) where he studied the Qur'anic Sciences, Hadith (the sayings of the Prophet of Islam and his Companions), Fiqh (Islamic Religious Philosophy), and Seerah (The detailed biography of the Prophet of Islam), etc.
During his early adulthood Bakri continued his studies through Musahaba (companionship) with numerous noteworthy and respected 'Ulema of Ash-Shaam studying Usul al-Fiqh, Al-I'jaaz, Arabic Language, I'lm al-Khataba, I'lm al-Tassawuf, Fiqh and Ilm as-Seerah.
Later, Bakri joined the Shari'ah Institute at Damascus University where he then studied Fiqh and Shari'ah.
Bakri joined the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
as a young man but did not participate in their 1982 Hama revolt
Hama massacre
The Hama massacre occurred in February 1982, when the Syrian army, under the orders of the president of Syria Hafez al-Assad, conducted a scorched earth policy against the town of Hama in order to quell a revolt by the Sunni Muslim community against the regime of al-Assad...
against the Syrian Ba'ath Party and the government of Hafez al-Assad
Hafez al-Assad
Hafez ibn 'Ali ibn Sulayman al-Assad or more commonly Hafez al-Assad was the President of Syria for three decades. Assad's rule consolidated the power of the central government after decades of coups and counter-coups, such as Operation Wappen in 1957 conducted by the Eisenhower administration and...
.
When he completed his studies, obtaining a BA in Shari'ah and Usul al-Fiqh. In 1977 he left Syria, where he was wanted for being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and moved to Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
where he began his studies in Shari'ah. Bakri obtained his MA in Fiqh ul-Madhaahib from the Imaam Uzaie University, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
.
In 1979 he left Lebanon and moved to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
where he studied at Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University is an educational institute in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 970~972 as a madrasa, it is the chief centre of Arabic literature and Islamic learning in the world. It is the oldest degree-granting university in Egypt. In 1961 non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum.It is...
for six months. He left Al-Azhar before he could get a degree due to disagreements with his teachers.
In December 1979 he moved to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, where he joined the Madrassah Al-Saltiyyah studying and completing a Diploma in Jami' Al-Qur'an. At this time he also completed a thesis entitled, 'Nizaam al-Khilafahfil Islaam'.
Throughout his life, Bakri states that he joined many Islamic movements including Muslim Students, Ebad ul-Rahman, al-Ikhwan (al-Tali'ah section), and Hizb ut Tahrir. According to an interview with "Jamestown Special Correspondent" Mahan Abedin, Omar Bakri joined Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HT) in Beirut and maintained contacts with it in Cairo, and started an HT cells in Saudi Arabia" where "by 1983 I had built a team of 38 brothers." However, when he learned that "HT leaders in Kuwait were reluctant to form or organize any activities in Saudi Arabia," where HT was banned, it came as "a huge shock" and led to his suspension from the party. "Therefore on March 3, 1983 — the 59th anniversary of the destruction of the Ottoman Caliphate — I launched a separate organization [in Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
] with the help of these 38 brothers and called it Al-Muhajiroun."
In 1984 the Saudi Arabian government arrested Bakri in Jeddah, but released him on bail. The government arrested him again in December 1985 in Riyadh
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
.
In United Kingdom
Bakri moved to the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on January 14, 1986. Later he travelled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to study English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
after which he traveled back to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to assume the leadership of Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international Sunni. pan-Islamic political organisation but keeps it open for all including shias,some of its beliefs are against sunni school of thought, whose goal is for all Muslim countries to unify as an Islamic state or caliphate ruled by Islamic law and with a caliph...
and become their spiritual leader.
In the UK he worked for ten years helping to build up Hizb ut-Tahrir. In 1996 Bakri split with Hizb ut-Tahrir over disagreements on policy, style and methods, declaring Al-Muhajiroun an independent organisation and continued as its Amir until 2003.
He initially founded the group as a mainstream organisation supportive of international Islamist causes. The group did not directly associate itself with jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
movements.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
Bakri praised the attackers as "magnificent", and changed his leanings towards the theology and philosophy of Al Qaeda. Bakri then stated that he had become a Salafi
Salafi
A Salafi come from Sunni Islam is a follower of an Islamic movement, Salafiyyah, that is supposed to take the Salaf who lived during the patristic period of early Islam as model examples...
Muslim. Media outlets and British Muslims criticised him for his open support for various international jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
ist organisations.
On September 13, 2001 Bakri told the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, "When I first heard about [the September 11, 2001 attacks], there was some initial delight about such an attack. I received a phone call and said, 'Oh, wow, the United States has come under attack.' It was exciting."
According to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper, Bakri was left alone by British law prior to July 2005 despite actions such as an issuing a fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
"containing a death threat against President Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
" because
Bakri, who acts as [al-Muhajiroun's] spiritual leader, insisted that his followers obey a "covenant of security" which, while encouraging terror abroad, forbade them from carrying out attacks in Britain.
But "the authorities may have been lulled into a false sense of security," because the covenant was not permanent. In November 2004 Bakri disbanded Al-Muhajiroun
Al-Muhajiroun
Al-Muhajiroun is a banned Islamist organisation that was based in Britain and which has been linked to international terrorism, homophobia and anti-semitism...
, saying that "all Muslims should unite together against a hostile West." Three months later Bakri said this "covenant of security" was no longer in force having been violated by the British government. "Experts note," according to the Times, that the July 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....
followed "four months later".
The same article reports "The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
has identified more than a dozen members of ALM who have taken part in suicide bombings or have become close to Al-Qaeda and its support network." Including Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan "a computer expert now in a Pakistani prison", Zeeshan Siddiqui, from Hounslow, west London, Bilal Mohammed from Birmingham, and Asif Hanif.
Bakri has claimed an estimated £250,000 in state benefits since claiming asylum in Britain in 1986. He is currently banned from returning to the United Kingdom.
Students
His main students were Khalid KellyKhalid Kelly
Khalid Kelly, born Terence Edward Kelly , also known as Abu Osama and Taliban Terry is an Irish Muslim convert, and former leader of Al-Muhajiroun in Ireland....
, 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....
, Sulayman Keeler
Sulayman Keeler
Sulayman Keeler is the leader of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah, a British Islamist organization. He is a former member of Al-Muhajiroun, a designated and banned terrorist organization, and led the Society of Converts to Islam....
, Abu Izzadeen
Abu Izzadeen
Abu Izzadeen , born Trevor Brooks , is a British spokesman for Al Ghurabaa, a Muslim organization banned under the Terrorism Act 2006 for the glorification of terrorism, that operated in the United Kingdom....
, and Abu Uzair
Abu Uzair
Abu Uzair is a Muslim teacher and Islamist activist in The United Kingdom. He served as the leader of the The Saved Sect, an organisation the British government has designated and banned as terrorist, and a leading member of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah...
, a trained civil engineer who leads or led the Savior Sect.
Return to Mideast
On August 6, 2005 Bakri left the United Kingdom following stories that the UK Government were planning to investigate certain Muslim clerics under little-used treasonTreason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
laws. He was banned from returning by 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...
Charles Clarke
Charles Clarke
Charles Rodway Clarke is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Norwich South from 1997 until 2010, and served as Home Secretary from December 2004 until May 2006.-Early life:...
stating that Bakri's presence in Britain was "not conducive to the public good." He subsequently took up residence in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. During the 2006 Lebanon War, he tried to flee Lebanon on a Royal Navy vessel evacuating British citizens. He was turned away by the British Navy however.
In 2005 Bakri made a televised appeal to the captors of Norman Kember
Norman Kember
Norman Frank Kember is an Emeritus Professor of biophysics at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry and a Christian pacifist active in campaigning on issues of war and peace. As a Baptist, a long-standing member of the Baptist Peace Fellowship and the Fellowship of Reconciliation...
, a hostage in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. After his speech Bakri said, "I appeal myself to them, you see, that to show guidance and mercy to any victim in their hand. But after that I can't myself guarantee anything except to tell you these people mean business."
Bakri has reaffirmed the fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
on Salman Rushdie, saying from Lebanon, "Rushdie will continue living his life in hiding. Any fatwa will stand until it is fulfilled. He is always going to be worried about a Muslim reaching him."
During an online question and answer session a Vigil member asked Bakri if Dublin Airport should be a terrorist target because U.S. troops transit there on the way to Iraq. Bakri told the member to "hit the target and hit it very hard. That issue should be understood. Your situation there is quite difficult therefore the answer lies in your question." He also said the 7/7 London bombers were in "paradise
Paradise
Paradise is a place in which existence is positive, harmonious and timeless. It is conceptually a counter-image of the miseries of human civilization, and in paradise there is only peace, prosperity, and happiness. Paradise is a place of contentment, but it is not necessarily a land of luxury and...
."
On the July 27, 2007 edition of Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
, a special edition was entitled 'Battle for Islam' which Gavin Esler presented on the battle for the heart and soul of Islam Omar Bakri featured live from Lebanon alongside Reza Aslan
Reza Aslan
Reza Aslan is an Iranian-American activist, a nationally acclaimed writer of religions. He is on the faculty at the University of California, Riverside, and is a contributing editor for The Daily Beast...
in Los Angeles, Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto was a democratic socialist who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996....
in the studio in London with Maryam Namazie
Maryam Namazie
Maryam Namazie is a human rights activist, commentator and broadcaster. Namazie has served as the executive director of the International Federation of Iranian Refugees. She is spokesperson for the One Law for All Campaign against Sharia Law in Britain. The campaign is opposed to faith based laws...
.
Currently he heads the Atibaa' Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah
Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah
Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah, Ahle Sunnat Wal Jama'at and other variants may refer to:* Sunni Islam, the majority sect of Islam* Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah , an Islamic organisation operating in the United Kingdom...
movement.
Family
Bakri is, or was, married to Hanah and claims to have six children.Bakri, in his article, 'Omar Bakri Muhammad responds to media attack on family', states that "The truth is that my family six children (three males and three daughters); Muhammad (30 years old, married with 2 children); Yussra (27 years old, married with 3 children); Abdul Rahman (21 years old, married); Rukan (18 years old, married with no children); Rayah tul Islam (13 years old) and Bilal (10 years old)."
His daughter Yussra has worked as a pole-dancer is different clups in the United Kingdom.
Controversy and alleged ties to terrorism
British newspapers have called him the "Tottenham Ayatollah", while former ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP Rupert Allason
Rupert Allason
Rupert William Simon Allason is a military historian and former Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was the Member of Parliament for Torbay in Devon, from 1987 to 1997...
described him as a "terrorist who believes in planting bombs and blowing up women and children in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
." Roland Jacquard, an expert on Islamic terrorism, said that "every al-Qaeda operative recently arrested or identified in Europe had come into contact with Bakri at some time or other."
Internet broadcasts
In January 2005 The Times monitored live, 90-minute internet lectures from Bakri in a chatroom in which he told listeners, "I believe the whole of Britain has become Dar al-Harb (land of war). The kuffar (non-believer) has no sanctity for their own life or property." He said Muslims should join the jihad "wherever you are" and told a woman she was allowed to do a suicide bombing. In another broadcast he said, "Al-Qaeda and all its branches and organizations of the world, that is the victorious group and they have the emirEmir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
and you are obliged to join. There is no need... to mess about." Two days later, in another broadcast, he said that dead mujaheedin "are calling you and shouting to you from far distant places: al jihad, al jihad. They say to you my dear Muslim brothers, 'Where is your weapon, where is your weapon?' Come on to the jihad."
Andrew Dismore
Andrew Dismore
Andrew Hartley Dismore is a British Labour Party politician and a Vice-Chair of the Labour Friends of Israel group who was the Member of Parliament for Hendon from 1997 until 2010 when he was beaten by Conservative Party candidate Matthew Offord.-Early life:Dismore was born in Bridlington,...
, a Labour MP, said, "With these words he may well be committing offences under the Terrorism Act
Terrorism Act 2006
The Terrorism Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that received Royal Assent on 30 March 2006, after being introduced on 12 October 2005. The Act creates new offences related to terrorism, and amends existing ones. The Act was drafted in the aftermath of the 7 July 2005...
and other legislation. I will be raising this immediately with the Home Secretary and the Metropolitan Police."
Comments on terrorist attacks
Commenting on the September 11, 2001 attacks, The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
claims he said "I am very happy today. As much as I regret the innocent people who passed away, with the USA you must pay." on his website. The Montreal Gazette
The Gazette (Montreal)
The Gazette, often called the Montreal Gazette to avoid ambiguity, is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with three other daily English newspapers all having shut down at different times during the second half of the 20th century.-History:In 1778,...
however claims that he said in an interview "If Islamists did it—and most likely it is Islamists, because of the nature of what happened—then they have fully misunderstood the teachings of Islam. ... Even the most radical of us have condemned this. I am always considered to be a radical in the Islamic world and even I condemn it." There may not be a contradiction, depending on the interpretations of the statements.
Bakri, discussing the 2004 Madrid train bombings, is alleged by The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
to have said, "What happened in Madrid is all revenge. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, life for life."
Financing of "mujahideen"
On October 24, 2006 British anti-terror police stopped Omar Bakri's son, Abdul Rahman Fostok, at Heathrow Airport, and seized £13,000 that he intended to deliver to Bakri in Lebanon. The money was held under the Proceeds of Crime ActProceeds of Crime Act
Proceeds of Crime Act could refer to:* Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, of the United Kingdom * Proceeds of Crime Act, 1996, of the Republic of Ireland...
, pending an investigation, but Fostok was allowed to board his flight. Responding to this, Bakri said,
"I am not expecting any problem with the money but if I do not get it there will be trouble. I will take action because it is my property. God says you must do all in your power to get something back if it is taken from you - even if it costs you your life. They will be playing with fire."
Bakri claims that the money is a gift, but it has been reported that Bakri told followers on the Paltalk website in June 2006 that if they wanted to send him money for the financing of "mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
" they should do so through his son Fostok, who "keeps [a] low profile." He posted Fostok's cell phone number and invited them to call him directly.
Kidnapping plot
On 31 January 2007 British police arrested nine suspected terrorists who were allegedly planning to kidnap, torture, and behead a British Muslim in the army, all of which would be videotaped and later broadcast on the internet. The soldier had served in the War in AfghanistanWar in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
, but had returned home to Britain on temporary leave. On 4 February secret recordings of Bakri Muhammad emerged in which he calls for the attack. Bakri told listeners,
"When you meet [Westerners], slice their own necks. And when you make the blood spill all over, and the enemy becomes so tired, now start to take from them prisoners. Then free them or exchange them until the war is finished. Verily they remind the sunnahSunnahThe word literally means a clear, well trodden, busy and plain surfaced road. In the discussion of the sources of religion, Sunnah denotes the practice of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar...
of removing the head of the enemy. They remind the sunnah of slaughtering the enemy. They remind the sunnah of how to strike the neck of the enemy. We saw him in his brother's house. They removed the head of the enemy. Use the sword and remove the head of the enemy."
He previously called for a kidnapping-terrorist attack in 2005. In another incident he said he hoped someone would "capture British Muslims who are in the Army over there." He has said that a Beslan-style attack
Beslan school hostage crisis
The Beslan school hostage crisis of early September 2004 was a three-day hostage-taking of over 1,100 people which ended in the deaths of over 380...
is alright if children are not deliberately killed.
Them: Adventures With Extremists
British journalist Jon RonsonJon Ronson
Jon Ronson is a Welsh journalist, documentary filmmaker, radio presenter and nonfiction author, whose works include The Men Who Stare At Goats. His journalism and columns have appeared in British publications including The Guardian newspaper, City Life and Time Out magazine...
's "Them: Adventures With Extremists
Them: Adventures With Extremists
Them: Adventures with Extremists is a book by British journalist Jon Ronson published in 2001. The book accompanied Ronson's documentary series The Secret Rulers of the World, which covered similar topics and depicted many of the same episodes...
", a documentary and book published in 2001, depicts Ronson's interactions with Bakri.
Ronson depicts Bakri as a charismatic orator who calls for the black flag of Islam to fly over 10 Downing Street, the stoning of fornicators, and closing of pubs before a cheering crowd of 5000. He tells Ronson, "I cannot take a day off, an hour off, even a minute off. I will take time off when I am with Allah, when I die in the battlefield and become a martyr."
But he also describes Bakri as living in a semi-detached council house, enjoying watching Disney's Lion King video, being unable to hold a fish caught on a fishing line, and calling himself "actually very nice."
In a phone call after the 9/11 attack on the evening of his arrest and release without charge, Bakri tells Ronson,
"Oh Jon, I need you more than ever now. You know I am harmless, don't you? You know I am just a clown. You know I am laughable, don't you? ... Why don't people believe you when you tell them that I am just a harmless clown?"
Arrest and Eventual Conviction in Lebanon
Future Television interviewed Bakri on August 11, 2005. Bakri said he did not have ties to Al Qaeda, calling it a "media creation" and said he did not intend to return to Britain. During the interview, Bakri said "I left Britain on my own accord though I have not been accused of anything there or in Lebanon... but the London attacks are the reason I have returned". According to media reports, Lebanese police arrested Bakri "as soon as he left the building after the interview. the Police was waiting where they arrested him as soon as he exited the building . They hadn't seen the interview, nor were we warned beforehand that this could happen." Police later said the arrest was "a routine arrest to determine his reasons and if his residency in Lebanon is legitimate." Lebanese Information Minister Ghazi Aridi later said Bakri was arrested as a "precautionary measure."British Ambassador to Lebanon James Watt said, "We made no request for his arrest, nor for his extradition. As far as I am concerned, this is a very simple story — it is a Lebanese citizen who returned to Lebanon and has been arrested by the Lebanese police. We have nothing to do with it and it's not in our place to comment on what has happened."
In mid-November
November
November is the 11th month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of four months with the length of 30 days. November was the ninth month of the ancient Roman calendar...
2010, according to media reports Bakri said he had been sentenced to life in prison in Lebanon in a terrorism case that he knew nothing about.
On killing and terrorism
- (On the deaths of British servicemen in a Nimrod air accident in Afghanistan) "Allah has his own soldiers and I was so happy. I was just thanking Allah."
- "I condemn any killing and any bombing against any innocent people in Britain or abroad, but I expect the British people to condemn the killing of Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan."
- "But I think that would be political suicide for the British government if they started to deport and imprison all extremists and radicals, because if, god forbid, something happened again, they would have nobody left to blame."
- "Why I condemn Osama Bin Laden for? I condemn Tony Blair, I condemn George Bush. I would never condemn Osama Bin Laden or any Muslim."
- "We don't make a distinction between civilians and non-civilians, innocents and non-innocents. Only between Muslims and unbelievers. And the life of an unbeliever has no value. It has no sanctity."
- "As long as the Iraqi did not deliberately kill women and children, and they were killed in the crossfire, that would be okay."
- "Copts (don't exist because) it (just) means Egyptian."
- "Secular Fundamentalists want to use religion to fabricate crimes against religious people, they are enemies of the religious people."
- "Muslim is (a person) who submits to GodAllahAllah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
, who disapprove of man-made laws." - All Jews, Hindus, and Sikhs are Kafirs (disbelievers) in Islam, all non-Muslims are guilty of not accepting the Message of MuhammadTawhidTawhid is the concept of monotheism in Islam. It is the religion's most fundamental concept and holds God is one and unique ....
(Salah allahu alayhi wa sallem)." - "Islam prohibits Muslims from allowing themselves to become captives of nonbelievers."
- "Juhayman al-OtaibiJuhayman al-OtaibiJuhayman ibn Muhammad ibn Sayf al-Otaibi was a militant who led the takeover of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest site, in the last months of 1979.-Biography:...
was a great man. He led a serious uprising against the House of al-Saud. In the end the Saudi authorities could not defeat Juhaiman and his men; therefore they brought in the Jordanians and the French."
On Israel
- "We are talking about a cancer in the heart of the Muslim world. It must be eradicated and removed"
On attempts to return to UK
On trying to get back to Britain during the bombing of Lebanon- "They said 'sorry, the only people who will be in the boat are those who have British citizenship and those who've got British passports.'"
- "I know controversy surrounds all the news about me, I am myself accepting my destiny. But I have the right like anybody else to look for safety."
- "What concerns me is my safety. I'd be happy with a month's visa but this morning they told me I couldn't because I'm not a British citizen any more."
On Paul McCartney
- "If he values his life, Mr. McCartney must not come to Israel," Bakri was quoted as saying. "He will not be safe there. The sacrifice operatives will be waiting for him.". Bakri added: "Instead of supporting the people of Palestine in their suffering, McCartney is celebrating the atrocities of the occupiers. The one who is under occupation is supposed to be getting the help."
External links
- Bakri calls for his British residency status to be given back!
- "Them": This American LifeThis American LifeThis American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...
radio programme featuring journalist Jon RonsonJon RonsonJon Ronson is a Welsh journalist, documentary filmmaker, radio presenter and nonfiction author, whose works include The Men Who Stare At Goats. His journalism and columns have appeared in British publications including The Guardian newspaper, City Life and Time Out magazine...
's account of the time he spent with Omar Bakri Muhammad. - Angry Omar sees the Light. (Rod Liddle - Times Online)
- Treason threat cleric 'leaves UK'
- False Media Allegations Levied Against Omar Bakri
- There can be no end to jihad an interview with Omar Bakri Muhammad (Christianity Today article)
- Cleric Bakri barred from Britain
- The Times (London) - 'Preacher of hate' is banned from Britain
- Omar Bakri Scholarship Questioned