UK radio station closed after broadcasting Al Qaeda recruiter s lectures

London July 29 (IANS) A British community radio station has been shut down after broadcasting 25 hours of lectures by an Al Qaeda recruiter.

Sheffield-based Iman FM claimed on Friday that its staff were "not aware of the background" of American hate preacher Anwar al-Awlaki who was killed by a US drone strike in Yemen in 2011 the Independent reported.

The station broadcast a series of his lectures entitled "The Life of Mohammed" throughout the holy month of Ramadan in June sparking complaints to broadcast regulator Ofcom.

Awlaki s lectures included "a direct call to action to members of the Muslim community to prepare for and carry out violent action against non-Muslim people" and "statements clearly condoning and encouraging acts of crime terrorism or violent behaviour".

The regulator said the content including calls for "virtuous jihad" and anti-Semitic statements was in "serious breach" of the broadcasting code amounting to hate speech.

"Ofcom has decided that it is necessary in the public interest to revoke the licensee s Broadcasting Act licence and that the licensee is unfit to hold a broadcast licence " a spokesperson said.

"The service has been off-air since July 4 and will not be reinstated " the Independent quoted the spokesperson as saying on Friday.

Iman FM also broadcast parts of Awlaki s tirades that took aim at the mainstream media and Western society which Ofcom said "aimed to undermine social cohesion".

--IANS
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