On Sunday 14th November 2010, 2 days before Eid ul Adha, Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed was arrested at gun point. Previous to this we heard of the trial in his absence where he was falsely charged for fund-raising for al Qaeda, charges that were illegally/falsely put on him under pressure from the British government. Whilst in the UK for 20 years he was very active and vocal and even banned him from returning when he visited Lebanon saying that his presence was "not conducive to the public good" He had no intention of surrendering himself due to Islamic Law prohibiting him to hand himself over to the non Muslim government of Lebanon. His car was shot at and all 3 occupants of the car were held at gun point including his 12 year old son and his heavily pregnant wife. He is currently being held by Lebanese Intelligence until Thursday. He will undergo interrogation no doubt with British involvement and then will be handed over to the military court. Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed is a thorn to all those countries ruling under man-made law. The British felt the most un-comfort during his time in the UK because he used to expose the fallacies and evils of their society. He called for Shari'ah in the UK and across the globe in a peaceful and non-violent way. He defended Muslims that were fighting as a resistance against the Crusader occupiers. He saw them as people who were legitimately defending their land against foreign occupiers who wanted to force their failing democracy on a people who sought justice; justice, that only Shari'ah would be able to offer. The UK government and media exposed themselves time and time again in regards to its lack of freedom of speech and double standards. Sheikh Omar provoked outrage after the London bombings in July 2005 by saying he would not tell the police if he knew about other similar attacks, however the Vatican has been operating in a similar manner for centuries immune to civil law and no accountability even though thousands of children were being sexually abused. The UK Prime Minister David Cameron has paid tribute to Aung San Suu Kyi on the day of her release from 15 years of house arrest, calling her "inspirational". He said she had been "unbelievably robust in holding up to all the things she believes in". What about the hundreds of political prisoners who are under house arrest or in prison in the UK merely for standing for what they believe in and are being held under no charge at all? We see the media are playing their part in deceptively diverting the public's attention to Sheikh Omar's message. In a society that desperately needs a change. Just a small example of why change is required is because only today it was reported that the UK tops the European Ranking of Drug Consumption with the consumption of cocaine among British people aged 18 to 34 increased by almost 15 percent in one year! Sheikh Omar was always a man who called for change via ideological and political means and never has he called for uprising through violence. By arresting this man, it is giving a clear message that there is no peaceful dialogue and that democracy is merely dictatorship. He had many supporters who were actively urging people to call for the betterment of society through intellectual discussion. We demand the immediate release of our noble sheikh and all Muslims held illegally in Lebanese prisons. The Muslim community in this country and in Lebanon and the rest of the world will continue to raise their voice in support of those unjustly taken hostage and we will all upon Muslims to rise up against such authorities in order to release them and implement the Shari'ah.

• published: 15 Nov 2010
• views: 1683