A seven-minute video titled "For Every Pharoah [sic] There Is a Musa," uploaded to YouTube on December 7, 2008, shows two groups of protestors in Islamic garb – one in a park holding signs, and one marching, with police protection, on a residential city street. Both groups are led by speakers with megaphones; the one in the park focuses on Abu Hamza Al-Masri, the Egyptian-born former imam of London's Finsbury Park Mosque who is currently serving a prison sentence in London,[1]and the marchers focus on the oppression of Chinese Muslims.[2] The location in both cases appears to be London.
The video was uploaded by "londondawa," self-described as "Brothers in londonistan carrying hisbah for the sake of Allah regarding abu hamza and oppressed muslims in china."
The video disappeared on December 10 around 1:45 EST. According to YouTube it was "removed by the user."
The last section of the video features a man in Islamic garb being interviewed by a woman; on the screen is the caption "Abuizzadeen (Al-Ghurabaa Group)." The man says, "If we live in a society where Islam is not the ruling system, we need to work to change that... It means that if there's a contradiction between Islamic law and the British law, the British law can go to hell."
The video's audio is augmented intermittently by a song in Arabic sung by male voices; this song was previously heard in "Al-Qaeda Media Broadcasting Company Al-Sahab's Retrospective on the 5th Anniversary of the 9/11/2001: 'The Manhattan Raid."[3]
Following are excerpts from the video. The video can currently be viewed on MEMRI's YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL0aEs0yszw.
Logo on screen: "London school of Sharia" against backdrop of a quill pen. Singing begins.
Titles on screen against black background: "Pharaoh had a dream that someday his kingdom would fall; He gathered his advisers and helpers
Title:"But little did he know...; Moses (Musa) would arise from within his own home"
Rally in city park, where men in Islamic garb are demonstrating, holding signs reading: "British Govt Terrorist Govt"; "British Courts Go To Hell"; "Abu Hamza Guilty Of Being Muslim"; "U.S. Real Terrorist"; "Abu Hamza Innocent Under Islam."]
(Cut to a group of men in Islamic robes and black and white kaffiyehs marching down a residential city street. They carry signs saying, "Islam for China," "Chinese State Oppressive state.")
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Protestor 4 (above) leads call and response in Arabic. Song continues in background.
Cut back to protestors in park. Same song as before in background. Camera focuses in on signs held by men in Islamic robes, which now include "British Courts Go to Hell," "UK & US: The Real Terrorist)
Protestor 2: "George [unclear] go to hell!"
Other protestors: "George [unclear] go to hell!"
Protestor 2: "British government go to hell!"
Other protestors: "British government go to hell!"
Cut back to marching protestors, along with the line of British policemen accompanying them
Protestor 5 here there is the addition of English subtitles of the English spoken by protestors: "Oh Muslims of China we know you are sufferring a lot; we know you cannot speak (because of the oppression); we know you can't even keep a beard (because of the oppression); but Inshallah the muslims are on their way; the muslims are on their way; To implement the Law of Allah (swt)."
Another protestor begins a call, and the others respond, "Allahu Akbar." Then follows footage of protestors burning the Chinese flag as other protestors shout in an unclear mix of Arabic and English and the line of policemen looks on.
Cut back to protestors in park with signs.
Protestor 2: "Because you handed over your brother to those disbelievers and he is gonna face torture in American prison, he could even face death [unclear] – What kind of [unclear] Muslims have we become? There is no concern for Muslim brothers no more. There is no concern about the ulema.
"These Middle Eastern people are on the front line, working for Islam, speaking the truth against those tyrants, against the British establishment who has a history of occupying and killing, massacring Muslims, and those [unclear] that divide Islam. It is because if they cannot tell us what is the [unclear], what is the haram. They remind us that there is none worthy of worship but Allah, and that the prophet Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. It is like those brothers, like Abu Hamza, it is like [unclear], like Abu Hamza, who Allah bless [unclear] so that they can [unclear] reminding us of our Islamic duties.
"So where are you, my dear Muslim brothers? How come you neglected them? Where is your responsibility to brotherhood? Where is your feeling of brotherhood? Where is your love for the Muslim ummah? What kind of people have we become? Shame on us! Shame on you Muslim brothers. This is the time when [should] we speak out"
Cut back to marching protestors
(Cut to man in Islamic garb, being interviewed by a woman. Caption on screen: "Abuizzadeen (Al-Ghurabaa Group)":
Speaker: "If we live in a society where Islam is not in the ruling system, we need to work to change that.
Interviewer: "And what does that mean in practical terms? If...if—
Speaker: "It means that if there's a contradiction between Islamic law and the British law, the British law can go to hell."
Endnote:
[1] For more about Abu Hamza Al-Masri, see MEMRI Special Report No. 37, "Arab and Iranian Media Reactions to the London Bombing – Part II: 'The Attacks Were Anticipated Due to British Leniency to Extremists Acting in Britain'- 'Expel Extremism Today,'" July 12, 2005, Arab and Iranian Media Reactions to the London Bombing – Part II: ‘The Attacks Were Anticipated Due to British Leniency to Extremists Acting in Britain’- ‘Expel Extremism Today’; MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 921, "Arab Criticism of Muslim Extremist Activities in the West," June 10, 2005, Arab Criticism of Muslim Extremist Activities in the West; MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 762, "Sheikh Abu Hamza Al-Masri on Martyrdom and the Love of Death," August 12, 2004, Sheikh Abu Hamza Al-Masri on Martyrdom and the Love of Death; MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 410, "Islamist Leaders in London Interviewed," August 9, 2002, Islamist Leaders in London Interviewed; MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 72, "Radical Islamist Profiles (1): London-Abu Hamza Al-Masri," October 17, 2001, Radical Islamist Profiles (1): London-Abu Hamza Al-Masri.
[2] For more on Chinese Islamists, see MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 1947, "The Islamic Party of Turkestan" [i.e. Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Chinese Turkestan] Posts Its Platform on an Islamist Forum," June 3, 2008, "The Islamic Party of Turkestan" [i.e. Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Chinese Turkestan] Posts Its Platform on an Islamist Forum; MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 1352,
"Islamist Websites Monitor No. 20," November 10, 2006, Islamist Websites Monitor No. 20 . See also MEMRI Urdu-Pashtu Blog "New Al-Qaeda Leader Appointed For China," http://www.thememriblog.org/urdupashtu/blog_personal/en/12090.htm.
[3] This video is part of MEMRI's Jihad & Terrorism Monitor Project Studies Archives.
