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Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/07/30/islamic-state-on-scottish-island/
The Plot to Turn a Tiny Scottish Island into an Islamic State
(Telegraph-UK) Ed Cumming - Sheikh Yasser al-Habib, 45, a Muslim cleric based in Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, and his supporters in the Mahdi Servants Union (MSU), were reportedly seeking to buy Torsa, a 270-acre island off the coast of Western Scotland, for 3.5 million pounds. In videos posted to his Fadak TV channel, al-Habib says the island represents an "irreplaceable opportunity" to create a "homeland" for his followers - a private Islamic state within the UK, run by a group of Shia Muslims intent on imposing strict Sharia law, out of sight of the meddling authorities on the mainland. He promised to negotiate with the UK government to allow Muslims from "all over the world" to be given a visa to visit. The MSU say their new homeland will be a staging ground for the coming of their messiah, known as Mahdi. Alastair Redman, a councillor for the Kintyre and Islands ward, said it was unthinkable that the island could become an outpost for extremism. A source close to Torsa's owners said, "The island is absolutely not being sold to this cleric. This appears to be a fundraising effort rather than anything based in reality." Only 5% of Britain's Muslim population is Shia, totaling 200,000 people. Politicians have called on Fadak TV to be shut down for its repeated attacks on the Sunni population. After the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, al-Habib said, "Who among us does not enjoy retaliation of the Zionist enemy. We were all buoyed by the news."