London Islamist Who Moved to Lebanon, Omar Bakri: We Don't Know Who Carried Out 9/11. I Don't Have Any Opinion, Negative or Positive, about Al-Qa'eda

The following are excepts from an interview with Sheik Omar Bakri Muhammad Fustuq, a London Islamist who left for Lebanon, which aired on Al-Mustaqbal TV on August 11, 2005.

Fustuq: After the events of 9/11, there was much harrassment, especially of Muslim preachers in the UK. Since then I have been thinking about returning (to Lebanon). When I disbanded the Al-Muhajirun movement in London last year, in October, 2004, I did so in order to have more time for my wife and children and to return to Lebanon. I wasn't involved in any significant preaching activity at that time.

Nevertheless, the newspapers and the Zionist media focused on people who had a political position. We believed in the legitimacy of the resistance in South Lebanon, in Palestine, and in any country to which foreign armies and external enemies have entered. This political position is equivalent, in their minds, to supporting terrorism. They consider the resistance in South Lebanon and in Palestine to be terrorism.

Reporter: But it has been claimed that you returned to Beirut after the London attacks as a result of the measures decided upon by PM Tony Blair against some of the people residing in Britain.

Fustuq: Without a doubt, the London attacks had a lot of influence. Even though I condemned the London attacks and the killing of innocent people, just as I condemned the killing of innocent people in New York, Spain, and London, and just as I condemn the killing of innocent people in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and everywhere - this didn't put an end to the matter. The newspapers there turned the affair into "Either you are with us or with them, either you condemn it, or you support it."

[...]

All of this is connected with the events of 9/11, and we don't know who was behind these events, although many people keep talking about it. I held a conference on the (first) anniversary of 9/11. The problem in Britain is that the expression "anniversary of 9/11" means a celebration for them, but when you commemorate a certain disaster, it's not a celebration, but rather a commemoration and a study of its causes and reasons. In no way does it indicate that I support any attacks whatsoever that lead to the killing of innocent people. No normal person would accept such a thing, let alone someone who adheres to the tolerant values of Islam.

[...]

In all honesty, for me, the Al-Qa'eda organizations does not exist in reality. We see them only on TV screens and in the media. When we talk about any given organization, there must be an "Emir", ideological writings, and centers. They don't have any Emir we know about. They say that it's Osama Bin Laden. We are not aware of any of their centers, mosques, or books. Therefore, my position is that the Al-Qa'eda organization is out there and is reported about by the media, but I don't have any opinion, negative or positive, about Al-Qa'eda. I don't know them at all.