This week, the annual British event known as "Islam Expo" came to a close. In 2006, this "celebration" of Islamic heritage and identity gathered criticism as the event - then held in Alexandra Palace in North London - took place while relatives were commemorating the first anniversary of the 7/7 attacks. Additionally, some of the proposed speakers at that 2006 event were known to hold extremist views.

One of these individuals was Qazi Hussain Ahmed, the head of the Pakistani Jamaat-e-Islami party, who had praised Osamabin Laden and other Al Qaeda members. "Qazi Hussain Ahmed, though invited, did not attend the 2006 Islam Expo event due to political engagements.

The former teacher and Muslim preacher, who lives in Niger State with his wives and at least 170 children, says he is able to cope only with the help of God.

"A man with 10 wives would collapse and die, but my own power is given by Allah. That is why I have been able to control 86 of them," he told the BBC.

He says his wives have sought him out because of his reputation as a healer.

"I don't go looking for them, they come to me. I will consider the fact that God has asked me to do it and I will just marry them."

But such claims have alienated the Islamic authorities in Nigeria, who have branded his family a cult.

Most Muslim scholars agree that a man is allowed to have four wives, as long as he can treat them equally.

But Mr Bello Abubakar says there is no punishment stated in the Koran for having more than four wives.

"To my understanding the Koran does not place a limit and it is up to what your own power, your own endowment and ability allows," he says.

"God did not say what the punishment should be for a man who has more than four wives, but he was specific about the punishment for fornication and adultery."

'Order from God'

As Mr Bello Abubakar emerged from his compound to speak to the BBC, his wives and children broke out into a praise song.

Most of his wives are less than a quarter of his age - and many are younger than some of his own children.

The wives the BBC spoke to say they met Mr Bello Abubakar when they went to him to seek help for various illnesses, which they say he cured.

I was baptised two weeks into my life then confirmed a Roman Catholic at fourteen. I don't proselytise. I turn down most invitations outside of mass to church events and only bother God when I need to, or I think it's time. I would never vote under pressure from my so-called religious leaders. I am a secularist but would never join a secularist society. I've been called a Papist, a bead-rattler and I've had "Every sperm is sacred" (a tune from Monty Python's Meaning of Life) sung to me on a few occasions by those trying to wind me up - but I'm no victim and always maintained my sense of humour as others attempted to manifest theirs.

In spite of this article, I consider my faith a private matter - far more private than say my allegiance to a football club, political party or cricketing county. What I am relative to my religion is my own business and it doesn't get in the way of how I go about my daily work or what I wear and nor does it make any difference to the way my colleagues go about their daily work in relation to me here in Britain. I'm comfortable with what I am and what I believe in - I don't need to wear a funny hat, or sport a label explaining why I am a religious man.

I don't live my life completely according to my faith - yes, I've bought condoms, yes, I had sex before I was married and yes, I'm human. I suppose I'm socially cohesive too (racism and religious hatred are for numbskulls, not for me) with my kaleidoscope of friends of most religions, races and backgrounds (not that I ever went out looking for a rainbow coalition of bosom buddies). It's simply that in public I don't do religion.

Still, I, like many, am just about fed up to the back teeth with those who go round either aggressively publicly demonstrating their religion or trying to thrust it down others' throats. Fed up with the air of superiority the extremer versions of these religion-addicts seem to have - even though they are clearly often borne of barbaric ideologies (like the wealthy Saudi Wahhabis) or desperate, recovering alcoholics and drug addicts clinging for branches (like so many Western converts to Islam and many of the so-called happy-clappy brand of in-your-face evangelical Christians).

The Scottish National Party has pulled off a stunning by-election victory by winning Glasgow East, one of Labour's safest seats, by 365 votes. The SNP overturned a Labour majority of 13,507 to win with a swing of 22.54%. The SNP polled 11,277 votes in the contest, while the Tories came third with 1,639 and the Lib Dems, with 915 votes, came fourth. SNP candidate John Mason said the victory was "off the Richter scale".

Voter turnout was 42.25%, down on the 48% figure at the last election, with 26,219 votes cast. The result was declared in Glasgow in the early hours of Friday, after a humiliating recount was requested by Labour, which won 10,912 votes in the contest.

Will it add to the pressure on Gordon Brown? Of course. Does it make David Cameron look a certainty as next British Prime Minister? Yes.