MAC's call for sharia march in Waltham Forest

Saturday, 30 July 2011

There is no place for Sharia Law in my city. 

The Muslims Against Crusades march to inaugurate Waltham Forest as England's first Sharia controlled zone set off from Leyton station over an hour late today. There was no official EDL counter demonstration but individuals went to observe and try to express their contempt. The pictures say more than words.

Anjem Choudary and his brother were both there, and I can't tell them apart.

This is Leyton Trinity Methodist Church. I attended their youth club in my teens and worshipped there occasionally. I have written before about how the church cross was stolen from the front of the building one night. The gap where it should be remains.

At intervals the march would stop while the police stopped traffic along the next the next stretch of road. The speech given at this point was on the lines of 'Turn to Islam, do not fight Islam, do not resist, submit to Islam' If the marchers look at little pained it was because at this point I was moved to sing the hymn Jerusalem as firmly as I could. If I was to be arrested for singing a hymn outside a church where I have worshipped so be it. But the police also put their hands over their ears and the march moved on.

I don't know why the young chap gave me this - I am obviously neither a brother, nor a Muslim.

Progress was slow so I left them in Leyton High Road and went ahead to the junction at Leyton Green. The police refused to let anybody out of the Shoelaces pub on the corner of Capworth Street as a speaker gave a lecture on the evils of alcohol.

The placards give a flavour of their intentions. There were no women or children, only 50 or so men.

Abu Izzadeen, aka Trevor (not very clever) Brooks does like a nice rant, especially if a minion can be persuaded to carry his loudspeaker.

The police didn't spot the flag until too late.

The historic Bakers Arms pub, which gave its name to the area where Lea Bridge Road, Leyton High Road and Hoe Street meet became a branch of Paddy Power's betting shops in January. There was a lot to say on the subject of both betting and alcohol. Had the march turned left they would have passed a motel popular with Pakistani men for selling drugs and meeting ladies of the night. That would have given them something else to say. However they carried straight ahead up Hoe Street taking the direct route to Walthamstow Central Station. I decided not to follow them but to slip down the backstreets so I could watch them come into the Town Square.

Some patriots with their own placards managed to get through the doors of the pub but no further as the march passed. There were several hundred youths, of the turbulent, restive variety, hanging around the station. They hurled abuse at this counter protest. "EDL scum" is the best I can repeat.

In the 80s when the local authority decided to 're-develop' the area by Walthamstow Central station and Walthamstow Street market they pulled down a swimming pool and dug up the bowling green so that the bus station could be extended and a shopping mall built. The bit of land left in the middle was grassed over and named the Town Square. There is a regualr da'wa stall there on a Saturday. The MAC made their way into the centre of the square in, to give them their due, an orderly fashion. The foul mouthed boys following them milled about, some riding bikes in a pedestrian area.

They cheeked the police, were cocky, stroppy, refused to push their bikes when told not to ride them and generally behaved with a complete lack of respect. At one point they surrounded the Christian Evangelical group who were preparing some Christian outreach for later. The police stopped and searched a couple of them, but this didn't discourage the others.

They were a welcome sight. Nothing is impossible with God. I needed to be reminded of that. I have a lot of respect for the evengelical Christians, mostly black Africans, who have the faith and courage to do outreach work in Walthamstow market.

This elderly lady went a stage further and took the message, repent your sins, directly to one of the Choudarys. She was laughed at for her pains but I admire her.