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The Psychedelic Booby Trap Issue

Allahu Akbar in a Parking Lot

On April 9 I stood in the parking lot of a Paris gas station and watched some 40 fundamentalist Muslims pray toward Mecca and chant “Allahu Akbar!”, scaring the piss out of holidaying motorists.

Photos by Boudewijn Bollmann

Members of Sharia4UK and Sharia4Belgium pray toward Mecca and, incidentally, in front of a huge Carrefour sign. On April 9 I stood in the parking lot of a Paris gas station and watched while some 40 European fundamentalist Muslims prayed toward Mecca. Afterward they chanted “Allahu Akbar!” and in the process scared the piss out of bewildered holidaying families who had pulled off the highway to use the toilets. The scene was a result of a canceled protest of the French ban on wearing niqabs and burkas in public, which came into effect on April 11. I was there to interview Abu Imran, the spokesperson of Sharia4Belgium, one of a new wave of media-friendly Muslim fundamentalist groups who believe that Islamic law will ultimately rule over Europe. A few weeks prior, both Imran and Sharia4UK’s Anjem Choudary (who was featured in Jihad Milkshakes and Royal Wedding documentaries) announced the rally via YouTube and invited supporters to join them. The day before the rally, however, French authorities prohibited the demonstration and arrested 61 would-be protesters.

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Earlier in the day I had called Imran to ask where in Paris we should meet, and he informed me that the police had detained him at the end of the toll road just north of the city. My traveling companions and I—a photographer and cameraman—immediately hopped in our car and sped toward Imran’s location. A bit later, we pulled up to the road where Imran said he was being held and stopped at the tollbooth. We watched as two vans containing Imran and other members of Sharia4Belgium sped away, surrounded by a police escort with sirens blaring. Excited, we told the toll attendant to keep the change and followed the vans to a police station in an industrial zone about 25 miles north of Paris. After everyone parked their vehicles, about 20 men with beards, djellabas, and head cloths stepped out of their vans and onto the pavement. Policemen stood around, MP5s hanging over their shoulders. When we walked up to the lot, Imran was just being led inside. “Join the brothers outside,” he said to me. “We will talk later.” A bald, goateed police officer wearing a pair of shades that belonged on a middle-aged bodybuilder told us to wait by our car instead. He assured us that, if we cooperated, we would be able to speak to Imran later. Fifteen minutes later, we asked the officer whether we could film some of the Muslims who were sitting in the grass. He banged his fist on his Kevlar-encased chest and told us that if he had to tell us to leave again there would be “problemes énormément, colossal.” We waited by the car again, and an hour and a half later the police released everyone except Imran. Three of the Muslims walked up to us, wondering what we were doing there. We explained to them that we were journalists. One of the men told us that Imran was still being detained. “They gave us no reason why,” he said. We asked them whether we could still cover the demonstration even though Imran would not be attending. They agreed, and soon we met Imran’s replacement: a modest and soft-spoken Belgian-Moroccan man (he would not give us his name) dressed in a white djellaba. It was 1:45 PM. The demonstration had been scheduled to begin 15 minutes earlier.

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In no time we were cruising down the highway, wondering what would happen if and when the demonstration took place. Fifteen minutes later, their vans pulled into the parking lot of a gas station adjacent to a Carrefour (the French equivalent of a Walmart Supercenter) and we followed them. We later learned that the police had canceled the demonstration, stating that it was “clearly an incitement to violence and racial hatred,” and that Jewish groups and others were planning to confront the Muslim protesters, which could easily lead to public disorder.

“We understand that every Muslim or everybody with a beard is being arrested in Paris,” Imran’s replacement said. “We’re going to wait here until our friends in the city call us to tell where we can meet without police interference.” A 22-year-old Muslim from Antwerp added, “Our mothers and sisters have been forced to undress themselves. Our basic rights of freedom of religion have been taken from us.” Everyone turned to watch a bus with about 50 Muslims from the UK drive up to the parking lot. The Belgians warmly greeted their British counterparts. With a couple of exceptions, all of them were in their late teens to mid-20s. A 30-something bald black guy seemed to be running the show. He introduced himself as Abu Izzadeen. I asked him what his deal was and why he and his crew were only now arriving. “We left at two in the morning from the UK today,” Izzadeen said. “In Calais, we were held, and our beloved sheikh Anjem Choudary was barred from entering the country. No reason was given. And that’s the arbitrary nature of democracy. When laws are man-made instead of God-given, they can be used to deny Muslims their basic rights. You can change them as you see fit. It doesn’t apply to Muslims. The demonstration was forbidden because the niqab is seen as a political symbol. Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world. There will come a day when the flag of Islam will be flown over all of Europe—Rome, Paris, and 10 Downing Street. It is inevitable. Whatever Sarkozy and his ex-model wife do, Islam will conquer.” Never before have I heard the words “ex-model wife” spoken with such disdain. Izzadeen also told me that he’d spent three and a half years in a British prison on terrorism charges. While we spoke, young Muslims gathered around us, holding up flags and mugging for the camera.

A few of the guys bought french fries at the Carrefour that they insisted on sharing with the crew and me. As we munched on the grub, they tried to convince us of the blessings of Islam. It was funny to watch them go on about the pitfalls of Western society as they stuffed one of the West’s most delicious culinary treats into their mouths. After some hours of happy bonhomie mixed with more renunciations of man-made democracy, we made preparations to follow the Muslim brothers to Paris. The caravan made a pit stop on the outskirts of the city, and our photographer tried to talk to some women wearing niqabs. Of course, the mood went sour. The Muslims dispersed and wandered off into the city, and we decided to go home to Amsterdam. The next day we learned that Imran was detained until 8 PM, when a couple of Belgian police officers arrived to drive him back to Belgium, where they released him without incident. He told us that while he was in custody in France, Sarkozy’s secretary allegedly called the station to inform the police that the leader of Sharia4Belgium was barred from entering France. We also realized that Izzadeen (aka Trevor Brooks, aka Sheikh Omar Brooks)—the feisty older gentleman we met in the Carrefour parking lot who was not a fan of Mrs. Sarkozy’s pert and mostly hairless body—was a somewhat famous Muslim extremist. And he definitely wasn’t lying when he claimed that he had served time in a British prison. In fact, Izzadeen was arrested on charges of terrorism and has been quoted by the Sunday Times as saying that he wants to die a suicide bomber. Oh yeah, he’s also stated that the 7/7 bombings of London were “completely praiseworthy,” according to the Daily Mail. He’s just the type of role model impressionable young Muslims need.