I want to be a martyr says activist

April 06, 2004

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BUTT: He says he envies the Madrid bombers

A MANCHESTER Muslim who publicly declared his support for the Madrid terrorists and claims he wants to be a "martyr" is being investigated by police today.

Hassan Butt, 24, featured in a TV programme last night which alleged that British Muslims are preparing to take up arms despite the efforts of police and security forces.

Butt, who has been arrested twice under the Terrorism Act, said he "envies" the Madrid bombers and that he too would like to become a martyr.

He said: "It is my hope that by the age of 40 I am a martyr - and if I hadn't I would probably be a bit dejected in not being among the martyrs of Islam." Asked if he was prepared to follow other British Muslims to a terror training camp, he said he would be "honoured" and that he would have his mother's support.

Today Chief Supt Tony Kane said: "Greater Manchester Police will be viewing last night's programme to determine what, if any, offences have been committed. The experience of GMP in dealing with our Muslim communities is that the vast majority of British Muslims are appalled by terrorist atrocities.

"Furthermore, they believe that Islam categorically forbids any such violence which causes death and mayhem."

Revenge

The programme, Real Story with Fiona Bruce, claimed many young men, like Butt, are influenced by London-based Omar Bakri, leader of the controversial al Muhajiroun group.

The programme claimed Bakri has recently defended the Madrid bombers and told young British Muslims, some as young as ten, that they must "kill and be killed" for Islam, that "suicide bombers would be guaranteed a place in paradise", and even that they should consider "flying a plane into 10 Downing Street".

And, referring to the continued presence of British, Spanish and US forces in Iraq, it said Bakri told an East London audience: "What happened in Madrid is all revenge. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, life for life. Anybody (that) commits a crime should be punished - that's exactly what happened in relation to Spain.

"Objective number one - break the psychology of the occupier by hitting back in their homeland. To be worried about their own wives and loved ones. Prepare as much as you can from strength and from force to terrorise - because terrorism it is part of Islam." At another British meeting Bakri was said to be recorded saying: "Martyrdom is what you want. Do the effort. Clear your intention. Go forward. Never look backwards. Make sure you have nothing left behind you to think about or cry for and fight in the name of Allah.

"So what is self sacrifice operation? It's got to be the following scenario. Somebody he fly aeroplane and he decide to land the aeroplane over 10 Downing Street, for example, or over the White House. This is a form of self-sacrifice operation."

A few months after the September 11 atrocities Butt claimed to have recruited a large number of British Muslims to fight in Afghanistan for the Taliban. He also said the mujahideen should "strike within Britain"..

Inayat Bunglawala, of the Muslim Council for Britain, said: "Both these men are known for their lunatic opinions and are utterly repudiated by the Muslim community. If Hassan Butt wants to be a martyr you wonder why he is living in Manchester and not in a war zone."

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PW, Manchester (06/04/2004 at 13:32)

I'm sure the spokesmen for the Muslim Council are sincere, and that the over-whelming majority of muslims are not for terrorism. However, I do think they should be making that kind of statement more often and more vociferous. The worry being is that ordinary Joe Bloggs will be prone to regarding people like Butt as representative of Muslim opinion, and that is a real danger in the current climate. We are a multi-cultural society sharing the same country, and we should all be able to live together. People like Butt are dangerous to all of us. He just sounds like a hothead to me, who only has a limited knowledge of his own religion. I don't know much about Islam, but I don't think terrorism is supposed to be part of it.

Ms L, Manchester (06/04/2004 at 14:11)

If Butt wasn't born here, kick him out. If he was, jail him for treason. There are now too many people who are born here and are British but have no loyalty to this country. They are loyal to a country they have probably never visited and on that basis, we pander to them under the guise of Equal Opportunities. We should not tolerate ANY threat to our citizens, whether it be from british nationals or not.

Ann, Swinton (06/04/2004 at 14:59)

If he's so keen on becoming a martyr, let him clear off to a country which will have him - soft touch UK are mad to let these people stay in the country. They are happy to claim our benefits and abuse our welfare system, but have nothing but contempt for the country they happily scrounge from. Who cares if the UK is branded racist for getting rid of these awful people - Italy had no qualms about deporting someone a similar fanatic.

Ray, Stockport (06/04/2004 at 15:14)

Inayat Bunglawala of the Muslim Council for Britain has got it right. "If Hassan Butt wants to be a martyr you wonder why he is living in Manchester and not in a war zone." This chap is a sad exhibitionist, a bit like those inadequates you see ostentatiously lounging on street corners with hoods pulled over their heads, playing at being drug dealers. He should be pitied rather than reviled.

Dave, Manchester (06/04/2004 at 15:18)

Why do people from other countries/religions/beliefs come over to this country and slag us all off, threaten us with violence but continue to stay here.

They're probably also the people who bleed the state dry with benefit claims, dodgy compo claims and free housing.

If you don't like this country so much, why on earth are you living here? Why are the courts/police so tolerant towards these people who support terrorists?

Guantanamo Bay's too good for these obviously guilty people....

lindsay, madrid spain (06/04/2004 at 15:27)

The risk of a kick-back against ordinary law abiding muslims who just want to get on with their daily lives is high. It should be remembered that some of the victims of the Atocha train bombs in Madrid were apparently of Islamic descent. The best example to be made of Butt, before he influences other potential hotheads, is to have him sectioned under the Mental Health Act because he is clinically speaking psychotic. To diagnose and treat him as mentally ill might change the perspective of those who could be influenced by him.

alan, bonn (06/04/2004 at 16:00)

get him out of the country - this is the equivalent of someone going through customs at and airport and saying i've got a bomb. they've arrested him twice why is he still here. Change the law - whatever it takes to get people sponging of the state here out if they start spouting anti-british propoganda.

Adam, calgary (06/04/2004 at 17:30)

This is why Great Britain is no longer Great, people like this, who bite the hand that feeds them. Don't call him a hothead, he's an ugly parasite, and if I were the Muslim community I'd be taking steps to curb his evil remarks, after the police have finished with him, before it's too late.

S, Cheadle (07/04/2004 at 17:24)

I don't think people will mental health problems will appreciate the comparison with terrorists...

T. Hawkins, Swinton, Gtr. Manchester (08/04/2004 at 19:28)

Maybe the Christians should all start wearing bomb belts and go all over the Muslm world and blow themselves up in the name of Christianity. That would be interesting. I'm fed up of these fanatics who disgrace the name of Islam. Not ALL Muslims are as sick, sad and pathetic as this idiot. He should be locked up or deported back to where he came from if he wasn't born here. These idiots are quick to criticise the west, yet they all come over here and proclaim to love our ways. Get rid of this idiot immediately for the safety of the country and western society. They do Islam no favours by doing this kind of thing as all they do is turn people against them and their culture.

Lindsay, Madrid Spain (09/04/2004 at 14:07)

S. Cheadle Re your comment 7 / 4 Yes thanks, good point, but you will notice I did not attempt to associate "perceptional" mental illness with terrorism, but quite specifically said he is Psychotic. What a psychiatrist means by this is that the person has no defence of altruism. He wants to kill and so he does. I do not think you would have much problem in seeing a relationship between a serial killer and what Butt is trying to do in envying the Madrid bombers."Envy" ( I understand envy is his own word) is not jealousy. Envy is anger at not having or not being able to do something he wants which in this case is to kill (British) people. The Mental Health Act contains a provision whereby those who wish to commit acts of (mass) murder can be sectioned. My argument is that if he is shown to be psychotic, and from his reported words I believe this could be the case, there might be a lesser possibility that he will be seen by other muslims as a hero with influence to be followed. Incidently, in my work with the Atocha train bomb victims' families, here in Madrid. the most frequent comment I have heard from devastated relatives is " I do not understand" which is also a common comment to be heard from the relatives of the victims of serial killers which expresses the anger at loss without sense. 85% of the Spanish people were against bombing Iraq from the beginning so the recent change of government in Spain reflected this disagreement between ordinary people and their government. and should not be viewed as "weakness." The terrorists in Spain that Butt envies so much therefor were also arguably psychotic for they hit a population that did not support the war at all-(there have been mass demonstrations ever since the war started) and so the terrorists killed civilians, including muslims on their way to work, without sense. Killing without any sense other than wanting to kill is "Psychosis" You may not agree with my argument but I hope you now understand that I did not in any way attempt to draw any parallel between terrorism and those who suffer other types of multivarious mental health conditions which of course have absolutely nothing to do with terrorism. I referred specifically to Butt being Psychotic in the clinical meaning.
my regards, Lindsay

S, Cheadle (13/04/2004 at 11:08)

Lyndsay, you make some good points but I can't help but feel its a tad deterministic to infer a relationship between terrorism and psychoticism. You are reducing quite a complex, multidimensional social issue to a medical problem. Terrorism will not disappear by giving terrorists a good dose of haldol - they'll end up despising those in authority all the more. Any solution to terrorism has to address and attempt to resolve conflicts as well as preventing acts of terror.

Mark, Fallowfield (16/04/2004 at 04:27)

Why is that loony in London still inciting these sad brainless idiots to even consider blowing themselves up in the name of whatever?
Like somebody said in an earlier post he should be deported if not born here or locked up for incitement to terrorism and/or treason.
With this would be "martyr" you have to ask yourself if he was going to do what he said - would he tell everybody about it? He wouldnt be allowed out of the country after making such comments and definately watched very closely so as someone said earlier I think he is just a dramatic hothead.
I think that if the "Muslim Community" say they are against these idiots they should prove it by pointing them out to the authorities and stop hiding behind the race/religeon card because after all they are British like me & I dont think I am an infidel, just a City fan.

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