By IANS,
London: A British Muslim lawmaker who was pelted with eggs last week said Sunday her Islamist attackers should be banned.
“The protesters are understood to be members of the al-Muhajiroun group. I believe in free speech and the right to protest. But I think such organisations should be banned,” said Sayeeda Warsi of the opposition Conservative Party.
“They exist merely to cause trouble. They preach hatred and they believe in violence and aggression, so they don’t deserve a voice. The government has been too weak in dealing with extremists. It’s policy is confused,” she wrote in the Sunday Times.
Warsi, who was named Britain’s most powerful Muslim woman in a power list this year, described her attackers as “Islamic extremists” and a “bunch of idiots” who behaved like “playground bullies.”
Warsi, who is the Conservative party’s shadow minister for community cohesion, was pelted with eggs – one of which hit her – by angry Islamists on a visit to Luton in southeast England Monday, forcing her to hide in a sari shop.
With egg yolk running through her hair, she later tried to remonstrate with the protesters but they harangued her, accusin her of not being a proper Muslim and supporting the deaths of civilians in Afghanistan.
The al-Muhajiroun came in from strong criticism after its members protested against British soldiers during a homecoming parade in March this year.
The self-styled leader of its Luton branch, Sayful Islam, denied the group was behind the attack but added, “I won’t condemn these people [protesters]. It shows the frustration of Muslim youths in Luton.”
“Baroness Warsi needs to be exposed. She is somebody who pretends to be a practising Muslim but from her views and statements she is clearly against Sharia.”
Warsi, writing about “My Week” in the Sunday Times, said, “I would not have chosen to start the week being pelted with eggs by Islamic extremists…
“I was there (in Luton) to meet business people and support the local Tory candidates, but instead I encountered a bunch of idiots who screamed abuse at me, accusing me of not being a proper Muslim.
“They were like playground bullies. I invited them to calm down and engage in a civilized debate – a little optimistic given that there were eggs flying.”