Extremists 'right to move rally'

Muslim extremists who want Britain ruled by fundamentalist Islamic law have said they they were right to abandon plans for an unofficial rally in London.

Manjem Choudary, the UK head of Al-Muhajiroun, said it went ahead instead in Essex and was "absolutely fine".

Mayor Ken Livingstone threatened to prosecute organisers if they held a Trafalgar Square rally, with the anti- Islamic British National Party poised to send activists.

But Al- Muhajiroun changed its plans on Saturday morning, claiming they could not guarantee the safety of the hundreds who attended from Derby, Nottingham-Luton and Birmingham. The rally's purpose, Mr Choudary said, was "to pass the message that people need to think about Islam as an alternative to their lifestyle".

He claimed that ultimately Islamic sharia law and order "will be dominant in Britain - either wilfully or through the foreign policy of an Islamic state".