User:Arthur Warrington Thomas/Khalid Kelly
'Khalid Kelly, formerly Terence Edward Kelly', born, was an Irish nurse whom, like Yvonne Ridley, converted to Islam, in 2000[1] or 2002, after being imprisoned in an Islamic country.
Background
Born Terence Edward Kelly in south Dublin, he attended Catholic school there until age 15, when he left to work in pubs. At 23, he moved to London to train as an intensive care nurse and in 1996 took a job in Saudi Arabia, attracted by the tax-free salary.
He went to work in Saudi Arabia because the salary was tax free. However, he soon found bigger money in making alcohol -- a strictly forbidden activity in the country.
He was caught and sent to jail, where an Afghan introduced him to Islam. Khalid Kelly, as he is now known, left prison a convert.
Kelly has said of this event: "It just filled in all the gaps, you know? It was like the answer to everything I'd every wondered about. There was even a Captain Ali there at the prison, and he gave me a Koran. And I'll always remember it because he wrapped it in a piece of newspaper, you know, because he didn't have any wrapping paper. And he was so happy for me. He was nearly crying, the man." He said, "'I'm so happy you've come to the truth. It will change your life.' And indeed it did," Kelly says.
Controversy
In 2003 Kelly was deported to London and allegedly soon began attending sermons by the radical preacher Omar Mohammad Bakri.
He was a member of the now disbanded hardline Islamic organisation Al-Mujaharoun (the leader in Ireland)[2] and now describes himself as an independent Muslim preacher.
"The ultimate goal of every Muslim is to establish Sharia law over the whole Earth," he says. "It is a superior way of life and every Muslim living in the UK has an obligation to call for Sharia law to be implemented.
"We believe in jihad, which literally means to struggle. It is not allowed for a Muslim to obey a man-made system of laws that is prone to errors.
"Sharia law is a perfect system of divine law and order that the whole world should live under.
"Everything you have in the West is wrong. We should be in charge over you. If Sharia law prevailed, it would change everything.
"Alcohol would be outlawed and it would be illegal for any woman to leave the house unless she had her whole body and head covered. Everything would change for the better - it is sadly and badly needed."
Kelly holds in high esteem the men who carried out the 7/7 bombings in London. "The martyrs who carried out the bombings on July 7 were praiseworthy and correct.
"We have to spread Sharia law and put fear into the head of the enemy." [3]
He is a member of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah, a British Islamist organization and a close associate of Sulayman Keeler, Abu Izzadeen. Omar Bakri Muhammed and Abu Hamza al-Masri, Abu Uzair and Anjem Choudary.
he told Asharq Al Awsat how he lost his job at one of London’s major hospitals, St Thomas', after rumors were circulated about him being “the Taliban nurse”.
He also said he was still in touch with his sheikh and former teacher, Omar Bakri Mohammed, the firebrand preacher who left London for Beirut, following the July 7 attacks on the subway system.
Describing his journey from skepticism to belief, or as he called it “from darkness to light,” Kelly said, “the journey started with the illegal production of alcoholic drinks in Saudi Arabia whilst I was working as a nurse at the King Faisal hospital.” He converted to Islam whilst in jail in Riyadh.
Speaking to Asharq Al Awsat, he said he used to hate Islam and especially the sound of the call to prayer. Nowadays, after his life changed radically, he prays at an east London mosque and enjoys spending time with his five-month old son Osama, from his marriage to a Pakistani Muslim.
“Before Islam, I didn’t know the meaning of love. I used to be like other British young men, drinking and going out, but when I read the Quran in 2000, whilst in jail, I felt a huge surge of compassion and sympathy. I feel now that what led me to Islam was God’s mercy and sympathy. It’s something bigger than myself and I can’t explain it with words.”
See also
External links
- Militant Muslims find a haven in Londonistan
- Radical Believes Suicide Bombers Acted With Right Intentions
- Muslim Converts: Why Do They Choose Extremism?
- Militant Muslims find a haven in 'Londonistan'
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