A hate cleric, commanding his own ‘army’, has raised over £3 million to establish an Islamic homeland on a Scottish island. The Mailhas the story.
Sheikh Yasser al-Habib, 45 – who claimed asylum in Britain 20 years ago after fleeing his native Kuwait – and his followers are in advanced talks to buy the remote isle of Torsa, off the west coast of Scotland.
The extremist scholar, who already runs military-style training camps, hopes his organisation can build its own school, hospital and mosque on the island, where it intends to practise sharia law.
In a video encouraging supporters to donate towards their £3.5 million target, the cleric says he will negotiate with the Government to allow Muslims “from all over the world” to be given a visa in order for them to live in their new “homeland”. …
Al-Habib, who is accused of stirring up sectarian hatred in Britain and in the Arab world between Shias and rival Sunni Muslims, has his “global headquarters” in the picturesque village of Fulmer, South Buckinghamshire.
He has been fundraising through his controversial satellite channel Fadak TV, which he has run for several years from a £2 million converted church hall.
Despite repeated warnings from the regulator Ofcom, al-Habib – nicknamed the ‘Mullah of Fulmer’ – has been permitted to continue broadcasting his lectures, spreading hate and inciting violence towards those from the Sunni faith at home and abroad.
The cleric, who preaches only in Arabic, has amassed a huge following among Britain’s 400,000 Shias and millions more across the world.
Now he has set his sights on the uninhabited island of Torsa, in Argyll, where he wants to establish a new ‘homeland’ for his group called the Mahdi [Messiah] Servants Union (MSU).
Torsa, which is one of the Slate Islands, is just over a mile long and has one farmhouse. It is accessible only by private boat from Luing – itself reached via a ferry from the island of Seil, which in turn connects to the mainland via a bridge – and has not been permanently inhabited for more than 50 years. …
Sarah Zaaimi, a Deputy Director for Communications at the American think tank Atlantic Council, who has researched al-Habib, said: “They will have their own army, their own justice system, they will manage their own schools and hospitals, and people from around the world will be able to migrate to this homeland.
“It does challenge the notion of sovereignty. It’s puzzling to me how the U.K. authorities are allowing such a discourse. You are fundraising for the creation of a sovereign country on the margins of another country.”
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