Brixton Mosque

Last updated

Brixton Mosque
Brixton Mosque, Gresham Road.jpg
Religion
Affiliation Sunni Islam
Sect Salafi
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Mosque
StatusActive
Location
Location1 Gresham Road, Brixton, South London, England
Country United Kingdom
Greater London UK relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Location of the mosque in Greater London
Geographic coordinates 51°27′55″N0°06′46″W / 51.4652°N 0.1127°W / 51.4652; -0.1127
Architecture
TypeHouse
Completed1990
Website
brixtonmasjid.co.uk

The Brixton Mosque, officially known as The Brixton Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre, and also known as Masjid ibn Taymeeyah, is a Salafi Sunni mosque, located in Gresham Road in the Brixton area of South London, England, in the United Kingdom. The mosque is managed by Black British converts and is known for its history of controversy. [1]

Contents

Controversies

Abdullah al-Faisal

Abdullah el-Faisal, a radical Takfiri Muslim cleric who preached in the United Kingdom until he was imprisoned for stirring up racial hatred and in 2007 deported to Jamaica, was associated with the Brixton Mosque in the early 1990s, preaching to crowds of up to 500 people. [2] [3] In 1993, el-Faisal was ejected by the mosque's administration who objected to his radical preaching. [4] [5] In 2007, the London Evening Standard published an apology for referring to el-Faisal as the "Brixton Mosque preacher", and clarified that el-Faisal only preached at Brixton Mosque in the early 1990s and not after 1994. [3]

Richard Reid

The mosque made international headlines when it was reported that Richard Reid, the so-called "shoe bomber", had attended the mosque from 1996 to 1998 after converting to Islam in jail. [6] [7] Abdul Haqq Baker, a former chairman of mosque, told the BBC that Reid came to the mosque to learn about Islam, but fell in with what he called "more extreme elements" in London's Muslim community. [8] "We have been in contact with the police numerous times over the last five years to warn of the threat posed by militant groups operating in our area," said Baker in December 2001 after Reid's arrest. [9] He had warned that terrorist "talent scouts" prey on mosques like the Brixton mosque in search of the young and unstable. Baker warned the congregation, "The recruiting has got out of control. Beware. It's your sons, your teenagers who are plucked into these extreme groups." [10] A Time magazine article in 2002 said: "The Brixton Mosque is an ideal hunting ground for terrorist talent spotters since it attracts mainly young worshipers, including ex-convicts it helps rehabilitate." [11]

Zacarias Moussaoui

Zacarias Moussaoui, who was convicted of conspiring to kill citizens of the US as part of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, frequented the mosque between 1996 and 1997. [6] Some sources report that it was during this period that he met Richard Reid, though others are less certain. [12] [13] [14] [15] Moussaoui was expelled from the mosque after he began wearing combat fatigues and a backpack to the mosque, and pressured the cleric to provide him with information on how to join the jihad . [12] [13] [16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Kelso, Paul (27 December 2001). "Terror recruits warning; Young Muslims 'fall prey to extremists'". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  2. ↑ Johnston, Philip (27 May 2007). "7 July preacher Abdullah El-Faisal deported". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 December 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2007.
  3. 1 2 "Resolved Complaints: Brixton Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre and London Evening Standard". Press Complaints Commission. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  4. ↑ Haberfeld, M. R.; von Hassell, Agostino, eds. (2009). A New Understanding of Terrorism: Case Studies, Trajectories and Lessons Learned. Springer. p. 243. ISBN   978-1-4419-0114-9.
  5. ↑ Odula, Tom (10 January 2010). "Radical Jamaican-born Muslim cleric returns to Kenya after his deportation fails". Edmonton Sun. Archived from the original on 16 January 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
  6. 1 2 Bamford, James (2005). A pretext for war: 9/11, Iraq, and the abuse of America's intelligence agencies. Random House, Inc. p. 237. ISBN   9781400030347. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  7. ↑ Pinto, Maria do Céu (2004). Islamist and Middle Eastern terrorism: a threat to Europe?. Rubbettino Editore srl. p. 47. ISBN   978-88-498-0887-2. Archived from the original on 7 July 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  8. ↑ "Shoe bomb suspect 'one of many'". BBC News. 26 December 2001. Archived from the original on 2 December 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  9. ↑ "London Mosque Leader: We Warned About Radicals". Fox News . 27 December 2001. Archived from the original on 13 September 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  10. ↑ Jenkins, Philip (2007). God's continent: Christianity, Islam, and Europe's religious crisis . Oxford University Press US. p.  224. ISBN   9780195313956.
  11. ↑ Gibson, Helen (14 January 2002). "Looking for Trouble". Time . Archived from the original on 27 December 2007. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  12. 1 2 Corbin, Jane (2003). Al-Qaeda: in search of the terror network that threatens the world. Nation Books. p. 276. ISBN   978-1-56025-523-9.[ permanent dead link ]
  13. 1 2 Atkins, Stephen E. (2004). Encyclopedia of modern worldwide extremists and extremist groups. Bloomsbury Academic; Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 271. ISBN   978-0-313-32485-7. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  14. ↑ "Who is Richard Reid?". BBC News. 28 December 2001. Archived from the original on 27 July 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
  15. ↑ Hoge, Warren (27 December 2001). "A Nation challenged-the convert; Shoe-Bomb Suspect Fell in With Extremists". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 9 May 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
  16. ↑ Donahue, Katherine. "The Religious Trajectories of the Moussaoui Family" (PDF). ISIM Review. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
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