Investigation uncovers ISIS sympathising women meeting in council-owned centre

The ISIS supporting women uncovered by Channel 4 met in the Asian centre in Orford Road Walthamstow. I recognised the hall. So did the council who own the hall and I’m glad to see that they took immediate action. From the Waltham Forest Guardian

A COUNCIL owned community centre being used by a group of ISIS sympathising women has stopped the group from meeting there after their shocking preaching was exposed.

The Asian Centre in Orford Road has been used for a ladies group every Tuesday, but undercover filming shown on Channel 4 on Monday revealed the shocking preaching of those attending.

In the documentary ‘ISIS: The British Women Supporters Unveiled’ a woman went undercover to meet with women supporting jihadists. After eight months of talking to them online she met with them and was allowed to attend an invitation-only meeting – which was held in Walthamstow. 

A woman named Umm Saalihah, who says online Muslims should go to Syria, preached to the group. Speaking about the bombing campaigns in Syria, she said: “Not like the cowards throwing air strikes at the Khilafah (Islamic State) and killing innocent people.”

Umm Saalihah also praises hate preacher Omar Bakri Mohammed, who has been banned from Britain and is now in jail in Lebanon, and speaks of her admiration for jihadi fighters saying ‘hasten his release’. Umm went on to brag about ISIS fighters she is in contact with over the internet.

During filming, the women can be seen contacting each other over Twitter and meeting with members associated with banned group They Tweet and tell people not to vote in the UK, not to wear the poppy and they re-tweet messages from jihadists.

The investigation was brought to a close a month before the terrorist attacks in Paris when one of the female ISIS supporters became suspicious of an undercover reporter.

Last night, the Orford Road Asian Centre displayed a sign stating women’s groups were cancelled from yesterday. The council has been asked to comment, 

The comments are good. There was a time when the comments of the Waltham Forest Guardian were full of the sort of naive well-meaning people who insisted that Islam is a religion of peace and anybody who raises valid criticism is a vile racist. Three EDL demos faced enormous opposition. But I believe that a combination of the nature of that opposition, and events such as the Muslim Patrol have opened a few eyes, and given the courage to speak to others whose eyes were never shut.