- Sheikh Yasser al-Habib bought £2million base in Fulmer last year
- Ofcom has now confirmed he is allowed to broadcast hate-filled sermons stirring up enmity between Sunnis and Shias
- Now residents of the village are worried about the community's reputation
- 'We don't want to be the source of vitriolic and poisonous output'
Preacher: Sheikh Yasser al-Habib is broadcasting inflammatory sermons from a small village
Sheikh Yasser al-Habib spent £2million buying a disused hall in Fulmer and turning it into a mosque which is also the base for his controversial satellite TV channel.
Last week, Ofcom revealed it was powerless to stop the cleric's incendiary broadcasts, which are said to stir up conflict between al-Habib's Shia sect and rival Sunni Muslims.
Now locals in the small village - favoured by celebrities such as Vernon Kay and Ozzy Osbourne - are concerned that Fulmer will become the unlikely setting for a vicious war of words between the two sects.
The Kuwaiti preacher, who has previously been jailed for insulting the faith of Sunnis, bought the former evangelical church last year and converted into a mosque and broadcasting centre.
His channel, Fardak TV, is registered by Ofcom - but most of its broadcasts cannot be controlled by the regulator because they are only shown outside the UK.
Among the controversial sermons al-Habib has delivered over the airwaves was a celebration of the death of one of Sunni Islam's most revered figures.
Sleepy: But Fulmer in Buckinghamshire is now the home of al-Habib's mosque and TV station
Pub: Local residents say they are concerned about the impact of al-Habib on the Fulmer community
'We have no objection to any religious group being there as long as they fit in with this community,' Kenneth Peters, 84, told The Sun. 'Does any community want to be the source of vitriolic and poisonous output?
'What half of us fear is a load of angry Sunnis from Slough coming here and having a rumble.'
Building: The preacher's mosque is located in an unassuming one-storey building behind a set of gates
Mosque: The sign advertising al-Habib's mosque, located on the site of a former evangelical church
THE QUIET ANGLO-SAXON VILLAGE TAKEN OVER BY A HATE PREACHER
The
village of Fulmer, located in Buckinghamshire just outside the M25,
apparently has its origins in Anglo-Saxon times - its name means 'lake
of birds' in Old English.
Long before the arrival of Yasser al-Habib's mosque last year, the first religious establishment in the village was St James's church, built during the reign of James I.
Later in the 17th century, the family which owned the manor of Fulmer became so poor that they had to sell their home to their own servants because they could no longer afford to keep it.
However, later residents were much less hard-up - the village's position between London and the countryside has made it a magnet for celebrities and the super-rich, and the average house there is now worth nearly £1million.
Among the well-known figures who own properties in the area are TV presenters Vernon Kay and Tess Daly, heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne and Hollywood actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
As well as the 17th-century Black Horse pub, one of the village's principal attractions is the cricket club, whose clubhouse was opened by local boy Denis Compton.
Long before the arrival of Yasser al-Habib's mosque last year, the first religious establishment in the village was St James's church, built during the reign of James I.
Later in the 17th century, the family which owned the manor of Fulmer became so poor that they had to sell their home to their own servants because they could no longer afford to keep it.
However, later residents were much less hard-up - the village's position between London and the countryside has made it a magnet for celebrities and the super-rich, and the average house there is now worth nearly £1million.
Among the well-known figures who own properties in the area are TV presenters Vernon Kay and Tess Daly, heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne and Hollywood actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
As well as the 17th-century Black Horse pub, one of the village's principal attractions is the cricket club, whose clubhouse was opened by local boy Denis Compton.
Last week, Labour MP Khalid Mahmood described al-Habib's rhetoric as '10 times worse' than Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses, which drew death threats from Islamic extremists.
He added: ‘If somebody was being anti-Semitic, we would take action. If somebody was being racist we would take action - even if it was an Asian person having a go at a black person. And it’s quite right to do that.
‘Because this is seen as intra-faith, nobody seems to be bothered. It is already causing problems in the Gulf and the Middle East. It will start to bubble up here as well.’
Stirring up hatred against Sunni Muslims could potentially be a breach of the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006, although it is not know whether police have ever investigated al-Habib.
The rivalry between Sunnis - who include up to 90 per cent of the world's Muslims - and the minority Shias lies behind many of the world's most vicious conflicts, including the insurgency in Iraq.
Fulmer, a village of fewer than 500 people, is in the commuter belt just outside the M25, and is inhabited by rich families who value the rural atmosphere and proximity to London.
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