'Ulster' Nazis given oxygen by UUP and DUP

national | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday February 19, 2003 20:23 by Ali la Pointe - Fu-fighting anti-imperialistas

As with sectarianism unionists set the ball rolling for crackpot killer thugs

A WHITE supremacist group has posted a leaflet on its website berating the planned construction of a Mosque in Craigavon. The leaflet, entitled ‘This is Ulster, not Islamabad’. No Mosques here has been designed by the White Nationalist Party and suggests the Mosque could become an asylum for “Islamic terrorists”.

It has also been reported that the party will draft members into the north of Ireland in the coming weeks for the mass distribution of leaflets in Craigavon.

The proposal to build a Mosque for the 200-strong Muslim community in the Bleary area of Craigavon is before council but has been opposed by several unionist councillors.

The White Nationalist Party claims the leaflet is part of its campaign “against the spread of Islamic militancy and other non-British sects across our country”.

“We are proud of our British culture, land and our nation. We do not need Mosques, temples or Islamic terrorists here in Ulster,” the pamphlet reads.

However, Muslim Chaplain at Queen’s University of Belfast Dr Mamoun Mobayed said such “ridiculous behaviour” resulted from ignorance about minority faiths such as Islam.

“It is symptomatic of a lack of information and understanding and the negative image of other faiths,” Dr Mobayed said.

The former president of the Islamic Centre in Belfast said “such negative attitudes and feelings” could be resolved through dialogue.

“The presence of a minority faith indirectly helps bring the two sections of the community together in Northern Ireland. People from either side will have wider horizons and realise there is more than just Protestant and Catholic.”

Dr Mobayed said Muslims in Northern Ireland were active members of the community.

“We are contributing culturally, socially and economically to life in Northern Ireland and part of our faith is to practice our faith.

“We don’t worship in churches or synagogues. We pray in Mosques and they should be available to us,” he added.

Craigavon Sinn Fein councillor John O’Dowd, who backs the Mosque proposal, said WNP members “were not welcome” in the area.

He also called on Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble to meet members of the Muslim community.

“They have the right to a place of worship in the community,” Mr O’Dowd added.