During the 1990s, a number of radical Islamists who were wanted by the authorities in a number of Middle Eastern countries sought refuge in the United Kingdom, particularly London, leading some such as the French intelligence services to ridicule the situation as "Londonistan". Particularly close to "Al-Muhajiroun" was the Egyptian Abu Hamza al-Masri, who was the imam of Finsbury Park Mosque from 1997 until 2003 (since that time the mosque has been reopened under new authorities who are not affiliated to these tendencies). Abu Hamza had previously been an adviser to the Algerian Armed Islamic Group and had his own group called "Supporters of Shariah" which held joint protests with "Al-Muhajiroun". Abu Qatada; who was associated with the Jordanian group "Jaysh Mohammad" and would later write sympathetically about the activities of Osama bin Laden; spoke at a "Al-Muhajiroun" meeting in November 1999 to raise funds for "mujahideen" fighters in Chechnya (as part of the Second Chechen War). Contacts were also maintained between Omar Bakri's group and other London exiles who spoke at "Al-Muhajiroun" gatherings; Yassir al-Sirri of Vanguards of Conquest and Mohammad al-Massari of "Hizb ut-Tahrir". In the first two years of its new existence, the group did not advocate violence against the United Kingdom; Omar Bakri claimed in London-newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat", this was because he had a "covenant of peace" with the British government when they granted him asylum (though while still part of "Hizb ut-Tahrir", Omar Bakri had earlier made comments in 1991 about a potential assassination of Prime Minister John Major, during the Gulf War). In the early days of New Labour, Home Secretary Jack Straw even appointed "Al-Muhajiroun" activist Makbool Javaid (brother-in-law of future Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan) to a newly formed Race Relations Forum.