LONDON, Dec 15: Controversial plans to give police new powers to shut down mosques used by extremists are to be dropped from new terrorism legislation, Britain’s Home Secretary Charles Clarke announced on Thursday.
The proposal — which was criticized by Muslim leaders and police — was one of a number drawn up in the wake of the July 7 attacks on London’s public transport system that killed 56, including the four apparent suicide bombers.
Mr Clarke told members of parliament in a written statement: “I will not seek to legislate on this issue at the present time, although we will keep the matter under review.”
The move follows Prime Minister Tony Blair’s first lower House of Commons vote defeat in his eight-year tenure in Downing Street last month, over a proposal to hold terror suspects for up to 90 days without charge.
Police recommended the measure because of the increasingly complex and global nature of investigating terrorist networks. A 28-day maximum period — double the current 14-day limit — was put forward instead.
Mr Clarke proposed in October that police should have powers to close places of worship temporarily, including mosques, which were being used by extremists, and forcing trustees or registered owners to take action.
Failure to do so would have been a criminal offence, with continued extremist activity potentially leading to the ‘last resort’ of shutting down the venue.
The decision to drop the proposal followed consultation with 66 people and organizations around Britain, the majority of whom were not in favour.
Rob Beckley, the Association of Chief Police Officers’ counter-terrorism spokesman, said: “There would need to be significant changes to the intentions and wording of the legislation for it to be either desirable or enforceable.”
Graham Sparkes, of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, said his group would be ‘very sensitive’ towards anything that threatened ‘hard-won’ freedom of expression.
Elsewhere, Iqbal Sacranie, the general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain, voiced fears that mosques are being ‘mis-identified and stereotyped as incubators of violent extremism’.
Instead, he insisted they were ‘centres of moderation’, pointing out that the July 7 bombers — all Muslims — were indoctrinated by a ‘subculture’ outside the mosque. —AFP
