Radical Muslim cleric Anjem Choudary has urged supporters in Bethnal Green to claim “Jihad Seeker’s Allowance”.

The controversial preacher was speaking at a community centre when he ridiculed non-Muslims who held down regular nine-five jobs.

The father-of-four was secretly filmed laughing as he told supporters: “You find people are busy working the whole of their life.

“They wake up at seven o’clock. They go to work at nine o’clock. They work for eight, nine hours a day. They come home at seven o’clock, watch EastEnders, sleep, and they do that for 40 years of their life. That is called slavery.”

Speaking on February 12, he boasted that many prominent Islamic figures had only worked one or two days each year.

“The rest of the year they were busy with jihad (holy war) and things like that”, he continued.

“People will say, ‘Ah, but you are not working’. But the normal situation is for you to take money from the kuffar (non-believer).

“So we take Jihad Seeker’s Allowance. You need to get support.”

Mr Choudary has since insisted his comments were made in jest.

He has recently voiced his support for ‘Muslim patrols’ carried out in east London.