Indeed I think this is an attempt to push the site to the front page of google... I remember speaking with his Sheikh (whose nick name was Milk Sheikh as he always loved to have a McDonalds after his speeches – these pesky American imperialists EVERYWHERE!!!) who has very interesting interpretations of Islam and the Quran which needed to be challenged by all Muslims rather than encouraged by the western media as representative of Islam.
Islam is a diverse religion, with so much richness and potential to empower people – yet the Anjems playing their Banjos or Bakris doing their Takfiris cloud peoples minds Muslim and non-Muslim alike...
There is radicalisation taking place within Muslims when they only see the media bringing these types of Muslims forward.... Maybe its time the media played a constructive role and got Muslims to openly debate the supposed values of Anjem Rotten?

Is there a point to this article? These people (radicals) are a threat to our social fabric and though I appreciate the attempt to patronise them I'm not sure where the point is behind calling them punks.

Beware!

Islam's main goald is to conquer the world.

Convert or you shall never see light.

Good luck to non-muslims!

I don't understand how this ended up on the Int'l Front Page.

The article isn't relevant or newsworthy. The title of the story is only consistent with an unfunny quip at the end.

That is the most obsurd stretch for an article angle I have ever seen. How on earth can you relate the domain name Islam4UK.com with the Sex Pistol's Anarchy in the UK LP? Run this one through the symbolic logic software and I think you will find there isn't much there.

'All of which leads me to ask....' What do you mean, 'all of which ?' The only link I see between 'Islam4 UK' and 'Anarchy in the UK' is the letters UK. That's not very much, is it ?

I had to think about this a bit to make sure I wasn't overexaggerating, but no, I'm sure I'm not: this is the greatest offence to logic that I have ever read in my entire life.

So let me get this straight. You're saying that you see a connection between Anjem Choudary and Johnny Rotten because the former has a website called "Islam4UK" and the latter wrote a song called "Anarchy in the UK"? I think I just lost a few brain cells trying to think about that.

I'm hoping to make a roast on Sunday and I really needed to find a good butcher. Thankfully there was a handy site I found called "Butchers in the UK", which proved to be additionally funny because it carried distant echoes of the punk movement of the 1970s. That sort of thing makes me happy to be living in the UK. Oh! "Living in the UK". I did it, too! Butchers, Choudary, Johnny Rotten and me. We're so punk!

This man is a monster...I am Muslim and this man is 100% unislamic... why oh why oh why does the media constantly give this monster a voice.

Anjem Choudhary is a nobody. The amount of support he has from the Muslim community is not even worth calling minuscule, it's so less. But the media, pursing some sort of agenda, keeps him on the screens and front pages. It's about time YOU started questioning that notion? Who cares about this idiot anyway? I don't see the KKK on the TV or newspapers every day nor do I see Nazis going on about their views. The media definitely knows how irrelevant they are, why can't they figure this one out? Makes one wonder what's really rotten here.

A Muslim

Distant echoes of a punk movement you say? "Punk" was never a movement, it was more of an attitude – an attitude that some of us still possess to this day and exercise as often as necessary. Choudary is not punk, is not a punk and will never be a punk. Clever use of letters and numbers aside, it is quite the stretch to relate this man to Mr. Rotten.

Lydon, if he gets to read this, is most likely sneering into his morning tea and hurling some choice epithets the likes of which I highly doubt a religious zealot like Choudary would dare to utter and in not being able to utter certain phrases artfully there is no way Choudary could ever be pUnK. I would love to give some examples but....I will leave that to the readers' imaginations.

Punk rules and lives but not in that man.

that's a bit of a stretch. islam4uk reminds you of the sex pistols because they use the letters uk? what a pointless article.

That was the dumbest blog entry I ever read. WTF was that!? If you want to joke about something at least make it funny.

Really, why is he not deported back to from whence he came? There he can practice his islamic radical speeches to those interested. Enjoying the advantages of the democratic West yet intention is to change it to the bigotted style of radical Islams. Can't understand it. If you want to be radical Islam – head off to Pakistan. Whilst in the UK, obey the laws or face deportation. When in Rome... 'n all.

Because, clearly, uniting a country under one religion is "anarchy"...

riiiiight.

A pathetic stunt at best.

Ahmed Khalil asks: Is there a point to this article? Well, up to a point, there is, yes.

It’s the idea that shock-value and a culpable media are both important elements of how both the Pistols/punk and Anjem Choudary/Al Muhajiroun have gone about business. They trade on their outlaw status and therein lies part of the appeal: We stand apart from society and sneer at it. We hate it; we hate everything it stands for. Destroy.

Also… having spoken with community workers who are involved with tackling extremism day-in, day-out, I think one can take the argument further and suggest that both Rotten and Choudary are now, to varying degrees, trading on past notorieties. Their relevance is not what it was. But the fury keeps coming. I will endeavour to flesh this out in a subsequent posting.

There’s no great truth uncovered here – some, indeed, may object that a post like this betrays a feeble moral relativism. I would contend that it’s a useful metaphor if we want to understand radical Islam as a social phenomena.

So what's the point?

Spot on. I was saying this for years. What has been totally missed out in the coverage of British Jihadis is how BRITISH they are, and in what way they are British. They seem to enjoy staying in the press and playing for shock value in the media the same way as Rotten and Malcom McClaren did. this is a British trait. Well observed.

Mohammed traced himself back to Abraham by 40 generations, a number of generations unable to span the 2700 years. Why doesn't anyone stand up to these people in illusion? Also Mohammed honored Issa (Jesus) umpteen times. Meanwhile the rest of the modern world is coming to the understanding that the Jesus story is just another solstice hero story. If I honor false prophets what am I? The only thing on the horizon for Islam is the same that lies on the horizon for Judaism, Christianity and Hinduism, which is the revelation that they are all tracable to ancient serpent cults, snaking immortal gods and the sun of the true one. It's only a military philosophy of first and last warrior standing under the brightness of the supreme sun, and is due zero respect from thinking adults. Why bow down to bullies in illusion? I am the holder of political permit 08-15 in Boca Raton FL USA. Game over is closer than these people think – the politically permitted sign has a hyperlink at http://www.myspace.com/revelation911 and can be printed and posted.

Why don't you just take an example of China and Europe your loosing the "tutch" ,Baby!

I was a full-scale, nihilistic (not just anarchist, because there was an element of serious deconstructionism built into the actual Punk approach to existence) punker - the music was symbolic, but not the actual point of the Movement - in mid-1970s NYC.

A small part of me, left over from 30 years ago, is annoyed by the general trivialisation of something that was in its time and place, a legitimate expression of social despair, and hopelessness so abject as to be self-deconstructing. The article is trivialising. Most of the responses are trivialising. The latter, in particular.

A much larger part of me, despite the fact that I actually do see what you were trying to say, is APPALLED that you would equate a representative (howsoever marginal) of a Major World Religion, to a symbol of a decades-long (anti-)social philosophy!

That says nothing whatsoever about Islam, nor even about this character Choudhary, but it certainly gives me insight into YOUR bias!

I didn't study social justice and psychology for nothing. Islam is not my religion, but my mother studied the Sufis and Muslim poets of the Indian Subcontinent, and the wider world, and taught me much that she knew. I went on to study religions, and Religion, and have a great deal of respect for Islam.

I will not sit still, and hear even a very questionable Muslim, be equated to John Ryder (or whatever he calls himself now - who sold out the meaning of Punk, and was repudiated long ago). I see what you are trying to say, but.... So far, not so good.

@ Andrew

If you ever decide to have a bash at it, I'll be interested to see it.

@ Mark Dixon Reilly

Whatever you've been huffing, mate, it's interfering with your ability to make sense. You might want to stop, before your brain is melted.

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