Dr. Moussawi in UK: people have right to live

 Source: Al-Manar, 06-03-2008
Lebanese weekly Al-Intiqad manager and American University of Beirut teacher Dr. Ibrahim Moussawi told Liverpool's The Echo newspaper this week, "I am not divisive and I do not preach hate."
"I understand that Muslims and Jews have lived together for a long time in your city," he told the paper. "In Liverpool, my message will be the same I say everywhere I go - that is that people have the right to live in peace and without fear of their homes being invaded. We must all denounce war and we must all fight together to stop the killing."
Dr. Moussawi is a guest in the UK of the Stop the War coalition, set up in 2001 by members of the Socialist Worker Party to "stop the war currently declared by the US and its allies against terrorism," according to the party.
Louise Ellman, a Labor MP from Liverpool, said she was aghast at the Foreign Office's decision to allow Moussawi into the country.
"I am appalled he has been allowed into the country and shocked that he has been invited to Liverpool, a city with a proud history of excellent community relations," she said. "This is a terrorist leader who fosters division and hate. He represents the exact opposite of what is needed to bring peace and reconciliation in Lebanon and the Middle East."
In his interview with Liverpool newspaper The Echo, Mousawi said he fully understood Liverpool's record of good relations between Jewish and Muslim communities and insisted his mission was "to prevent ongoing slaughter of innocent civilians."
Asked to clarify his comments or if he was anti-Semitic, Moussawi said: "What would you do if your home was invaded? Would you stand back and do nothing?
"I have invited rabbis to Lebanon. I do have a problem with the aggression of "Israel" and those who attack my people," he said.