“Perhaps the bleakest stain in our system’s record is its turning on its least privileged of minorities, pushing it to the corner, surrounding it with suspicion, repressive measures and policies, giving free reign to bigotry and prejudice. Muslims are Britain’s poorest community, five times more likely to live in overcrowded accommodation than their fellow white Britons, four times more likely to be unemployed, twice as likely to have no qualifications, live in social rented accommodation, and suffer from ill health.

“But just as Thatcher had blamed the poor for their poverty, the trend today is to hold this new underclass responsible for its misfortunes in one of the most socially stratified, exclusionist and segregated social systems in the world. From ‘the working class character’ with its ‘laziness’ and ‘lack of motivation’, to Muslim culture and its ‘penchant for isolationism’, our system seems to excel in the creation of scapegoats.”

Soumaya Ghannoushi examines the limitations of Western liberalism.

Guardian Comment is Free, 19 October 2006

“I’ve been trying to imagine what it must be like to be a Muslim in Britain. I guess there’s a sense of dread about switching on the radio or television, even about walking into a newsagents. What will they be saying about us today? Will we be under assault for the way we dress? Or the schools we go to, or the mosques we build? Who will be on the front page: a terror suspect, a woman in a veil or, the best of both worlds, a veiled terror suspect.

“… we’re getting it badly wrong – bombarding Muslims with pressure and prejudice, laying one social problem after another at their door. I try to imagine how I would feel if this rainstorm of headlines substituted the word ‘Jew’ for ‘Muslim’: Jews creating apartheid, Jews whose strange customs and costume should be banned. I wouldn’t just feel frightened. I would be looking for my passport.”

Jonathan Freedland in the Guardian, 18 October 2006

We’ve had some harsh words to say about Jonathan Freedland in the past – over Qaradawi and the proposed new mosque at West Ham – but this article should be applauded.

Freedom of religion is one of our most precious democratic rights. It took hundreds of years, including international and civil wars, to establish the right of every individual to freely pursue their religious beliefs subject only to their conscience. It must be defended against every challenge.

Britain today faces a systematic campaign by sections of the media and some politicians, fanned by the BNP, to undermine this right by sowing hatred against Muslims. This has culminated in physical attacks, fire bombings and assaults on women. This campaign constitutes an attack on civil and religious liberties including an attempt to suppress the right of persons of all faiths to dress in accordance with their religious convictions. It must be strongly opposed – as indeed should any attack on the rights of Christians, Jews, Sikhs or any other religious group.

It is necessary for all democrats, of all faiths and none, to come together to defend these basic principles of freedom of religion and culture.

As the first step, Faith groups are coming together with all political parties and communities to a central London public rally to support Freedom of religion and culture and to call for an end to the recent attacks on Muslims on 20th of November 2006 at Westminister Central Hall, 6:30-9:30pm. The aim is to develop a national campaign to defend freedom of religion and culture and to combat the rise of Islamophobia.

The rally is called by the British Muslim Initiative and supported by the Muslim Council of Britain, the Mayor of London, Pax Christi, Stop the War coalition, National Assembly Against Racism, the 1990 Trust, Islamic Forum Europe, the Cordoba Foundation, Muslims for JUSTICE and PEACE, Islamic Human Right Commission, Islamic Times, Dawatul Islam and Assembly for the Protection of Hijab.

British Muslim Initiative press release, 18 October 2006