Not Good Enough

Five of the Al Muhajiroun members arrested last week were remanded in custody last night. However, two of the men, Omar Zaheer and Shah (Shal) Jalal Hussain, were released on bail.

This is very disappointing. Al Muahjiroun are behind virtually all of the home-grown terrorists in this country. Our judges should be clamping down hard on them. Releasing these men on bail sends the wrong message.

Last year, after the Danish cartoon protest, Anjem Choudary was charged with holding the rally without getting proper permission. He was fined just £500. At the time MP Andrew Dismore said:

He should have been given the maximum sentence possible. £500 is a ridiculously small sum given this man's appalling track record. But the real issue is why the Crown Prosecution Service and the police have chosen to prosecute him on such a minor charge.

Once again we find ourselves asking why our own judges (and therefore the CPS) seem unable or unwilling to come down hard on these people. It's just not good enough.

A number of people who were found guilty of soliciting murder and/or inciting racial hatred at the Al Muhajiroun Danish cartoon protest are due to be sentenced soon. Let's hope that the sentences actually reflect how serious the threat from Al Muhajiroun really is.