London - The leader of the right wing British National Party, Nick Griffin, has been arrested after a television journalist covertly filmed him calling Islam a "vicious, wicked faith".
Griffin, 45, was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of "incitement to commit racial hatred" and held for questioning by police in Halifax, northern England, before he was released on bail hours later.
Surrounded by chanting supporters, Griffin said he was asked to re-appear at the police station in March. Asked if he stood by his comments that Islam was a "vicious, wicked faith", Griffin urged reporters to study the Qur'an for themselves before saying: "There are aspects of that religion which are wicked."
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He then condemned the treatment of women under Islam.
He then condemned the treatment of women under Islam Griffin claimed his arrest was part of a "scam" by Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party to win back Muslim votes lost over Britain's role in the war in Iraq, in time for general elections expected in May.
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) welcomed the arrest of a politician who was trying to "rebrand" his party in order to hide the "ugly reality" of its racist core, MCB spokesperson Inayat Bunglawala said.
However, the MCB feared Griffin could still get off the hook because the law had not "kept pace" with the change in the British National Party rhetoric and expressed strong support for a bill aimed at banning incitement of religious hatred.
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This article was originally published on page 4 of The Star on December 15, 2004
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