Islamist hate preacher’s bile is still online
HATEFUL sermons from an extremist preacher who tried to whip up tensions in Birmingham are still online despite being ‘flagged’ to YouTube more than a year ago.
Abu Haleema called members of Small Heath’s Muslim community “cowards” in one of the web videos, which also featured in a Channel 4 documentary.
Internet giants including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter were criticised by MPs this week over extremist content on their sites, often run alongside adverts. An investigation found hate preachers were sharing screens with household names.
But Haleema is still using YouTube to air his poisonous views through his own channel, which features dozens of videos, despite the site being made aware of the content in February 2016.
One shows the firebrand as he taunts moderate Muslim leaders in Small Heath. Standing among a small group of followers with their faces obscured, Haleema says: “We came today to give dawha [spread Islam] but we never saw no crabs, we never saw no weasels, we never saw no hermits, innit? Where are you bruv? We came to your ends and you were nowhere to be seen.
“You were nowhere to be seen none of you. All of you have become cowards.”
A clip of the video was shown in the Channel 4 documentary The Jihadis Next Door.
Dr Imran Awan, senior lecturer in criminology at Birmingham City University, said: “I’ve always made the case that social media companies should do more to stop extremists putting up videos inciting hatred and violence.
“Though it’s difficult if it’s someone just expressing their views without breaching any legislation, there is a line that should be drawn. The problem we have seen with ISIS is as soon as a video is removed it appears somewhere else and if you take it down from there appears somewhere else.
“It’s like finding a needle in a virtual haystack, but more proactive work could be done.”
Haleema was unsuccessful in his attempt to stoke tensions in Birmingham.
Dr Awan said: “The Muslim community in Birmingham and in particular Small Heath is quite strongly opposed to people like Abu Haleema. If you look at Anjem Choudary some years ago a similar thing happened.
“He came to Alum Rock to set up one of his stalls and the community pretty much got rid of him and gave him the message that he wasn’t welcome among the peaceful, law-abiding Muslim community that wants to be a part of this country.” it