When I first learned of his conviction, I admit to having been elated. At last, I thought, a troublemaking fanatic had been placed where he could do no harm. It did not take long for my elation to turn to bafflement. The more I thought about it, the more it did not make sense. The authorities had been trying to nab Chaudary for years, and yet failed to pin anything on him. He is a trained solicitor who knows how to stay within the law.Why then did he do something so blatantly illegal that it would automatically lead to a conviction? Had he suddenly suffered an attack of stupidity?
I do not believe that Chaudary let his guard down. I think that he knew what he was doing, although my guess of his intent is just that - a guess.
Before I discuss my theory, I think we should remind ourselves what Choudary was up to before he made his apparent blunder. Before he became an Islamist, Chaudary was a bit of a lad, as we know. He then encountered Omar Bakri Mohammed, who converted him to Islamist radicalism, and co-founded al- Muhajiroun.
He was a vociferous critic of the UK's involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Besides this, he praised those responsible for the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks, and he refused to condemn the killers of Lee Rigby., saying:
"I'm not in the business of condemnation or condoning. I think if anyone needs to be condemned it is the British government and their foreign policy"
According to Chaudary, one of the two killers, Michael Adebolajo, who he knew personally, was a "nice man".
He regularly called for the implementation of Sharia law throughout the UK. He marched in protest at the Danish cartoons controversy, following which he was prosecuted for organising an unlawful demonstration. During a protest outside Westminster Cathedral in 2006, Choudary even told demonstrators that the Pope should be executed for insulting Islam. In 2010, he was fined for burning poppies on Armistice Day.
Because of his legal training, Choudary evaded prosecution on any serious charge. He also showed himself to be adept at using the media. As Nesrine Malik says in The Guardian:
"The first time I encountered Anjem Choudary in real life, I was struck by one thing: how good he was at creating a spectacle and attracting attention, given his own lack of importance. He knew how to play a media that was begging to be played. He gave them what they wanted – a show".
He was a regular on news programmes, "The Big Questions" and Fox News in the USA. On Fox News, one presenter called him a "sick son of a bitch" and cut him off. All this was grist to the mill for Choudary, who loved a platform for controversy and winding up opponents and critics - even fellow Muslims. Far less newsworthy, still less mentioned, was the fact that most Muslims deplored Choudary's antics and condemned him. As Nesrine Malik says:
"It doesn’t feel gracious to say this, but we told you so. Muslim journalists and activists spent years tearing their hair out in frustration at the platform Choudary was given. Many spoke out against this disproportionate exposure and boycotted shows he was invited on. In 2010 Mehdi Hasan condemned a “sensationalist and irresponsible media” that had been “deeply complicit in the rise and rise of this fanatic”.
Since his conviction, of course, he has been silenced. But it would be a mistake to think that Mr Choudary has been squashed. I believe that he deliberately broke the law, hoping to be imprisoned, for two reasons:
1. He wished to become acquainted with de-radicalisation techniques, to see if he could devise counter techniques for imprisoned Jihadis.
2. Choudary knew that ISIS/Daesh began in prison in post-invasion Iraq - Camp Bucca to be exact. Two years ago, there was talk of moving all Islamic radicals to a single prison here in the UK. Choudary might have liked that idea, hoping to create a British version of ISIS/Daesh in the same way as the evil Iraqi version.
Fanciful? maybe, but not impossible.
In any case, it is a fact that Choudary has been moved to a special unit in HMP Frankland for hardened Jihadis. As "The Telegraph" says:
"Anjem Choudary has reportedly become the first known Islamist to be moved to a “separation centre” at HMP Frankland in County Durham...The centres, also known as “jihadi jails”, were proposed after a review into prison extremism recommended preachers and terrorists who tried to convert or incite others should be kept separate from mainstream prisoners."
Well, I wasn't too far wrong. The unit in HMP Frankland will be one of three such units in UK prisons. Choudary, however, will not be in there for very much longer. He has been astute enough to behave in prison, and could be eligible for early release. As soon as this coming December, we could be dealing with a newly released prison-smart Anjem Choudary. He will be difficult to ignore, and will have much to say about life in prison. The ominous silence will be broken.
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