British Govt Proposes Banning 15 Groups

LONDON, October 13, 2005 (AP) – The British government on Monday proposed banning 15 international ‎Islamic groups under antiterrorism legislation, continuing its crackdown on extremism in the wake of the July ‎bombings in London. ‎
Among the 15 are the groups Ansar al-Islam and Ansar al-Sunnah, which have carried out waves of deadly attacks ‎against coalition troops in Iraq, and several militant Islamic groups in Pakistan. It was not immediately clear what ‎impact the proposed bans would have. According to the government, none of the groups are officially represented ‎in Britain or appear to use the country as a recruitment or fundraising base. ‎

The Home Office said some of the groups, however, had supporters or members in Britain. Home Secretary ‎Charles Clarke said Britain would not “tolerate terrorism here or anywhere else in the world.” ‎
‎“The attacks of July 7 and 21 have served as a stark reminder of the need to maintain a vigorous approach to ‎dealing with terrorists and their supporters,” he added. ‎
Some 25 international organizations and 14 groups in Northern Ireland are already banned in Britain under the ‎Terrorism Act 2000, including al-Qaeda, Hamas and the Irish Republican Army. Extending the list requires the ‎approval of both houses of Parliament. ‎ Once a group is on the list, it becomes a criminal offense, punishable by a maximum 10-year jail term, to be a ‎member. A banned organization can appeal directly to Clarke to be taken off the list, and if turned down can ‎launch an appeal in the courts. ‎

The Islamic group Al-Ittihad al-Islami, which aims to impose Islamic law on Somali society, also faces a ban. It is ‎already listed by the United States as a terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda, operates openly as a religious ‎organization and is a powerful economic force in southern Somalia. ‎
Ansar al-Sunnah has repeatedly claimed responsibility for powerful car bombs and suicide bombs in mosques, ‎markets, bus stations and other civilian areas in Iraq. Ansar al-Islam was formed in the Kurdish parts of northern ‎Iraq and is believed to include Arab al-Qaeda members who fled the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2002. ‎

The other groups that Britain intends to ban are: Groupe Islamique Combattant Moroccan—an anti-Western group ‎formed by veterans of the 1980s Afghan war against the Soviet Union; several militant groups in Pakistan ‎including Harakat-ut-Jihad-ul-Islami, Harakat-ul-Mujahideen/Alami, Khuddam ul-Islam, Jamaat ul-Furquan, ‎Jundallah, the outlawed Sunni Muslim group Sipah-e Sahaba and the linked militant group Lashkar-e Jhangvi; ‎Harakat-ut-Jihad-ul-Islami-Bangladesh which aims to impose an Islamic regime in Bangladesh; the rebel Afghan ‎faction Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin; the Islamic Jihad Union which aims to eliminate the current Uzbek regime; and ‎the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, which seeks to overthrow Libyan leader Moammar Ghadafi. ‎

Under the legislation, Clarke can propose banning any organization “concerned in terrorism” either in Britain or ‎abroad—a definition which covers committing, preparing, promoting or encouraging terrorism. ‎
The government intends to widen its powers, so it can also ban groups that glorify terrorism.‎

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