RIYADH, 2 September 2005 — With the United Kingdom set to take tough action against extremists, including their deportation from the UK, there is every possibility that Saudi dissidents Mohammad Al-Masari and Saad Al Faqih could be among those facing expulsion.
Al-Masari has already closed down his controversial website to pre-empt any action against him by the British authorities. This move came soon after Britain announced its intention of expelling foreigners who “foment, justify or glorify terror.”
Home Secretary Charles Clarke spoke about a string of “unacceptable behaviors” and said he would use his powers to deport and exclude foreigners engaging in any of the numerous activities listed by the government.
Masari, who has attracted attention of the British authorities for displaying footage of three Black Watch British soldiers being blown up by a suicide bomber in Iraq and encouraging insurgents in Iraq to attack foreign troops, had earlier removed the offensive footage from his website.
Masari’s actions came well before The Sunday Times revealed a list of 50 “preachers of hate” who face expulsion under the new rules. The list was drawn up by MI5 and is said to include Al-Masari, Saad Al-Faqih and Egyptian dissident Yasser Al-Siri. The weekly said MI5 had passed on to the government its list of extremists considered to pose a threat.
The British Embassy here could not confirm whether the two Saudi dissidents were going to be deported as part of the UK’s new strategies.
“Extremists who are threat to the security of the country will be deported,” Barrie Peach, a British Embassy spokesman told Arab News without naming anyone in particular. Asked whether his government had set any date for deportation of any extremist, he answered in the negative.
The British move comes in the wake of extremists’ activities deemed hostile by London. The British government had long ignored the Kingdom’s repeated demand for action against the Saudi dissidents. Since 1996, Saudi Arabia has been urging Britain to extradite these two dissidents.
The Sunday Express said Home Office officials were finalizing deportation orders over the weekend on those not considered conducive to the public good.
Quoting a senior Home Office source, the newspaper stated: “Officials are literally going through a whole bunch of names and seeing what their status is and whether we can get shot of them.”
Meanwhile, the European Commission is preparing to publish a new directive that will effectively bar EU states from sending people back to countries where they could face persecution or torture.
It will also limit the length of time people can be detained pending their deportation. Proposals to be unveiled will set out rules for returning illegal immigrants and failed asylum seekers to their home countries.
