While many worshippers at Finsbury Park mosque expressed cautious support, others were sceptical about the news
Worshippers at the Finsbury Park Mosque in north London, an institution once known for its connections to radical Islamists, have expressed both cautious support and disbelief at the death of Osama Bin Laden.
Mubasaher Mumtaz, a computer operator said that if Bin Laden had killed thousands of US citizens, then the US was justified in killing him. "If he was involved in the attacks on America – and many think he was – then I think they can kill him. The killing of innocents is wrong. If he has ordered these killings, then why not?"
Another worshipper, named Hasan, said that he hoped it could mean a fresh start for Britain's Muslim communities. "I moved to Britain just before the 9/11 attacks, and ever since I have heard people using the name of Bin Laden as an insult to Muslims, a way of calling us all terrorists. [His death] might mean that I will never hear about him again," he said.
But others attending Zohar prayers at lunchtime said that they doubted whether the truth of both Bin Laden's death and the 9/11 attacks would ever come out from the US.
The mosque came to public attention more than ten years ago after it was taken over by Abu Hamza, the Egyptian radical cleric in jail who is fighting extradition procedures to the US. Al-Qaida operatives who worshipped there included shoe bomber Richard Reid and Zacarias Moussaoui, sentenced to life imprisonment in the US for conspiring as part of the 9/11 attacks. US cables released by WikiLeaks claimed that dozens of Guantánamo inmates had connections to the mosque.
Trustees of the mosque have made strenuous efforts to rebrand and transform it into an inclusive and welcoming place since ejecting Hamza's supporters in 2005 – they have even changed its name to the North London Central Mosque – and remain understandably wary of the media after sensationalist reports.
Mohammed Kozbar, a mosque trustee, said that the name of Osama bin Laden is not mentioned within the walls of the mosque. "We have been rebuilding the mosque with local MPs and the police. We do not discuss politics because of charity rules," he said.
Reports of Bin Laden's death were being discussed by young Muslim men sitting in the cafes and barber shops in streets adjacent to the mosque. Some believed that his death would lead to an increase in terrorist activity in Britain. Others said that the timing of Bin Laden's death – in the run up toBarack Obama's reelection – would raise eyebrows across the Muslim world.
"This death doesn't mean anything," said Samir Bean, a chef. "We don't know if its real. We have no evidence other than what the US tell us. And we know that we cannot believe them because of the way they lied to us over Iraq. This is politics, and we have seen it all before," he said
His friend, who asked not to be named, said: "This makes it more likely there will be attacks in Britain. Someone here will see it as his duty to avenge the killing with an attack on the British state. They should have captured Bin Laden, not killed him. He wanted to be a martyr, and that's what the Americans have given him. He will be immortal in many people's eyes."