UK: Islamic Preacher Anjem Choudary Jailed for Life on Terrorism Offenses

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Facts

• British Muslim preacher Anjem Choudary has been handed a life sentence with a minimum non-parole period of 28 years for directing and encouraging support for the terrorist-designated Muslim group al-Muhajiroun (ALM).^[1]
• Sentencing him at the Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday, Justice Wall said Choudary 'ran the risk of causing or contributing' to 'very many' deaths and undermined bonds between Muslims and people of other faiths and none in the UK.^[2]
• Choudary has been a member of the ALM — which has been allegedly behind multiple acts of violence in the UK and abroad — since its earliest days in the late 1990s, becoming its leader in 2014.^[3]
• The investigation that led to his conviction involved authorities in the US, UK, and Canada that gathered evidence he was running online lectures to ALM-affiliated groups, including the New York-based Islamic Thinkers Society.^[4]
• The legal team for the alleged 'caretaker emir' of ALM argued that the group was 'little more than a husk of an organization' and no longer linked to violent activities. He stood trial alongside Canadian citizen Khaled Hussein, who was sentenced to five years in prison for being a member of the banned organization.^[5]

Sources: ^[1]ABC News, ^[2]Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, ^[3]BBC News, ^[4]Al Jazeera and ^[5]Reuters.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by The Sun. For over two decades, Choudary has acted as a provocateur in support of radical Islam, and only now is he facing punishment. Everything this man stands for runs against British values, and he has worn the label of extremist as a badge of honor. The world cannot ignore the threat terrorist messaging poses, as these violent preachers sow hatred and division. We must always remain vigilant.
• Narrative B, as provided by Guardian. Choudary would be little more than an internet crackpot if not for the news media that constantly platformed him as a means of spreading fear about British Muslims. His provocative actions sold newspapers, which granted him bigger platforms to spread his fringe terror messaging. We should lament that such an extremist speaker was granted an outsized public presence, which hurt Muslims and the general public.

Predictions