217.
The Claimant quotes Sheikh bin Baz without equivocation that solidarity amongst
Muslims means making “jihad against the Jews” and “fighting the Jews in an Islamic
Jihad until the Territory [Palestine] goes back to its proper people”. In my view,
what the Claimant is clearly doing in this passage is encouraging offensive jihad
against Jews to recover Palestine and return it to the Muslims. The Claimant accepted
in cross-examination that he was referring to historic Palestine, i.e. in old Arabic, the
land of the Philistines which runs from the Mediterranean to the River Jordan. There
is no suggestion that this exhortation is based on self-defence. Mr Bennett accepted
that the Claimant could be criticised for not having chosen a ‘better’ quotation from
Sheikh bin Baz.
Eleventh section
218.
The striking section at the end of the eleventh section is clear in its message: every
Muslim should “at least” have the intention of struggling and fighting and sacrificing
himself or else he dies on the branch of “hypocrisy” (shu’ba min al nifaq). This is, on
the face of it, clear encouragement to the audience to get up from their seats in
London and go off and engage in armed jihad (qital) (see the discussion further
below).
‘Zionists’
219.
The Claimant was cross-examined about the tenth passage in which the Claimant cited
Sheikh bin Baz referring to “...fighting the Jews an Islamic Jihad”. The Claimant
gave what Mr Caldecott QC rightly described as a ‘chilling’ answer:
“Q:
"Do I understand you to be saying that this section of
your speech is entirely acceptable provided you replace the
word Jews with the word Zionists?"
A:
"No because that doesn't mean every Zionist should be
killed, but what I am trying to say is that there isn't a problem
in terms of Judaism and Jews specifically but there is a
problem with let's say Zionism in the sense that it has led to the
oppression of the Palestinian people, that is the concept that I
am trying to mention here."”
Sheikh bin Baz (1910-1999)
220.
As stated above, a central feature of the Claimant’s DEVIANT’S GROUP SPEECH
(2009) is Sheikh bin Baz (who is referred to, or cited, by the Claimant no less than 56
times in the speech).
221.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz (1910-1999) was the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia from
1993 until his death in 1999. He was a highly significant religious figure in the
development and prominence of Salafi-Wahabi Islam in the 20th century and the
religious mainstay of Saudi policy during the tumultuous years of the emergence of
Saudi Arabia as a powerful oil-state and the protector of the Protected Domains
(haramayn) of Mecca and Medina of Islam.
222.
Sheikh bin Baz was responsible for many controversial religious decisions and legal
rulings (fatwa) which have had far-reaching repercussions across the Sunni-Islamic
world to this day. He was a signatory to the fatwa that declared support for the
Mujahideen fighters in Afghanistan in resisting Soviet occupation as an individual
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