Campaigners want mosque leaders to ban clerics with homophobic views from using their premises.

Concerns have been raised about some preachers at the East London Mosque and the London Muslim Centre which activists including Guardian journalist Julie Bindel and Pride trustee Colm Howard-Lloyd say have “created an atmosphere in which hate is socially acceptable; they have spread a message in which maiming and violence is the most dutiful, honourable, devout thing to do.”

Gay hate crime in the borough of Tower Hamlets, where the mosque and centre are located, has risen 21% in the last year. This includes the distribution of ‘gay free zone’ stickers for which teenager Mohammed Hasnath was fined £100 earlier this month.

Although the mosque and adjoining centre had distanced themselves from the stickers the campaigners said in a statement that they have allowed many ‘hate preachers’ to speak there over recent years, adding, “The East London Mosque claims to have no responsibility over those who speak there. The East London Mosque also claims to be opposed to the ‘gay-free zone’ campaign and homophobia. We demand that the East London Mosque live up to its stated word, take ownership of its platform and stop allowing its premises to be used to promote gay-hate campaigns.”

A spokesman for the mosque said booking procedures have been tightened and that the director has publicly condemned homophobia. He added, “I can see where the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community is coming from. That £100 fine was a slap on the wrist. One of the things that needs to be noted is that there are a small number of extremists in our community that are stirring things up. We have done as much as we possibly can. The LGBT community need to take that in good faith.”

[Via The Guardian]

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