November 2, 2007 | Sex & Society

Hate spreading in London mosques

The Times of India is reporting a frightening trend in London mosques. Apparently 1 in 4 sell extremist literature "calling for the execution of gays, forbidding interfaith marriage and ordering women to strictly stay indoors." And some of the books are found in institutions funded by the Saudi government.

So claims the report 'The Hijacking of British Islam', an investigation undertaken by the Policy Exchange think-tank looking into the changing face of Muslims in the UK. Lead  researcher, Denis MacEoin of Newcastle University, stated that  "on the one hand, the results were reassuring: In only a minority of institutions -- approximately 25 per cent -- was radical material found. What's more worrying is that these are among the best-funded and most dynamic institutions in Muslim Britain, some of which are held up as mainstream bodies." [more]

That there is a strong conservative faction within the Islamic community should not come as a surprise. As with any religion, such as Christianity and Judaism, there will be those who rely on their religious texts to challenge anything they find foreign, strange, or undesirable. What makes this more terrifying, though, is the violent rhetoric these books contain.

And though we may never know the answer, what exactly are these religious groups hiding, regardless of faith, that they need to distract us with the red herring of homosexuality?