“Misogynyst mosque supporters” have harassed a key female witness into withdrawing from giving evidence at the mega-mosque public inquiry being held at the ExCel Centre in London this week.
Tehmina Kazi is the Director of British Muslims for Secular Democracy and a crucial opponent of the massive fundamentalist mega-mosque proposed for West Ham in London, close to the Olympic Stadium.
She withdrew from the inquiry after being pressured by members of the Muslim-run Newham Peoples Alliance (NPA) while abroad on holiday last weekend.
Ongoing opposition
Ms Kazi, a former project officer at the Equality & Human Rights Commission and long-time supporter of Muslim women’s rights, publicly opposed the mega-mosque project at a previous Public Inquiry in 2011.
She has also objected to the anti-women bias of Tablighi Jamaat, the fundamentalist group behind the proposed mosque.
Picking on women
“Why do Islamists always pick on women?” said Alan Craig, director of the long-running Mega Mosque No Thanks campaign.
“Like misogynist bullies NPA intruded on Tehmina’s holiday abroad last weekend. By phone and email they harassed her, intimidated her and then on behalf of the Tablighi Jamaat mosque trustees gave her assurance that their future treatment of women at the site will improve.
“Of course this is no assurance at all, as at present women are completely barred from the temporary mosque at the site. For 17 years since they bought the site, by choice it’s been a male-only mosque with no provision of any kind for women. Tablighi Jamaat’s future treatment of women can hardly get worse!”
Watch Alan Craig explain the challenge to the Mega Mosque
Further comment
Jenny Taylor of Lapido media has written a very helpful analysis of Ms Kazi’s withdrawal here >