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THE SON OF a British local councillor was among nine people detained by Turkish authorities for allegedly trying to cross the Syrian border, his father confirmed on.
The group were all members of the same family and included four children, among them a one-year-old, British police said.
Shakil Ahmed, a councillor for the opposition Labour party on Rochdale Borough Council, near Manchester in northwest England, said he was “shocked, worried and extremely upset” to hear his son had been arrested on the border.
“It’s a total mystery to me why he’s there, as I was under the impression he was on a work placement in Birmingham,” Ahmed said in a statement.
“My son is a good Muslim and his loyalties belong to Britain, so I don’t understand what he’s doing there.
“If I thought for a second that he was in danger of being radicalised, I would have reported him to the authorities,” he added.
A student pursuing a degree in politics and sociology at Manchester University, Ahmed’s son was among five adults aged 21, 24, 47 and two aged 22, who were arrested in the Hatay region of southern Turkey.
With them were four children, aged one, three, eight and 11.
They all currently live in Rochdale and are expected to be returned to Britain from Turkey “in due course”, a police spokesman said.
“What is obviously concerning is why a family were seemingly attempting to take very young and vulnerable children into a warzone,” said Assistant Chief Constable Ian Wiggett of Greater Manchester Police.
“Such a volatile and dangerous environment is no place for them whatsoever.”
An investigation is underway into why the group was travelling to Syria, but the police said there was no evidence of any imminent threat to Britain.
“I just want to speak to my son and get him home as soon as possible so I can find out what’s going on,” Ahmed said.
The arrests were announced by the Turkish army on Wednesday, but no further details were given.
Turkey has repeatedly faced criticism from its Western allies for not doing enough to halt the flow across Turkish territory of European nationals seeking to join Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Syria.
However it has made a number of arrests in recent months and insists it is doing all it can to control the border.
Nine British medical students of Sudanese origin went missing last month after travelling to Turkey with the apparent aim of crossing into Syria to join IS.
Ankara was sharply criticised over the failure to stop three British teenage girls who crossed the Turkey-Syria border to join IS in February.
But in late March it deported back to Britain a young woman and three male teenagers suspected of trying to travel to Syria.
- © AFP 2015.
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I am coming around to the opinion that instead of stopping these idiots going to Syria , we should be flying them out to “paradise”. Mosul has water and electricity 3 hours a day, food is in short supply and there is constant fighting, It’s a long way form Rochdale and seeing as TV is banned, music is banned unless it’s religious, smoking is banned, food must be muslim prepared. IS burned 2 truck loads of halal chicken recently because it came from the US.
If someone wants to go to this sort of hell I say let them off because if they are of that mindset then why would you want them living next door to you? It would be a case of “Here we are, the Islamic State now give me your passport and don’t come back!”
Gotta lurve that multi-culturism!
They were trying to bring children there. You can’t allow that. Also some of the people who went there – I’m thinking of those three Muslim girls – are simply too immature to be able to make any kind of sensible decision. They absolutely have to be headed off at the pass if possible.
As for the rest -adults- I hear what you’re saying: they’re able to make their own decisions. However there is a huge danger that they’d return even more messed up then when they left and they’d pose a huge risk for a suicide bomb or something similar.
And yet we let the Halawas, some of whom were children at the time, head off jihading and our border gardai failed to stop them. All who go should not be let back. Let them savour the joys of sharia in its magnificence.
I’m probably going to get lambasted for this, but here goes. Right now I wouldn’t trust any male followers of Islam, especially the younger ones. The radicalization of followers of Islam right now worldwide is more than just contagious, it’s an epidemic.
I wholeheartedly agree Stephen!
Thank you Rachel, I just honestly believe that as far as Islam is concerned, the lunatics have taken over the asylum.
I disagree. If we tar all Muslims with the same brush we do them an injustice. Remember the British thought the same about the irish in the 70s & 80s. Islamic groups are trying to overcome islamic extremists although its an uphill battle. Groups like Quilliam are the future of a modern islam. Their views on islam & islamists are fresh & encouraging.
“Imagine there’s no countries It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace”
John Lennon.
Thats completely wrong Stephen and unfair. Muslim people in Ireland are our work colleagues, our neighbours our children’s friends and our friends. Its extremely unfair to alienate and isolate them with attitudes like that. I can understand the attitude though as all the media does is paint them in a bad light. We should know better considering our history.
i really don’t think thats correct. it all depends on how happy and contented they feel in their home country. india has 180 million muslims, number but around odd 80 have gone to fight with ISIS. Also Indian muslim leaders have repeatedly preached against ISIS.
It’s jihad, innit, bruv….
Modern and Islam in the same sentence ! , is that a first ?
@mjhint – Brigitte Gabriel explains why your comment is a naïve one.
http://youtu.be/Ry3NzkAOo3s
@ronan stokes – It’s not about what the media says, rather, it’s about what the Koran says…
http://youtu.be/Ry3NzkAOo3s
I’ve seen this many times. It doesn’t explain any naivety in my comment. You obviously know little about Quilliam I suggest you look it up. It maybe the future of islam. Its a change we can all embrace.
@Mjhint – Islam is about what the Koran instructs, not about what such groups claim it to instruct. You as an unbeliever must submit to Islam it says. You are inferior to them in every way and must give way to them in every way – if necessary, with your life. Islam is actively working to deceive you and others like you as it’s strategy to dominate you and the society you have grown up in. It’s ultimate goal is to take over. It is all laid out in the Koran in black and white, whether you want to believe it or not. So, keep putting your faith in the group you mentioned if that gives you comfort. It changes nothing. Go ahead and embrace it as you say…
Cancel his passport and leave him there .
Cancel their passports.
Id go on as to say let them enter Syria then cancel there passports so they cant get back out and on to a plane ever again
I don’t believe for a second the Labour coucillor had ‘no idea’ about his son’s inclinations. Just last week a story emerged in which a father in the Uk whose son had joined Isis and also claimed to have ‘no idea’ was pictured at Islamist rallies organised by hate preacher Anjem Choudary ripping up a British flag.
The seed is usually planted at home and in the mosque from a young age and British Muslims are usually encouraged from a young age to have disdain for the kuffir.
He would report his son to the authorities? I highly doubt that, as the saying goes blood is thicker than water!
2-5 years in a British jail or 205 minutes on the battlefield. Hardly a hard choice for any parent.
Just goes to show you never know where these nut cases come from. .
Tallagh? ?!!
Allowing large numbers of Muslim into Europe is nothing else but planting Trojan Horse.
Nigel Farage likes this.
I will be arresting and questioning there parents. Don’t for one second believe they don’t know where there kids are.
Generally Irish people are open and welcoming. Indeed we have that reputation worldwide and I like that as one of our national characteristics.
However, one of the downsides is that we now have absolutely no idea who we have living in our towns and villages.
We cannot and should not be afraid to stand up and ask for our immigration laws to be tightened in the face of this.
‘my son is a good muslim’..well there’s your problem right there!
If the son was a good muslim, he would have stayed well away from ISIS
A ‘good’ muslim must follow the example of Mohammad.
But Mohammad was a war-monger who murdered thousands of innocent people, simply for not converting to his new ‘Islam’
Mohammad also had a child ‘bride’ called Aisha bint Abu Bakr, – she was nine years old when Mohammad first had full intercourse with her, He was 54yo.
Muslims must look upon Mohammad as the ‘perfect example’ (insan al-khemi) – to follow.
This seems to fit in with Worldwide Islamic atrocities.
have your say