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Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Masri (أبو حمزة المصري) (born 15 April 1958 ) is a Muslim Cleric in the United Kingdom , convicted on 7 February 2006 for racial hatred and incitement to murder offences. EARLY LIFE Abu Hamza was born Mustafa Kamel Mustafa in On May 16, 1980, he married Valerie Traverso (now Fleming), a Catholic, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4694218.stm , and had a son, Mohammed Mustafa Kamel. He acquired British citizenship following three years of marriage: suggestions that he was an asylum seeker are false. In 1984, he divorced his wife; however, because she failed to divorce her previous husband until 1982, the marriage was void. It is not known whether Hamza was aware of this; if he was, his British citizenship could be invalidated. According to his ex-wife, he became radicalised after attending a small mosque in London, following her complaints that he had sex with a prostitute at the Soho nightclub where he worked as a Bouncer {Link without Title} . She said: “He would come in late and I didn’t know where he was going ... I told him things had gone too far and I was leaving. He was responding by saying he would change and would dedicate himself to Islam.” Following his radicalisation, he took their three-year-old son Mohammed to Egypt, saying his father was ill. She did not see her son again until he was convicted in Yemen of bombing. Abu Hamza lost both his hands and the use of his left eye at some point during the 1990s, and now uses a distinctive Hook as his right hand. He claims to have lost his hands and eye as the result of helping clear Land Mine s in Afghanistan left behind by the Soviet Union . Some dispute this claim and offer alternative theories, including that his hands may have been cut off as punishment for theft in Saudi Arabia . {Link without Title} . There is also a theory that he received the injuries when a bomb he was making unexpectedly exploded. In 1999, his 17-year-old son Mohammed was sentenced to three years in prison in Yemen for taking part in a bombing campaign. His step-son, Mohsin Ghalain, was also arrested. His current wife is Nadjet Kamel Mostafa. PREACHING Abu Hamza, formerly the Imam of Finsbury Park Mosque in North London , runs "Supporters of Sharia", a group dedicated to the rule of Islamic Law . In 2003, he addressed a rally in Central London called by the radical Islamic group Al-Muhajiroun , where members spoke of their support for Al-Qaeda . On 4 February 2003 (after being suspended since April 2002) Abu Hamza was dismissed from his position at the mosque by the Charity Commission , the statutory organisation that regulates charities (and hence most places of worship) in England and Wales . After his ejection from the mosque, he preached outside the gates until he was imprisoned on remand. {Link without Title} Abu Hamza has publicly expressed support for al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden , and against the UK government's involvement in Iraq . Abu Hamza has claimed that the Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' Disaster was a sign from God . He said: "These missions would increase the number of satellites for military purposes. It would increase the slavery of governance of other countries by America . It is a punishment from God. Muslims see it that way. It is a trinity of evil because it carried Americans, an Israel i and a Hindu , a trinity of evil against Islam . The fact that the motor of the craft fell on Palestine town in Texas – all these are messages from God. It is a strong message, for the Israeli, to be taken up there to space and he spoke about the Holocaust , to try to make religious advancement from it and gain some moral high ground, hence you have seen this message over Palestine." EXTRADITION The Yemeni authorities had requested his arrest and extradition, claiming he was linked to plots to bomb targets there, but the British authorities have not complied claiming he will not get a fair trial. Hamza was naturalised as a British citizen when he married Valerie Traverso, who was a British citizen by birth. However, it appears that this marriage was a Bigamous one as Traverso was still married to her previous husband at the time. When this was discovered, the Home Office began the procedure to remove his British citizenship. When Hamza applied for Legal Aid to oppose this procedure, his application was rejected. His legal team has prolonged the fight by taking out a judicial review, and he could still appeal to the Court Of Appeal or the Lords, which could take years to come to a decision. Inayat Bunglawala , spokesman for the Muslim Council Of Britain , said, "This man has alienated the public from Muslims with his vile rants. British Muslims are growing impatient that he is still able to tarnish them with these remarks. He is not welcome at any mosque in the country and we have nothing to do with him." On 27 May 2004 , Abu Hamza was detained by British authorities and is to appear before Magistrate s in the start of a process to Extradite him to the United States , where he has been named in an Indictment of participating with Earnest James Ujaama in his attempt to establish a terrorist training camp in late 1999 and early 2000 near Bly, Oregon , and providing aid to al-Qaeda. However, as a member state of the European Union , the United Kingdom is party to an agreement whereby extradition must be refused to any country which has the Death Penalty and where the suspect is to be tried in a capital case. ARREST AND CONVICTION UNDER THE TERRORISM ACT 2000 On 26 August 2004 , al-Masri was arrested by British police under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 which covers the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of Terrorism . He was released on 31 August 2004 {Link without Title} . On 19 October 2004 , Abu Hamza al-Masri was charged with 16 crimes under the provisions of various statutes, including encouraging the Murder of non-Muslims, and intent to stir up racial hatred. {Link without Title} The trial initially commenced on 5 July 2005 was adjourned and resumed on 9 January 2006 . On 7 February 2006 , Abu Hamza was found guilty on eleven charges and not guilty on four:
The charges related to his possession of the '' Encyclopedia Of Afghan Jihad '', a Terrorist Encyclopaedia and to propaganda materials produced by Hamza. Following his trial, Hamza was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment to run concurrently for eight counts and 21 months for the others. He has already been in jail since May 2004. In sentencing, Mr Justice Hughes said Hamza had ''"helped to create an atmosphere in which to kill has become regarded by some as not only a legitimate course but a moral and religious duty in pursuit of perceived justice".'' Abu Hamza is currently being held in Belmarsh Prison . The verdict came soon after the acquittal of BNP member Nick Griffin on two charges under the same provisions of the Public Order Act and with a possible retrial on two more where the jury failed to reach a verdict. This has led to comparisons between the two cases within the broader debate of Free Speech in the UK {Link without Title} {Link without Title} . QUOTATIONS Hamza on attacks in Britain (from just before his arrest): :"It is immoral to target people who have no say in the war. In fact they were against the war in Iraq ... If it was not for this Zionist media ... the people of this country ... would have informed themselves ... so it is not fair to target them. It is not Islamic ... We’ve got to distinguish between the evil politicians and the normal people who go about their business every day." "Killing of the . Don't ask shall I do this, just do it." {Link without Title} . Of licensors for alcohol sellers he said: "Make sure that the person who gave him the licence for that wine shop doesn't exist any more on the Earth. Finish him up. Give him ''dawa'' (inviting non-Muslims to accept the truth of Islam). If he doesn't respect ''dawa'', kill him." {Link without Title} He suggested that people coined the term ''suicide attack'' to put others off it. "It is not called suicide - this is called ''shahada'', martyring, because if the only way to hurt the enemies of Islam except by taking your life for that, then it is allowed," adding: "The person who hinders Allah's rule, this man must be eliminated". In January 2006 while on trial, he accused the , the media and the Money Supply in Britain and the USA. {Link without Title} PROFILE He has become something of a celebrity hate figure among the Tabloids , where his speeches advocating violence are guaranteed to horrify readers, thus selling papers. He was featured in the '' Daily Mail '' which called for his deportation. He was nicknamed "The Hook" by some British tabloid newspapers because of the hook on his right hand. He apparently enjoys provoking outrage and has readily posed for photographs holding his "hook" right hand to his eye. According to a POPULUS survey from December 2005, Muslims in Britain oppose his views by a factor of two-to-one; however, among the age group 18-24, the figures are reversed, and two out of three who expressed an opinion agree with his views (27% supporting his views, 14% disagreeing with them). {Link without Title} SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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