Monthly Archives: November 2006

British Muslim Initiative no different from BNP, says Charles Moore

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Charles Moore 2Charles Moore’s column in this week’s Spectator features an attack on the rally against Islamophobia at Central Hall, Westminster, on Monday evening. The main object of Moore’s ire is shadow attorney-general Dominic Grieve, who was one of the platform speakers at the meeting.

Moore completely omits to mention that Liberty was a joint organiser of the rally, as that would rather undermine his case that the event was promoted by “Islamist” extremists. The other co-organiser of the rally, the British Muslim Initiative, is laughably described by Moore as “an offshoot of Respect, the party represented in Parliament by George Galloway”. And his characterisations of other Muslim bodies who provided speakers are equally ignorant.

Moore castigates the Tory party for believing that “it has to turn up to anything which calls itself Muslim”. Pursuing the theme common to rabid right-wingers like Melanie Phillips, pseudo-leftists like David T of Harry’s Place and “liberal” supporters of torture like Nick Cohen, that mainstream Muslim organisations represent a variety of fascism, Moore demands: “Would Mr Grieve attend BNP rallies on the grounds that one must hear the voice of white people?”

Aishah Azmi sacked

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Muslim teaching assistant who was suspended for refusing to remove her veil in the classroom has been sacked.

Aishah Azmi, 24, of Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury, west Yorkshire, was suspended on full pay earlier this year by Kirklees council and has now been sacked, sources said.

Last month, an employment tribunal dismissed three of Mrs Azmi’s claims of discrimination and harassment but found that she was victimised by Headfield Church of England junior school in Dewsbury and awarded her £1,000 for “injury to feelings”.

Mrs Azmi said she was willing to remove her veil in front of children – but not when male colleagues were present. Her case sparked a national debate on multiculturalism in Britain.

The prime minister, Tony Blair, said the veil row was part of a necessary debate about the way the Muslim community integrates into British society and said the veil was a “mark of separation” which makes people of other ethnic backgrounds feel uncomfortable.

The intervention by a series of politicians, which culminated in Mr Blair’s remarks, were criticised both by the tribunal and Muslim community leaders. The tribunal report said it was “most unfortunate” that politicians had made comments on the case which were sub judice.

The debate was sparked by the leader of the House of Commons, Jack Straw, when he said that the wearing of full veils – or niqab – made community relations more difficult.

The government’s race minister, Phil Woolas, demanded Mrs Azmi be sacked, accusing her of “denying the right of children to a full education” because her stand meant she could not “do her job” and insisted that barring men from working with her would amount to “sexual discrimination”.

The shadow home secretary, David Davis, launched a stinging attack on Muslim leaders for risking “voluntary apartheid” in Britain, and allegedly expecting special protection from criticism.

Press Association, 24 November 2006

We must display ‘our’ religious symbols like other faiths, says Express

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Let Christians Wear the CrossWith a front-page article carrying the strap “Why we must display our [sic] religious symbols just like other faiths”, the Express continues its campaign to utilise BA’s foolish and indefensible ban on one of their employees wearing a visible crucifix in order to incite bigotry against Muslims:

“The right of Christians to wear the cross was defended last night by the Leader of the House of Commons. The row over the British Airways’ ban grew as MPs heard that all Britons should be able to display their faith.

“Jack Straw, the Commons Leader, said the airline’s controversial dress policy was ‘inexplicable’. And he demanded fair and equal treatment for all religions. His Commons outburst made him the most senior Government figure yet to wade into the debate over the airline’s ban on visible Christian and Jewish symbols while allowing female Muslim employees to wear headscarves.

“Passengers around the world are joining a growing boycott of BA over the company’s treatment of check-in worker Nadia Eweida. She is refusing to work after bosses ordered her not to wear a cross the size of a five pence coin that was visible to passengers. The ban has fuelled criticism that non-Muslims are being treated unfairly by ‘politically correct’ busybodies who pander to perceived Islamic sensibilities.”

Daily Express, 24 November 2006

Class trip to mosque blocked by parents

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Atwood Primary in Croydon was forced to call off a Year 5 class visit to a mosque after nearly a third of parents refused to give consent.

Headteacher Alex Clark said the religious education tour of Croydon Mosque was no longer “financially viable” after nine out of the 30 pupils were withdrawn, with several Christian parents saying they did not want their 10-year-old child to be exposed to a “religion that was not their own”.

Croydon Mosque believes the reaction was due to the mosque featuring on BBC Newsnight after a senior Home Office official was exposed as an activist for the radical Hizb-ut-Tahrir group.

Tanveer Sajjad, for the Croydon Mosque, said: “There is no question of children being exposed to radical preaching.”

Evening Standard, 24 November 2006

Posted in UK

MB hits back at Washington Times

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“The Muslim Brotherhood finds itself between the hammer of Mrs Alyssa Lappen – who represents the Zionist lobby and its declared war on the MB – and the anvil of Mr Osama Ben Laden who opposes every moderate Islamic movement, including the Muslim Brotherhood.”

The Muslim Brotherhood replies to an article in the Washington Times by Rachel Ehrenfeld and Alyssa A. Lappen.

IkhwanWeb.com, 24 November 2006

Soumaya socks it to Sunny

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“What do I think of the New Generation Network manifesto published on Cif? It is intellectually flawed and politically unproductive. The document has generated a string of articles by its signatories. But it failed to move beyond the parameters of dominant discourse on religion and ethnicity and thus brought nothing new. For the ideas that formed its core, all one would have had to do is refer to Ruth Kelly’s recent statements on the subject saving us much noise and a great deal of ink.”

Soumaya Ghannoushi replies to Sunny Hundal and his chums.

Comment is Free, 24 November 2006

British MP warns Europe of ‘new anti-Semitism’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“A ‘witches brew’ of Islamic fundamentalists, left-wing intellectuals and neo-Nazis is causing a new resurgence of anti-Semitism to spread across Western Europe and must be tackled, one of the continent’s leading experts on the subject has told The Jerusalem Post in an exclusive interview.

“British Labor MP Dennis MacShane – a close ally of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and co-author of a hard-hitting report on the rise of anti-Semitism across Europe – told the Post in an interview in Berlin on Tuesday that Western Europe was suffering from a ‘new anti-Semitism’ that had to be tackled head-on. Part of this, he claimed, came from some sections of the Islamic communities of Western Europe – both fundamentalists and intellectuals – who were in an unorthodox alliance with left-wingers in propagating anti-Semitic sentiment.”

Jerusalem Post, 22 November 2006

Mad Mel gets it wrong … again

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“Mr Livingstone also claimed it was wrong to brand a British Muslim boy a ‘terrorist’ if he got involved in Palestinian violence against Israel, whereas ‘if a young Jewish boy in this country goes and joins the Israeli army and ends up killing many Palestinians and comes back, that is wholly legitimate’. These comments are simply utterly unacceptable. British Jews do not serve in the Israeli army.”

Melanie Phillips in the Daily Mail, 22 July 2005

“He grew up in suburban north London and still misses home comforts like milky British tea, the friends he left behind and the local pub. But yesterday Joe Wainer joined an elite Israeli army unit, and now he faces the prospect of active service in the occupied West Bank. The 19-year-old, one of nine young Britons who have signed up for a programme that recruits foreign Jews for the Israel Defence Forces, realised his life had changed when he fired an M16 rifle for the first time in training.”

Jeevan Vasagar in the Guardian, 23 November 2006

Postscript:  Dan Judelson of Jews for Justice for Palestinians has a letter in the Guardian responding to the latter article: “We hear over and over again that there are two sides to this conflict. Yet the real problem of the west’s attitude is one of double standards. A programme to recruit young British Palestinians to join Palestinian security forces would be swiftly shut down and claims of ‘mentoring’ dismissed as wicked Islamist indoctrination.”

Guardian, 25 November 2006

Hardline Muslims ‘must go’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

David CameronMuslims who want hardline Sharia Law in Brtain should leave the country, Tory leader David Cameron said last night.

The Islamic law uses brutal punishments and is intolerant of women.

Mr Cameron said: “If someone wants to see Sharia Law they should think about going to live in another country. That’s not something we should contemplate.”

Mr Cameron also attacked Tony Blair for not banning radical Islamic groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir – despite a promise after last year’s 7/7 bombings in London.

The Sun, 23 November 2006

Under the heading “Well said, Dave”, a Sun editorial comments: “For once we cannot argue with David Cameron. The Tory leader has condemned Islamic extremists who want to replace our tolerant, liberal way of life with Sharia law. This hardline interpretation of the Koran treats women as chattels and demands death for gays and Jews. The answer, says Mr Cameron, is for fanatics to go and live in another country. We can only add: The sooner the better.”

Over at the Daily Mail, by contrast, Cameron is reported as complaining that Labour leaders are playing “political football” with public fears about terrorism. A typical case of the Tory leader trying to be all things to all people. On the one hand, he comes on as a sensitive liberal over security issues, and on the other he provides the Sun with material to whip up paranoia about “Muslim fanatics”.