Asghar Bukhari of MPACUK argues for a change of strategy by the Muslim community.
Category Archives: Resisting Islamophobia
Newt Gingrich compares ‘Ground Zero mosque’ organisers to Nazis
“The folks who want to build this mosque – who are really radical Islamists who want to triumphally prove that they can build a mosque right next to a place where 3,000 Americans were killed by radical Islamists – those folks don’t have any interest in reaching out to the community. They’re trying to make a case about supremacy. That’s why they won’t go anywhere else, that’s why they won’t accept any other offer.”
“And I think we ought to be honest about the fact that we have a right – and this happens all the time in America. You know, Nazis don’t have the right to put up a sign next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington. We would never accept the Japanese putting up a site next to Pearl Harbor. There’s no reason for us to accept a mosque next to the World Trade Center.”
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaking on Fox & Friends, quoted in the Huffington Post, 16 August 2010
Gingrich is billed as a speaker alongside Dutch far-right Islamophobe Geert Wilders at Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer’s 11 September rally in New York, which gives you an indication of the sort of company the Republican right is keeping these days.
For a useful summary of the origins of the “Ground Zero mosque” hysteria, see Salon.com, 16 August 2010
Obama backs ‘Ground Zero mosque’
US President Barack Obama has staunchly defended controversial plans to build a mosque near Ground Zero in New York. Mr Obama acknowledged “sensitivities” surround the 9/11 site, but said Muslims have the same right to practice their religion “as anyone else”. “Our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable,” Mr Obama said.
In a speech at a White House dinner celebrating Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, Mr Obama waded into the row, saying:
“We must all recognise and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of lower Manhattan, Ground Zero is, indeed, hallowed ground. But let me be clear, as a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country.
“That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community centre on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are.”
He told the group of US Congressmen, government officials and foreign dignitaries that America’s tradition of religious tolerance distinguishes it from “our enemies”. “Al-Qaeda’s cause is not Islam,” he said, “it is a gross distortion of Islam”.
Until now Mr Obama had not commented on the mosque row, with the White House saying that the matter was a local issue. In voicing his support for the right to build the centre, Mr Obama joins New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who had been the only prominent politician to endorse it.
Pamela Geller comments: “Obama came out for the Islamic supremacist mosque at the hallowed ground of 911 attack. He has, in effect, sided with the Islamic jihadists and told the ummah (at an Iftar dinner on the third night of Ramadan, of course) that he believes in and supports a triumphal mosque on the cherished site of Islamic conquest. If you had any doubt who Obama stood with on 911, there can be no doubt in our minds now.”
Over at Jihad Watch, Robert Spencer offers a similarly balanced view: “If the KKK announced plans to build a shrine at the site of the 16th Street Baptist Church, would Obama be talking about religious freedom?”
But what else did Pamela and Robert expect from Obama? After all, he is a Muslim and prays at a mosque in the White House.
North London Central Mosque condemns continuing witch-hunt
Witch hunt against North London Central Mosque (NLCM) intensifies
North London Central Mosque press release, 11 August 2010
As we enter the blessed month of Ramadan the NLCM in Finsbury Park, Islington is working closely with its partners in Islington council, Islington police, our MP Jeremy Corbyn and community partners to respond to false and malicious allegations from unscrupulous journalists, bloggers and think-tanks who have embarked on a witch hunt against NLCM.
At the same time NCLM is working closely with the same partners to respond to the threat of further hate crimes following a recent incident in which a pig’s head was fixed to the entrance gates of the mosque. We note with some concern that the English Defence League and its allies vilify us as “extremists” and quote our critics in the media in support of their hate filled Islamophobic campaigns. For that reason – for the safety of the mosque and the safety of our community – we want to clear NLCM’s name of false and dangerous allegations.
Dispute over mosque near Ground Zero stokes Islamophobia across America
The battle over plans to build a mosque near the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York is fuelling a surge in anti-Muslim protests across the US, including opposition to new Islamic centres from California to Georgia.
Religious leaders and civil rights activists warn that a tide of Islamophobia that has swept the country since the destruction of the twin towers is being heightened by political exploitation of the New York dispute before nationwide elections and is increasingly bound up with hostility to immigrants and other forms of racism.
They say the outpouring of condemnation at the “outrage” of a mosque close to the “hallowed ground” of the World Trade Centre site also goes hand in hand with the increasing acceptability of what they describe as hate speech.
Cowards and criminals who stuck pig’s head on NLCM should be ashamed of themselves
Half a decade on since the days of Abu Hamza, a lot has changed in Finsbury Park. North London Central Mosque is now a beacon in the north Islington community. The management and congregation are doing sterling work in the area, not just for local Muslims but with their non-Muslim neighbours too. What was once a place of hatred and division is now one of pride and progress.
The cowards and criminals who stuck a pig’s head on the mosque’s railings in the dead of night last week should be ashamed of themselves. There is no place for such bigotry and sacrilege in our ward, which is home to people of every culture and creed, and is brighter and better for it.
Councillor Andy Hull, Labour Party member for Highbury West, Islington Town Hall, Upper Street, N1
Letter in Islington Gazette, 11 August 2010
Netherlands: Christian Democrat leaders face internal revolt against alliance with Wilders
The Dutch centre-right Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) was facing internal backlash Thursday from members concerned about its decision to hold coalition talks that involve Geert Wilders’ Islamophobic party.
A manifesto released by the group argued against a minority coalition made up of the CDA and the People’s Party for Freedom (VVD) that would rely on the votes of Wilders’ Party for Freedom (PVV), although it would not be a formal part of the new government.
The manifesto, titled “We stand up for our basic rights”, was initiated by 44 CDA activists who are now hoping to receive broad support from their party. They include delegates, professors and local politicians.
They accused Wilders of using his anti-Muslim and anti-Islam policies to turn “a large minority of our population into a scapegoat for almost all of our society’s problems”.
“With that, the PVV threatens not only the freedom of Muslims, but also the basic principles of our constitutional state and the freedom of us all,” they added.
No leading politicians of the CDA have signed up to the manifesto so far, media reports said. But the newspaper Trouw argued that it could now be difficult for CDA leader Maxime Verhagen to secure the party support he needs to back an agreement with Wilders.
Update: See “Resistance grows among Christian Democrats”, Dutch News, 13 August 2010
Top religious leaders denounce growing anti-Muslim sentiment, express support for NY mosque and community center, challenge Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin to stop exploiting fear
More than 40 prominent Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders and religion scholars issued a statement today condemning the “xenophobia and religious bigotry” fueling the increasingly strident opposition to a proposed Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero. These leaders from New York City and across the country are specifically challenging the divisive rhetoric of Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin, who have strongly opposed a center that will promote interfaith relations, combat extremism, and offer community programs for Americans of all religious backgrounds.
“It’s simply wrong for Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin to malign all Muslims by comparing this cultural center and mosque with a radical ideology that led to the horrific attacks of 9-11,” said Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby. “We fail to honor those killed by terrorists when we betray the bedrock principle of religious freedom that has guided our democracy for centuries.”
Poll shows more work needed against Islamophobia in Scotland
The Scottish-Islamic Foundation have said that an opinion poll of Scottish society about Muslims shows mixed feelings when it comes to community relations.
The British Council/Ipsos MORI poll found:
- Six out of ten people think Muslims are integrated into Scottish society
- 46% of Scots think Muslims are loyal to the country, while 33% think they are not
- Islam is viewed less favourably than other religions in Scotland
Respondents to the poll also expressed a feeling that integration was easier in Scotland than in England.
Commenting on the findings, Asif Ahmed chairman of the Scottish-Islamic Foundation said:
“There are few better places in the world to be Muslim than Scotland – but it can be even better. With more effort across the board, Scotland can be an exemplar to the rest of the world not just on coexistence between Muslims and others, but also harmony and cooperation.
“Compared to polls over the years in Scotland, the situation isn’t getting dramatically better or worse. Greater pushes need to be made for an upturn though as the anti-Muslim demonstrations in Glasgow and Edinburgh over the last year, coupled with the economic crisis, could mean things go the other way in the years ahead.”
Scottish-Islamic Foundation press release, 11 August 2010
See also BBC News, 10 August 2010 and the Scotsman, 11 August 2010
The full British Council report can be downloaded here and a summary here.
Dutch court rejects Tariq Ramadan’s wrongful dismissal case
Rotterdam council was within its legal rights when it dismissed academic Tariq Ramadan in August 2009, a court ruled on Wednesday.
Ramadan was asking for €75,000 for wrongful dismissal, but the court ruled he has no claim. Instead, he will have to pay the €3,638 cost of the case.
The Islamic philosopher lost his job as city integration officer after officials discovered he presented a tv show for a broadcast company financed by Iran. Erasmus University also ended his contract as a visiting professor.