Category Archives: Resisting Islamophobia

Warsi’s call for the dominance of Christianity ignores that it’s Islam under threat

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Responding to the claim by Tory peer Sayeeda Warsi that Christianity is under attack from militant secularism, Rebecca Wainwright and Peter Allen examine recent campaigns against the construction of mosques in London.

They conclude: “Warsi’s call for a renewed dominance of Christian values relies on an assumption that they are under threat. The examples discussed here suggest that perhaps the opposite is more accurate: that Christianity continues to dominate expectations of faith buildings in Britain, something that is unlikely to change if the government continues with its anti-multiculturalist approach.”

Left Foot Forward, 3 March 2012

Florida: ‘anti-Sharia’ bill passes House over protests

Posted on by Bob Pitt

TALLAHASSEE — A proposal critics say targets Islam passed the House Thursday despite heated opposition from two Jewish Democratic lawmakers who called the bill unnecessary and discriminatory.

The measure bans courts or other legal authorities from using religious or foreign law as a part of a legal decision or contract. For example, Florida law would trump foreign law in marriage, divorce and custody cases. The House passed the bill 92-24, but the measure will stall in the Senate unless leaders steer it to the floor.

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Sharia law campaign begins as Muslim group fights bans

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Defending Religous Freedom

After heated debates in two dozen states over banning Sharia law, the legal code of Islam, a national Islamic group is beginning a multi-million dollar effort to explain how Sharia applies to the lives of American Muslims.

The Islamic Circle of North America, a New York-based group, is spending $3 million on its Defending Religious Freedom campaign, which kicks off Monday and explains Sharia law and common misunderstandings to everyday Americans.

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Ontario: uproar over mosque at council meeting

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Controversies surrounding the planned 16th Avenue mosque continue to plague Markham town hall, with the latest uproar resulting in the mayor and some residents pointing fingers at each other and losing their cool Tuesday night.

The group that has been protesting against the mosque stormed council chambers again without having made it on to the agenda – group leaders said they tried to get on the agenda with no luck. However, Markham council fired back this time with a nine-page PowerPoint counter presentation, which wasn’t on the agenda, either.

“You continue to put out misinformation (about the mosque) and we’ll continue to put out the correct information,” Mayor Frank Scarpitti told members of the Markham Residents for Responsible Community Planning (MRRCP).

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The state of anti-sharia bills in the US

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Sharia placardOver at his Washington Post Figuring Faith blog, Robert P. Jones analyses the obstacles faced by the sponsors of anti-sharia laws in the US.

First, in order to avoid being ruled unconstitutional, the anti-sharia bills now have to be framed so broadly that they impact not just on Muslims but also on Jews, Catholics and business interests, which has the effect of broadening opposition to the proposed legislation.

Second, opinion polls indicate that sharia hysteria is in decline among the general public. Currently 14 percent agree that American Muslims want to establish sharia as the law of the land, while 68 percent disagree and 17 percent say they do not know.

Florida: Senate panel rams through bill Muslims and Jews call discriminatory

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Florida protest against anti-sharia billTALLAHASSEE — Ignoring about 50 people who wanted to testify – and with a total of three minutes of deliberation – a Senate panel Tuesday slammed through a measure that both Muslims and Jews say is discriminatory and would prohibit them from freely practicing their religion.

The 5-2 vote by the Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Subcommittee approved legislation, SB 1360, that would ban any court or legal authority from using any sort of religious or foreign law as part of a legal decision or contract.

Some supporters acknowledge the bill was targeting Sharia law, the Koran-based code used by Muslims that, in the words of the Florida Family Association that supports the bill, “authorizes polygamy, pedophilia and perpetuates violence toward women and death for dishonoring the faith.” Similar bills have been filed by conservative Republicans in other states and in Congress, where Rep. Sandy Adams, R-Orlando, is a prime sponsor.

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Irresponsible C4 programme gives boost to EDL

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL leader Stephen Yaxley Lennon – AKA “Tommy Robinson” – was given an extensive platform to make unchallenged racist comments about Muslims, and to issue self-justifying claims that he is “not racist”. The one revealing moment – when a drunken “Tommy Robinson” taunted a Muslim man and pretended he was Anders Behring Breivik, the fascist who massacred 76 people in Norway – was given little prominence in the hour-long programme.

Unite Against Fascism reviews Channel 4’s Proud and Prejudiced documentary.

See also “Proud and Prejudiced documentary ‘not fair on Luton'”,Luton Today, 28 February 2012

Update:  See Reyhana Patel, “Channel 4’s Proud and Prejudiced portrays inaccurate impression of extremism”, Huffington Post, 29 February 2012

Also Assed Baig, “Proud and Prejudiced – a critique”, Huffington Post, 29 February 2012

CAIR condemns racist cartoon in New York Post

Posted on by Bob Pitt

New York Post cartoon

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the New York Post to apologize for publishing a political cartoon that the Muslim civil rights group says “evokes anti-Semitic themes” through its depiction of hook-nosed terrorists objecting to the New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) widespread campaign of spying on Muslims without warrants or evidence of wrongdoing.

CAIR is also asking American Muslims and other people of conscience to contact the newspaper and to politely ask that they apologize for the offensive cartoon. E-Mail: letters@nypost.com, Copy to: info@cair.com

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