Bartholomew's Notes

Here’s one I overlooked from last month – from the Herald Citizen (Tennessee):

Sam Solomon may be an expert on Sharia law — but he doesn’t practice it.

Not anymore.

And tomorrow, the former Muslim and Islamic jurist from England will be at Tennessee Tech — one of several stops he’s making in Middle Tennessee in the coming days — to share his story of conversion and discuss different aspects of Sharia law, which is the legal system of the Islamic religion.

…Also speaking will be English social activist Andrea Williams, who, along with Solomon, works with England’s Christian Concern, an organization that seeks to introduce a Christian voice into law, the media and government…

…Solomon, in addition to his work with Christian Concern, serves as an advisor to British and European Parliamentarians. He lectures around the world on religious issues and is an expert witness on Islamic and religious matters.

…The Christian Concern Sharia law conference is being presented in association with the Tennessee Freedom Coalition, a nonprofit organization designed to educate Tennesseans on policy matters relating to a variety of political, economic, and religious issues, including Islamic radicalization.

…In organizing the Sharia Law Conference, Zelenik had some local assistance from Kerry Duke, dean at Tennessee Bible College in Cookeville.

A photo of Williams and Solomon with the Tennessee Freedom Coalition’s Andy Miller and Duke can be seen on the TFC’s Facebook page; according to the caption:

Andy Miller and Tennessee Freedom Coalition is proud to stand with UK’s Christian Concern, Sam Solomon and Andrea Williams, and Kerry Duke !! Great Event at TN Tech today!

This event seems to have been a prelude to the “Preserving Freedom” conference which took place in Nashville last weekend: Solomon spoke at that event, as did Christian Concern’s Paul Diamond. According to WorldNetDaily, Diamond told the crowd at “Preserving Freedom” that

he and his British colleagues are going to begin coordinating their legal efforts with the Tennessee Freedom Coalition.

I thought that WND (or Diamond) had perhaps here meant William Murray’s “Religious Freedom Coalition”, but even if that is the case, the Tennessee Tech event shows that Christian Concern is indeed allied with the Tennessee Freedom Coalition – an organisation which offers enthusiastic support for the English Defence League and for Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (a “brave man” who is bringing “truth to light regarding the spread of radical Islam both in the United Kingdom and around the world”).

Solomon and Williams have featured on this blog previously: Williams has made links with the Christian Right in Europe, while Solomon is the author of The Mosque Exposed, which claims that Muslim immigration to the west is a religious “obligation” undertaken as a form of jihad, and that moderate Muslims are engaging in a ruse as part of a conspiracy.

One “European Parliamentarian” with whom Solomon is particularly close is the UKIP MEP Gerard Batten; in 2007 it was announced that

Gerard Batten MEP held a press conference in the House of Lords on 29th April to launch in the UK the Proposed Charter of Muslim Undertanding, commissioned by him from Islamic scholar and author Sam Solomon.

The purpose of the Proposed Charter is to help identify those Islamic teachings that can be used by extremists to justify or condone intolerance and violence, and to offer moderate and peaceful Muslims a means of disaccociating themselves from those teachings. 

The document itself can be seen here; Solomon thanks Batten for “his kindness, leadership, sincerity and all his help”, and Diamond for his “legal expertise”. Batten – who spends his time worrying about Bilderberg conspiracies as well as Muslims – has made use of Diamond’s “legal expertise” himself, as explained here:

In a sensational ruling, an East London judge has declared that wives share full criminal liability for the actions of their husbands when it comes to TV licensing. Stratford Magistrate Court’s District Judge Celia Dawson has convicted Mrs. Batten under Section 363 of the Communications Act because of her husband’s refusal to pay the TV license fee.

…Mrs. Batten did not appear at the trial, but was represented pro bono by a leading human rights barrister Paul Diamond.

A March 2011 report in Searchlight claimed that Alan Lake, who was at that time involved with the EDL (he’s since fallen out with the group) “boasts of his links with Batten”, although details are scarce and so far as I can see unproven. Searchlight also speculates that Lake may have come across Solomon previously – Lake formerly attended Kensington Temple, a large neo-Pentecostal church in London where Solomon has given at least one sermon.

Returning to the Tennessee Tech event organisers, Kerry Duke and the Tennessee Bible College are also of interest; when not attacking Islam, Duke warns us that

The Catholic church does its best to denigrate the role of the Bible. Their ploy is to destroy faith in the Bible as the final authority so that men will be driven to Rome for direction.

Duke has also arranged adverts on billboards to promote “Biblical marriage”.

UPDATE: It appears that at least one leader of the Tennessee Freedom Coalition has personal links with the EDL: according to a 25 November Facebook posting in the name of the group:

Both Tommy [Robinson] and Paul [Weston] are Friends of Mine and will BOTH DO THEIR BEST FOR THE FOLKS OF BRITAIN!

Paul Weston heads the British Freedom Party, which recently entered into an alliance with the EDL.

UPDATE 2: The TFC’s Andy Miller apparently met “Tommy Robinson” earlier this year. The EDL website stated in July that

Leadership have met with TFC and are in talks with them to form a working relationship and TFC are intending to come back to the UK to have further meetings with Leadership.

In September, the EDL Support Group posted to Facebook an “Email received from Andy Miller Tennessee Freedom Coalition“:

Within the first 10 minutes of meeting Tommy (very privately in another dear new friend’s home in N. London for dinner) I knew I was sitting and talking with my younger brother.  He is currently jailed in London for breaking his bail for going to the EDL’s demonstration in Tower Hamlet.  He started a Hunger Strike the minute he was taken in.

What I can tell you about Tommy is that He Alone charged the Muslim protesters who pulled out a 4 foot paper Poppy and set it on fire during the Country’s moment of silence for it’s War Dead.  He grabbed the Black Flag of Jihad.  He has the Heart of a Lion.

He is 28 years old.  He recently got married.  He Loves his Country and will NOT sit idly by and watch what is happening to his Home.  He is a Christian that Loves God.  There is not a Single Racist or Bigoted Bone in his Body.  He GETS this subject right.  He is not Over Educated but IS EXTREMELY SMART.  when I think of one of my other famous English Hero’s, Churchill, I as well think of Tommy.  He is a Natural Leader and because of that his Government is Very Afraid of Him.

When I left that evening I told him that he is my brother.  I have talked with him since returning several times.  I will always stand Proudly by Tommy.  He and the EDL, which in 18 months has grown well past 100,000 strong, is Britain’s Last Best Hope.  He deserves Our Total Support.  I will support him with All that I Have and Am and Will.

Please read his words from Prison.  Know that he is Fighting Our Fight.

Yours as Well-

Andy

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