Author Archives: Bob Pitt

Muslim preacher defends TV comments

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The hardline preacher at the centre of an explosive TV documentary into extremist lectures delivered at a Birmingham Mosque today insisted: “I have nothing to hide.”

Abu Usamah At-Thahabi was secretly taped for months by undercover reporters, appearing to deliver hate-filled lectures at Green Lane Mosque in Small Heath. He is now being investigated by West Midlands Police.

But today he described the Channel 4 Dispatches programme as “a poor attempt at fair journalism because every one of my statements were taken out of context – without any explanation.”

The cleric said he welcomed the police investigation and would provide them with all the DVDs of his lectures. “I totally embrace and encourage a police investigation because I do not believe that the security forces will have any hidden agenda in which they will allow themselves to be swayed by Channel Four’s sensationalist journalism.”

Birmingham Mail, 18 January 2007

Head scarf ban for Antwerp city counter clerks raises protests

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A head scarf ban for municipal counter clerks in the northern port city of Antwerp has raised protest from Muslims and women activists, officials said Tuesday.

The city council decided late Monday that civil servants dealing directly with the public should not wear visible religious symbols like a Muslim head scarf or a Christian cross. Some 150 mostly Muslim women protested the decision late Monday and the organizers said they were considering further action.

Antwerp has been a stronghold of the far-right Flemish Interest party, but it was defeated in local elections last October by the socialists, who had run a campaign stressing the multicultural makeup of Belgium’s second-largest city.

Opponents of the ban were disappointed that the coalition of socialists, liberals and Christian democrats who run the city council had outlawed head scarves for frontdesk staff. “It was a surprise, especially after a campaign like that,” said Sophie De Graeve of the women’s rights group VOK.

Associated Press, 16 January 2007

Responses to Dispatches

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Inayat Bunglawala of the Muslim Council of Britain responds to Monday evening’s Dispatches programme “Undercover Mosque”:

“Following the 7/7 bombings it was always inevitable that Muslim organisations and mosques would be placed under the spotlight. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Documentary makers have an important responsibility though to do their research properly and carefully identify those who actually incite hatred. They must take great care to avoid unfairly stigmatising whole institutions and groups of people. The Dispatches team may have partly succeeded with the first bit, but I believe they failed quite badly with the second.”

Guardian Comment is Free, 17 January 2007

Osama Saeed has written: “… you will not find me defending the bigoted comments made on last night’s programme. They were out of order, full stop. In fact we did not see the people that made them finding much defence either. There were some inaccurate criticisms in the film, but this does not take away from the fact that there are some objectionable people who say seriously objectionable things in speeches. Muslims who hear these things must take them to task.”

See further comment from FOSIS, IHRC, Indigo Jo Blogs, Yahya Birt and Eteraz.

Sun admits ‘Muslim yobs’ story was baseless

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Pickled Politics reports that the Sun has apologised for the story that it published last October, accusing “Muslim yobs” of hounding four soldiers out of their house in Windsor. The Sun now says:

“Following our report ‘Hounded out’ about a soldiers’ home in Datchet, Berks, being vandalised by Muslims, we have been asked to point out no threatening calls were logged at Combermere Barracks from Muslims and police have been unable to establish if any faith or religious group was responsible for the incident. We are happy to make this clear.”

See also Lenin’s Tomb, 18 January 2007

Even Mad Mel has been forced to (sort of) retract (scroll down to the bottom of the article).

40 Michigan Muslims claim racial profiling by airline

Posted on by Bob Pitt

DETROIT — A group of 40 Michigan Muslims said Tuesday they were unfairly profiled earlier this month when they were not allowed to board a Northwest Airlines flight in Germany on their way home from a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

A Northwest spokesman said that the travelers reported to the gate Jan. 7 in Frankfurt, Germany, only about 20 minutes before their connecting flight was due to take off. Airline and international rules stipulate that passengers must check in for international flights at least an hour before departure and be onboard the aircraft at least 30 minutes beforehand. “They showed up at the last minute,” spokesman Dean Breest told The Detroit News.

But the Muslim pilgrims and the Council on American Islamic Relations rejected the airline’s statement at a news conference Tuesday, saying flight rules are at least the third reason given for the incident. “We arrived at the gate at least an hour and 30 minutes before the departure,” said Imam Sayed Hassan al-Qazwini of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn. “Others who came after us were allowed to board the airplane.” Al-Qazwini told the Detroit Free Press the airline was likely afraid of having 40 Muslims together on one flight.

Fox News, 17 January 2007

Update:  See “MI Muslim pilgrims offered apology, compensation by NW Airlines”, CAIR press release, 17 January 2007

Reflections on ‘Undercover Mosque’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“… the programme-makers repeatedly interspersed the ugly material emanating from a handful or so preachers from one wing of the Wahhabi sect with material which is more mainstream but is simply distasteful to western ears and images of women wearing niqab … the programme is likely to cast more suspicion over the Muslim community generally, not just the small group involved, while much of the Muslim youth get defensive and accuse Channel 4 of taking their words out of context and the profile of Uncle Tom pseudo-Sufis is raised further.”

Yusuf Smith assesses yesterday’s Dispatches programme, Undercover Mosque.

Indigo Jo Blogs, 15 January 2007

And for those of you who missed it, the fascists of the British National Party have helpfully provided links to a recording on YouTube.

BNP news article, 16 January 2007

Meanwhile would-be führer Nick Griffin has written to the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, urging them to prosecute some of the speakers featured in the programme … for inciting violence and racial hatred. Satire itself stands disarmed.

BNP news article, 16 January 2007

Call for an to end to ‘demonisation’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Muslim groups are to come together at a special event in Manchester. The emergency meeting of the alliance of Mosques and Muslim organisations will take place at 7pm on 16th January at the Saffron Restaurant, Cheetham Hill Road.

The meeting is being arranged to highlight the impact of Islamophobia on Muslim life in the UK and to open debate and dialogue about the causes of terrorism and social disharmony. The event also hopes to bring to the fore the importance of responsible journalism and mature political discussion.

Representatives of various organisations, including from UK Islamic Mission, Muslim Association Britain, Hizb ut Tahrir, Centre for Muslim Affairs, MCB, Islamic Society of Britain, Islamic Forum Europe, other organisations and respected Imams have been invited.

Asian Image, 16 January 2007

See also Manchester Muslim Forum press release, 11 January 2007

Accused ‘fled London wearing burka’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Bombing suspect fled in a burkaOne of the alleged July 21 bombers fled London after the attempted attacks disguised as a woman wearing a burka, their trial heard.

Yassin Omar was captured on CCTV at Golders Green coach station in north London and at Birmingham coach station disguised in the traditional Muslim women’s dress. He was picked up on the CCTV just a day after the attempted attacks, Woolwich Crown Court was told.

Prosecuting counsel Nigel Sweeney said: “CCTV shows him and his fiancee at Golders Green coach station and him at Birmingham coach station that evening disguised in the burka.”

Daily Mail, 16 January 2007

But if he was wearing a burka, how did they know it was him? Or am I missing something here? Still, any excuse to associate veiled Muslim women with terrorism, eh?

German court upholds ban on head scarves

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A court on Monday upheld a ban on Muslim teachers wearing head scarves in the schools of a German state under a law that says teachers’ attire must be in line with “western Christian” values.

A Berlin-based Islamic association had complained about the law, which authorities in the conservative-run state of Bavaria have used to ban head scarves while allowing Roman Catholic nuns to continue to wear their head-covering habits in schools.

The Bavarian Constitutional Court ruled on Monday that the application of the law in the state neither violated religious freedom nor was discriminatory.

However, a lawyer for the Islamic Religious Community said some of its members were considering taking their case to the Federal Constitutional Court, Germany’s highest court.

Authorities in several states, including Baden-Wuerttemberg and Hesse, have introduced similar head scarf bans.

Judge Karl Huber insisted the Bavarian law did not favor the Christian faith. But because teachers must transmit the values of the constitution, the religious feelings of students and parents must be considered, the court said.

Associated Press, 15 January 2007

See also “Bavaria bans teacher headscarves”, BBC News, 12 November 2004

Channel 4 accused of creating mischief over portrayal of Black Muslim

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Muslim mosque in Birmingham which features in Dispatches at 8pm tonight has accused Channel 4 of “creating mischief” and “engaging in sensationalism” for claiming that it harbours extremists. The documentary shows secretly-filmed footage of an African American preacher, Imam Abu Usaamah, from Queens in New York, who studied in Saudi Arabia and who preached at the Green Lane Mosque in Birmingham. The programme accuses the preacher of promoting an extreme view of Islam.

The Saltley Gate Peace Group (SGPG), a multi-faith community organisation based in Birmingham is made up of representatives from the Muslim and Christian community. It issued a press statement on Friday giving its “undiminished support” for the Green Lane Mosque. SGPG said that Imam Abu Usaamah “is accepted by much of his congregation and the wider interfaith community to be a peaceful man and is known to promote peace to his congregation”.

Black Britain, 15 January 2007