The Independent published a letter yesterday from the East London mosque concerning the paper's article on Monday 'Nigerian in aircraft attack linked to London mosque', linking ELM to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s radicalisation.

The article in Monday’s edition stated that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab ‘visited the East London Mosque, which has attracted criticism for hosting Muslim hardline preachers, three times.’

Bloggers at Harry’s Place and the Spittoon quickly followed the Independent’s lead in casting aspersion over the mosque with both reproducing the Independent’s claim of Abdulmutallab visiting the mosque three times so as to reinforce their suppositions against the ELM. Their style of McCarthyite witch-hunting of Muslim groups and institutions rarely requires more than this sort of flimsy allegation and a deep-seated prejudice has often clouded more rational analysis.

Not that this is at all surprising. The ELM has long been the target of those intent on undermining the good work of the institution and maligning its role in the community.

Last month Martin Bright, political editor of the Jewish Chronicle, called for a ‘strategic alliance between British Jews [and] anti-Islamists’ in London’s East End, saying the ‘East London Mosque and the London Muslim Centre...have played a central role in promoting a sectarian Islam...’

Bright’s claims were rubbished by organisations in the East End, London Citizens and the Tower Hamlets Interfaith Forum, that have long partnered with the ELM/LMC on community initiatives. Then, as now, the actual work done by the ELM/LMC in roundly condemning terrorism and in working to promote integration is overlooked in favour of specious allegations that reinforce the prejudice of those determined to smear the organisation and deter politicians and others from engaging with it.

The ELM letter to the Independent reads:

‘Your report about our institution ("Nigerian in aircraft attack linked to London mosque", 28 December), is misrepresentative. Many mosques, including our own, have been the subject of far-right violence, and such reports do not help diffuse feelings.

‘Given its community service to people of all faiths and none, the East London Mosque is appalled that it should be associated with such heinous acts. The mosque cannot comment on whether this individual attended here. More than 20,000 people, of Muslim and other faiths, visit us every week, for many purposes, including worship, weddings, and to use any of the 30 projects and services based here.

‘The East London Mosque condemns in the strongest possible terms the alleged attempt to blow up a transatlantic airliner. The mosque has consistently spoken out against such acts, and will continue to do so.

Ayub Khan
Secretary, East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre’

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Abul Hussain  - Independent needs to stop toeing the Zionist line     |2010-03-06 22:45:04 Finally we see some news articles that represent the stories in its true context, two thumbs up to this web site. No surprise from the independent, the level of objectivity and intellectual reasoning hitting new depths. I suppose using their logic and reasoning they should have also blamed London Transport, library, local supermarkets for the acts of terrorism abdulmutalab was involved in.

khan ali  - shut it down   |2010-03-08 12:42:24 If the east london mosque is causing so much trouble and interference in politics then its best that the british government DO NOT fund it no more. Being muslim i know how their minds work, they say one thing and do something else behind other people's backs and the dispatches report backs this. The government should halt the planning permissions of building of more mosques, temples, and churches, its becoming a complete joke. The land could be used for something else. Any politician who has had a hand in this organisation should be stripped of its title and be barred from standing up for elections. this white british government is absolutely blinder than a blind man can be. It seems to me that despite having so many religous places of worship regardless of what faith its for, if people still cannot find peace then what is the point of building all these?? God does not reside in these places of worship whether its facing east or west or north or south, these are only created to make the stupid man realise that God is insha'allah within you, that is where you will find peace when you free yourself from the worries and desires associated with this world and that god resides in everyone else too. That is where the equality comes from not from the fact that he or she is my muslim brother or sister, even if its a sister it does not stop a cousin brother marrying one, does it and i should only help these brothers and sisters on how to milk the uk benefit system and take part in social security scams and no one else but you'd have to convert first to know how???? - what a load of trash!!! my muslim brothers and sisters have so many babies they clearly cannot look after, commit daylight fraud, preach something they don't understand themselves, discriminate others based on their faith but say on the face of it that we are all equal?? these muslims who do such things have no respect for humanity, themselves or other people's faiths let alone their own faith. it seems to me that people gain this knowledge and use for the wrong purposes as they don't understand it themselves but they preach it to others and do the Quran and our muslim community a lot of disrespect. shame on you!!

1UK  - Khan Ali stop bing stupid   |2010-04-12 11:54:27 Im sure people like Khan Ali would much rather see people coming from out side London blowing up busses and trains then support a very tolerant but yet active community organisations like the East London mosque. Unfortunately most of this hatred from many so-called Muslim people is due to the ethnic racial outlook that they carry. I have heard so called muslims labelling this mosque as fraudulent, extremist, intolerant, but when you point out to these people about the 7/7 suicide bombers and the hundreds of other attempts by people who were from other parts of London and the UK they will tell you ‘it was an inside job those guys were not really behind it’ They will say any rubbish to put a good organisation down but will at the same time say the most outlandish things to support people who are out right criminals extremists, intolerant and the only link that you can make is the ethnic racial one. I know that the dispatches program showed opponents of the ELM of the same racial ethnic background but im sure they had to dig deep in the gutters for them. Its just sad that Muslims are so divided on racial lines. “Government funding the ELM” Since when???, even the Tower Hamlets Council made a statement saying that they did not pay any money to the ELM, especially the £10 mil claim that Gilligan made on dispatches. shameful of dispatches to resort to lying but absolutely shameful of these so-called muslin following the same line.

Re:Khan Ali  - Khan Ali is one the most ignorant hypocrite.   |2010-04-19 11:27:40 Before heresay Khan Ali take a bit of your time and find about the truth before you put your comments. Based on what you have said it sounds as if your the most ignorant Muslim I have herd or a hypocrite.

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