BRUM MUSLIM LEADER -"WAIT AND SEE”ON TERROR RAIDS

31-01-2007

The leader of Birmingham's Muslim community is calling for a “wait and see” reaction to today's anti-terror raids, which saw eight people arrested in Sparkbrook and Alum Rock.

It's been claimed that a “terror cell” in the city was plotting to kidnap and behead a British Muslim soldier, whose death was to be shown via the internet, in a manner reminiscent of Ken Bigley, the British hostage killed in Iraq.

The soldier is now reported to be inprotective custody.

Dr Mohammed Naseem, chair of the Birmingham Central Mosque, said: “I would neither be sceptical nor accepting of what we've heard. We are saying to the government we are with you not against you, but you have lied before so why should we trust you?”

The Iraq war, said Dr Naseem was the most obvious example of the government's unreliability, but he added, “this is a government run on spin.”

In his view, Muslims already feel harassed by the state and he thought that this latest turn of events would only increase their sense of being targeted.

“If you replace Muslims with Jews who were perceived to be a threat to the German community, their demonisation was justified in a democracy which then turned into a dictatorship” he said.

“These were the techniques that Hitler adopted and Stalin adopted to justify the emergence of a totalitarian state.”

As for today's raids, Dr Naseem offered the view that, “we have to see the evidence.

“I would be happier if it goes to charges for it to be judged in an open court in Birmingham, rather than London.

But he stressed: “We are very happy to co-operate with the government if there is a real threat, but the government won't take us into their confidence.