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Law could cost cleric UK passportReform lets UK strip 'abusive' dual nationals of citizenship
LONDON, England -- New immigration powers that would let Britain strip dual nationals of their UK citizenship could be used against Muslim cleric Abu Hamza. Egyptian-born Hamza, 45, who was granted UK citizenship after marrying a British national, has repeatedly preached against the West at the North London Central Mosque in Finsbury Park. He was removed from his position at the mosque by the UK Charity Commission in February, after being accused of abusing his post to preach inflammatory sermons. On Tuesday, reforms in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act come into force that allow British citizenship to be removed from immigrants who "seriously prejudice" Britain's interests. Home Secretary David Blunkett introduced the reforms, saying those "abusing the privilege" of UK citizenship by acting against the UK's vital interests should not be allowed to keep it. Home Office minister Beverley Hughes told the British parliament last month that Hamza and others "are being very, very closely monitored". Andrew Dismore, a member of parliament for the governing Labour Party, said Hamza should be a prime candidate under the new law, which would give Hamza the right of appeal if his citizenship were revoked. Dismore has accused the controversial cleric of running down Britain and wanting to turn the UK into a Taliban-style state. Hamza, who came to Britain in 1980 and is missing a hand and an eye, has been vocal in support of Islamic fundamentalism and condemned the invasion of Iraq as a "war against Islam." He said the September 11 attacks on the United States were part of a Jewish plot, and in February he called the Columbia astronauts "thugs of space" who deserved to die when their shuttle disintegrated. He said the crew -- Americans, a Hindu and an Israeli -- were a "trinity of evil" punished by Allah and that it was a sign from God that debris rained down on a town in Texas called Palestine and called it "a divine act." Hamza, leader of the Supporters of Sharia group, first came to prominence in 1999 when five Britons of Pakistani origin were convicted in Yemen for plotting bomb attacks. Among those arrested were his teenage son and stepson, and prosecutors said Hamza had sent the group to Yemen. Hamza is wanted on terror charges in Yemen but denies involvement in terrorism. Earlier this year, British police raided the Finsbury Park mosque in a probe into the discovery of ricin poison in north London. At the time, Hamza was forced to preach outside in the street. British newspapers have singled out the mosque as a focus for Muslim extremism. Shoebomber Richard Reid and the alleged "20th hijacker" on September 11, Zacarias Moussaoui, both attended the mosque.
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