Imam urged murder

London

A British Muslim cleric whose sermons called for Jews and other non-Muslims to be killed was found guilty this week of soliciting murder. Jamaican-born Sheikh Abdullah el-Faisal, 39, was affiliated with the Brixton mosque where shoe bomber Richard Reid and “20th hijacker” Zacarias Moussaoui worshiped. In his lectures, sold on tape at mosques throughout Britain, el-Faisal praised Osama bin Laden and urged young men to become martyrs. “How do you fight a Jew?” he said in one typical lecture. “You kill a Jew. In the case of Hindus, by bombing their businesses.” The trial marked the first time in more than 100 years that a British citizen was charged with soliciting murder without naming a specific victim. El-Faisal will be sentenced next week.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up