Farooq Siddique: A Muslim in Bristol

For the last couple of weeks, as many Post readers will be aware, a trial was taking place in Bristol of Hashi Omer; a 19-year-old Muslim of Somali descent.

He was accused of failing to disclose information to police regarding the terrorist activity of Isa Ibrahim. Last Friday, the jury at Bristol Crown Court cleared Hashi of doing any wrong.

I have actively defended Hashi Omer and his family at every opportunity; everyone that I spoke to, who knew Hashi, had nothing but good to say about him. Hashi and his family have suffered a gruelling 18 months of uncertainty since his arrest late last year.

The verdict brings a huge relief to the young man, his family and, indeed, his community.

Hashi Omer had known Isa Ibrahim for only 11 days. While Hashi accepts that he knew of Isa's extreme views, Hashi did not believe that Isa was serious about any terror plot.

As Anira Khokhar, of the Bristol Muslim Cultural Society, said so eloquently: "Hashi is only 19 years old. He would have heard young people of his age, from all backgrounds, making fantastical, exaggerated claims about many things.

"Without the benefit of hindsight, the rantings of Isa would have been seen no differently."

I have always believed, as have many others in my community, that prosecuting Hashi on the basis of withholding information was ill-advised. Hashi was not an extremist, nor did he support any extremist ideology.

On the contrary, he did all he could to try and befriend Isa and try to teach him the true meaning of Islam. The trial has caused unnecessary anxiety within the Muslim communities.

It will come as a complete relief to everyone that wiser heads have now prevailed.

So, why the anxiety? If I came across anyone with extremist views, I would, as Hashi did, do my utmost to challenge those views; guide the individual away from those views; aggressively or calmly debate the errors of those views – whatever it took.

Of course, without exception, if I genuinely believed that any extreme views would actually be implemented, of course, I would have no hesitation whatsoever, to report that individual to the police; indeed, no one in the Muslim communities would have that hesitation, as has been proven.

But, at what stage does my knowledge of any individual's extreme views translate into my having knowledge that I must report to the police – failing which, I myself could also be prosecuted as part of the plot?

That part is clearly subjective – and herein lies the issue. Individual rants that I may dismiss as juvenile bravado at the time, could later prove to be knowledge, for example, of a terror plot.

Such a distinction is difficult to make and perhaps can really only be made with the benefit of hindsight.

The security services clearly have a difficult job on their hands countering the real and substantial terror threat our country faces.

There is absolutely no shadow of doubt in my mind that the Muslim communities will continue to stand alongside other local Bristolians as we face down this threat together.

The police can remain assured of total support in this regard.

But there are going to be difficult issues that we will all face as we move forward together.

It's then that we need people, like the jury at the crown court, who are able to stand up, free of emotion, for what is right, what is true, what is just.

Hashi Omer rightly celebrated the end of the trial, with his family, a free man. It was the perfect Eid gift to his family.