The Muslim News

London, The Muslim News OnLine:

A mosque in Blackburn has withdrawn an invitation to the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

The Committee at Masjid Al Hidayah Mosque on Millham Street, Blackburn, in conjunction with Muslim Scholars from Blackburn and Preston, have withdrawn their invitation to Rice to visit their mosque as part of her forthcoming tour of the region on Saturday 1 April.

This was decided after a meeting of Muslims in Blackburn on Tuesday. The organisers of the mosque told The Muslim News that some Muslims had been threatened to stay in the mosque from Fajr (morning) prayers until Rice arrived. "We decided to cancel the visit because of the safety, security of Condoleezza Rice and the dignity of the visit," Ibrahim Master, committee member of the mosque and close associate of Jack Straw told The Muslim News.

"The reason why we invited Condoleezza Rice to the mosque was an ideal opportunity to show her that the mosque was not a source of terrorism but produces model citizens and contributes to the good of the society. By inviting her does not mean that we agree with her views. We are organising a meeting with her on Saturday at the Town Hall where we will ask her about US's foreing policies on Iraq, Iran, Palestine and Kashmir. It was also to counter Islamophobia about mosques. "

Saeed Ahmed, who has led talks in the city about whether the most powerful woman in the world should be welcome inside mosques in Preston, told the local paper, Lancashire Evening Post, that Ms Rice has "blood on her hands" and is not welcome in the city.

Mr Ahmed, imam in the Jamia Mosque on Clarendon Street, Preston, has been locked in talks with Muslim leaders from Preston and Blackburn all this week ahead of Ms Rice's controversial two-day visit to the county.

Mr Ahmed told the Evening Post: "Letting Ms Rice inside one of our mosques is like allowing Ariel Sharon inside or a terrorist.

"We don't think it is right that a woman with thousands of people's blood on her hands should visit our mosques and have her picture taken. We have held meetings and this is the majority view of Muslim leaders here."
20 people have been invited to the Town Hall to meet Rice and Straw.

Condeleezza Rice will be giving an inaugural lecture held jointly by the BBC Today and Chatham House tomorrow.

Rice will tour Blackburn and Liverpool as part of her two-day tour.

Mosque leaders in Blackburn decided on the U-turn following pressure from the local community, according to campaign group Stop the War Coalition.

The planned visit on Saturday was designed to repay a trip that the Foreign Secretary made to the Alabama hometown of Ms Rice last year.

Email this story to a friend | Printable Version

CS4 CS3 software

Graphics oem softsare