Abdur Raheem Green

Abdurraheem Green (born Anthony Vatswaf Galvin Green; 1962) is a British Muslim convert who is known in some Muslim communities for his work in Dawah, both in televised formal settings and informal contexts such as Hyde Park's Speakers Corner.[2][3][4][5][6] He is a presenter on Peace TV and is the chairman of iERA, the Islamic Education & Research Academy.[7][8]

Abdurraheem Green
Born
Anthony Vatswaf Galvin Green

1962[1]
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
EducationAmpleforth College
Known forPreaching Islam

Early life

Green was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. His father was a colonial administrator in the British Empire[9] and his mother is Polish.[10] His father was agnostic and his mother a devout Roman Catholic. Green was raised in the Roman Catholic faith from a young age.[9]

Green attended a Monastic Roman Catholic boarding school, St Martin's Ampleforth at Gilling Castle, and then Ampleforth College. When he was 11, his father took a job in Cairo, and so Abdur Raheem would travel to stay there during his school holidays. He studied history at the University of London, but did not complete his degree because of a growing disillusionment with what he regarded as the Eurocentric teaching of the British educational system.[11]

Conversion to Islam

At a young age, Green began to question his Roman Catholic upbringing. However, at the age of 19, he stated that he would "vigorously defend" the faith, even though he did not actually believe in it. He also practiced Buddhism for nearly three years, though never formally embraced it. In 1987, Green first became interested in Islam, picking up his first copy of the Qur'an.[9] He embraced Islam in 1988.

Personal life

Green has ten children.[12] Whilst claiming two wives, Green was asked in the interview whether British law prohibits bigamy. Green responded: "It does. Yet several Britishers are bigamists. But those who practise bigamy can protect the second marriage under the provisions of 'common law wives'. Under this children out of such marriages are legitimate and wives inherit property."[11]

Controversies

In 2005, Green was barred from boarding a flight with a stopover in Brisbane because he appeared on the Australian government's "movement alert list". This was for extreme views, "including that Muslims and westerners cannot live peaceably together and that dying while fighting jihad is one of the surest ways to paradise and Allah's good pleasure."[13] Some Australian Muslims argued that the Government had gone too far by stopping a man whose views they claim are now moderate.[13] On a subsequent radio interview in Australia, Green stated that he had long since renounced any extremist views, and added that he consistently condemns terrorist acts.[14]

In October 2011, Green was banned from giving a scheduled lecture at Concordia University in Canada after concerns were raised over statements that he allegedly made about how men may treat their wives.[15]

In July 2012, Green was banned from the Emirates stadium of Arsenal F.C.[16]

In May 2014, the Telegraph reported that the iERA which Green chairs is being investigated by the Charity Commission "amid allegations that its leaders promote anti-Semitism and have called for homosexuals and female adulterers to be stoned to death." The Telegraph reported that Green "has been caught on camera preaching at Hyde Park Corner, calling for a Jewish man to be removed from his sight. 'Why don’t you take the Yahoudi [Jew] over there, far away so his stench doesn’t disturb us?' he can be heard to say."[17][18]

In 2015, he was asked to withdraw from speaking at event Against Racism, Against Hatred held at St James' Park, Newcastle.[19]

References
  1. Gilham, Jamie; Geaves, Ron (2017). Victorian Muslim: Abdullah Quilliam and Islam in the West. ISBN 9780190688349.
  2. Bowen, Innes "Medina in Birmingham, Najaf in Brent: Inside British Islam" "He remained a Salafi but became a popular speaker at events organised by a wide range of Islamic organizations"
  3. Jamie Gilham; Ron Geaves, eds. (2017), Victorian Muslim: Abdullah Quilliam and Islam in the West: The Contested Ground of British Islamic Activism, Oxford University Press, p. 142, ISBN 9780190688349
  4. Sadek Hamid (2016), Sufis, Salafis and Islamists: The Contested Ground of British Islamic Activism, I. B. Taurus, p. 56, ISBN 9781788310611
  5. Sindre Bangstad (2014), Anders Breivik and the Rise of Islamophobia, Zed Books, ISBN 9781783600106
  6. Meijer, Roel, ed. (2014), Global Salafism: Islam's New Religious Movement, Oxford University Press, pp. 445–447, ISBN 978-0199333431
  7. "Abdurraheem Green". Archived from the original on 25 December 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  8. "Sheikh Abdur-Raheem Green". Islam Events. Archived from the original on 21 November 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  9. Murdianingsih, Dwi (20 October 2011). "Tuhan Bisa Mati? Mendengar Itu Abdurraheem Green Serasa Ditinju Mike Tyson di Wajah". Republika (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  10. Karagiannis, Emmanuel (2 January 2018). The New Political Islam: Human Rights, Democracy, and Justice. ISBN 9780812249729.
  11. "Why I embraced Islam: Interview with Br. Abduraheem Green". Islamic Voice. Archived from the original on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  12. Wilson, Peter (9 December 2006). "Boys need to repent: Green". The Australian. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  13. "Australia bans Muslim public speaker". The World Today (Australian radio program). 11 August 2005.
  14. Kelly, Tom (30 December 2009). "Christmas Day bomber invited 'jihad' cleric to address British students". Daily Mail. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  15. "Islamic group's speech at Concordia University is cancelled". 21 October 2011.
  16. "Arsenal ban Islamist preacher from Emirates Stadium". Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  17. Robert Mendick & Ben Lazarus (24 May 2014). "'Anti-Semitic' charity under investigation". The Telegraph, 26 May 2014. Archived from the original on 12 August 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  18. "Investigation launched into educational charity". Charity Commission, 8 May 2014. Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  19. "Islamic preacher Abdurraheem Green banned from St James Park". chroniclelive.co.uk. 20 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
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