Choudary's recruits are told that it is their Muslim duty to claim benefits, ensuring that they make no contribution to the 'enemy' British state."
"The Jihad fanatic peddling a message of hate to 11-year-old Londoners (funded by the taxpayer)," from the Daily Mail,
On a hot summer afternoon, a man with a microphone stands on a busy London street. He is a tubby figure and sports a black, bushy beard, flecked with grey. He is shrieking at passing shoppers, insisting they follow him - and save their souls.
Teams of young, tough-looking men - all clearly devoted to their leader - dart through the crowds, handing out leaflets and haranguing anyone who questions their message.
From the other side of the street, you could be forgiven for thinking this is a harmless, if colourful, example of citizens making full use of Britain's ancient tradition of free speech.
But there is nothing harmless about what is really going on here. For the man with the microphone is Anjem Choudary, branded the most dangerous man in Britain.
An extremist who believes his sole-calling is to wage holy war against Britain and her 'infidel' allies, he is trying - and succeeding - to prepare the ground for his global Islamic jihad.
Funded by the taxpayer - he claims benefits so that he has plenty of free time to spread his message - Choudary is openly staging these 'Islamic roadshows' across Britain. And their aim is to recruit young British men prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for his chilling cause.
Exhorting Britain's 1.8 million Muslims to follow his example, Choudary dreams of seeing the black crescent flag, which is the symbol of his organisation, flying over Downing Street, and a draconian form of sharia law imposed across the UK.
He wants alcohol banned, amputations for thieves, and adulterers to be stoned to death.
'People are living in anarchy,' he says. 'There is a rape every minute. Islam has the answer to everything.
'It is a deterrent. If you steal, you know you will face having your hands and feet cut off. Why should I not invite the British people to embrace Islam and save themselves from punishment in the hereafter?'
In the last six weeks, Choudary has staged six 'roadshows' around Britain. He rose to particular prominence when he posted a video on his website of an unidentified 11-year-old white youth called 'Sean' being converted to Islam during a show in Birmingham last month.
None of those I speak to let real work get in the way of their holy war; Choudary's recruits are told that it is their Muslim duty to claim benefits, ensuring that they make no contribution to the 'enemy' British state.
Choudary leads by example. Now separated from his wife and three children, for years he has received more than £1,700 a month in benefits from the British taxpayer.
So why is he allowed to preach hate on Britain's streets? Many anti-terror experts believe Britain's tolerant policy towards Islamic radicals is dangerously misguided. Quoting Churchill's famous views on appeasement, one told me it was like 'feeding a crocodile, hoping it will eat you last'.
Tory MP Patrick Mercer, chairman of Parliament's counter terrorism committee, certainly believes that there should be an urgent police investigation into Choudary's activities.
'He is subverting and suborning vulnerable youngsters with a view to turning them into mujahedin,' he says.
'We should focus attention on banning organisations which poison the minds of young Muslims and are conveyor belts to terrorism.'
But back at the Algerian cafe, Choudary again tries to persuade me to convert to Islam.
'We'd have to give you a new name - how about Osama?' he smirks.
Then he gets to his feet; the interview is over. With his four minders - burly men in Islamic garb - he strolls out into the London streets.
As they leave, they all snigger at a private gag. Even wearing smirks, they look dangerous. The joke, it seems, is on us.
Read it all. The article is long, but summarizes many aspects of the state of affairs concerning Islam in the U.K.
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