'Islamic extremist not investigated correctly' (From Your Local Guardian)

'Islamic extremist not investigated correctly'

8:31am Thursday 22nd February 2007 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

Council bosses failed to properly check out claims an Islamic extremist was preaching in Sutton, a national newspaper has claimed.

In a letter to Sutton Council, the Daily Mail said councillors rubbished their report about a poison preacher operating in the borough without checking the facts.

A Daily Mail article on January 13 said a man called Abdul Lateef stirred up religious hatred at prayer meetings by making extremist statements such as every British soldier in Iraq should be killed.

Their letter to the authority was accompanied by transcripts of what Mr Lateef is alleged to have said at the council-owned Youth Centre Sports Hall in Robin Hood Lane.

Following receipt of the letter and transcripts, the authority banned Mr Lateef from speaking on council property and have written to the Daily Mail asking for their further co-operation.

The Daily Mail letter, written by executive managing editor Robin Esser, said: "It was alleged that the Daily Mail had no evidence to support the claims that he made extremist remarks. This is incorrect and damaging.

"It was claimed your council had asked the Daily Mail for the evidence, but had been refused. This is incorrect and damaging.

"If, at any time, you or your council had officially and properly asked for the evidence, it would have been sent to you."

After the publication of the Daily Mail story Mr Lateef was summoned to an investigatory meeting with councillors at which he denied making claims such as non-muslim Britons were dirty and unclean.

The council said they tried to contact the newspaper for information, but got no response and asked Mr Lateef to make a public statement refuting the article.

Councillor Stuart Gordon-Bullock said: "We have now got the transcripts but we don't know in what context the speeches were made. Until you have actually got the whole tape you can't make a judgement.

"I think the council was quite right to approach this in a cautious manner."