GREAT BRITAIN

London, 13 April (AKI) - A Jamaican-born militant Islamic preacher has been giving 'jihad' or holy war a new meaning, by reportedly urging impoverished Muslims to take matters into their own hands and wage war on infidel institutions such as banks - by robbing them. "Are you poor? Don't cry about it, but wage jihad, also by holding up banks," London-based Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal, a well-known supporter of al-Qaeda, urged the faithful in a sermon. A report on the sermon was published by website globalterroralert.com.

"Let's speak about jihad and how to obtain the spoils. Many Muslims complain about not having the financial means to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca," said al-Faysal. "Many are also sad because the women they want to marry rejects them because they are not wealthy enough," he added.

"Do you, like many, cry because you are poor? If so, wage jihad! Look at all the money stashed away in Swiss banks. There's bank in Brunei where King Fahd has deposited 30 million dollars," al-Faysal continued.

"If you are suffering from poverty, wage jihad and see the money pour into your hands," he exhorted.

Al-Faysal, who studied Sharia law in Saudi Arabia, has preached a number of sermons considered to have incited Muslim hatred towards Jews and Christians.The Simon Wiesenthal Centre has asked Britain to expel him on the grounds that his presence in Britain is a threat to public order.