A Brixton imam today expressed the disgust felt by Muslims in reaction to the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby and described the terrorist group ISIS as ‘bandits’.
Omar Jamaykee, Brixton Mosque’s imam, spoke on the day an official report declared the Woolwich beheading unpreventable by British intelligence agencies.
Mr Jamaykee also commented on Theresa May’s counter-terrorism bill and emphasised the responsibility of Muslims in dealing with radicalisation.
He said: “The people who are most suitable to deal with these people are those within the Muslim community.
“People with credibility who understand these matters and can discuss it in an open format without feeling fear of what they say being used against them.”
The bill, being presented to parliament tomorrow, looks to increase police powers and encourage councils and educational institutions to work as watchdogs against extremism.
Mr Jamaykee described religious extremism, such as the activity of terrorist group ISIS, as a misrepresentation of Islam and denounced the actions of the Woolwich murder.
He said: “The majority of the Muslims did unite in disapproval and disgust with that particular act.
“And I think with that act, or any other act that occurs, the stand will still be the same.”
Mr Jamaykee concluded that education and understanding are the only way forward in eradicating religious radicalism.
The mosque reacted in October to repeated press allegations linking it to extremists over a number of years.
An official statement read: “It is to the Mosque’s credit that it has been at the forefront of directly taking on extremism head-on before it became a fashion trend to do so post 9/11.”
