Category Archives: Resisting Islamophobia

Australia: opposition leader is deliberately allowing extremists to promote Islamophobia, says Labor

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Labor has accused Opposition Leader Tony Abbott of harbouring extremists, as debate heated up over MPs’ comments on Muslims and immigration policy.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has called on Mr Abbott to send two senior coalition members – Senator Cory Bernardi and immigration spokesman Scott Morrison – to the backbench over their recent comments.

While Mr Abbott has resisted the call, he used a party room meeting on Tuesday to admonish the two members for going “a little too far” in their public comments.

Senator Bernardi told a radio station last week that: “Islam itself is the problem – it’s not Muslims”. He added that: “Islam is a totalitarian, political and religious ideology”.

Mr Morrison gave a qualified apology a day after he publicly questioned the taxpayer-funded travel arrangements for asylum seekers attending the funerals of people killed in the Christmas Island boat tragedy. It also was reported that Mr Morrison had suggested to shadow cabinet last year the coalition capitalise on fears about Muslim immigration.

But, Mr Abbott said, the coalition did not support a discriminatory immigration policy and believed Australia benefited from being a multicultural society. “We will never say to perfectly good Australians that they are not fully valued in their own country,” he told coalition MPs.

However, the federal parliament’s only Muslim MP, Labor’s Ed Husic, said Mr Abbott had allowed the comments to be “deliberately floated in the public arena for political advantage”. “The extremists continue to cloud commonsense and decency within the coalition,” Mr Husic said.

AAP, 23 February 2011

Leo McKinstry rails against the ‘malevolent traits of Islam’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

ENGAGE has posted a reply to Leo McKinstry’s column in yesterday’s Daily Express, where he warned against celebrating the overthrow of tyrants like Mubarak and Ben Ali.

McKinstry spouts the usual right-wing nonsense about the possible “installation of hardline Muslim theocracies in Cairo, Algiers or Tripoli”, resulting in “a terrifying new era of totalitarian repression, which would also grievously threaten the security of both Israel and Europe”. It is clear, however, that McKinstry’s real hatred is directed not so much against the “hardline Muslim theocracies” of his imagination but rather against Islam as a faith.

Referring to the horrific assault on US reporter Lara Logan in Tahrir Square, McKinstry writes: “Two of the most malevolent traits of Islam were captured during her terrifying ordeal. One, the rampant misogyny we see all the time in Britain, whether it be in the imposition of the burkha or the activities of Muslim sex gangs preying on young white girls. The other, the ingrained anti-semitism of the creed.”

He continues:

Islam has long proved incompatible with Western ideas of secular liberalism, which makes the events in Africa all the more concerning. Thanks to the malign twin forces of mass immigration and multi-culturalism, all our societies have large Muslim populations: three million in Britain, five million in Germany and 10 million in France.

Instead of integrating, many Muslims in Europe have clung to separatism, reflected in everything from the incidence of domestic terrorism to the demands for the acceptance of Sharia law. One shocking survey of Muslim students at British universities showed that a third supported killing in the name of Islam.

The response of Western politicians is sickening. Rather than strive to uphold our civilisation, they tell us there is no cause for worry. The real problem, they tell us, is the nasty prejudice of Islamophobia, so they try to impose a climate of censorship with accusations of racism.

Even worse, parts of the Left have sought to make common cause with Muslim zealots, pretending that the anti-Western, anti-Israeli, anticapitalist sentiment of Islam is somehow progressive when in truth it is deeply reactionary.

We have to open our eyes. The West will not survive if we continue to deceive ourselves.

If you’re ever inclined wonder where the likes of the EDL and the BNP acquire their ignorant racist fantasies about Islam, just read Leo McKinstry’s column.

Airline accused of racial discrimination

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Cathay PacificA Muslim airport worker has accused airline Cathay Pacific of racism after he was refused a job interview – only to be offered one when he applied two days later using a fake white British-sounding name.

Algerian-born Salim Zakhrouf applied to Cathay Pacific for a job as a passenger services officer at Heathrow Airport. Mr Zakhrouf, 38, who has lived in Britain since 1991 and is a UK citizen, was told by email he had not been selected for interview.

But applying 48 hours later as “Ian Woodhouse” with an identical CV and home address, he was invited for an interview by the same personnel officer who had first refused him.

A furious Mr Zakhrouf, who has 17 years’ customer-service experience and works as a Heathrow flight handling agent, refused to attend. Instead he called his union, Unite, which plans to bring a case accusing Cathay Pacific of racial discrimination to an employment tribunal.

Mail on Sunday, 20 February 2011

Potential US presidential candidate infuriated by Christian church allowing Muslims to pray there

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Devout Christian Mike Huckabee is having a hard time understanding the concept of charity. The former Arkansas governor and potential 2012 hopeful visited Fox and Friends to discuss a small church that had allowed Muslims to worship when mosques in the area proved too small or were under construction, something he considered shocking and the beginning of a slippery slope: “Should the church be rented out to show adult movies on the weekend?”

Huckabee was clearly incensed with the news that Muslims were worshipping in a church. “As much as I respect the autonomy of each local church, you just wonder, what are they thinking?” he told the Fox and Friends crew. “If the purpose of a church is to push forward the gospel of Jesus Christ, and then you have a Muslim group that says that Jesus Christ and all the people that follow him are a bunch of infidels who should be essentially obliterated, I have a hard time understanding that.”

Mediaite, 19 February 2011

72 per cent of Americans say Congressional hearings should not single out Muslims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

At the beginning of February a coalition of more than 50 Muslim, human rights and faith organisations sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi objecting to the planned hearings on the “radicalization” of American Muslims initiated by Peter King, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.

Arguing that “singling out a group of Americans for government scrutiny based on their faith is divisive and wrong”, the coalition urged: “If Chairman King wishes to address violent extremism, then we hope you will ensure that he examines violence motivated by extremist beliefs, in all its forms, in a full, fair and objective way.”

King’s response to the proposal was: “I totally reject that. That, to me, is political correctness at its worst. If we included these other violent events in the hearings, we’d be sending the false signal that we think there’s a security threat equivalency between Al Qaeda and the neo-Nazi movement, or Al Qaeda and gun groups. There is none…. I’m not going to dilute the hearings by including other extremists.”

However, over at The Plum Line, Greg Sargent draws our attention to a new poll by the Public Religion Research Institute which reveals that, while a majority of Americans think that King’s hearings are a good idea, an even larger majority agrees with the coalition’s proposal that the hearings should not single out Muslims.

PRRI survey

It’s not all good news, though. As Sargent points out, 46% of respondents agreed that US Muslims have not done enough to combat extremism within their own communities, which is one of the assumptions underpinning King’s initiative. Sargent summarises:

“While a huge majority rejects King’s insistence on focusing the hearings just on Muslims, the public just might receptive to their obvious, if implicit, intent: To put you on notice that ordinary Muslims in your midst just might be looking the other way while evil ones are plotting to kill you.”

Now, where do you suppose non-Muslim Americans might have acquired this distorted view of their Muslim neighbours? The Public Religion Research Institute reports:

“The survey findings also show a significant correlation between trust in Fox News and negative attitudes about Muslims. Americans who most trust Fox News are more likely to believe that Muslims want to establish Shari’a law, have not done enough to oppose extremism, and believe investigating Muslim extremism is a good idea.”

(For more on King’s hearings, see LoonWatch.)

Zakir Naik doesn’t preach hate shock

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Zakir Naik2Controversial Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik addressed the Oxford Union on Friday despite the exclusion order against him entering the UK.

Naik gave a speech and answered questions via video link from India to a crowd of students and other onlookers at the event, organised by the famous debating society.

In his speech, Naik blamed the “virulent propaganda” in the media for the “misconception of Islam” and for his own ban on entry to the UK. He claimed the media printed portions of his speeches “out of context” and so portrayed him as a “preacher of hate”.

Home Secretary Theresa May excluded Naik from the UK last June after his “unacceptable behaviour”, referring to comments he made in speeches, which were then posted as YouTube videos. Naik defended himself during his address, declaring himself on a “mission is to spread peace”.

“Unfortunately today the media portrays Islam as a religion which promotes terrorism”, Naik said. “The media picks up on the black sheep of the Muslim community and portrays them as though they are exemplary Muslims.”

Despite the ban – a decision made as Naik’s presence in the UK “might not be conducive to the public good”, according to the Home Secretary – the controversial preacher was confident it would be temporary. “I have full faith that very shortly this exclusion order will be reversed”, he said. “I hope that I will have the chance to meet the Home Secretary personally and explain to her the peaceful message of Islam.”

During the hour-long talk, Naik referenced the Koran and Islam’s message of peace, and declared: “The only solution to the problem of humanity is peace. Irrespective of the differences, one common factor between all the people of the world is that all want peace.”

Naik was blunt in his statement that “Islam and I, too, condemn all forms of terrorism” and said: “Islam condemns the killing of any human being irrespective of caste colour or race, irrespective of nationality.”

Oxford Student, 17 February 2011

Cf. “Ofcom investigation into Peace TV”, Jewish Chronicle, 17 February 2011

Right-wing US media exploit attack on Lara Logan to justify anti-Muslim bigotry

Posted on by Bob Pitt

In the wake of the brutal and devastating sexual assault committed against CBS News international correspondent Lara Logan by an Egyptian mob, many in the right-wing media have used the attack to fuel their anti-Muslim agenda.

Media Matters, 17 February 2011

See also Rachel Newcomb, “‘Blame the Muslims’: violence against women in Egypt”, Huffington Post, 16 February 2011

East London Mosque and mayor condemn anti-gay stickers

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Homophobic sticker Tower Hamlets2The East London Mosque and the mayor of Tower Hamlets have condemned homophobic stickers placed around the borough.

In a joint statement with a local interfaith forum and a gay group, they said that matter was being treated as a homophobic hate crime. The statement said: “All lines of enquiry are being pursued by police both within Tower Hamlets and London wide to identify and prosecute those responsible.”

The stickers quoted the Koran and declared the area a “gay-free zone”.

Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman said: “Tower Hamlets has a proud history of challenging prejudice and promoting equality. There is no place for hate in Tower Hamlets and we take a zero-tolerance approach to homophobia.

“People of faith in Tower Hamlets are proud to be part of this diverse and vibrant borough, in which mutual respect and tolerance are vital to social harmony. We oppose all who seek to undermine these values – homophobic hate has no place in Tower Hamlets.

“Whatever their backgrounds of the people they do not speak in the name of Islam, Christianity or the other religions represented here.”

He added that he had met gay group Rainbow Hamlets and was “committed” to working with them.

Dilwar Khan, director of the East London Mosque and the London Muslim Centre, said: “We stand together with our fellow citizens against all forms of hatred, including homophobia.

“We are committed to building strong and cohesive communities in Tower Hamlets, and our strength is that we will not let incidents of hate divide us.”

Reverend Alan Green, chair of the Tower Hamlets Inter Faith Forum said: “People of faith in Tower Hamlets are proud to be part of this diverse and vibrant borough, in which mutual respect and tolerance are vital to social harmony.

“We oppose all who seek to undermine these values – homophobic hate has no place in Tower Hamlets. Whatever their backgrounds of the people they do not speak in the name of Islam, Christianity or the other religions represented here.”

Rainbow Hamlets LGBT Community Forum said it welcomed the mayor and mosque’s comments.

Pink News, 17 February 2011

This report basically reproduces a Tower Hamlets Council press release. Unfortunately, it omits the statement by the chairs of Rainbow Hamlets LGBT Community Forum, which included a condemnation of “those who use these incidents to create a moral panic and stoke up racist or Islamaphobic sentiment”.

This is a pity, since an earlier report was followed by comments demonstrating that some Pink News readers were using the incidents to do precisely that. As one appalled critic observed: “I’m not sure if I’m more horrified by the article or some of the comments here. Don’t respond to hate crimes with mindless bigotry.”

Some examples of this mindless bigotry:

“Tower Hamlets council is lost to extremism – they are taking over as the indiginous people have voter apathy because politicians have lost touch with society.”

“U.K should be an Islam free zone. Oh wait it was. Oh and we were here first.”

“Islam, the religion of peace and tolerance. Blessing of the paedophile they call Muhammed upon us all.”

“Oh well, you let immigrants take over entire swathes of the city, what do you expect? You reap what you sow.”

“London is unfortunately not the safe place it once was for us …and it will only get worse as their numbers increase and their vile ideology and demonic book of hatred take root. This hatred is not something that can be eradicated or even tamed, as ‘apologists’ seem to naively think. Islam is locked in the 7th century, it has not reformed, accepted science or adapted as other regilions have.”

“Read the EDL website ‘mission statement’. Surprisingly, it’s actually quite hard to knock, as it openly stands up for gay, female, Jewish and other rights…. The Guardian just calls them Islamophobes and far-right nutters, but there’s very little that’s irrational in their statement. To be honest, it just epitomises all the failings of multiculturalism. It’s very easy to shout racist, but it’s ideology they are criticising, not skin colour or ethnic origin.”

“Nobody is advocating violence against Muslims. But we need a real debate on just how much freedom we give to Muslims to act on the teachings of the Koran.”

“I want to live in a Muslim Free Zone.”

“The word Islam translates as SUBMIT and yes islam is full of love and so cosy for us all, IF we repent and denounce who we are.”

“Why the refusal to comment and condemn the stickers from the muslim organisations.”

“I read ther the EDL were gay friendly as well.”

“Muslims in the uk believe lgbt people lead morally bereft lifestyles… some people have no grasp of what islam is about .it is a religion of bigotry that associates any non believers as satanic.”

“Perhaps we should ask Baroness Warsi to go and reason with them.”

“Face it folks. They hate us.”

“If Islam is so peaceful, why haven’t we heard any condemnation from the imams in the mosques up and down the country? Why the silence?”

“let’s face it, most muslims are homophobic and fanatic.”

“who is Allah? homophobic primitive child molesting pervert?”

“Islam belongs in the Middle East. It has no place in Europe and it is incompatible with our Western values.”

Finally, to quote another critic of this rampant Islamophobia:

“I am appalled that the debate on this post is so horribly inflammatory. One would think that the more oppressed a group of individuals is then the more likely they are to be able to recognise it when they see it elsewhere. The truth is the complete opposite.

“It like the majority of the posters on here are simply using the issue of these disgusting stickers as a springboard to air their own deeply held prejudices. With the outcome that very few people are actually talking about the stickers or the message at all – and instead slagging off all Muslims in the most inflammatory terms.

“I am shocked that Pink News is allowing this to happen and have reported several of the posts here and asked for them to be removed.”

With limited results, it would seem.

Australia: opposition immigration spokesman accused of advocating anti-Muslim campaign to win votes

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Scott Morrison protestEmbattled Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison has rejected as gossip a report that he urged shadow cabinet to take advantage of fears about Muslims.

A Fairfax report says Mr Morrison urged the Coalition to capitalise on electorate fears of “Muslim immigration”, “Muslims in Australia” and Muslim migrants’ “inability to integrate”.

The report says Mr Morrison’s suggestion was slapped down by senior Liberals including Julie Bishop and Philip Ruddock, but the Opposition has been under pressure over reports of a continuing split within the party over the issue.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard called on Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to set the record straight and confirm if the discussion took place. She also called for Mr Morrison to be sacked if he did suggest the Coalition pursue a discriminatory immigration policy.

Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser, a strong supporter of multiculturalism, told ABC Radio he was not surprised about the alleged discussion. “It’s what I would have expected of Scott Morrison. I think that is politics at its very, very basest. I really do,” he said. “I wouldn’t tolerate such views. My government would not have tolerated such views.”

ABC News, 17 February 2011