Terrorism? Blame Tablighi Jamaat

“A mosque frequented by the leader of the airline plot terrorist cell has been a recruiting ground for extremists for more than 20 years. The Queen’s Road mosque in Walthamstow, northeast London, where Abdulla Ahmed Ali met his associates, is controlled by the ultraorthodox Tablighi Jamaat. Intelligence services around the world believe that Tablighi’s fundamentalism makes some of its followers easy prey for terrorist recruiters.”

Times, 9 September 2009

Update:  See “Queen’s Road Mosque”, Times, 10 August 2010

“An article last year (“Mosque that has a 20-year history of radical activity”, September 9) stated that the Queen’s Road Mosque in Walthamstow, east London, was controlled by the ultra-orthodox Tablighi Jamaat and as a consequence its worshippers were easy prey for terrorist recruiters and extremists. We have been informed by the current chairman and treasurer of the mosque, and we accept, that the mosque is not controlled by Tablighi Jamaat. We apologise for this error. They have also asked us to point out that the trustees do not allow discussion within the mosque of jihad, the replacement of the current political system or the introduction of Sharia here, and go to great lengths to ensure that the mosque engages with the local police and does all it can to promote community cohesion.”