Prominent Muslims in Luton say they are angry at attempts by Islamic extremists to disrupt this Friday’s royal wedding.
Extremist group Muslims Against Crusades plans to stage a demonstration on the day of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s marriage, in protest at the actions of UK troops overseas and because the prince is a member of Britain’s armed forces.
They have been barred from protesting outside Westminster Abbey, but will be able to hold demonstrations at other nearby locations.
Last week the English Defence League said its members would take the law into their own hands to stop extremist Muslims reaching the event.
Farasat Latif, secretary of the Islamic Centre in Bury Park Road, has slammed Muslims Against Crusades as “a tiny group of Muslims” who wanted to “antagonise just about the whole country”.
And he said moderate Muslims were also considering travelling to London on the day to halt any protest by Muslims Against Crusades.
“I’ve got better things to do with my bank holiday but we might actually turn up to confront them as well,” he said. “They’re not allowed to protest outside the wedding but I think they will still go down.
“Muslims all over the UK are disgusted this latest publicity stunt, and are fearing the inevitable backlash. The aim of these lunatics is to gain as much adverse publicity as possible.”
Mr Latif said he believed Muslims Against Crusades was simply a front for the banned extremist group Al-Muhajiroun, members of which hurled abuse at soldiers from the 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment, known as the Poachers, when they marched through Luton in 2009.
The president of Luton’s Central Mosque, Mohammed Shafait, said Muslims Against Crusades members had no regard for British law.
He said: “They have been given the freedom by our government to not abide by the law. The government must deal with them. They just do what they like and the police can’t do anything with them.
“Their members have been brainwashed, they are sons who have run away from their families. They give everyone a bad name.”
Mr Shafait said people in Bury Park had wanted to deal with extremism in Luton themselves, but were told not to take the law into their own hands.
“The law is stopping us from getting rid of them,” he said.
Luton Today
