Fit these guys for a zunnar. From Life Style Extra, with thanks to a tea-loving snail:
LIFE STYLE EXTRA (UK) – An orthodox Jewish Rabbi and an Anglican vicar today took the witness stand to back ‘preacher of hate’ Abu Hamza despite him listing Jews and Christians as the second and third enemies of Islam.
Rabbi Joseph Goldstein told the Old Bailey that he met up with the cleric at Finsbury Park Mosque in north London to discuss the pastoral care of a Jewish man that had married a Muslim woman.
At the time Hamza, 47, was the imam before he was thrown out and barred from preaching inside the mosque by its trustees.
Rabbi Goldstein, who is involved in synagogues in east London, said: “I met him in the office of the mosque and we spoke on the phone a couple of times.
“He was very pleasant, friendly and we and a cordial relationship.”
“He was very open, very cordial and it was very easy to discuss the matter. We talked about various things, both personally and things that affected the community.”
And the vicar of St Thomas’s Church in Finsbury Park, Rev Stephen Coles, told the court how the pair met for the first time after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington to promote “inter-religious dialogue”.
He said: “We got on extremely well. He was very hospitable. He asked me if I wanted a cup of tea and he treated me like a normal human being.”
Oh, well, then he must not be a jihadist.