They say if it had been applied to the case of South Africa's Nelson Mandela, it would have jailed him. There are a number of Islamic political opposition groups at work in London that have been connected with violent opposition to their governments, but which also double as conventional political lobbyists for change. Sixteen people died. In his homeland, Hamid Ghanoushi, leader of a Tunisian Islamist party, the government calls him a terrorist. In Britain, where he has found refuge, he steadfastly describes himself a democrat and stresses the compatibility that exists between democracy and Islam.
Several groups associated with armed opposition have media operations here.
Then there are dissidents whose stays are welcomed for the West's own reasons. Majid al-Hakim, an eminent Shi'a clergyman linked with a dissident Iraqi opposition group based in Tehran, has been living in London since 1980. Britain tolerates his Islamic radicalism because of his opposition to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. But those who speak out are drawing more criticism. London based Omar Bakri Mohammed of the al-Muhajiroun Islamist group was criticised for his comments on radio that he regretted the civilian casualties during the bombings Kenyan and Tanzanian bombings, but felt that U.S. forces were ''legitimate targets''.