Radical cleric says ‘covenant of security’ with Britain now void

CONVICTED terrorist Mizanur Rahman says the long-standing unofficial agreement not to attack Britain – known in Islamic extremist circles as ‘aqd al amaan’ or ‘covenant of security’ – is now considered void.

The former member of outlawed extremist group al-Muhajiroun says a ‘covenant of security’ – which forbids Muslims from carrying out attacks in countries where their lives are protected – is no longer approved of by ‘a lot of the youth’ in Britain.

The London-based radical - jailed for his part in the 2006 Danish cartoon protests – gave a sermon last week where he defended the slaughter of the 12 Charlie Hebdo victims.

Rahman, who has previous convictions for inciting racial hatred and solicitation to murder said: ‘Some UK Muslims do not believe there is any “covenant of security” preventing them from attacking Britain.'

Enemy

The extremist – who has previously appeared an a BBC Panorama expose on prison radicalisation – said, ‘The vast majority of Muslims around the world see Britain as an enemy of Islam as a result of their foreign policy and so on.’

Rahman said the promise to live peacefully among ‘non-believers’ is a thing of the past because the authorities have consistently cracked down on Muslims ability to speak out against perceived injustice.

‘There was a time in 2006 when we came out. By and large our demonstrations were peaceful compared to the mainstream protests around the world in Lebanon, in Syria, in Indonesia and everywhere else. We were very restrained, we were very peaceful. There was no incident.

‘When they arrested us and put us in prison a lot of people started saying what is the point of protesting if they are just going to arrest us and put us in prison?

‘A lot of people criticise us for believing in a covenant. They say, how can you believe in a covenant? You went to prison - they are not going to let you speak. They are not going to give you freedom of speech.

‘This is the kind of thinking a lot of the youth are now having. You can't control the youth. They are always going to be rebellious

Jailed

Rahman, who uses the alias Abu Baraa, was jailed for six years for calling for the killing of UK troops in Iraq. His sentence was reduced to four on appeal.

He is currently on bail on suspicion of terror offences related to a series of terror raids last September. 

Former Islamist and co founder of Quilliam, Ed Husain writing in the Evening Standard said, ‘Often the most hardline Islamists are non-violent here because they believe Britain offers them an aqd al amaan “covenant of security”. They justify fighting other governments abroad because no such agreement or covenant exists.’

Nonsense

But Dr Taj Hargey, the Imam of the Oxford Islamic Congregation and the Director of the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford, described Rahman's claim of a 'covenant of security' existing within the Koran or Islam as ‘rubbish’.

He explained: ‘This is rubbish theologically speaking. This is a warped doctrine. A twisted dogma.This notion of a covenant of security is invented by extremist clergymen and their medieval predecessors. There is no foundation or validity from Muslims living in The West (for this).

‘As for Muslims living in the United Kingdom. If we are dissatisfied with the British foreign policy and any other aspects of life in the United Kingdom then we must resort to the ballot box - meaning we must influence democratic opinion in this society.

‘The usual route is to persuade Members of Parliament, the public at large, so there is a paradigm shift and there is a decision made, for example, for Britain not to be the poodle of the United States (of America). Not by blowing people up on the London Underground or by all sorts of threats and bullying that leads to bloodshed.

‘This idea has no place in Islam. Islam preaches a peaceful coexistence with people of other faiths.’