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Gordon Rayner: Muslim groups ‘linked to September 11 hijackers spark fury over conference’: The End of Time event at the East London Mosque, which is being publicised on internet sites including Facebook, will feature a videotaped lecture from Anwar al-Awlaki, who is banned from entering the United States after allegedly acting as a spiritual adviser to three of the September 11 terrorists. Mr Awlaki, who lives in Yemen, has been described as “an al-Qaeda supporter” by the US Department of Homeland Security, which has accused him in recent months of using video lectures to “encourage terrorist attacks”. He is due to deliver a video lecture at the mosque in Whitechapel on New Year’s Day. Speeches will have titles such as The sound of the trumpet – the real terror starts. Other speakers will include Suhaib Hasan, who advocates implementing sharia in Britain, and Khalid Yasin, who has described the beliefs of Christians and Jews as “filth”. The publicity material for the all-day event appears to be a clear reference to the attacks on New York, and features meteors raining down on Manhattan, setting fire to the city and shattering the Statue of Liberty.

East London Mosque, Response to the article in the Daily Telegraph: The Mosque hires out its facilities to all users regardless of faith, creed or colour. The “End of Time” event to be held on Thursday 1st January 2009 is an event which being organised by Noor Pro Media. The subject which is being discussed during the event is the Islamic concepts on Judgement Day and the Afterlife. These concepts are also prevalent in other faiths including the Christian and Jewish faiths. None of the speakers that are involved with the event are banned from entering the UK or are convicted of any hate crimes. Additionally, East London Mosque believes that keeping within the British ideals of free speech and tolerance, that different parties with differing views should be given a platform to speak on to raise the level of public debate about issues that directly affect society.

[Articles continue at links. East London Mosque did indeed respond to the article in the Daily Telegraph. But it did not refute it. The Telegraph said that Anwar al-Awlaki is banned from entering the United States, not the UK. East London Mosque may rent their facilities to all users regardless of faith, creed or colour, they may keep the British ideals of free speech and tolerance, that different parties with differing views should be given a platform to speak on to raise the level of public debate. But that is not what the Quran says or what the great majority of Muslims in the world say now or have ever said. The best possible outcome for this contradiction is that the West will secularize Islam in the same way it secularized Christianity. That will not occur by making excuses for violent idiots. And if secular progress continues, we can go on to talk about how Jewish, Christian and Islamic concepts of Judgement Day and the afterlife are issues that directly affect society... falsely and negatively. When you've got an invisible monster that lives in the sky on your side, when the world is going to end anyway, when you are filled with divine right then anything goes and no apologies. That's not anything that needs to exist in the 21st Century. - Trevor Blake]