Mohammed was a paedophile

Date: 10/2/2004

Comment

Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 11:54:01 -0700 (PDT) >

>telegraph.co.uk >

>The Prophet Mohammed was a paedophile, says Kilroy-Silk aide >By Daniel Foggo >(Filed: 26/09/2004) >

>Robert Kilroy-Silk, the television presenter sacked by the BBC for writing >disparaging remarks about Arabs, employs an assistant who likens the >Prophet Mohammed to a paedophile. >

>Tony Bennett, a member of the UK Independence Party, was hauled before a >party disciplinary committee two years ago for writing offensive remarks >about Islam in a pamphlet published in 2000. He was banned from holding any >UKIP office for two years. > Hot under the collar: Bennett was employed by Robert Kilroy-Silk >Despite his uncompromising views on Islam, Mr Bennett was given a job a >month ago as a political researcher by Mr Kilroy-Silk, who became a UKIP >MEP in June.

> >Last night Mr Bennett was unrepentant about his comments about Mohammed, >insisting that they were "factual". >

>The disclosure that he employs someone with such strident views will be an >embarrassment to Mr Kilroy-Silk who has been trying to play down the >impression that he is anti-Arab since he was sacked by the BBC in January.

> >In the pamphlet Mr Bennett, a former UKIP parliamentary candidate, >described Mohammed as having had a child bride and suggested that he was a >paedophile. >

>Mr Bennett last week expanded upon his views, saying: "If you look closely >at Mohammed's life in detail, he had many wives and it is an admitted fact >that one of them was nine years old when he called her to get married and >they had sexual relations. Some argue that she was eight.

> >"He had between 16 and 22 wives. In his mid-fifties he called his chosen >[child] bride. He would take the bride to his room and have sexual >relations. That is conceded by Islamic scholars. All these are facts.

> >"If that happened in this country today then the person concerned would be >charged with child sexual abuse. It's odd to me that no one these days >seems to examine his life too closely because if you compare Mohammed's >life to the life of Christ there is a big difference.

> >"One of the concerning things is that Muslims are required to follow the >example of their leader, the prophet.

> >"When you put his life under scrutiny and look at what he did, there were >attacks on Jewish communities, other Arab communities, there were all these >wives and changes made to the Koran to suit his personal circumstances."

> >Mr Kilroy-Silk's decision to employ Mr Bennett sits uneasily with his >claims that he has "no truck with Islamophobia".

> >The former televison presenter had his BBC1 morning show dropped eight >months ago for writing disparaging remarks in his column in the Sunday >Express. Under an article entitled "We owe Arabs nothing", he wrote that >Arabs were "suicide bombers, limb amputators and women repressors".

> >"Few of them make much contribution to the welfare of the rest of the >world," he wrote. "Indeed, apart from oil - which was discovered, is >produced and paid for by the West - what do they contribute? Can you think >of anything?"

> >When the Commission for Racial Equality complained to the police that his >comments had incited racial hatred, the BBC reacted by scrapping the >presenter's daytime talk show Kilroy. >

>At the height of the furore Mr Kilroy-Silk insisted that he had never >criticised Muslims, but had only intended to direct his comments at Arab >states. He said that his television programme had "done more to improve >race relations in this country than any other single institution".

> >Mr Bennett, who lives in Harlow, Essex, and was sacked by UKIP MEP Jeffrey >Titford from his position as his assistant in 2001 for writing disparaging >remarks about a former colleague, said last night: "In the past I have been >outspoken.

> >"I think everything I've said is factual, although occasionally it strays >to opinion and the tone may have been a bit wrong on occasions. >

>"But I have been asked specifically by the party and by Robert Kilroy-Silk >to keep a low profile and not to send e-mails which could be regarded as >inflammatory."

> >Mulsim leaders said that Mr Bennett had got his facts wrong. They said that >Mohammed had arranged to marry one of his wives at a young age, but that >the marriage had not been consummated until years later.

>Inayat Bunglawala, of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "Mr Bennett is >obviously basing his knowledge of Islam on books of hatred. He is only >seeking to increase the divisions between people instead of helping >different people. In that he has a great teacher in his employer, Mr >Kilroy-Silk."

> >Yesterday Mr Kilroy-Silk said of Mr Bennett: "I'm aware that he was >disciplined. I have not gone through all the details. > >"I only found out about this a week ago and I have no problems with him."

>

>He added: "The pamphlet was a couple of pages that he sent round to two or >three interested people to try and explain why September 11 had happened. >It was a very reasoned, academic, exposition of what he saw as the Koran at >that time and what it said and didn't say. You should look at the thing in >total." > > > .........................000000000