A convicted jihadist who was previously jailed for his role in an armed terrorist plot on a British consulate has confirmed that he will be running in a council election in the multicultural hub of Birmingham.
Pakistani-born Shahid Butt, 60, has attempted to downplay the Islamist infiltration of the United Kingdom, despite running for office as a convicted terrorist.
Butt is running to represent the overwhelmingly Muslim area of Sparkhill on the city council of Birmingham, Britain’s second-largest city.
British Moslem (from L to R) Mohamed Mustafa Kamal, the son of British based Moslem fundamentalist Abu Hamza al-Masri, compatriot Shizar Nabi, Algerian Kamal Ali Mohammad and Briton Shahid Butt listen for the court verdict in Aden 09 August 1999. Eight Britons and two Algerians were condemned as terrorists by a Yemeni court and jailed between seven months and seven years for planning a murderous bombing campaign in Yemen. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
The council candidate was convicted in 1999 of having formed an armed terror group planning to attack an Anglican Church, a Swiss-owned hotel, and the British consulate in Yemen, the Birmingham Mail reported.
Butt’s group was also alleged to have been tied to an Islamist group that kidnapped 16 and killed four Western people in 1998 in Yemen.
His violent past stretched before that, however, having been jailed for his role in street violence in the 1980s in Birmingham, where his parents migrated to from Pakistan. Butt is alleged to have been a member of the Pakistani Lynx gang, which would clash with nativist groups in racist street battles.
The Islamic activist has also recently called upon Muslim youth in Birmingham to “work out at the gym and learn to fight” to be prepared for potential attacks from “disbelievers”.
In November, Butt also called on Muslims from around Britain to descend on Birmingham during the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer match in the city. He told followers that they needed to stop Israeli fans “desecrating” and “dirtying” the city, while also claiming that “babykiller” Israeli soldiers would also be in attendance.
Visiting Israeli football fans were ultimately banned from attending by local police, who attempted to claim that there were concerns over the Israeli fans, when in reality they were concerned over violence from the local Muslim population. The local police chief was later forced to resign after it emerged that the force had relied on fake evidence produced by an AI chatbot to accuse the Tel Aviv fans of wrongdoing.
Butt has denied being an extremist or antisemitic and has pitched himself as a unifying force who campaigns against radicalism.
“I genuinely believe I can unify and bring people together. Even if we are talking about the far right, if you stick to your guns and stand firm, your enemy will respect you. I believe strongly I can bring people together. I don’t have a degree from a university but I do have a phD in life.”
The convicted terrorist also rejected that there is an “Islamic takeover” of Britain’s second city, which became the first in the country to see its native white population become a minority. Around one-third of the city identifies itself as Muslim.
“There is a certain agenda pushing that, it is overhyped. They are giving us too much credit. Muslims are not that powerful,” Butt said.
“When I’m sitting in the council chamber, I will not be implementing Sharia law, I have to abide by British law, the law of this land. I will be an advocate of the law of the land. The irony is that the word Islamist is (misunderstood), Islamists believe in democracy, surely that is a good thing.”
“People suggest we are fifth columnists living here…partly that’s because of the strength of the narrative being promoted by the far right, who now have billionaires and politicians behind them. Muslims don’t have the power and influence to counter that narrative. We are British citizens and abide by British law, we are not implementing Sharia law, this is not a Muslim country.”
His candidacy comes amid an increasing trend of Muslims running as independent candidates rather than with the left-wing Labour Party, as they have traditionally done. The trend largely emerged in the wake of the October 7th terror attacks in Israel, after which Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer was accused of taking a conciliatory position towards efforts by Jerusalem to wipe out the Hamas terrorists responsible for the massacre of over 1,200 people.
Follow Kurt Zindulka on X: Follow @KurtZindulka or e-mail to: [email protected]
Read the full article here