The BHMF was contacted by the Jameah Islameah school from Mark Cross
for assistance and the BHMF has worked with the police to make sure the
religious and social needs of the group were met.
Sabri ben Ameur - Community Consultant of the BHMF arranged for the BBC
to interview one of the teachers to tell their side of the story.
It has been a very difficult time for the group from the school as they
have had to leave their homes and are not allowed to work whilst the
investigation is in progress. During their stay at a hotel, the tabloid
press located one of their rooms and frightened women and children by
knocking at the door and shouting out questions. One of the men was
also followed by the press from the hotel and the mosque.
We are not sure how the press was able to ascertain the whereabouts of
the group as their location was meant to be somewhat secret.
Before the police had begun to come to any conclusions regarding the
investigation, many people, including members of the Press, decided
that the individuals involved were guilty. Headlines such as 'School
for Terrorists' or 'Britain's first home-grown jihad training camp' has
become common phrases. As a result, many who are simply assisting in
the investigation are being branded criminals due to their association
with the school.
It is interesting to note that in a strange twist to supposedly
Britain's newest terrorism scare, a regional police force has admitted
that it had sent officers for "diversity training" to the Jameah
Islameah school on more then one occasion.
We would ask people to pause and think before making any accusations
and labeling anyone. Our British justice system serves under an
'Innocent until proven guilty' motto and we should all make sure we
wait for any hard evidence before drawing any rash conclusions.
