Islam versus Europe

An Islamic extremist group is flouting a Home Office ban by reconstituting itself under another name.

Members of Muslims Against Crusades (MAC), which expressed hostility towards British servicemen by publicly burning giant poppies, are now operating under the name United Ummah (a reference to the global Islamic community).

They launched a YouTube channel and hosted a demonstration at the American embassy in London within a month of MAC being proscribed in November.

One video on the YouTube channel praises Anwar al-Awlaki, an Al-Qaeda preacher killed by a US airstrike earlier this year. It has been viewed more than 15,000 times.

A comment posted on the website by an anonymous user states: “Thanks for the info. i was looking for MAC site which was banned and now u told me its [sic] now United Ummah. thanks for the update!”

This is the ninth incarnation of Al-Muhajiroun, a group originally set up by Omar Bakri, a Syrian sheikh who is barred from Britain. Bakri’s followers have also operated under the names Al Ghurabaa, The Saved Sect and Islam4UK — all of which are banned.

The Home Office said: “Organisations that cause us concern, including those that might change their name to avoid the consequences of proscription, are kept under constant review.”