The killing of apostates in Edinburgh

Osama Saeed (4)Osama Saeed on the “Hijacking of British Islam” report:

“Right-wing thinktank Policy Exchange’s latest report into the Muslim community has implicated Edinburgh Central Mosque in apparently distributing hate literature. They have said that the material in question called for apostates from Islam to be killed.

“The mosque have not made official comment themselves, but I’ve spoken to people close to them who say that this is not something they stock or distribute. Further, as evidenced during an event at their Islam Festival held during August, their view on apostasy is that everyone should have the right to practice religion as they see fit. This includes leaving Islam.

“I’ve spent half a day fielding calls from the media on what is really a non-issue. Policy Exchange themselves say they only found one offending piece of literature, which was about killing apostates. There have been no killings of apostates in Edinburgh to date. Clearly, if this was something they were promoting, they’re not very good at it.”

Rolled Up Trousers, 30 October 2007