His mother took him there to keep him from being “radicalized,” and he returned more “radical” than ever. Is this mosque being investigated? If not, why not? “Woolwich attack: Michael Adebowale’s mother ‘tried to prevent radicalisation,'” by Josie Ensor, Edward Malnick and Martin Evans in the Telegraph, May 24 (thanks to Kamala):
The mother of a suspected Islamic terrorist who allegedly hacked a British soldier to death tried desperately to turn him away from extremism but “could not get through”, according to friends.
Michael Adebowale, the 22-year-old son of a Christian probation officer and a member of staff at the Nigerian High Commission, was filmed holding a bloodied cleaver in his hand after Drummer Lee Rigby was butchered in a London street.
Friends said he had been a “lovely boy” but became involved in some “serious trouble” as a teenager and then turned to Islam. He started mixing with some “bad people” and became increasingly extreme in his views.
His mother Juliet Obasuyi, a 43-year-old probation officer, went to her friend and neighbour, a 62-year-old security officer, for help about nine months ago after her son dropped out of university.
She told him: “Michael is not listening any more. His older sister is a good Christian with a degree but Michael is rebelling as he has no father figure, dropping out of university and handing out leaflets in Woolwich town centre.
“He is from a strong Christian family but he is turning to Islam and turning against the family. He is preaching in the streets. He needs spiritual guidance before he radicalises himself.”
Another friend, Steve Adebiyi, who started a company with Mrs Obasuyi, said she was often left in tears after speaking to him on the phone. “The boy was giving the mother problems,” he said. “She said he was in with some bad group and causing a lot of trouble. They brainwashed him.”
He and Michael Adebolajo, the other suspected terrorist, are thought to have met at Greenwich University.
His mother was advised by a neighbour to take him to the head of the Woolwich mosque for spiritual guidance. He was converted to Islam by the head Imam, and taken for weeks of “further training” at a centre near Cambridge.
When he returned, however, he was even more “radicalised” and his mother could no longer “get through to him”. A spokesman for the mosque said they did not know if he attended or been converted there.
She subsequently returned to Nigeria, where she is pursuing a career in politics.
Neighbours in Greenwich said he had been a “lovely boy” who was a keen Manchester United fan, but as a teenager became “angry at a lot of things”.
Magdalene Edwards told Channel 4 News: “He was a lovely boy. Very gentle natured, very respectful to elderly people.
“He was angry at a lot of things like a lot of young people are. About a year ago is when I saw him with this whole Muslim dress.
“I said to him are you a Muslim. And he said yes, he’s gone that way now. I said just be careful, I’m aware that there are some that ride on the coat tales of Islam and they’re really not serving their cause.”…
Well, that all depends on your point of view.