This blog is now continued at Islam Surveyed where you will find all the latest posts as well as all previous posts published here at LibertyPhile – This is Why
24 October 2011
01 September 2011
The recipe for successful multiculturalism – inequality, subservience & duplicity!
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Sharia in the UK
The man at the centre of the storm over plans for the “Ground Zero Mosque” in New York, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, recently visited Edinburgh to address the Festival of Spirituality and Peace.
He was interviewed by Vicky Allan of HeraldScotland.com (published by Herald & Times Group, one of Scotland’s oldest media companies). Here is an extract. [The full interview can be read here. Requires registration/sign in]
“…. He often talks about the interweaving of Muslim and Western culture. Multi-culturalism, he believes, is the way forward, and the state we are globally shifting towards. America, he points out, has been more successful at this than Europe.
…. An essential element of this interweaving of cultures, he says, will have to be the incorporation of Sharia law into the legal systems of Europe and the US. In this, he is in agreement with the Archbishop of Canterbury who said that the adoption of some aspects of Sharia law “seems to be unavoidable”.
Rauf points out that “the only truly clashing area is the penal code, and no Muslim has the intention of introducing that to America. The penal code is the area that people in the Western world are worried about – but these are things that aren’t even observed today in most of the Muslim world. Apart from the Taliban and a few places like that, where do you see this happening?”. [Emphasis added]
It is an enormous relief to know we don’t have to be worried about hands being chopped off or apostates and adulterers being stoned to death.
As to his remark “ … the Taliban and a few places like that” you wonder if this imam knows anything about countries such as Saudi Arabia, and Iran. And, is he aware that well over half the Muslims in Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, and Nigeria say they favour harsh punishments such as stoning for adultery; whippings and cutting off of hands for crimes like theft and robbery; and the death penalty for those who leave the Muslim religion the law in their country. (See here.)
But much closer to home it would be good to know where he stands on the following. Outside of criminal matters what is there in Sharia that he thinks can be “interwoven” with European legal systems? His interview provides no clues.
Ease of divorce
A Muslim woman seeking a divorce is subjected to an interview process aimed at keeping her married and she risks financial ruin by the obligation to return her dowry.
It is easy for a Muslim man to divorce his wife under sharia law, for no reason. For a woman divorce is much more difficult. She must apply to a Sharia council cum court, and only on the basis of a limited set of reasons, which do not include domestic violence or rape by the husband.
Inheritance
A Muslim woman inherits half what a man inherits.
Child custody
Sharia rules on child custody are rigid and were described by judges in the House of Lords as ‘arbitrary and discriminatory’.
Sharia is arbitrary because it permits of no exceptions to its application, however strong the objections may be on the facts of any given case. It is discriminatory too because it denies women custody of their children after they have reached the age of custodial transfer simply because they are women.
In general child custody reverts to the father at a preset age (seven for boys) no matter the circumstances or the behaviour of the father, or another male relative rather than the mother, and if a woman remarries she loses custody of her children.
A woman’s evidence is worth less than a man’s
In some areas of Islamic law, two female witnesses are required where one male witness will suffice. However, there are other areas where one female witness is sufficient.
Female subservience
No lesser body than the International Fiqh Academy, a group of distinguished jurists which operates under the auspices of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, issued a formal ruling which endorsed principles including the right of a husband to use force to compel his wife to have sexual relations, even if she is ‘unwilling’, and the right of a man to discipline his wife by what it termed ‘non-violent beating’
Sharia councils should not be involved with criminal matters, of course. However, in one study in the UK, four out of ten women attending Sharia courts were party to civil injunctions issued against their husbands on the grounds of violence and threatening behaviour. In some cases of domestic violence, the Sharia council has disclosed the location of women to their husbands.
Has he changed his mind?
As with so many Islamic scholars living in the West Iman Rauf says contradictory things. They are torn between what they believe westerners might tolerate and what they know their religion requires.
Imam Rauf clearly says “…the only truly clashing area is the penal code, and no Muslim has the intention of introducing that to America”.
Yet in his book Islam: A Sacred Law: What Every Muslim Should Know About the Shariah on p58 he writes "And since a Shari'ah is understood as a law with God at its center, it is not possible in principle to limit the Shari'ah to some aspects of human life and leave out others." [Source]
So which is it?
13 July 2011
This is Why - Part 5
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What's Wrong
This post continues the series showing why British people (and Europeans) have such poor opinions of Islam and Muslims.
See Part 4 here
Please note it excludes terrorism and conflicts in or near Muslim countries. See Part 1 with fuller explanation.
Up to 10 July 2011
Netherlands: 'Schools should initiate immigrants into Dutch culture'
They go to a Turkish hairdresser, watch Turkish TV, read Turkish papers .... they're Turks who happen to live in the Netherlands.
Bangladesh Islamists stage strike against dropping Allah from constitution
Lib adviser sacked after anti-Islam web posts
Why the Arabic World Turned Away from Science
…. the reasons for it offer insights into the history and nature of Islam and its relationship with modernity.
Former Czech PM sued over anti-Islam statements
Saudi Arabia's religion police step up crackdown on women drivers
Thanks to the EU your 'no-stun slaughter' steak won't be labelled
Your rape culture is not my religion
One blaringly obvious problem with the Hudood law was the need to present four witnesses in order to convict a rapist, failure to do so resulted in the arrest of the woman on charges of confession to adultery, that was the main issue.
Investigating Qur’anic inheritance laws
A male's share shall equal that of two females (Qur'an 4:11); If there are many brothers and sisters, the share of each male should be that of two females. (Qur'an 4:176)
Pakistani Islamic party leader: a woman should not report rape unless she has four witnesses
Legal move against minaret ban thrown out
Undercover police watching hairdressers for "un-Islamic" mingling of men and women
Muslim prayers at Toronto school provoke outcry
Hamas arrests male hairdresser for Gaza woman's haircut
Muslim reformers expose scandal of undocumented British marriages
Dutch Government Defends Wilders and Rejects OIC Demands to Silence him
Women 'forced to cover up' at summer fete
Fears grow for lawyer of woman in Iran stoning case
Geert Wilders Slams OIC on Out-of-Bounds Criticism of Free Speech
"No God" film angers Tunisian Islamists
…. several dozen men attacked a cinema in Tunis that had advertised a film publicly titled in French 'Ni Dieu, Ni Maitre' (No God, No Master)
Charity Commission closes charity for Muslim prisoners
A charity for Muslim prisoners that was forced to remove a trustee with suspected terrorist links has been removed from the charity register.
NZ Muslim women 'regularly' told to remove veils
Article on Muslim Brotherhood Website: Implement Shari'a in Phases
Liberal Muslims Losing Clout In Malaysia’s Shariah System
Muslims obligated to resist democracy, say radicals
e-Divorces a quarter of all marriage annulments
Under Islamic law, a Muslim man can divorce his wife by just saying “your are divorced” three times but a woman cannot do the same.
I was told that I deserved to die – for being a female journalist
Proposal could give police power to lift burqa or full-face veil
Tunisia cinema attack condemned
Tunisian artists and rights campaigners condemned on Friday an attack by Salafist Muslims on a cinema showing a film about secularism.
Iran: Supreme Court upholds death sentence for Christian priest
June 2011
Muslim weightlifter fights to compete, hijabi-style
…. the rules require arms and legs to be bare so judges can see when elbows and knees are “locked” to determine if a lift is successful.
Ritual slaughter ban reflects fights over food and faith in the Netherlands
Dutch interior minister argues for burqa ban
What a surprise! Now hate preacher cites his human rights to fight deportation
Saudi arrests women for driving: reports
Saudi Arabian charity in Pakistan offers education - or is it extremism?
"Obedient wives club", pretext for legalizing polygamy in Indonesia
US Muslim woman sues Abercrombie over hijab
East London Mosque: the lies go on
No doubt some Christians do hold homophobic views – but I am quite certain that you would never find them being openly and repeatedly expressed, with official approval, from the pulpit of, say, Southwark Cathedral, or for that matter the smallest parish church in this country.
Bearded Mickey Mouse 'a mockery of Islam'
Iran attacks BBC for documentary series on life of prophet Muhammad
Pakistan: Campaign against blasphemy abuse goes on
Protesters burn church, destroy bar in Senegal
Preaching good sex, Muslim-inspired Obedient Wives Club spreads in Asia
Antwerp: Sharia police patrols against gays, girls in short skirts
Indonesian maid saved from execution
The Indonesian government has paid SR2 million in blood money to save the life of an Indonesian maid on death row in Riyadh for killing her Yemeni employer in 2009.
FOSIS is the problem, not the solution
As a student, I have seen the effects hate-preachers have on young Muslims. Many times, preachers have been ushered from one Islamic society to another and FOSIS have enabled this to happen.
Teachers reluctant to discuss 9/11
Those in schools with high numbers of Muslim children are particularly concerned about talking about the atrocity - despite it being arguably the defining event of the 21st century so far.
Muslims Surround Church in Upper Egypt, Threaten to Kill Priest
Lebanon Sunni clergy reject domestic abuse law
…. also slammed as "heresy" a clause in the bill that criminalises marital rape, accusing those behind the draft law of "inventing new types of crimes."
Austria: Muslim leader resigns for saying sport unhealthy for women
Row over prophet cartoon in Lucknow
Discrimination: Air France Dulles Worker Sent Home Over Hijab
Muslim Tory minister says Pakistan's treatment of women fails Islam
Islam’s Persecution of Christians in Malaysia
An update on London university's Saudi links
Official: Radical Islamic hate preachers pose threat to Germany; should be deported
Brussels: Police claim they are forced to fast on Ramadan
Netherlands: 74% support uni-culturalism
‘Democracy is evil, Parliament is evil’ says radical Muslim cleric in billboard debate
Because they are blasphemers
…. a Muslim mob, fired up by rumours of the desecration of a Koran, attacked Christians and set fire to their houses in the town of Gojra, in Pakistan's central Punjab. Ten people died, eight burnt alive. Four churches were destroyed.
Muslims to Break Away from Scottish Education System
Political Activist .... Calls for a Law Permitting the Purchase of POWs in Order to Turn Them into Slave Girls
Here in Kuwait too, I asked religious scholars and experts about this, and they said that for the average, good religious man, the only way to avoid forbidden relations with women is to purchase slave girls.
U.N. rights forum proclaims equal gay rights, Muslims states object
Soccer referee sidelined for wearing hijab
Australian RSPCA renews its challenge to halal slaughter
Where are Britain's modern mosques?
.... five decades on, the choice is between a mosque where the imam doesn't speak English and hits the children or one where they speak English but insist seven-year-old girls cover their faces. And frankly, that's no choice at all.
Dutch government says goodbye to multicultural society
Belgium: Teacher suspended for headscarf comments
An Islam teacher at the Royal Atheneum in Verviers was given a four month suspension for saying that girl who do not wear a headscarf live in sin.
Britain Creating Parallel Islamic Financial System
Afghanistan worst place in the world for women
Pakistan’s booming female madrassas feed rising intolerance
Saudi Arabian lingerie law ends
Rules against "mingling" of the sexes at work in the kingdom, whose laws are based on a strict interpretation of Muslim Sharia, mean that most shops have male assistants only.
Necklace ban for men as Tehran's 'moral police' enforce dress code
Middle East Christians facing 'extremist atrocities'
Coming soon to a neighbourhood near you: a caliphate!
Faith schools fragment communities
Islamophobic crime fell in London last year – MCB spins the opposite
Police 'covered up' violent campaign to turn London area 'Islamic'
Woman held for walking without abaya
British tourist fined for insulting Islam in shop
In support of the bill on Sharia Law courts
Islamic Threat As Bright As the Sun
The authors have amassed a solid bank of peer-reviewed data attesting to the presence and promotion of literature advocating violence in the majority of 100 randomly selected American mosques.
I feel more distanced from Islam
I can't reconcile myself with the fundamentalist interpretations of the Koran I increasingly see. I feel that violence is exercised against my childhood faith, when there are calls for intolerance, hate and crimes against humanity in the name of God.
Woman weightlifter fights to compete in hijab
Ban homophobic clerics from mosques, gay rights campaigners urge
The myth of 'Liberal' Islam, deconstructed
Spanish court upholds ban on face-covering veils
Bill limiting sharia law is motivated by 'concern for Muslim women'
Pakistan's government is failing to protect the country's religious minorities, a new report says
Iranian Women's Soccer Team Disqualified From Olympics Over Headscarves
Islamic radicals are in schools, government report says
Fatwa body bans mingling of sexes
Sharon Horgan defends 'HIGNFY' Mecca joke
A Muslim group has criticised Have I Got News For You for making a joke about Mecca. In Friday's edition of the show, guest host Sharon Horgan made a quip about the holy city, which is the centre of pilgrimage for Muslims.
Pakistani Muslims demand a ban on the Bible
In France, a Muslim Offensive Against Evolution
Professor of Genetics highlights birth defects of Muslims due to Cousin Marriages
Muslim fanatic fined £100 for 'gay free zone' stickers
Denmark: Islam critic attacked, gets death threats
Unfaithful wives should be put to death
Yes, in many countries, the public will stone that woman to death. Believe me, that might be the right answer to the behavior of these kind of loose women, who want to blame it all on men.
May 2011
Saudi woman driver freed after agreeing to quit campaign
Churches are closed in Algeria
Billboards display posters declaring: JESUS: A PROPHET OF ISLAM
OIC Fatwa on Domestic Violence and the Rights of Women in Islam
…. wife-beating is specifically excluded from its definition of 'domestic violence', as long as the beating conforms to sharia requirements. The memorable phrase 'non-violent beating' is coined to express this perspective.
Amnesty International calls on Indonesia to end illegal caning
Germans quit Saudi travel fair over woman's clothes
Religious police demanded the German visitor change her abaya -- an all-encompassing black cloak worn by women in the ultraconservative Muslim power house -- because it was decorated with red embroidery.
Algerian Christian Given Five Year Prison Sentence for Blasphemy
Where Islam is not so benign
The truth is that in all Islamic states (both today and historically) non-Muslims are treated as kuffar (in Arabic, a term of gross insult), punitively taxed, and often have their lives circumscribed cruelly in many other ways.
UK Government condemns Bible burning in Iran
Taliban kill head of Afghan girls' school
Moroccan man on trial for 'total control' of his wife
Lancashire mosques chair criticises 'impractical' equality call
OFFICIAL guidelines that women should have more influence in running mosques have been criticised by a Lancashire mosque leader. And he said calls to complete prayers in English would not be adhered to.
Mayor promises to probe Sofia mosque for noise emission
Muslim gang launched horrific attack on religious studies teacher they did not want teaching girls
'Muslims participate the least in the labor market'
Iran arrests Bahais for 'online university'
Female Saudi doctor appeals to top court for right to choose a husband
Islamic leaders question non-Muslim rights
Former president of Islamic Da’wah Foundation Malaysia .... said treatment of non-Muslims must be based on the social contract agreed and pointed out that the government has been too gracious to the community.
$100m donated to Islamic schools
Donors in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are sending an estimated $100 million (£61m) annually to radical Islamic schools in Pakistan that back militancy ….
Denmark: Gov't campaign to change immigrant attitudes towards women
Saudi woman detained for driving
Presbyterian wants Sharia law banned in South Australia
Swiss canton voters could ban the burqa
Muslim-Christian clashes erupt over reopening of church in Egyptian capital
Brussels: Vlaams Belang wants action against Muslim drivers who refuse to take dogs
Three out of four cattle killed without pain relief
Australian Government gives short shrift to sharia–lite appeal from Muslims
The organisation’s President, Ikebal Adam Patel, who wrote the submission, nominated family law and specifically divorce as an area where moderate interpretations of sharia could co-exist within the Australian legal system.
UN ‘Disturbed’ by Indonesia’s Religious Violence
New Study Finds Shariah Law Involved in Court Cases in 23 States
Australia Gets It Right on Sharia Implementation
Iran stoning woman's lawyer jailed, allegedly tortured
Australia denies Muslim request for sharia law
The Australian government has rejected a call from a leading Muslim group for the introduction of a non-extremist version of sharia law. .... In its submission, the Federation said while some Muslims saw sharia law as immutable, others argued it could be amended to respond to social change.
Muslim creationists tour France denouncing Darwin
Iran postpones blinding man in retribution punishment
Iran to blind criminal with acid in 'eye for an eye' justice
Egyptian Christians say they are 'under organised attack'
Social Democrat ditches Muslim holiday plan
Social Democrat party secretary Carin Jämtin has backtracked on the idea of giving Swedes a day off work to celebrate a Muslim holiday after her controversial proposal provoked a storm of criticism.
Warning sounded over polygamous Muslim marriages
The government has been told that it may be risking causing offence to Muslims living in Ireland who wish to engage in polygamous marriages.
Iran to make university courses more Islamic
Blasphemy case on Facebook adjourned
The petitioner …. arguing before the court said that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Ministry of Communication completely has failed to detect the blasphemy on internet and especially on facebook.
Burqa ban sees 27 offences recorded
Denmark: Failed integration of Blågård church Palestinians
UN could move to target criticism of Islam as 'hate speech'
Norway Imam children’s school applicant advocates decapitation
'Saudi Women Revolution' makes a stand for equal rights
Turkish Internet filtering plan 'unconstitutional,' experts say
Man kills stepdaughter for not honoring Muslim religion
Pakistan: Hundreds of Muslims attack Christians; police arrest Christians for counter-protest
10 May 2011
Pointing the Finger: Islam and Muslims in the British Media
Labels:
What's Wrong
Edited by Julian Petley and Robin Richardson. Published by Oneworld Publications 2011. See here
This book is a rehash of research done between May 2006 and April 2007 for the GLA and the then Mayor of London (Ken Livingstone) and in early 2008 by the Cardiff School of Journalism. Note 1
There is no new information even though the marketing blurb calls it “ …. a critical analysis of recent media coverage …”. [Reviews of the original research can be found here and here]
I was angry at first realising I had spent £20 on a book the contents of which I knew already (and had indirectly paid for as a London tax payer) and which were freely available.
However the book is useful. It illustrates the warped and irrelevant thinking of western apologists for Islam and shows how little they have to contribute to the discussions on Islamophobia and Muslim integration.
The largest chapter of the book (emulating the original GLA report!) Note 2 is an attack on a BBC Panorama programme “A Question of Leadership” which heavily criticised the Muslim Council of Britain and its then General Secretary, Sir Iqbal Sacranie. The programme was broadcast in 2005 shortly after the July bombings.
Yes, that’s right, a single TV programme shown nearly seven years ago, and here we are in 2011, given it again as an example of how unfair we are to the MCB. It is not worth going over the Panorama programme even just one more time but a highlight was the accusation that Sacranie was playing politics with religion (following the bombings) and the impression he gave that he believed the Iraq war was a war on Islam.
What struck me reading it now was what a shame it was that he had not been pressed to explain how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were a war on Islam.
In the chapters of (apparently) more recent origin the authors explain their belief that all criticism of Islam (well 99.9%) is out of place. It stigmatises all Muslims even those who aren’t religious. It is an attack on their identity.
“…. Muslim identity is not necessarily or universally to do with holding distinctive beliefs or engaging in specific practices - it can be primarily to do with a sense of belonging, or of being perceived to belong, to a broad cultural tradition.” (p9)
You might wonder how a Christian can divorce himself from criticism of his culture, of the Catholic Church, for example; celibate priests, papal infallibility, anti birth-control, the Inquisition etc etc.
They produce a definition of Islamophobia which has nothing to do with Islam.
“A shorthand term referring to a multifaceted mix of discourse, behaviour and structures which express and perpetuate feelings of anxiety, fear, hostility and rejection towards Muslims, particularly but not only in countries where people of Muslim heritage live as minorities.” (p12)
The authors amplify this definition by describing other practices to which Islamophobia is similar but not identical. They identify seven such Islamophobic like practices devoting more words to some than to others. Here they are listed in the order presented in the book and showing the percentage of words devoted to each which it is reasonable to assume reflects the relative importance the authors attach to them.
• racism, xenophobia and xenoracism (sic) …. (27%)
• prejudices against Arab and other Muslim cultures (which developed in the Iberian peninsula and south-east Europe) from the eight century …. (29%)
• demonising of military and economic rivals particularly since the first Gulf war …. and in relation to political and military support for the state of Israel. (13%)
• fears, insecurities, scapegoating and moral panics relating to national identity which arises from globalisation and multiculturalism … (11%)
• pursuit, prosecution and punishment of terrorist organisations …. (9%)
• critiques of Islamic theology jurisprudence and political philosophy. (3%)
• critiques of the human rights records of certain countries where Islam is a feature of the dominant culture. (7%)
The mind boggles. It is undesirable to mention tyranny, suppression of other religions, persecution of minorities, inhuman punishments, etc, in countries “where Islam is a feature of the dominant culture”.
But there you have it. Islam itself, its beliefs, its practices, its interpretations, are worth only a measly 3% of their attention. What planet are they living on?
In the authors’ worldview the causes of Islamophobia are next to nothing to do with Islam and everything to do with the West’s own history and failings. Islamophobia is brought about by globalisation and the unsettling of nation-states. People are anxious. They quote Tariq Ramadan who believes Europe is going through an identity crisis.
“…. while European countries and citizens are going through a real and deep identity crisis, the new visibility of Muslims is problematic - and it is scary.” (p19)
A remarkable chapter on the veil blames the present European debate about face covering and burquas on colonialism and imperialism.
“It is the contention of this chapter that the debate about the veil cannot be understood outside the broader context of colonialism and imperialism.” (p174)
And in the same vein in regard to Lord Tebbit's famous 'cricket test' they say:
“But the intention of the test was not really about accepting 'our culture' but reviving colonial supremacy.” (p200)
Dave Spart couldn’t do better.
The people who criticise Islam are a sorry lot. They suffer especially from closed-mindedness. For example they are prone to any or all of the following:
• won’t change their views in the light of new facts and evidence;
• deliberately distort, or recklessly over-simplify, incontestable facts;
• caricature the views of people with whom they disagree;
• over-generalise;
• are abusive claiming their opponents are evil or insane or sub-human;
• use double standards;
• fail to see difference and disagreement as a resource for understanding more about oneself, not as a threat;
• fail to understand other people's views and standpoints in their own terms, and where they are coming from and the narratives and stories with which they interpret events;
• claim greater certainty than is warranted;
The British Media (the main object of the book) are as bad as the Islamophobes and encourage and peddle all the uncalled for criticism of Muslims. The press not only grossly exaggerates but makes up anti-Muslim stories. Another chapter from the GLA report is repeated detailing the truth behind four such stories published in 2005 (after the July bombings) and 2006.
When you look at the analysis of these stories, you find one had a grain of truth, one was clearly fabricated and aimed at Muslims, one wasn’t explicitly aimed at Muslims or Islam and might have had something to do with journalistic ignorance, and the last simply illustrated the difficulties and pitfalls of newspaper reporting, it is far-fetched to give it an anti-Muslim classification. Note 3
Yet another chapter lifted word-for-word from the GLA report gives the results of in-depth interviews with six Muslim journalists. Interestingly, even the authors of this book as much as they seize on any criticism to illustrate the failings of the press, can’t hide the glimmers of light revealed by some of the journalists’ verbatim comments.
“If a story's there and it's the biggest story in town they have to cover it. If it's what your readership asks for, you will respond. …. If you are a news editor getting letters saying you need to be stronger on this stuff, you will ... Some of the reporting after the London bombs was very good. It was reported very well and very sensitively.” (p241)
“I think the press has been pretty fair to Muslims. They don't really need to stitch people up, they do a good enough job of that themselves. My view is Muslims have got to address issues themselves, things like anti-semitism and homophobia that seem to be unchangeable within Muslim communities. As far as I'm concerned newspapers just report them as they are.” (p242)
“I take issue with many things done by British Muslims. If the media was doing its job it would help Britain's two million Muslims to be able to develop a kind of reasoned, questioning attitude within itself. And you are beginning to see that a bit.” (p243)
These Muslim journalists don’t see any great failing in the media in regard to Islam or Muslims. In the main their concerns are those of any journalist or career minded person. Perhaps because they actually work on the front line and deal with real cases and real people they also know that the occasional press stupidity is the price of a free press.
The book’s concluding chapter repeats word-for-word the 10 findings of the five year old Ken Livingstone GLA report. Here are the first three. Enough is enough. You get the idea.
1 The dominant view is that there is no common ground between the West and Islam, and that conflict between them is accordingly inevitable.
2 Muslims in Britain are depicted as a threat to traditional British customs, values and ways of life.
3 Alternative world views, understandings and opinions are not mentioned or are not given a fair hearing.
Underlying causes of Islamophobia are again paraded: globalisation, Britain’s decline as a world power, Britain in Europe, the end of empire, the rapid advance of social pluralism etc. The authors say we need “religious literacy”. For example, it is “religiously illiterate to suppose that imams in Islam have the same range of roles and responsibilities as clerics in Christianity. Equally, it is illiterate to equate an attack on a bishop of the established church with an attack on a cleric in a marginalised community subject to racist violence.” (p263)
You wonder if it ever occurs to the authors of this book that those (not all) who criticise Islam can change their mind in light of new evidence, they can understand things from different perspectives, they are well-informed knowing a great deal about Islam in its various forms.
That they are even young enough, less than 65 years, to be untainted by British Imperialism, that they welcome the benefits of globalisation, and they are quite clear who they are.
That there are issues that have nothing whatsoever to do with racism and everything to do with Islam. Let us look at a few examples.
Halal
The toleration of halal slaughter in the UK makes a mockery of democratic processes. A lot of people might not be too bothered, some may have strong feelings, but a regulation, a law, exists for a reason. What is the point of having it if a large part of the population can simply ignore it?
I’m not too keen on the double yellow lines around where I live. If I park on them it doesn’t seem to cause any problems. So, I’m going to park on them whenever I feel like it. And I think farmers and country people should have dispensation from the ban on fox hunting.
Sharia “Courts”
Sharia “courts” are divisive encouraging further segregation. Muslim women are pressured to use a sharia system totally biased in favour of men in divorce, distribution of assets, financial support, and the custody of children. They are ignorant and kept ignorant of the fairer treatment that British mediation and court services would give them.
There is growing evidence that these “courts” are involved in cases of domestic violence, a criminal matter, and are creating a system whereby Muslim men are treated with greater leniency than other males, and Muslim women are forced to live within violent husbands. According to the BBC a spokesperson for the Muslim Arbitration Tribunals headquarters claimed his organisation had held discussions with the CPS exploring “an alternative form of resolution” for domestic violence for Muslims in Britain. Disturbing discussions and news can be found here and here
The men, and they are all men, who oversee these sharia courts are often uneducated foreign imams who have little understanding of Britain and wish to retain their power over Muslim communities by making them even more isolated. The head of the UK Islamic Sharia Council caused a public outcry recently saying rape cannot be committed within marriage. See here
Politics
Many Muslims believe Islam provides a complete political system. This is the killer app so to speak and the reason why Muslims are viewed with suspicion. A conscientious Christian might say that Christianity is the basis of his politics but when a Muslim says the equivalent an alarm bell goes off.
Many, most even, in the West may be able mix their religion and their politics as Christians do. They want to bring a certain morality to politics, they don’t want to take it over. But we have examples all the time of Muslim figureheads and scholars extolling Islam as a comprehensive political solution. Note 4
And we have the slippery words of people like Sacranie and the over-the-top protests of the MCB when the BBC Panorama programme (p121) accurately quoted Sayyid Mawdudi an Islamist ideologue that many in the MCB admire saying ”in ideal Islamic state, private and public life would be inseparable. In this respect it would bear a kind of resemblance to the fascist and communist states". Note 5
As a political system Islam has always failed even allowing for periods in the past where it seemed to work for Muslims themselves for a while. Today the developments in Iran show clearly the tyrannical nature of an Islamic political system. This is just one example. There are many more.
It really is very simple. The key to progress and democracy is that people can peacefully get rid of governments that fail or they don’t like. Can you imagine any government or ruling class that believes it is doing God’s work, it is the party of God, peacefully passing the reins of power to someone else?
Notes
(1) Rehash of earlier research
Identical or similar chapters from GLA report “The search for common ground: Muslims, non-Muslims and the UK media” A report commissioned by the Mayor of London. Published November 2007.
Political Correctness Gone Mad (34 pages)
'A Question of Leadership': Who Speaks for British Muslims? (52 pages)
Keeping Your Integrity - and Your job: Voices from the Newsroom (29 pages)
Responsible Journalism (25 pages)
Identical or similar chapters “Images of Islam in the UK: The Representation of British Muslims in the National Print News Media 2000-2008”. By the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies. Published 7th July 2008.
Images of Islam in the UK: The Representation of British Muslims in the National Press (26 pages)
'This Idiotic Man': Sharia Law and the Archbishop' of Canterbury (20 pages)
The above account for 186 pages. There are four chapters that are apparently new accounting for 82 pages.
(2) One fifth of the Book
The chapter concerning the MCB, 'A Question of Leadership': Who Speaks for British Muslims?, in this book accounts for 20% of the content. One fifth!
The original chapter “Full and Fair Debate” – Who speaks for British Muslims” in the five year old Ken Livingstone GLA report accouts for almost one fifth of that report.
(3) Anti-Muslim Stories
“Council chiefs ban Christmas”
This story had a front-page splash with a huge headline 'Christmas is banned: it offends Muslims' and appeared in the Daily Express on 2 November 2005.
These was a grain of truth in this story.
A Council official later said “ …. it was never council policy to rename the Christmas Lights switch-on events, or to change the name to winter lights. The naming decisions were made at a local level and this inconsistency in naming should have been picked up before council literature went to print, but it wasn't spotted until it was too late.”
“Piggy banks to be sacrificed”
This was a front-page splash in the Daily Express on 24 October 2005. The explanatory title was 'Now the PC brigade bans piggy banks in case they upset Muslims.'
This story was a complete fabrication.
Piggy banks had featured on posters in a bank’s branches as part of a nationwide savings campaign. When the campaign finished the posters were taken down. End of story.
“Now Christ is banned”
Another front-page splash in the Daily Express on 4 November 2005 although neither headline nor the text referred explicitly to Muslims. It said “In the latest ludicrous attempt to tear down traditions, curators have banned the phrase BC - Before Christ and insist on using BP - Before Present - to avoid offending other faiths.”
This story indicates malicious intent and/or gross ignorance on the part of the journalists. The pre-history Museum in question had simply been following academic convention since 1950. This was the benchmark year in which calibration curves for carbon-14 dating were established.
“Political correctness gone mad”
This story broke in the national press on the 7 April 2006. It appeared in the Daily Telegraph under the headline “CPS 'Is Crazy' to Take Playtime Insults to Court”. There was no mention of Islam or Muslims.
A judge had lambasted the police and Crown Prosecution Service for taking a 10-year-old boy to court over a playground spat. He said the decision to prosecute the youngster accused of calling a fellow pupil a 'Paki' and a 'nigger' - was 'political correctness gone mad'.
This story simply illustrates the practical and human problems of every day reporting. No one made things up. When all the evidence came out it could be seen the police and CPS had good reason to take the case to court, and the judge apologized to the police.
(4) Islam is a complete political system
Many Muslims believe that Islam provides a complete political system. It is the basis of all law and is a model for how society and politics should be organised. This is not the belief of some insigificant minority and it is constantly propagated by leading Muslim figures and scholars. Here is a small selection of links that show this and how completely at odds Islam is with the secular world.
Why is secularism incompatible with Islam? By Yusuf Al-Qaradawi
.... For this reason, the call for secularism among Muslims is atheism and a rejection of Islam. Its acceptance as a basis for rule in place of Shari’ah is downright apostasy.
Read more
Separation Of Church And State By Dr. Ja`far Sheikh Idris
.... Secularism cannot be a solution for countries with a Muslim majority or even a sizeable minority, for it requires people to replace their God-given beliefs with an entirely different set of man-made beliefs. Separation of religion and state is not an option for Muslims because is requires us to abandon Allah's decree for that of a man. Read more
Cleric issues 48-page fatwa against democracy
The spiritual leader of Algeria's influential Salafist movement has issued a 48-page fatwa, or religious decree, urging Muslims to ignore calls for change because he says that democracy goes against Islam.
Read more
Muslim preachers laude revolution, slam democracy
.... The statement, however, criticized the revolution’s call for the installation of full democracies. Democracy, Muslim clerics argued, allows the people have the final say in their countries’ affairs, which leads to the prevalence of several un-Islamic practices. Read more
(5) MCB Objections
The MCB objected to the accurate Sayyid Mawdudi quotation ”…. in ideal Islamic state, private and public life would be inseparable. In this respect it would bear a kind of resemblance to the fascist and communist states" on the grounds that it was unfairly selected and ignored other statements.
Mawdudi also said “… a Muslim state being 'something vastly and basically different from the totalitarian and authoritarian states. Individual liberty is not suppressed under it nor is there any trace of dictatorship in it”.
Most people of rational mind or with a modicum of historical knowledge will see a contradiction between “private and public life would be inseparable” and “Individual liberty is not suppressed” and they know which would prevail.
This book is a rehash of research done between May 2006 and April 2007 for the GLA and the then Mayor of London (Ken Livingstone) and in early 2008 by the Cardiff School of Journalism. Note 1
There is no new information even though the marketing blurb calls it “ …. a critical analysis of recent media coverage …”. [Reviews of the original research can be found here and here]
I was angry at first realising I had spent £20 on a book the contents of which I knew already (and had indirectly paid for as a London tax payer) and which were freely available.
However the book is useful. It illustrates the warped and irrelevant thinking of western apologists for Islam and shows how little they have to contribute to the discussions on Islamophobia and Muslim integration.
The largest chapter of the book (emulating the original GLA report!) Note 2 is an attack on a BBC Panorama programme “A Question of Leadership” which heavily criticised the Muslim Council of Britain and its then General Secretary, Sir Iqbal Sacranie. The programme was broadcast in 2005 shortly after the July bombings.
Yes, that’s right, a single TV programme shown nearly seven years ago, and here we are in 2011, given it again as an example of how unfair we are to the MCB. It is not worth going over the Panorama programme even just one more time but a highlight was the accusation that Sacranie was playing politics with religion (following the bombings) and the impression he gave that he believed the Iraq war was a war on Islam.
What struck me reading it now was what a shame it was that he had not been pressed to explain how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were a war on Islam.
In the chapters of (apparently) more recent origin the authors explain their belief that all criticism of Islam (well 99.9%) is out of place. It stigmatises all Muslims even those who aren’t religious. It is an attack on their identity.
“…. Muslim identity is not necessarily or universally to do with holding distinctive beliefs or engaging in specific practices - it can be primarily to do with a sense of belonging, or of being perceived to belong, to a broad cultural tradition.” (p9)
You might wonder how a Christian can divorce himself from criticism of his culture, of the Catholic Church, for example; celibate priests, papal infallibility, anti birth-control, the Inquisition etc etc.
They produce a definition of Islamophobia which has nothing to do with Islam.
“A shorthand term referring to a multifaceted mix of discourse, behaviour and structures which express and perpetuate feelings of anxiety, fear, hostility and rejection towards Muslims, particularly but not only in countries where people of Muslim heritage live as minorities.” (p12)
The authors amplify this definition by describing other practices to which Islamophobia is similar but not identical. They identify seven such Islamophobic like practices devoting more words to some than to others. Here they are listed in the order presented in the book and showing the percentage of words devoted to each which it is reasonable to assume reflects the relative importance the authors attach to them.
• racism, xenophobia and xenoracism (sic) …. (27%)
• prejudices against Arab and other Muslim cultures (which developed in the Iberian peninsula and south-east Europe) from the eight century …. (29%)
• demonising of military and economic rivals particularly since the first Gulf war …. and in relation to political and military support for the state of Israel. (13%)
• fears, insecurities, scapegoating and moral panics relating to national identity which arises from globalisation and multiculturalism … (11%)
• pursuit, prosecution and punishment of terrorist organisations …. (9%)
• critiques of Islamic theology jurisprudence and political philosophy. (3%)
• critiques of the human rights records of certain countries where Islam is a feature of the dominant culture. (7%)
The mind boggles. It is undesirable to mention tyranny, suppression of other religions, persecution of minorities, inhuman punishments, etc, in countries “where Islam is a feature of the dominant culture”.
But there you have it. Islam itself, its beliefs, its practices, its interpretations, are worth only a measly 3% of their attention. What planet are they living on?
In the authors’ worldview the causes of Islamophobia are next to nothing to do with Islam and everything to do with the West’s own history and failings. Islamophobia is brought about by globalisation and the unsettling of nation-states. People are anxious. They quote Tariq Ramadan who believes Europe is going through an identity crisis.
“…. while European countries and citizens are going through a real and deep identity crisis, the new visibility of Muslims is problematic - and it is scary.” (p19)
A remarkable chapter on the veil blames the present European debate about face covering and burquas on colonialism and imperialism.
“It is the contention of this chapter that the debate about the veil cannot be understood outside the broader context of colonialism and imperialism.” (p174)
And in the same vein in regard to Lord Tebbit's famous 'cricket test' they say:
“But the intention of the test was not really about accepting 'our culture' but reviving colonial supremacy.” (p200)
Dave Spart couldn’t do better.
The people who criticise Islam are a sorry lot. They suffer especially from closed-mindedness. For example they are prone to any or all of the following:
• won’t change their views in the light of new facts and evidence;
• deliberately distort, or recklessly over-simplify, incontestable facts;
• caricature the views of people with whom they disagree;
• over-generalise;
• are abusive claiming their opponents are evil or insane or sub-human;
• use double standards;
• fail to see difference and disagreement as a resource for understanding more about oneself, not as a threat;
• fail to understand other people's views and standpoints in their own terms, and where they are coming from and the narratives and stories with which they interpret events;
• claim greater certainty than is warranted;
The British Media (the main object of the book) are as bad as the Islamophobes and encourage and peddle all the uncalled for criticism of Muslims. The press not only grossly exaggerates but makes up anti-Muslim stories. Another chapter from the GLA report is repeated detailing the truth behind four such stories published in 2005 (after the July bombings) and 2006.
When you look at the analysis of these stories, you find one had a grain of truth, one was clearly fabricated and aimed at Muslims, one wasn’t explicitly aimed at Muslims or Islam and might have had something to do with journalistic ignorance, and the last simply illustrated the difficulties and pitfalls of newspaper reporting, it is far-fetched to give it an anti-Muslim classification. Note 3
Yet another chapter lifted word-for-word from the GLA report gives the results of in-depth interviews with six Muslim journalists. Interestingly, even the authors of this book as much as they seize on any criticism to illustrate the failings of the press, can’t hide the glimmers of light revealed by some of the journalists’ verbatim comments.
“If a story's there and it's the biggest story in town they have to cover it. If it's what your readership asks for, you will respond. …. If you are a news editor getting letters saying you need to be stronger on this stuff, you will ... Some of the reporting after the London bombs was very good. It was reported very well and very sensitively.” (p241)
“I think the press has been pretty fair to Muslims. They don't really need to stitch people up, they do a good enough job of that themselves. My view is Muslims have got to address issues themselves, things like anti-semitism and homophobia that seem to be unchangeable within Muslim communities. As far as I'm concerned newspapers just report them as they are.” (p242)
“I take issue with many things done by British Muslims. If the media was doing its job it would help Britain's two million Muslims to be able to develop a kind of reasoned, questioning attitude within itself. And you are beginning to see that a bit.” (p243)
These Muslim journalists don’t see any great failing in the media in regard to Islam or Muslims. In the main their concerns are those of any journalist or career minded person. Perhaps because they actually work on the front line and deal with real cases and real people they also know that the occasional press stupidity is the price of a free press.
The book’s concluding chapter repeats word-for-word the 10 findings of the five year old Ken Livingstone GLA report. Here are the first three. Enough is enough. You get the idea.
1 The dominant view is that there is no common ground between the West and Islam, and that conflict between them is accordingly inevitable.
2 Muslims in Britain are depicted as a threat to traditional British customs, values and ways of life.
3 Alternative world views, understandings and opinions are not mentioned or are not given a fair hearing.
Underlying causes of Islamophobia are again paraded: globalisation, Britain’s decline as a world power, Britain in Europe, the end of empire, the rapid advance of social pluralism etc. The authors say we need “religious literacy”. For example, it is “religiously illiterate to suppose that imams in Islam have the same range of roles and responsibilities as clerics in Christianity. Equally, it is illiterate to equate an attack on a bishop of the established church with an attack on a cleric in a marginalised community subject to racist violence.” (p263)
You wonder if it ever occurs to the authors of this book that those (not all) who criticise Islam can change their mind in light of new evidence, they can understand things from different perspectives, they are well-informed knowing a great deal about Islam in its various forms.
That they are even young enough, less than 65 years, to be untainted by British Imperialism, that they welcome the benefits of globalisation, and they are quite clear who they are.
That there are issues that have nothing whatsoever to do with racism and everything to do with Islam. Let us look at a few examples.
Halal
The toleration of halal slaughter in the UK makes a mockery of democratic processes. A lot of people might not be too bothered, some may have strong feelings, but a regulation, a law, exists for a reason. What is the point of having it if a large part of the population can simply ignore it?
I’m not too keen on the double yellow lines around where I live. If I park on them it doesn’t seem to cause any problems. So, I’m going to park on them whenever I feel like it. And I think farmers and country people should have dispensation from the ban on fox hunting.
Sharia “Courts”
Sharia “courts” are divisive encouraging further segregation. Muslim women are pressured to use a sharia system totally biased in favour of men in divorce, distribution of assets, financial support, and the custody of children. They are ignorant and kept ignorant of the fairer treatment that British mediation and court services would give them.
There is growing evidence that these “courts” are involved in cases of domestic violence, a criminal matter, and are creating a system whereby Muslim men are treated with greater leniency than other males, and Muslim women are forced to live within violent husbands. According to the BBC a spokesperson for the Muslim Arbitration Tribunals headquarters claimed his organisation had held discussions with the CPS exploring “an alternative form of resolution” for domestic violence for Muslims in Britain. Disturbing discussions and news can be found here and here
The men, and they are all men, who oversee these sharia courts are often uneducated foreign imams who have little understanding of Britain and wish to retain their power over Muslim communities by making them even more isolated. The head of the UK Islamic Sharia Council caused a public outcry recently saying rape cannot be committed within marriage. See here
Politics
Many Muslims believe Islam provides a complete political system. This is the killer app so to speak and the reason why Muslims are viewed with suspicion. A conscientious Christian might say that Christianity is the basis of his politics but when a Muslim says the equivalent an alarm bell goes off.
Many, most even, in the West may be able mix their religion and their politics as Christians do. They want to bring a certain morality to politics, they don’t want to take it over. But we have examples all the time of Muslim figureheads and scholars extolling Islam as a comprehensive political solution. Note 4
And we have the slippery words of people like Sacranie and the over-the-top protests of the MCB when the BBC Panorama programme (p121) accurately quoted Sayyid Mawdudi an Islamist ideologue that many in the MCB admire saying ”in ideal Islamic state, private and public life would be inseparable. In this respect it would bear a kind of resemblance to the fascist and communist states". Note 5
As a political system Islam has always failed even allowing for periods in the past where it seemed to work for Muslims themselves for a while. Today the developments in Iran show clearly the tyrannical nature of an Islamic political system. This is just one example. There are many more.
It really is very simple. The key to progress and democracy is that people can peacefully get rid of governments that fail or they don’t like. Can you imagine any government or ruling class that believes it is doing God’s work, it is the party of God, peacefully passing the reins of power to someone else?
Notes
(1) Rehash of earlier research
Identical or similar chapters from GLA report “The search for common ground: Muslims, non-Muslims and the UK media” A report commissioned by the Mayor of London. Published November 2007.
Political Correctness Gone Mad (34 pages)
'A Question of Leadership': Who Speaks for British Muslims? (52 pages)
Keeping Your Integrity - and Your job: Voices from the Newsroom (29 pages)
Responsible Journalism (25 pages)
Identical or similar chapters “Images of Islam in the UK: The Representation of British Muslims in the National Print News Media 2000-2008”. By the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies. Published 7th July 2008.
Images of Islam in the UK: The Representation of British Muslims in the National Press (26 pages)
'This Idiotic Man': Sharia Law and the Archbishop' of Canterbury (20 pages)
The above account for 186 pages. There are four chapters that are apparently new accounting for 82 pages.
(2) One fifth of the Book
The chapter concerning the MCB, 'A Question of Leadership': Who Speaks for British Muslims?, in this book accounts for 20% of the content. One fifth!
The original chapter “Full and Fair Debate” – Who speaks for British Muslims” in the five year old Ken Livingstone GLA report accouts for almost one fifth of that report.
(3) Anti-Muslim Stories
“Council chiefs ban Christmas”
This story had a front-page splash with a huge headline 'Christmas is banned: it offends Muslims' and appeared in the Daily Express on 2 November 2005.
These was a grain of truth in this story.
A Council official later said “ …. it was never council policy to rename the Christmas Lights switch-on events, or to change the name to winter lights. The naming decisions were made at a local level and this inconsistency in naming should have been picked up before council literature went to print, but it wasn't spotted until it was too late.”
“Piggy banks to be sacrificed”
This was a front-page splash in the Daily Express on 24 October 2005. The explanatory title was 'Now the PC brigade bans piggy banks in case they upset Muslims.'
This story was a complete fabrication.
Piggy banks had featured on posters in a bank’s branches as part of a nationwide savings campaign. When the campaign finished the posters were taken down. End of story.
“Now Christ is banned”
Another front-page splash in the Daily Express on 4 November 2005 although neither headline nor the text referred explicitly to Muslims. It said “In the latest ludicrous attempt to tear down traditions, curators have banned the phrase BC - Before Christ and insist on using BP - Before Present - to avoid offending other faiths.”
This story indicates malicious intent and/or gross ignorance on the part of the journalists. The pre-history Museum in question had simply been following academic convention since 1950. This was the benchmark year in which calibration curves for carbon-14 dating were established.
“Political correctness gone mad”
This story broke in the national press on the 7 April 2006. It appeared in the Daily Telegraph under the headline “CPS 'Is Crazy' to Take Playtime Insults to Court”. There was no mention of Islam or Muslims.
A judge had lambasted the police and Crown Prosecution Service for taking a 10-year-old boy to court over a playground spat. He said the decision to prosecute the youngster accused of calling a fellow pupil a 'Paki' and a 'nigger' - was 'political correctness gone mad'.
This story simply illustrates the practical and human problems of every day reporting. No one made things up. When all the evidence came out it could be seen the police and CPS had good reason to take the case to court, and the judge apologized to the police.
(4) Islam is a complete political system
Many Muslims believe that Islam provides a complete political system. It is the basis of all law and is a model for how society and politics should be organised. This is not the belief of some insigificant minority and it is constantly propagated by leading Muslim figures and scholars. Here is a small selection of links that show this and how completely at odds Islam is with the secular world.
Why is secularism incompatible with Islam? By Yusuf Al-Qaradawi
.... For this reason, the call for secularism among Muslims is atheism and a rejection of Islam. Its acceptance as a basis for rule in place of Shari’ah is downright apostasy.
Read more
Separation Of Church And State By Dr. Ja`far Sheikh Idris
.... Secularism cannot be a solution for countries with a Muslim majority or even a sizeable minority, for it requires people to replace their God-given beliefs with an entirely different set of man-made beliefs. Separation of religion and state is not an option for Muslims because is requires us to abandon Allah's decree for that of a man. Read more
Cleric issues 48-page fatwa against democracy
The spiritual leader of Algeria's influential Salafist movement has issued a 48-page fatwa, or religious decree, urging Muslims to ignore calls for change because he says that democracy goes against Islam.
Read more
Muslim preachers laude revolution, slam democracy
.... The statement, however, criticized the revolution’s call for the installation of full democracies. Democracy, Muslim clerics argued, allows the people have the final say in their countries’ affairs, which leads to the prevalence of several un-Islamic practices. Read more
(5) MCB Objections
The MCB objected to the accurate Sayyid Mawdudi quotation ”…. in ideal Islamic state, private and public life would be inseparable. In this respect it would bear a kind of resemblance to the fascist and communist states" on the grounds that it was unfairly selected and ignored other statements.
Mawdudi also said “… a Muslim state being 'something vastly and basically different from the totalitarian and authoritarian states. Individual liberty is not suppressed under it nor is there any trace of dictatorship in it”.
Most people of rational mind or with a modicum of historical knowledge will see a contradiction between “private and public life would be inseparable” and “Individual liberty is not suppressed” and they know which would prevail.
06 May 2011
This is Why - Part 4
Labels:
What's Wrong
This post continues the series showing why British people (and Europeans) have such poor opinions of Islam and Muslims.
See Part 3 here
Please note it excludes terrorism and conflicts in or near Muslim countries. See Part 1 with fuller explanation.
April 2011
Indonesian president warns Islamic radicalism rising
University campuses are 'hotbeds of Islamic extremism'
Militants wanted to film, broadcast Indonesian church attack, police say
Poll: Most Egyptians want Quran as source of laws
Low-key Easter preparations for Pakistan’s fearful Christians
Islamic cleric threatens jihad if child marriage is banned
Muslims should ask Congress to outlaw Qur'an-burning -- because it incites violence
…. in contrast to the burning of the American flag, which, he says, the Supreme Court declined to outlaw because "no disturbance of the peace actually occurred or threatened to occur."
The Latest Enemies of Iran: Dogs and Their Owners
The bill warns that that in addition to posing public health hazards, the popularity of dog ownership "also poses a cultural problem, a blind imitation of the vulgar culture of the West."
Muslim Brotherhood leader talks of applying Sharia law
Carlisle man jailed for burning Koran in city centre
'I wanted to be free': Muslim model upsets family by posing nude for Playboy cover
I was always told, you must not go out, you must not make yourself look so attractive, you mustn't have male friends.
London police probing report that Islamist extremists told woman to cover up
…. an unidentified Bangladeshi woman …. threatened with death by men who told her to cover up because she works in an east London district with a predominantly Muslim population
'Wear a headscarf or we will kill you': How the 'London Taliban' is targeting women
Two Booked under the Blasphemy law
Once again the Christians are being victimized. Mushtaq Gill, in his sixties and his young son were accused of desecrating the Quran, and were taken away by the local police.
Muslim Council: women cannot debate wearing veil
Apology for performance stop over Koran quotes
Following a wave of criticism, the artistic director …. apologized for hastily cancelling a feminist performance last weekend in which women were set to dance to a score that included recitation of verses from the Koran set to music.
Muslim group declares jihad against ‘extremist’ Christians
An umbrella coalition of Muslim groups held a protest today and declared bloodshed against ‘extremist’ Christians that insult and ridicule the position of Islam in the country.
The EU vote on 'no-stun slaughter' meat
Pakistan switches on to Islamic radicalism peddled by TV stars
Wearing shoes with green soles can make you lose a cricket match …. the reasons behind the defeats suffered by Pakistan's cricket team. Apparently this is because green is the colour of Islam - and also the colour of the national flag.
Conservative Muslims protest against Christian governor in Egypt
Jordan to try Danish artist over Mohammed cartoon
Pakistan's blasphemy vigilantes kill exonerated man
But his crime was blasphemy. He was meant to have said something derogatory about the prophet Mohammed, so in Pakistan justice worked a little differently.
Muslim beauty contestant faces critics on all sides, she says
Bangladesh to legalize political Islam, ignore courts order to restore secularism
Turkish PM raps France for face veil ban, militants online urge punishment for Paris
Lutfur Rahman councillor charged with fraud
What Country in the World Has the Most Journalists Imprisoned?
Medieval justice... in the 21st Century: Woman caned in front of a baying mob for having an affair
Crepes and Cider (Halal of course!)
Muslims must be free to debate issues such as evolution without fear
The imam of a mosque in east London, Dr Usama Hasan, was earlier this year subjected to death threats over his support for the theory of evolution.
"A Daily Massacre of Animals..."
Nowadays they slaughter animals alive, without concern about the regulation and even less about the pain ….
Teenage blasphemy suspect to be tried inside prison
.... Samiullah, a first-year pre-engineering student, has been charged with writing blasphemous remarks about the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the answer sheets of his intermediate examination in April last year.
Dutch consider banning religious animal slaughter
Tax Authority teaching employees about Islamic culture
About 100 employees of the Danish Tax Authority will be taking a course in Islam next month, in order to learn why male Muslim pizzeria owners won't shake hands with female Tax Authority employees.
Organization of the Islamic Conference vs. Freedom of Expression
…. the OIC promised to present a new draft resolution on the issue of "Islamophobia" at the General Assembly in September.
Reciting from Quran only allowed if it’s to understand religion
How TV Islamic extremist who hates Britain enjoys £1,250-a-month benefits and rent-free luxury flat
Malaysian MP Says Men Have Affairs Because Wives 'Neglect' Their Duty in Bed
Chechnya, where stability comes at the price of secularism
Women face coercion to wear headscarves as part of a "virtues" campaign, including an Islamic dress code. Men are allowed polygamous marriage and alcohol is forbidden, though it remains tucked away inside shops
Iran upholds prison sentence for Baha'i leaders ahead of Christians' blasphemy trial
Lutfur Rahman council pays at least £50,000 a month to front organisations for extremist IFE
Dozens injured as Bangladeshi Islamists protest women's equality laws
Sandhurst mosque plans prompt public inquiry
The proposals – to demolish a locally listed Victorian schoolbuilding in a conservation area in Camberley, Surrey, and replace it with a £3m domed mosque.
Afghanistan: United Nations mission rocked by mob killings
…. he blamed Islam. "We must take a serious, serious look at Islam," he said. "It's a violent religion that promotes acts of violence, I believe we need to bring this before the UN."
March 2011
Saudis print fatwa against protests
Liberal MP says debate being stifled over 'racism' fears
"Islam itself is the problem, it's not Muslims. Muslims are individuals that practise their faith in their own way, but Islam is a totalitarian, political and religious ideology."
Muslim model defends Miss Universe contest bid
Afghan women are still at risk
She is serving her sentence for running away from domestic violence. About half of all women in Afghan prisons are there for the same "crime".
Intolerance in Muslim societies is rising
The Most Islamic Community in Europe
It reflects how Leicester's long-ballyhooed experiment with multiculturalism is being challenged by Muslim separatism and assertiveness
Five Christians to face trial for blasphemy in Iran
Fears raised over controversial speakers at Muslim Centre
Saudi cleric Shaykh Al Barrak, who has a reputation for issuing hardline fatwas including ones on strict gender segregation, was one figure who raised concern.
British Universities funded by Islamic sources
Islamic donations are now the largest source of external funding for universities in the UK.
Anti-Muslim current in Australia: study
There is a current of anti-Muslim discourse that suggests an entrenched hostility often related to overseas events," the report said in its conclusion.
Ethiopian Christians flee after church burnings
Blasphemy suspect’s trial to start on 29th
British Muslim who entered Miss Universe contest receives death threat
Muslim mum convicted of assault loses appeal
A WOMAN convicted of assaulting young children has failed to persuade top judges her trial was unfair because too few Muslims were on the jury.
No victory in bible release
The release of the 30,000 Malay bibles has come with two attached conditions: that the books bear a stamp demarcating “For Christians Only” and marked with serial numbers
Malaysian Christian lawyer barred from Shariah courts
The Lewisham Islamic Centre: Promoting Hatred
…. reputable evidence that suggests that a much higher proportion Muslims in Britain …. hold views that would be considered to be ‘extreme’ in Western cultures.
Headscarf row re-surfaces - Hema employee refused contract for wearing hijab
48-page fatwa against democracy - Muslims told to ignore calls for change because 'democracy goes against Islam'
.... "As long as the commander of the nation is a Muslim, you must obey and listen to him. Those who are against him are just seeking to replace him, and this is not licit"
Muslim defendant can sue over hijab removal
a judge revoked their probation and put them in holding cells, where deputies ordered Khatib to remove her hijab.
Iran Christians Jailed, Bibles “Burned”
Pakistan Christian's death 'not due to natural causes'
Islamophobia report: Exeter University apologises
I expressed astonishment about the level of factual inaccuracy contained within what its authors hoped would be major academic report on Islamophobia.
Half of Europeans say Islam is a religion of intolerance
Bras, booze and how Islamic chauvinists have made satire redundant
“Out of the population of New York, the statistics tell us, one-third are gays… There are more than 25 million gays, sodomites, in America, in USA. Now the only option remaining for my sister is that she marries a man who already has a wife or she becomes public property.”
Christians protest: government blocks 30 thousand Bibles in Malay
Chechen women attacked with paintball guns for 'immodest' dress
40% of Americans link Islam to violence: poll
Asia Bibi fears she is next
.... The Christian mother is presently in an isolation cell in a Punjab jail for allegedly violating the country’s strict blasphemy law.
Why did the MCB and MINAB take so long to support Usama Hasan?
They knew a prominent imam was being threatened by fanatics, and yet they remained silent about it.
Fury at Omani sultan's cash for Cambridge
Muslim women 'should not travel more than 48 miles from home without male chaperone'
Muslim families refuse swimming lessons despite fines
Democracy Akbar! Coptic Church of St Mina and St George is torched by ‘thousands of Muslims’
London imam subjected to death threats for supporting evolution
Leyton Mosque in London has expelled its imam Dr Usama Hasan for holding a lecture titled ‘Islam & Evolution’ and saying the two were not incompatible.
Sharia law in Australia already a reality
Nearly 4000 Muslims Attack Christian Homes in Egypt, Torch Church
The grip of religious extremism on Pakistan’s political culture
Pakistan’s blasphemy law is a tool for persecution and its tyranny reflects the grip of religious extremism on political culture
With the rise of militant Islam, Pakistan reaps what for years the state has sown
…. Shahbaz Bhatti, the minorities minister, seems to have been killed for the same reason that Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab province, was assassinated on January 4th.
Lutfur Rahman council: homophobic hatred grows
‘Haia members’ rough up book fair participants
…. stormed the Riyadh book fair on Wednesday evening, roughed up participants and relayed orders through a mike for women to dress up properly and move graciously or face the consequences.
Newham Concern Press Release on Mega Mosque
Rejection of British values, the lack of any female participation and a refusal to integrate with other local communities are key issues for the Planning Inspector to consider ….
February 2011
Erdogan urges Turks in Germany to integrate, not assimilate
Turkish immigrants in Germany should integrate into society but not assimilate to the point where they abandon their native culture.
Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia: Womens’ Suffrage Movement Is a ‘Machination’ of the Enemies of Islam
Muslim Shelf Stockers Can Refuse to Handle Alcohol
Gaza's elected Islamist rulers crack down on secular community
Why are we not challenging violent Islamism in our schools?
"So, when a white person holds objectionable views, racist …. we rightly condemn them. But when equally unacceptable views or practices come from someone who isn't white, we've been too cautious – frankly, even fearful – to stand up to them."
Catalonia: Muslims ask to ban dogs from streets
Immigrant ghetto could become a 'state within a state'
"We are heading towards a 100% parallel society, if we don't intervene now. It's become normal for people to clear up problems behind closed doors"
Can we talk about Muslim homophobia now?
Last autumn, mysterious posters began to appear all over the East End of London announcing it is now a “Gay-Free Zone.” They warned: “And Fear Allah: Verily Allah is Severe in Punishment.”
No cash to fund privacy curtains for female-only pool classes
'Action needed' on forced marriage says abused teenager
Mullahs Fight Math in Madrassas
Another Pakistani Christian woman faces blasphemy charge
European Free Speech Under Attack
…. or "in any way that insults a group of people because of their race, their religion or belief, their hetero- or homosexual inclination or their physical, psychological or mental handicap, will be punished."
Chechnya Encourages Islamic-Style Customs
Warn against communist, secular parties - Muslim preachers laude revolution, slam democracy
“In democracies, people might vote for things that are prohibited in Islam like establishing brothels, allowing homosexuality, drinking alcohol, and usury, and prohibiting the call for prayers or the veil.”
Australian Senator receives death threats over 'Islam is problem, not Muslims' claims
iEngage Attacks Muslim Liberals, Defends Islamists and Hate Preachers
Tablighi Jamaat mosque accused of encouraging Muslim isolationism
Our high-profile Muslim minority
…. the problem with multiculturalism is Muslims. Or, to be more precise, the perceived failure of Muslim migrants to integrate and embrace the cultures and traditions of their adopted lands, which in turn allows Islamic extremism to thrive.
Controversial Islamic preacher speaks at Union
Vetting calls for teachers in mosques
…. Police were investigating allegations of assault against teachers at three Glasgow madrassas or Islamic schools operated in mosques.
Malaysia Arrests 100 Muslim Couples for Celebrating Lovers' Day
Mosque school arrest following Channel 4 documentary
…. the schoolteacher’s warning that pupils must stay away from men with less than “a fistful of beard… like you would from a serpent or a snake”.
Over half of French Muslims say they will marry only another Muslim
Malaysia warns Muslims of Valentine's Day 'trap'
Malaysia has stepped up a campaign to stop Muslims celebrating Valentine's Day - labelling it a "trap" that could encourage immoral behaviour.
Pupils must not be forced to eat halal Church tells schools
Salon worker fired over headscarf, she says
Banned hate preacher still broadcasting after 'Jews are enemy of Islam' claim
No exceptions to school lessons for religious reasons
At least a dozen Muslim families, newly arrived on the Canadian prairie, have requested that their children be exempted from phys. ed and music classes for religious reasons.
Minister: Scrapping Ham from Menu Not Islamisation
Home Affairs Minister …. rejected suggestions that the fact the police …. are not served pigmeat any more is an illustration of Islamisation of Dutch society.
Muslims in Java Protest 'Lenient' Sentence For Blasphemy
Religious freedom in Indonesia in tatters
During the attack on Sunday, the Ahmadiyah congregation …. were mobbed by a group of locals, and three Ahmadis died in the raid after being beaten or stabbed to death.
Saudi Scholar: Sharia the Only Path for Arabs
The denial of sharia (Islamic law) in Egypt and other Arab countries is at the root of the unrest in the region, Saudi religious scholar Ayed bin Abdullah al-Qarni said.
Oxford University students secretly served Muslim halal meat
Lee Kuan Yew On Muslim Integration In Singapore
“I think we were progressing very nicely until the surge of Islam came, and if you asked me for my observations, the other communities have easier integration - friends, intermarriages and so on - than Muslims.”
Netherlands: Moroccan teenager attacked for not wearing headscarf
Six die in religious clash in Indonesia
Muslims want children excused from music, mixed phys-ed classes
WikiLeaks: Americans call Leicester 'the most conservative Islamic community in Europe'
Bangladesh clerics arrested after girl whipped to death
Muslim councillor receives death threats over blasphemy case
In one threatening phone call, which he has reported to police, he was told to “stop supporting Christians or he would be made a terrible example out of”.
Student arrested for blasphemy
Pakistan: Man sentenced to death, boy arrested for blasphemy
January 2011
Five Muslims charged for inciting hatred against homosexuals
Former BBC Presenter: “Islam Could Not be Offended at Any Price, Christians Fair Game”…
Mr Sissons said: “Islam must not be offended at any price, although Christians are fair game because they do nothing about it if they are offended.”
Waitrose Halal lamb causes concern
Hundreds of rocks are thrown at her head
…. the Taliban execute a couple by stoning them to death in Kunduz province in front of a crowd of hundreds. The crime? The couple fell in love and attempted to elope ….
We should not absolve Islam of the crimes committed in its name
…. it was an attempted interpretation of Islam — in other words, that the inspiration for the lashing of that abused child was drawn from the ideology, even if it was an inspiration based on a misapprehension.
Muslim cabbie bans a mum for having beer
What Educated Non-Muslims Don't Like About Islam in a Nutshell
…. there are 527 verses of intolerance toward non-Muslims, and 109 verses specifically advocating violence towards non-Muslims. Not one of these verses has been abrogated.
Tunisian women fear Islamist return
Women soccer fans in Iran may be banned from live broadcasts
Harry Potter star's brother jailed
…. jailed for six months for a "prolonged and nasty" attack on the actress in which she was beaten and branded a "slag" for dating a non-Muslim.
Judge raises concerns over 'enormous emotional pressure' put on Muslim women after rape case collapses
…. 'enormous emotional pressure' exerted on women in Muslim communities after a rape case collapsed at the eleventh hour when the wife of an Asian man refused to give evidence against him.
Islamic Al Azhar University suspends dialogue with Vatican
Wear the hijab or I'll kill you, cousin told girl': Muslim tells of terrifying phone threats
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