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Source: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-792049
The UK Has an Islamist Problem
(Jerusalem Post) Jonathan Spyer - There have been weekly mass demonstrations in London in support of the Palestinian side in the Gaza war. Since the UK has little influence on Middle East events and no influence on Israeli or Hamas decision-making, demands for a "ceasefire now" on the streets of London will produce nothing on the ground in the Middle East. The demonstrations are significant, however, in that they showcase the arrival in British public life of a new political force: a mass, Islamist-led street presence that seeks to enforce its will on the public space and intimidate its opponents. The weekly demonstrations for Gaza attract upwards of 250,000 participants. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned on Feb. 29 that there was a "growing consensus that mob rule is replacing democratic rule." A flyer handed to me at the March 9 march contained the logos of organizations backing the protests. Two have clear links to Hamas. The Muslim Association of Britain was co-founded by Mohammed Kathem Sawalha, a former senior Hamas military operative in the West Bank. The MAB is a Muslim Brotherhood-associated group. Its leaders include Azzam Tamimi, described by the Daily Telegraph as Hamas' "special envoy" in the UK. Friends of al-Aqsa is described by Israel's Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center as "harboring an intense hatred for Israel, campaigning for its elimination, denying its Jewish character, and supporting Hamas."