Islamic preacher who targeted gays is jailed
Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri has been convicted and jailed for seven years on charges of inciting murder and race hate.
The preacher claimed that Zionists kept homosexual files on how gay politicians were in order to bribe them, and said he disapproved of homosexuality. He said Aids had been sent as a curse on homosexuals, “They have a common punishment amongst them and they have the virus to run after them wherever they go.”
Hamza said homosexual priests had no right to preach and transsexuals are cursed, “Men who imitated women, or women imitating men, were cursed. “Now if a woman is also trying to build muscles and decides to grow a moustache or cut her hair short or she wear suits from Lord Jones what will the next be? She will be picked by another woman.”
He declared if the state did not stop homosexuality “some people have to stop it. People will be killed, no problem”.
The jury convicted Hamza, 47, of encouraging followers to kill non-Muslims in speeches at his London mosque, which has been linked to Sept. 11 plotter Zacarias Moussaoui and “shoe bomber” Richard Reid.
His numerous lectures and sermons targeted homosexual vicars, the tourist industry, the royal family and women in bikinis.
Sources close to the Metropolitan Police believe the Finsbury Park mosque was “linked to literally dozens of terrorist plots around Europe and beyond”.
The Old Bailey jury found the one-eyed, hook-handed cleric guilty on 11 of 15 charges against him, including counts of soliciting murder, stirring racial hatred, possessing a terrorist document and possessing threatening or abusive recordings.
He was also found guilty of owning audio and video tapes intended to stir up racial hatred and having an encyclopaedia on terrorism, listing Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty as possible terrorist targets.
Judge Anthony Hughes told the former imam that he helped to persuade his followers that they had a “moral and religious duty” to kill.
Associated Press revealed supporters in the public gallery shouted “God Bless You Sheik Hamza” as the cleric was taken away.
Abu Hamza will remain at Belmarsh high security prison, where he has been held since his arrest. The US authorities are seeking his extradition for terror-related matters.
