Monthly Archives: May 2012

Sympathy for the devil: Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Anders Breivik

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Darling of the Islamophobic right, fellow at the neo-conservative American Enterprise Institute and serial liar Ayaan Hirsi Ali was in Berlin last week to receive the Axel Springer Honorary Prize.  In her acceptance speech, which was delivered in English, she attacked the “advocates of silence” who censor the truth about Islam and the Muslim extremists who are destroying Europe:

The advocates of silence warn us that publishing these facts or debating them in the media and in parliament will transform the existing resentment towards Muslims into violent behavior. Censorship and silence, we are told, are the best preventive remedies against hatred and violence.

I believe that the advocates of silence are wrong, profoundly and dangerously wrong.

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Islam and the issue of exploiting minors

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Over the past few days, Britain has been preoccupied with the prosecution and imprisonment of nine Muslim men (eight Pakistanis and one Afghani) on charges of being part of a child sex exploitation ring. Much has been said about the religious and ethnic background of the defendants, not to mention their victims, who were all white minors suffering from social problems, to the point that all issues became tangled up and intertwined; criminal considerations, religious and ethnic backgrounds and racial sensitivities. The result was heated discussions that mostly inclined towards unfair generalization, the promotion of a stereotyped image of Islam and false accusations against it.

Osman Mirghani analyses the response to the Rochdale “grooming” case.

Asharq Al-Awsat, 19 May 2012

Muslim groups call for ban on Scottish Defence League demonstration

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Scottish Defence League (2)Muslim groups have called for a blanket ban on “hate-fuelled” far-right extremists demonstrating in Edinburgh. The Scottish Defence League, which claims to be against Islamic extremism, will hold a static rally in the Grassmarket next Saturday after a march was ruled out by the city council.

A dozen Muslim organisations joined forces to condemn last month’s march application and today repeated their concerns ahead of the SDL’s appeal against the council ruling, which will be heard on Monday. The groups, which include the Muslim Council of Scotland, Iqra Mosque and Community Centre and Edinburgh Central Mosque, said they feared the effect of the SDL being allowed in the city centre.

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DMV wants ‘ICUHAJI’ license plate back

Posted on by Bob Pitt

ICUHAJI plateA Chesapeake man says the Department of Motor Vehicles is violating his right to free speech.

The DMV asked Army veteran Sean Bujno to return his vanity license plate, which displays the message “ICUHAJI.” Many read the message as “I see you, Haji.”

The dictionary defines “haji” as “one who has made a pilgrimage to Mecca.” But the word can also be used as slang, often to describe people of Arab descent in a derogatory way. The popular website Urban Dictionary suggests “haji” is “offensive slang; disparaging term for Arabs, especially those of Islamic faith.”

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Kansas: Muslims rally against ‘Islamophobic agenda’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Kansas rally against anti-sharia lawAbout 25 Muslims attended a rally Friday at the Statehouse urging Gov. Sam Brownback to veto a bill banning “foreign laws” that they say is a thinly veiled attack on Islam.

Faizan Syed, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ St. Louis branch, said similar “American Laws for American Courts” proposals have been floated in almost half of the 50 states this year. He said proponents have made them purposely vague to avoid running afoul of the Constitution like a 2010 Oklahoma law that specifically targeted Islamic law, or sharia.

“We know this was targeted against Islam because of the Oklahoma law that was struck down,” Syed said. “They just changed the wording.”

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The vilification of CAIR

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“The way in which the most prominent American Muslim civil rights organization has been marginalized and demonized should be cause for alarm not only for Muslims, but for civil rights advocates, and even for those in the law enforcement community who rely on strong local relationships. Lending official legitimacy to allegations that have never seen a day in court is abhorrent to the American value of justice….”

Rabia Chaudry condemns the right-wing witch-hunt of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the response of the FBI in particular.

altmuslim, 18 May 2012