The moment that I found out Brunel was hosting controversial
cleric Abu Usamah at-Thahabi, I knew that whatever was in my diary would be
cancelled as I did not want to miss what could be potentially a real juicy
story. I was, as the kids say, buzzing
with excitement as I thought it could be my first big scoop and the national
news may even be interested. At the same time, I’d seen the Dispatches documentary so I was afraid
that his strong views may cause a huge backlash.
But how wrong I was on both accounts. On arrival, there was the Islamic Society
waiting to enter the lecture theatre one side and the protesters (Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender society) holding up posters kept behind crowd control
barriers on the other. There were also
bouncers and even Community Police Officer’s so I thought things were about to
get heated. They didn’t. When inside, the talk went smoothly and at-Thahabi did
not say anything too contentious. The main subject was Aisba and her role in
Islam.
As a human, I was happy that Abu Usamah at-Thahabi was able
to deliver an informative speech and a silent protest occurred without trouble
but as a journalist, it was a pretty boring evening. Sweets being given by ISOC
as a peace gesture to those who were upset with at-Thahabi certainly created a
surreal atmosphere and the whole evening didn’t live up to the billing.
The highlight of the night was probably when a girl
interjected and then stormed out angrily, for reasons unknown to me. Or perhaps
at the end when at-Thahabi strenuously denied making comments about
homosexuals, even though he was caught on video. Type it in Google if you
haven’t seen it. Other search engines
are available if you are boycotting the tax dodgers
I’ll tell you about my work experience tomorrow when I get
back from Westminster. All I’ll say is it has been hectic today and I can’t
wait to go back.
Bye for now!
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