Radical Muslim preacher fan of soldier's 'Islamophobic' novel

Bearded extremist Choudary caused outrage last year when he planned a mock funeral in the Wiltshire town of Wooton Bassett to protest against UK soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was also involved in a flag burning ceremony outside the US Embassy in London and his organisation, Islam4UK, has been proscribed by the Home Office, making membership of it illegal. He believes UK citizens should live under Sharia law.

Despite his hatred of British soldiers, the father of four is now encouraging people to read books by author DC Alden because he believes they will prepare the nation for when Muslims take over.

Former soldier Alden served in the British Army in Cold War Europe. He has written two novels, The Horse at the Gates and Invasion. Both give dramatic accounts of a fictitious takeover of the West by Islamic armies.

Choudary says: "I'm really into the kind of discussion and debate these books encourage. They are very useful because the more people discuss this kind of thing the more they have an understanding of it.

"Some of the scenarios in the books are far-fetched, I don’t think it will happen the way he perceives it but I do believe that the Sharia will be implemented everywhere one day. There is truth in the scenario the books tackle. Muslims are the fastest growing population and Islam is something people are interested in, people are seeking knowledge about it."

Alden (48) is appalled by his newfound fan and has banned Choudary from reading any more of his novels.

He said: "It's thanks to western democracy and our core beliefs in freedom of expression that Mr Choudary is able to participate in his nauseous little acts. However, he knows as well as other informed observers that were he protesting against a Sharia-controlled state, his voice would be silenced immediately. And no doubt permanently."

The books have been labelled anti-Islamic by Islamophobia Watch.

Spokesman Bob Pitt said: "Islamophobia is a broad category that encompasses everything from ignorant stereotyping of Islam to outright violence against Muslims, just as antisemitism ranges from jokes about Jews being mean to the Holocaust. Fiction that promotes Eurabia-style dystopian fantasies about Muslim immigrants taking over Europe would qualify as Islamophobic material."

Alden defends his work and argues the books are fictional and deal with subjects that many people are interested in.

He said: "I didn’t intentionally write a book to be controversial. Throughout history all sorts of books have triggered strong emotions in others and many classics have been banned for many reasons. All I would say to people who struggle with the subject matter of my books is don't read them. But if you did, you might be pleasantly surprised. After all, both books are works of fiction, with fictional characters and scenarios. If Invasion had been written thirty years ago it would’ve featured the Russians, before that the Germans, and written two hundred years ago, the French. Conflict amongst men, amongst countries and religions, has plagued mankind throughout history. Today's conflicts are no different, and whether we care to admit it or not, Islamic fundamentalism is at the core of many of them. I didn’t make that up – I just write about it, and hopefully weave these emotive issues into an interesting and entertaining narrative that people will enjoy."

For more info on DC Alden, visit his website http://www.dcaldenbooks.com/.