Good news, in an update on this story. Background on Tablighi Jamaat, the group that had planned the mosque, can be found here. "Plans halted for mosque near London Olympics site," from Agence France-Presse, January 19 (thanks to Robert W.):
Plans to build a giant mosque near London's 2012 Olympic stadium have collapsed after local authorities said Monday an Islamic group failed to submit a planning application in time.
Tablighi Jamaat, a group with roots in India, wants to build a complex with space for 12,000 worshippers in east London which would be a hub for Muslim competitors and spectators at the Games.
But the group missed a deadline this month to formally outline its plans to the local London authority, and it has now been issued with a warning that it must close a temporary mosque it is operating on the site by Thursday.
There was an outcry when the group unveiled its plans for the site in 2007, with 48,000 people petitioning the government to prevent the development.
Tablighi Jamaat was founded in India during the British Raj. It says it is apolitical, but opponents of the mosque plan have expressed concern at the group's strict interpretation of Islam.
A spokesman for the local Newham Council said: "The council has a responsibility to be reasonable in such cases and the (mosque) trust was encouraged to submit a long-term strategy for the site, which is identified as having significant developmental opportunities for the local community.
"This did not happen.
"Temporary planning permission expired on October 31, 2006 and any operations since then have been unlawful.
"The trust was given until January to submit a master plan for the site, although failed to meet this deadline."
A spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain said Tablighi Jamaat had been "subjected to some unfair coverage".
"We would hope that they will be able to work in cooperation with the local council if they wish to set up a mosque in the area," spokesman Inayat Bunglawala said.
He added: "Tablighi Jamaat has no ties to terrorism. It has been subjected to some unfair coverage."
The mosque trust was unavailable for comment.
The fact that Inayat Bunglawala says that Tablighi Jamaat has no ties with terrorism raises a rueful smile. Inayat is an active member of the liberal left's program to promote global jihad and is an occasional contributor to The (Manchester) Guardian newspaper in Britain.
British newspapers have quoted some responses to the closure of the site from members of TJ. One described the decision as 'hysterical'. Naturally, being two years late with the development plan means that Newham Council is reacting 'hysterically' by finally running out of patience. Typical. It's the usual; We're-not-to-blame, you're-being-unreasonable.
And the chances are low that planning permission will be granted yeah....I thought so.
Although, TJ emerged out of Deobandi, no particular jurisprudence or interpretation of Islam has been endorsed.
TJ's 1926 inception was also believed to be a response to Hindu revivalist movements, which were considered a threat for vulnerable and non-practicing Muslims.
TJ gained media attention, particularly in UK, when it announced plans for the largest mosque in Europe. I was hoping that we could hear the call to prayer, whilst the olympics were going on....something that would show muslim integration and gee up the athletes too.
Good. The council says that any operations on the site have been illegal since 2006, and I am firmly with them on finally having the illegal operations closed.
If I, as a normal person with no religion, were to have been on that site for the last three years illegally, you can bet I would've been thrown off their sooner than now.
They had their chance, and they failed to follow the accepted laws and practices in this country, and they are now reaping the consequences.
I see no problem with this. Break the law, and suffer.
darkpaw,
Would you have the same stance if a new church was being built there?....Just asking ...the law is the law right!
@ Yom_al_Juma 3:40am
The law is the law, as you say. But why did TJ have to build such a big mosque? Islam has already taken over many Christian churches in Britain and turned them into mosques. And with around 1,200 mosques in Britain, you can't claim to have no-where to pray and congregate.
I'm sure that Muslim Olympic athletes will have no difficulty in finding a mosque where they can pray - if that's what they really want to do.
Having such a large mosque so near to an Olympic site is more to do with scoring points for Islam, I feel.
Of course, it wouldn't be a problem if an Islamic country hosted the Olympics and Jews, Christians, Buddhists and Hindus couldn't find a church/synagogue/temple to pray in, eh?
In that case you'd say: Shari'a law is the law. Wouldn't you? Well .... wouldn't you!
Yes, absolutely! I don't see why anyone - regardless of their religion or lack thereof - should be treated better than others.
Like I said, if you break the law, expect to suffer the consequences.
Don't worry, the Olympics, as symbol of the strength and achievement of man and woman alike, striving unencumbered to the utmost, will never be held in barbaric Muslim country.
Can you imagine gymnastics or figure skating in a Muslim country? Do you know what happens to pop stars who try to perform in "moderate" Muslim countries?
But your point about places of worship is well taken. It would never happen.
Somehow Jews have managed to compete for umpteen years without worrying about where to worship. It's so much simpler to pray when you are doing it in relationship with God, instead of counting the butts in the air and being your brother's keeper. It reminds me of those who attend church just to be seen attending church.
I have never ever heard of a house of worship being built to accommodate an Olympic games. No one would see the need but the prideful.
muslims SEEM to always have a problem to pray outside their countries. You never hear about another relgion making a big issue about praying but it seems we have to hear all the whailing of muslims.
Salam Winoceros,
TJ aquired the land before Britian won the rights to host the olympics in 2012.
The Olympics stadium to be built there was to grace the Mosque...not the other way round!
The mosque would have gone up whether the olympics were to be hosted or not. In fact the Olymipics now will become a political tool for the council to stop/slow the bulid.
I expect planning permission to be suddenly granted once the olympics are over.
Yom
"Mega mosque initiative abandoned"
http://www.socialcohesion.co.uk/blog/2010/01/mega-mosque-initiative-abandoned.html
Mr. Bunglawala is Right, Tablighi Jamaat happens to be on wrong place at wrong time... Just a co-incidence happening since the groups foundation during 1926 mecca submit called by Amin al husseini..
http://hrcari.wordpress.com/2009/05/14/what-is-at-stake-with-the-human-rights-coalition-against-radical-islam-hrcari/
"I expect planning permission to be suddenly granted once the olympics are over"
Probably. We should look out for Plan "B" as it is an standard tactic by ALL developers in Britain to make a quite outrageous/unacceptable proposal first. When this has exhausted the opposition they make a second much less controversial application which is what they wanted in the first place and the relieved public lets it go through.
I would say watch this space because time and money are not a problem for them.
'If you build it, they will come'...and come, and come, and come...Islam spreads by means of mosque building...Stop building mosques and Islams growth slows...If there were no mosques in kufr land, you would find few Mahoundians...Ban mosque building in dar al-harb...
very good news FOR NOW, but there are many, many Londoners, keeping a close eye on future developments, with good
reason knowing Britains planning laws.
and strange talk of a 48,000? petition against the mosque,
i signed the first petition against it, that was at least
280,00 Londoners strong, and the most recent i believe was
largest present petition,(even that despicable shill from the MCB admitted that) so somethings awry with reporting there.
still a good start, so "keep em peeled" londoners :-)
very good news FOR NOW, but there are many, many Londoners, keeping a close eye on future developments, with good
reason knowing Britains planning laws.
and strange talk of a 48,000? petition against the mosque,
i signed the first petition against it, that was at least
280,000 Londoners strong, and the most recent i believe was
largest present petition,(even that despicable shill from the MCB Bunglawala admitted that) so somethings awry with reporting there.
still a good start, so lets "keep em peeled" londoners :-D
oops 1st petition 280,000...sorry.
He added: "Tablighi Jamaat has no ties to terrorism. It has been subjected to some unfair coverage."
...............
Yeah—right. Here's more on "TJ", as some have been fondly calling it:
The West's misreading of Tablighi Jamaat actions and motives has serious implications for the war on terrorism. Tablighi Jamaat has always adopted an extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam, but in the past two decades, it has radicalized to the point where it is now a driving force of Islamic extremism and a major recruiting agency for terrorist causes worldwide. For a majority of young Muslim extremists, joining Tablighi Jamaat is the first step on the road to extremism.
Perhaps 80 percent of the Islamist extremists in France come from Tablighi ranks, prompting French intelligence officers to call Tablighi Jamaat the "antechamber of fundamentalism." U.S. counterterrorism officials are increasingly adopting the same attitude. "We have a significant presence of Tablighi Jamaat in the United States," the deputy chief of the FBI's international terrorism section said in 2003, "and we have found that Al-Qaeda used them for recruiting now and in the past."
Read it all:
http://www.meforum.org/686/tablighi-jamaat-jihads-stealthy-legions
The trust was given until January to submit a master plan for the site, although failed to meet this deadline.
Moslems have no deadlines. They just keep coming and coming and coming, relentless.
Also, putting the words "Islam" and "trust" in the same sentence is dizzying and disorienting. To what depths of gullibility are we to sink?
Very funny. Grace the mosque. There is no grace in Islam.
Yom : I expect planning permission to be suddenly granted once the Olympics are over.
I agree. There will be some dirty deals behind closed doors in order to placate the hot-tempered moslems and permission will be granted shortly after the last ceremony has been held for the athletes.
[vomit]
Heh.
Bit in the butt by their own culture. "'Inshalla' it's kind of like 'mañana', but without the sense of urgency."
How predictable that Yom the Bomb writes about his concern with the law!
Because of our reverence for places of worship, Muhammadenism has found its sheepskin to hide its ravenous blood thirsty divisive, prejudicial hate speech, hate, military motivations, planning, scheming, etc.
Mosque safe havens for Islamic hatred and destruction must be psychologically dismantled and cleansed of its satanic filth to be replaced by socially constructive activities such as peaceloving religious groups, programs and/or homeless shelters more in line with humanity.
Mosques are 'black holes' of civilization, peace, harmony and love. Whatever goes near these spiritual syphons is immediately drained of their ability to stay afloat in peace and civility. Wherever these spiritual vampires appear in a neighborhood they bite their host and prevent the bleeding from coagulating. Immediately the attention that society is placing on global warming, humanitarian causes, cleaner air, water, land, food, social justice and all around attempts at improving our world, gets drained into defending itself from and catering to its attackers.
Mosques and Islamic practice must end if there is going to ever be any hope of a safe, loving and peaceful world.