by Chris McLaughlin
A university appearance by an Islamic extremist who has endorsed the murder of gays has been cancelled following complaints from human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.
Abu Usamah had been invited to address the Islamic Society at University College London on November 4.
But Mr Tatchell accused the university of double standards in allowing the meeting to go ahead because of public comments made by Mr Usamah in the past.
In a documentary for Channel 4 broadcast two years ago Mr Usamah was recorded as saying: “Take that homosexual man…and throw him off the mountain. If I was to call homosexuals perverted, dirty, filthy dogs that should be murdered, that’s my freedom of speech, isn’t it?”
He also called for the crucifixion of Muslims who abandon the faith, described women as “deficient” and intellectually “incomplete” and advocated violence against young girls who refuse to wear the hijab.
Mr Tatchell said: “The university would never allow a lecture by a white supremacist who used racist abuse and advocated the murder of black people. Why the double standards?”
A statement from UCL Union which organised the event said the meeting was cancelled “due to concerns that the health and safety criteria cannot be met”.
