Mick Hartley

Worried about the Deobandi takeover of Britain’s mosques and the spread of hardline Islamism? It turns out it was all foretold, as we’re informed in a letter to the Times today:

The exposure of Deobandi extremism highlights a deep problem in most Muslim communities: the absence of a single, central authority to which imams can be held accountable (“The home-grown cleric who loathes the British”, Sept 7). As a consequence, a very twisted understanding of Islam has found its way into Muslim thought, and many clerics devoid of proper learning enjoy significant influence within many mosques.

In fact it fulfils a prophecy of the Prophet Muhammad himself who warned that some centuries after him, mosques would become empty of piety and virtue, and the scholars would become “the worst creatures on earth”. These, the Prophet said, would be signs for the appearance of a Muslim Messiah who would revive true faith and restore the beauty of Islam.

So now we know why the Muslim moderates have been so quiet. They’re waiting for this Muslim messiah, to “revive true faith and restore the beauty of Islam”.

Encouraging, eh?