August 27, 2009

Muslim man claims he was kidnapped and threatened at knifepoint over prayer sessions

• Incident linked to BNP, says community leader
• Far-right Essex councillor denies members to blame


Racist attackers abducted a Muslim community leader at knifepoint, bundled him into a car and threatened his life unless he stopped running prayer sessions in a community hall that has been the target of a British National party campaign.

Police have confirmed they are treating the incident as a hate crime and are investigating links with an earlier firebomb attack on the same man's home.

Noor Ramjanally (photo, top), 35, told the Guardian he had been the victim of a terror campaign which has also involved threats against his family after he began the Islamic prayer sessions in March. He said he fears for his life after the abduction at knifepoint, which happened at his home in Loughton, Essex, on Monday.

A BNP campaign has been blamed for rising tensions in the area. The party has been leafleting the area warning of "Islamification" which it says flows from the weekly two-hour prayer session, which it claims is a prelude to a mosque being built.

Ramjanally said he was abducted from his home in daylight by two white men who threatened him with a knife, bundled him into a car then drove him into woodland. They demanded he stop organising the Friday prayer sessions at Murray hall community centre. He said the words from his abductors matched the BNP propaganda opposing the Muslim prayers. The same demand was contained in hate mail he received last month threatening his wife and child, he said.

Councillor Pat Richardson, leader of the BNP group on the local council, said her party was not behind the attacks on Ramjanally. "Firebombing is not a British method. A brick through the window is a British method, but firebombing is not a way of showing displeasure," she said.

Ramjanally said: "I believe the BNP campaign has inspired the violence."

He said he was snatched at around 12.15pm and feared he would be murdered during his ordeal. "I was at home and the door bell rang. I opened the door and they grabbed my wrists, pulling me out by force," he said.

"It was two white men. They put a knife upon my stomach, and said do what you're told or you'll get hurt." He said he was then bundled into the boot of a 4 x 4 vehicle, with one of the men holding a knife to his chest.

Ramjanally said he was driven for 10 minutes to nearby Epping Forest, walked around, and then threatened: "They said 'We don't want your Islamic group in Loughton.' I was scared, I feared for my life. I was in a forest, a knife was held against me, how would you feel? They said, 'If you don't stop, we'll come back.'"

The attackers then left Ramjanally alone in the woods. Essex police said an investigation was under way into the incident and two earlier ones at Ramjanally's home.

"Police are treating the incidents as 'hate crime' and a possible motivation would appear to be a link to the use of the Murray hall, Loughton by the Muslim community for Friday prayers," the force said.

Superintendent Simon Williams of Essex police said: "We are treating these offences with the utmost seriousness and are putting considerable resources into the investigation.

"While that investigation continues we will be working with the whole population of Loughton to ensure that all members of the community are free to practice their religion and beliefs safely and freely."The prayer sessions at Murray hall began on 27 March, with nine people worshipping. Now up to 80 people attend.

On 2 July, Ramjanally received an anonymous threatening letter telling him to stop using the hall for prayers and stating the author knew which school his child went to and which car he drove. The next day his flat was firebombed. The BNP has four councillors in the area and its leafleting campaign in late July has been attacked as inflammatory and divisive.

Richardson said she had seen the leaflet before it was released last month. She was sceptical of Ramjanally's claims of a terror campaign. "I told the police we want to object that fingers were being pointed in our direction," she said.

She also denied that BNP members were behind any violence. She believes that the weekly Muslim prayer meeting is a prelude to an attempt to encourage more Muslims to move into the area, and thus to vote out the BNP. "I was wondering whether it was a ploy to attract more Muslims to the area to try and vote out the BNP councillors," she said.

Richardson said the Muslim prayer meeting did not fit in with the area's mainly white population: "It's not really natural for the area because there are so few Muslims," she said.

At Murray hall yesterday there was little sign of the building being turned into a mosque. The hall's caretaker said a children's group was using the premises.

Passing by was lifelong Loughton resident Paul Luton, 57, who said: "Who says [the hall] can't be used for different things. A community is a community. If there's a local community of Muslims, they're local people."

Mohammad Fahim runs the nearest mosque to Loughton which was firebombed in 2000. He said racists have used the fears of new mosques in the area to stoke racial and anti-Muslim tensions.

The BNP describes Fahim's mosque, in south Woodford, four miles from Loughton, as "notorious" and claims it has incited violence. In fact, Fahim works as a chaplain for the Metropolitan police.Loughton, which borders the eastern fringe of London, is affluent in parts, with a number of houses on its millionaire's row, called Alderton Hill, owned by British Hindu families. It is also a road, said Fahim, where women wearing headscarves are racially abused by passing white motorists. He advised one Muslim woman to remove her headscarf to avoid being a victim of hate crime. According to the 2001 census, just over 1%of the area's residents describe themselves as Muslim.

One owner of a takeaway, who said he would fear for his safety if either he or his shop were named, said he often faced racist abuse: "This area is rubbish. So many times there is trouble."

Last year a 20-strong white gang attacked his shop, leaving one Asian employee with head wounds.

He said often the abuse and violence happened when people were drunk. "Tonight they call you Paki and tomorrow they come in for food."

Abdurahman Jafar, chair of the Muslim Safety Forum, which advises the police, said: "The campaign of terror has followed a campaign organised by the BNP whereby they delivered hate literature to locals citing the small Friday prayer sessions as evidence of how 'the Islamification process is almost complete'." Recent months have seen a sharp rise in religiously motivated attacks against the Muslim community including attacks on outwardly Muslim appearing individuals, mosques and pogroms directed against the Muslim Community."

* * *

How the hate campaign unfolded

27 March 2009: Nine people attend first Muslim prayers at Murray hall, Loughton, Essex, organised by Noor Ramjanally

2 July: Ramjanally receives anonymous hate mail warning his group to stop. The author says they know which school his child goes to, what car he drives. The letter is delivered by hand

3 July: Ramjanally returns to his flat at midday to find the door ablaze after a suspected firebombing attack

23 July: A BNP leaflet appears alleging Murray hall will be turned into a mosque and warning in other parts of east London that "the Islamification process is almost complete". The BNP says: "We'll do all in our power to prevent Islam creeping into our town." BNP group council leader says she approved the leaflet before its release

24 August: Ramjanally abducted by two white men wielding a knife, driven to Epping Forest and again threatened if he does not stop running his prayer group

25 August: Essex police say all incidents are being treated as hate crime, with a possible motive being the use of Murray hall

26 August: At the hall the BNP says is being turned into a mosque, children of all races engage in soft play.

The Guardian

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

So a brick through a window is OK in your books Richardson you bitch!!!! How would you like it?

John P said...

"Firebombing is not a British method. A brick through the window is a British method, but firebombing is not a way of showing displeasure," she said.

Pure class. I wonder if any BNP members have firebombed anything in the past?

Anonymous said...

Another BNP councillor advocates law-breaking and denies us the right to worship God in whichever way we please and in our own country!

Fascists.

Party Boy said...

I pray to the plastic impregnated vinyl God ‘Party Tent Marquee’ the God of decidedly rainy weather and ruined BBQ's.

Anonymous said...

"Pure class. I wonder if any BNP members have firebombed anything in the past?"

Andy McLorie BNP's Northern Ireland regional organiser convicted of fire bombing. You can also add Copeland the nail bomber killer and Lecomber (who still lives very close to Epping,) and is friends with Richardson.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/programmes/2001/bnp_special/membership/organisers/andy_mclorie.stm

Anonymous said...

real BNP

Anonymous said...

Woodford Green resident Lecomber a few years ago attacked BNP bigwig Eddy Butler outside Loughton Tube station while wearing a ski mask, the Essex police should be taking a keen interest in his whereabouts at the time of Mr Ramjanally's abduction, BNP psycho Lecomber and his criminal chums are capable of anything!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/programmes/2001/bnp_special/membership/organisers/tony_lecomber.stm

Anonymous said...

"...and Lecomber (who still lives very close to Epping,) and is friends with Richardson."


Given this fact, the man's history and his permanently unbalanced state of mind I hope police will be following up this particular line of enquiry.

Does anybody know whether Griffin is still in contact with and receiving advice from Lebomber btw?

Anonymous said...

Sorry, can I just bring another matter to your attention down here in the south.

If you check out Little Bobs daily rant on todays London Patriot blog, you will read that this nasty little bloated pig has named 3 Labour Councillors in B & D as nazis.

Now that might not be a big thing for many on here, cos we are all big enough to take it on the chin so to speak, but please spare some thought for one of these councillors, who although in his 80s is very active and well respected, and more importantly he is Jewish, and like many of his age lost many of his family to the nazi gas chambers in Hitlers war.

Little Bob is due in court on the 2nd September to face his drink driving charge, I do so wish that someone would lay out for the Judge in his case just what a nasty creature this b......d is.

tulip

Anonymous said...

Councillor Pat Richardson, leader of the BNP group is a SON OF A B***H!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

BNP legal director Lee Barnes has attacked Noor Ramjanally with the following comment on his rancid blog:

Lets hope the cops nick the bullshitting Muslim idiot who accused the 'BNP' of kidnapping him

Source:

http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/http://leejohnbarnes.blogspot.com/2009/08/bnp-blamed-for-climate-change.html

Nice to see the usual sanity from the BNP.

eric the fish said...

Note the Mailites are either claiming this is a hoax or not connected with the BNP leaflet. One notable commenter is Coouncillor Chris Cooke of Tamworth. In 2007 this so-called independent helped deliver leaflets for the BNP and printed leaflets.

See - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1209374/Muslim-leader-kidnapped-knifepoint-ordered-stop-community-prayers-BNP-leaflet-campaign.html

and (shameless plug)

http://ericthefishking.blogspot.com/2008/04/cllr-chris-cooke-cocks-up-completely.html

Anonymous said...

"Does anybody know whether Griffin is still in contact with and receiving advice from Lebomber btw?"

The convicted violent BNP scumbag Lecomber has been spotted on several occasions recently campaigning in Redbridge, this mentally unbalanced, maniac certainly hasn't been laid to rest by his master in Wales! Remember back in 2005 when he wanted to organise the assassination of Labour Party government ministers when his lord & master was looking at a prison sentence at Leeds Crown Court. If the Essex police don't think Lecomber is a prime suspect in the case of Mr Ramjanally, he must be on somebody's payroll? Remember the police took no action against him in the assassination plot 4 years ago? Read full story below.

http://www.zen26144.zen.co.uk/articles/thelecomberstory.htm

eric the fish said...

Video and 'fithy Muslim' comment now removed from Mersey BNP site. Maybe on orders from above? Does anyone have the original video saved and/or BNP screenshot? Should have saved it myself but didn't think it would disappear so quickly!
I need some stuff for a blog post.

Anonymous said...

THE Muslim community leader who claimed he had been kidnapped by two men and dumped in Epping Forest has been arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, the Guardian understands.

Noor Ramjanally, of Valley Hill, Loughton, had alleged last week that two men abducted him from his flat and forced him into a 4x4 at knifepoint.

He said they drove him to Epping Forest in the boot of the vehicle before taking him out and telling him to stop the Muslim prayer services he had begun at Murray Hall in March.

Today (September 3), Mr Ramjanally has been arrested and is being questioned at Harlow police station.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “A man has been arrested in connection with an ongoing police investigation into an alleged abduction in West Essex.

“Police were contacted on Monday August 24 by a man who stated that he had been abducted from his home in the Valley Hill area of Loughton.

“On Thursday September 3, police arrested a 36 year-old man from the town on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.”

Expect to see the BNP making massive inroads in Loughton next year. They should lock up this idiot for he has possibly put back the antifa cause back years in the region in the misguided interests of his religion.

eric the fish said...

@Anon 10.16pm...assuming guilt.

If true then yes this is such a goof.

[OT - is it possible for anon posters to at least use a nickname at the end of comments so we know who we're responding to?]

Wasn't happy with some of the 'facts' of this case (as reported) and the supposed links to the BNP. Hope it's not like that leaflet The Sun botched up on.

The BNP councillor's comments are still vile.

Anonymous said...

How sad. I hope that this hasn't deterred the poor guy from preforming his prayers there in future...which was obviously the aim. Which really shouldn't be BNP/anybody's concern. Hope he remains strong, firm and steadfast with trying to practice his religious beliefs. The Muslims are targetted and labelled just as the earlier prophets were when trying to establish the religion, so that's a good sign. I hope that the BNP perish in thier own hatred, racism and fascism. They think they are a supreme race (like hitler) but are just a bunch of ignorant losers with no life, who have nothing better to do than to stick thier oar into everyone else's business. What do they REALLY know about Islam? Probably nothing. Why don't they just live and let live and just chill out. It's almost flattering that they spend so much time scheming and thinking about the Muslims and black people. They'll never get anywhere though...the likelihood of BNP ever getting rid of all non-whites as they likelihood of seeing pigs with wings fly.