Category Archives: Resisting Islamophobia

Dutch Catholic schools ‘can ban headscarves’ court rules

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Imane MahssanCatholic schools are allowed to forbid Islamic pupils to wear headscarves. Such an item of clothing is in conflict with the Christian principles of the institution, which are protected by freedom of education, a district court in Haarlem ruled yesterday.

Don Bosco College, a Catholic secondary school in Volendam, forbade a 15 year old pupil, Imane Mahssan, to wear a headscarf. The girl then took the school to court, but has now lost the case.

According to the judges, the headscarf ban fits into the Catholic character of the school, whereby different expressions of faith are not allowed. The judge considers that the headscarf ban does not restrict freedom of expression and that the school is not discriminating on the basis of religion.

Don Bosco College introduced the headscarf ban last September, a few months after Imane had made a request to wear one. Because the girl received no response to her request for months, she started to wear the headscarf.

Don Bosco College said the school may not have indicated any headscarf policy in response to Imane’s request, but it was already in the school rules that pupils must respect the Catholic basis of the school. This was of importance in the ruling by the Haarlem court.

Earlier, the girl’s case was in fact upheld by the Equal Treatment Commission (CGB). This advisory court only makes non-binding rulings, though the courts usually do adopt the CGB conclusions.

NIS News Bulletin, 5 April 2011

See also RNW which reports: “Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-Islam Freedom Party, has been quick to congratulate the school on the verdict. On Twitter he wrote: ‘A just ruling! I hope many Christian schools will follow this example’.”

Veiled Muslim women are under attack in the UK claims new research

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Research into the experiences of veiled Muslim women is to be presented at a public event to be held at the University of Leicester on April 6.

Irene Zempi, from the Department of Criminology at the University of Leicester, is conducting postgraduate research into the victimisation of veiled Muslim women and their experiences as direct victims of Islamophobia in the streets of Leicester. With her in-depth qualitative research revealing the “hidden”, often “invisible” nature of Islamophobia, Irene will also identify ways to improve services and support offered to victims of anti-Muslim hate crime.

The research design employs interviews with female veiled victims. In particular, prospective research participants include British Muslim women who are descendants of immigrants from South Asia (in particular Pakistan, Bangladesh and India) and from other Muslim-dominated regions such as the Middle East, from African countries such as Somalia and Nigeria, as well as British converts to Islam.

Irene said: “My study is looking into the experiences of veiled Muslim women in order to raise awareness about the ‘true’ nature of Islamophobia that they face, and the consequences of the abuse and intimidation veiled Muslim women and their communities have to go through.”

“It is worrying that in a liberal democratic society such as Britain, Islamophobia is accepted and even expected. It is necessary to point out that Islamophobia is a new form of racism. As Baroness Warsi said in her speech at the University of Leicester about the ‘cancer of Islamophobia’: ‘When people get on the tube and see a bearded Muslim, they think “terrorist” … when they hear “Halal” they think that sounds like “contaminated food” … and when they walk past a woman wearing a veil, they think automatically “that woman is oppressed”‘.”

Irene highlights that public expressions of Islamophobia are invariably random in nature and so individual victims may be targeted when they are spotted in a public place such as streets, shopping centres, buses, and trains.

“Persistent staring, spitting, calling names, throwing of eggs or stones, and pulling women’s veils off are the overwhelming types of anti-Muslim hostilities, yet rarely reported to the police. As a result, this victimisation remains ‘invisible’ for police and local authority,” says Irene.

University of Leicester press release, 4 April 2011

Why EDL’s Guramit Singh should be excommunicated

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Sikhs Against EDL 3Pickled Politics has picked up on the ultimatum issued by the Sikh community to Guramit Singh of the English Defence League, warning that they will call for his excommunication unless he renounces the EDL. Jai writes:

“As confirmed by the extensive list of signatories involved, this action is endorsed by the British Sikh population, including numerous influential Sikh temples & organisations across the United Kingdom, particularly in London and Birmingham. This includes the two largest Sikh temples outside India….

“In complete violation of core Sikh tenets, Guramit Singh has been heavily involved in the EDL’s persecution of ordinary Muslims en masse whilst explicitly representing himself as a Sikh and claiming to be acting in the name of Sikhism, including deliberately modifying & grossly distorting sacred verses by the Sikh Gurus in order to ‘inspire’ EDL members present during his foul-mouthed public speeches demonising Muslims, Islam and the Prophet Mohammad.

“Guramit Singh’s excommunication would therefore be entirely in line with historical precedents during the time of the Sikh Gurus along with the temporal authority permanently bequeathed to the Khalsa by the 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.”

Geller celebrates judge’s ruling on Detroit bus ads, claims she is inspired by feelings of love

Posted on by Bob Pitt

*May 25 - 00:05*

A national group that wants to advertise its anti-Muslim messages on Metro Detroit buses has won the right to display their ads on the sides of local buses.

The ads, which will soon be ready to go on the side of some local public buses, read “Fatwa on your head? Leaving Islam? Refuge from Islam.com. Got questions? Get answers!” The controversial ads from the New York City-based American Freedom Defense Initiative group are aimed at people who want to leave the Islamic faith.

Metro Detroit has one of the highest concentrations of Muslims in the nation.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Denise Hood granted a preliminary injunction against the Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority’s rejection of the ads, ruling SMART violated the group’s First and 14th Amendment rights. Both sides are due back in court April 11.

“This is a huge win, not just for us, but for the First Amendment,” Pamela Geller wrote on the American Freedom Defense Initiative’s website. “This is a direct refutation to all those who claim I am a hater or that my lawyers are ‘haters’ for representing me,” added Geller. “I love, not hate.”

Local Muslim activist Dawud Walid sees it differently. “The organization … is simply fomenting Islamophobia,” said Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Michigan). “(Geller) is simply engaging in fear mongering.”

Victor Begg, also a Muslim advocate, said the case is “is another example of a hate group taking advantage of our First Amendment.”

Detroit News, 2 April 2011

Staten Islanders support rally against war, terrorism and hostility toward Muslims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Staten Islanders were among interfaith leaders who gathered yesterday at City Hall in Manhattan, as 100 imams condemned terrorism and anti-Islamic sentiment and called for the end of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The imams endorsed an “Antiwar & Anti-Islamophobia” rally planned for April 9 at Union Square in Manhattan.

The United National Antiwar Committee (UNAC) is organizing the rally, which is endorsed by more than 500 peace, justice, labor, civic, religious and civil liberties organizations and leaders. Another UNAC antiwar rally will be held the following day in San Francisco.

Hesham El-Meligy, an interfaith community leader from New Springville and a member of Noor Al-Islam Society, Mariners Harbor, and Eileen Bardel and Bill Johnson, both of Peace Action of Staten Island, were among Staten Islanders who attended the news conference.

Muslims are joining the peace movement “because wars of aggression are immoral and drain our national resources, which are already under tremendous strain,” said Dr. Shaik Ubaid, the New York state co-chair of Muslim Peace Coalition USA, a sponsor of the news conference.

He thanked the millions of Americans, including Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, “for speaking out against anti-Muslim fear-mongering.”

SILive.com, 1 April 2011

Debunking conservatives’ skewed interpretation of sharia law

Posted on by Bob Pitt

'Ground Zero mosque' opponents3

Over at the Center for American Progress Wajahat Ali and Matthew Duss have prepared a briefing on sharia law and how the issue has been misrepresented by the US Right – specifically in the September 2010 report Sharia: The Threat to America, published by the Center for Security Policy.

Download the briefing here.

See also Tim Murphy, “The great sharia freakout”, Mother Jones, 31 March 2011

And Greg Sargent, “Debunking the right’s crackpot sharia panic”, The Plum Line, 31 March 2011

Transport police hunt for EDL racists

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The British Transport Police are hunting for a group of men who chanted racist slurs onboard a train on Saturday 5 March – the group are believed to have been travelling to Rochdale for the EDL demonstration which took place that day. The incident happened on the 11.08am Leeds to Manchester Victoria service, when a group of around 50 men boarded the service at Halifax.

Detective Constable Jason Ridgway, of BTP’s Criminal Investigation Department, said:

“The group’s behaviour included chanting racist and inappropriate remarks and aggressively punching and banging on the train’s interior, causing unnecessary fear for passengers and staff onboard the train. The behaviour of these men was outrageous and has no place on the railway – or in the wider community – especially at a time when families are travelling between cities.”

DC Ridgway added: “Racism and Islamophobia in our community and on the rail network is totally unacceptable. Everyone has the right to travel without fear of abuse or threatening behaviour, and when that behaviour is further exacerbated by racist undertones, our stance becomes firmer still. BTP and the wider rail industry will not tolerate any form of racism on the rail network and we will do everything in our power to take action against those responsible.”

If you have information contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 quoting background reference B12/NWA or call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Rochdale Online, 30 March 2011

Update:  See also Exposing the English Defence League, 31 March 2011

Bryan Fischer dedicates yet another program to attacking Islam

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Last week, the American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer declared that the First Amendment does not apply to Islam and therefore, Muslims have no right to freely practice their religion in this country.

A few days later, Fischer was in Iowa to broadcast his radio program from the Rediscover God in America conference where he lined up an all-star list of guests, including Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, and Haley Barbour.

As such, People For the American Way released open letters to Gingrich, Huckabee, and Barbour, asking them not to give Fischer credibility by appearing on his program or, at the least, to denounce Fischer’s bigoted views.

Not surprisingly, our request was roundly ignored.

Yesterday, Fischer dedicated nearly the entirety of his two-hour radio program to railing against Islam and demanding an end to immigration from Muslim nations and a ban on the construction of mosques in America.

This is where George Bush was simply plain wrong: he believed that there’s a hunger in every human heart for freedom. Not true. That hunger for freedom does not exist in the Islamic heart. It’s not in their DNA. Why? Because the spirit of God is absent in Islam. There is no spirit of God in Islam. It is the spirit of Satan. It is the spirit of darkness. It is the spirit of tyranny. It is the spirit of bondage.

The Quran is based on hallucinations. These hallucinations, I think Mohammad really experienced something, but what he experienced was what Paul refers to as the Angel of Light. This was a messenger of Satan masquerading as a messenger from God. You want to see what a religion looks like when it has been revealed by the Prince of Darkness, you look at Islam and the Quran.

From now on, no more immigrants from Islamic countries. Can’t have it. It’s going to corrode western culture. No more mosques because these are places of subversion, places where Sharia law, places where jihad is inculcated, where it is taught and where there are recruits made for jihad.

Right Wing Watch, 30 March 2011