More than 100 Golders Green residents discussed ways to force the closure of the suburb’s new Islamic centre in a heated public meeting organised by a controversial grassroots group.
Attendees were addressed by Gavin Boby, a planning lawyer and director of the Law and Freedom Foundation, who has been approached by the residents to act as an adviser.
Mr Boby is known as "the mosque-buster", having waged 47 campaigns against the establishment of mosques across the UK.
The Grade II-listed Hippodrome building was bought earlier this year for £5.25 million by the Centre for Islamic Enlightening. It was previously used as the El-Shaddai International Christian Centre.
It will now house the Hussainiyat Al-Rasool Al-Adham Islamic centre serving the Shia community, mostly of Iraqi heritage.
At Monday evening's meeting, Mr Boby repeatedly used incendiary language in reference to Muslims and terrorism. This was met with laughter and applause by the majority of the audience.
He also made a number of allusions to terrorism, despite there being no evidence of any links between the Centre for Islamic Enlightening and terror or hate speech.
Mr Boby said the objections to the centre should focus on the change of the building’s use from an entertainment venue to a place of worship.
He said: “The previous owners of the building were granted planning permission to turn it into a church with a lot of public performances, too.
“It was used for concerts, drama and dance festivals. But those are forbidden within Islam. Sometimes you might see women dancing and men stomping about with Kalashnikovs but you certainly can’t take your daughter to see a girl band. The punishment would be to have molten lead in your ear.
“As soon as you get a mosque, you get the parking jihad. On a Friday lunchtime or in the evening during Koran time you won’t be able to park your car."
Mr Boby also referred to mosques’ historical uses as "fortresses" and "places of executions", adding that "terrorists form plots in mosques" where they cannot be detected.
