Muslim teacher in veil row's link to 7/7 bomber
by SAM GREENHILL and LAURA CLARK
The Muslim teacher suspended for refusing to work without her veil is connected to a hardline mosque where the ringleader of the July 7 bombers worshipped, it has emerged.
The family of classroom assistant Aishah Azmi, 24, plays a key role at the fundamentalist Markazi mosque in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire - which was attended by suicide bomber Mohammed Sidique Khan.
Until recently, Miss Azmi's father was joint headmaster of the secondary school attached to the building.
The family are known to worship there and may have encountered Khan before his terrorist act.
However, there is no suggestion that Miss Azmi or anyone in her family have any connection with terrorism.
Tube bomber Khan and co-conspirator Shehzad Tanweer are said to have attended prayers at the mosque.
Khan, 30, who worked as a teaching assistant in nearby Leeds, lived in the town with his Indian wife Hasima Patel before killing himself and six others in the Edgware Road blast last year.
The mosque is run by Tablighi Jamaat, a radical Islamic movement believed by intelligence agencies to be a fertile source for recruiting young extremists.
Two months ago, Tablighi emerged as a link between several of the men arrested over the plot to use liquid bombs to blow up transatlantic airliners.
Richard Reid, the jailed shoebomber who tried to blow up a flight to America, also attended mosques run by the group.
As a woman, Miss Azmi is more likely to pray at home than attend the mosque, although it does have a room reserved for females.
But her father, Dr Mohammed Mulk, is understood to be a regular, and is named as a joint headmaster of the mosque's school, Jaamia Talimul Islam.
The grand 3,000-capacity building towers over the redbrick terraced streets of Saviletown, a Muslim enclave of Dewsbury.
The school was criticised by Government inspectors for being less of a classroom and more of a madrassah - an Islamic teaching house where pupils learn the Koran by rote.
Ofsted slated the school's 'over-emphasis' on religion, concluding in a report: 'Teachers showed limited understanding of pupils aptitudes, needs and prior attainments.'
The inspectors, who visited in March last year, said the over-emphasis on religion meant secular studies were neglected. (AtW: in a secular society religion should only be taught to adults who have ability to make rational decision - such indoctrination of children should be prohibited)
Miss Azmi's father responded at the time by telling the Times Educational Supplement: 'Parents send their children here for an Islamic education. They don't want their sons to take exams.'
A spokesman for the mosque said yesterday: 'He is not the headmaster any more. I cannot pass on his details to you. The spokesman insisted the mosque had no links to Islamic extremism, adding: 'We do not create those sorts of people.
'We are an organisation that offers information to Muslims on how to reform themselves.'
Yesterday a Muslim Labour MP urged Miss Azmi to drop the appeal she is planning after losing her legal battle to wear a face veil in class.
Shahid Malik, who represents Dewsbury, said there was 'no sense' in continuing her fight. It has emerged she is seeking tens of thousands of pounds in legal aid to fund her case.
Tory leader David Cameron backed Headfield Church of England Junior School in Dewsbury which suspended her.
On Thursday the tribunal found the school had been within its rights to stop her employment if it feared the veil was affecting the children's education.
Leader of the Commons Jack Straw triggered the debate when he said he asks constituents to remove their veils during consultations. Tony Blair described the veil as a 'mark of separation'.
Mrs Azmi was not at home last night and calls to spokesman Nick Whittingham were not returned.
by SAM GREENHILL and LAURA CLARK
The Muslim teacher suspended for refusing to work without her veil is connected to a hardline mosque where the ringleader of the July 7 bombers worshipped, it has emerged.
The family of classroom assistant Aishah Azmi, 24, plays a key role at the fundamentalist Markazi mosque in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire - which was attended by suicide bomber Mohammed Sidique Khan.
Until recently, Miss Azmi's father was joint headmaster of the secondary school attached to the building.
The family are known to worship there and may have encountered Khan before his terrorist act.
However, there is no suggestion that Miss Azmi or anyone in her family have any connection with terrorism.
Tube bomber Khan and co-conspirator Shehzad Tanweer are said to have attended prayers at the mosque.
Khan, 30, who worked as a teaching assistant in nearby Leeds, lived in the town with his Indian wife Hasima Patel before killing himself and six others in the Edgware Road blast last year.
The mosque is run by Tablighi Jamaat, a radical Islamic movement believed by intelligence agencies to be a fertile source for recruiting young extremists.
Two months ago, Tablighi emerged as a link between several of the men arrested over the plot to use liquid bombs to blow up transatlantic airliners.
Richard Reid, the jailed shoebomber who tried to blow up a flight to America, also attended mosques run by the group.
As a woman, Miss Azmi is more likely to pray at home than attend the mosque, although it does have a room reserved for females.
But her father, Dr Mohammed Mulk, is understood to be a regular, and is named as a joint headmaster of the mosque's school, Jaamia Talimul Islam.
The grand 3,000-capacity building towers over the redbrick terraced streets of Saviletown, a Muslim enclave of Dewsbury.
The school was criticised by Government inspectors for being less of a classroom and more of a madrassah - an Islamic teaching house where pupils learn the Koran by rote.
Ofsted slated the school's 'over-emphasis' on religion, concluding in a report: 'Teachers showed limited understanding of pupils aptitudes, needs and prior attainments.'
The inspectors, who visited in March last year, said the over-emphasis on religion meant secular studies were neglected. (AtW: in a secular society religion should only be taught to adults who have ability to make rational decision - such indoctrination of children should be prohibited)
Miss Azmi's father responded at the time by telling the Times Educational Supplement: 'Parents send their children here for an Islamic education. They don't want their sons to take exams.'
A spokesman for the mosque said yesterday: 'He is not the headmaster any more. I cannot pass on his details to you. The spokesman insisted the mosque had no links to Islamic extremism, adding: 'We do not create those sorts of people.
'We are an organisation that offers information to Muslims on how to reform themselves.'
Yesterday a Muslim Labour MP urged Miss Azmi to drop the appeal she is planning after losing her legal battle to wear a face veil in class.
Shahid Malik, who represents Dewsbury, said there was 'no sense' in continuing her fight. It has emerged she is seeking tens of thousands of pounds in legal aid to fund her case.
Tory leader David Cameron backed Headfield Church of England Junior School in Dewsbury which suspended her.
On Thursday the tribunal found the school had been within its rights to stop her employment if it feared the veil was affecting the children's education.
Leader of the Commons Jack Straw triggered the debate when he said he asks constituents to remove their veils during consultations. Tony Blair described the veil as a 'mark of separation'.
Mrs Azmi was not at home last night and calls to spokesman Nick Whittingham were not returned.
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