QuantumFog

July 24, 2006

Clerics should plant their garden carefully

Sheikh Omar Bakri was looking for political asylum back in the early 80's. With his strict views on Islam, he thought Syria was becoming too secular and the powers that were at the time started to rattle his sensitivities. As they used to say in the Old West, "There ain't room for two of us, better leave by sundown".

He emigrated to the UK in 1985, with their reluctant blessing, and took up a role in Muslim movements. Now safe in his new country, he decided the best thing to do was trash the place. It made perfect sense, eh, what? After all, he moved from secular Syria to the more secular UK.

Living on handouts from the government, he railed against the injustices and infidels of the West. He praised the Hijackers of 9/11 and the bombers of the train in Britain on 7/7. Moderate Muslims in the country who had more sense, didn't care much for his rhetoric. They figured he shouldn't be biting the hand that fed him.

When Bakri started a group of Islamist extremists, the British authorities decided to see if they could arrest him for treason. Feeling the heat once again, he left the UK in August of 2005.

The moderate Muslims were glad to see him gone. Now they could repair the damage he caused in the British-Muslim community.

Where he went and what he was doing since, no one really cared. Until he shows up at a harbor in Beirut last Thursday, trying to board a British ship.

He's a little wide-eyed from the shell shock and the occasional bullet wizzing overhead, but otherwise okay. Said he wants to be with his family. The British told him to kiss their ass.

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