Category Archives: Resisting Islamophobia

Double standards on terror counterproductive says CAIR

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Austin suicide attack

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), along with other national Muslim organizations, today held a news conference in Washington, D.C., to express concerns over a perceived double standard on the use of the label “terrorism” as it relates to acts of political violence committed by people who are not Muslims.

CAIR’s news conference was prompted by coverage of last week’s politically-motivated airborne suicide attack on an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) office in Austin, Texas, which the Muslim civil rights and advocacy group called an act of “terror.”

In a statement read at today’s Capitol Hill event, CAIR Legal Counsel Nadhira Al-Khalili said:

“American law defines ‘terrorism’ as ‘premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets’ or as ‘the unlawful use of force against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.’

“When an act that fits these definitions is carried out by a Muslim individual or group, there is and should be no hesitation in labeling that act ‘terrorism.’

“Regrettably, when an act fitting the legal definitions of terrorism is carried out by someone who is not Muslim, there seems to be a general reluctance on the part of commentators, public officials and law enforcement agencies to use the term.

“Last week’s attack on the IRS office in Texas perfectly fits either legal definition of terrorism, yet it has not been labeled as such. This apparent double standard only serves to render the term ‘terrorism’ meaningless and imbues it with a sense of religious and ethnic bias that is both counterproductive and offensive.”

CAIR press release, 22 February 2010

Scottish Defence League flop in Edinburgh

Posted on by Bob Pitt

SDL Edinburgh2The Royal Mile was closed yesterday by a huge police operation to prevent a violent confrontation between the far-right Scottish Defence League and anti-fascist protestors.

Hundreds of police took to the streets of Edinburgh amid concerns that large numbers of SDL supporters would converge on the city at the same time as a rally by Scotland United, a loose coalition of politicians, Christian and Islamic faith groups, and trade unionists.

But only about 40 supporters of the SDL turned up, and they found themselves corralled into a pub at the bottom of the Royal Mile for several hours. There were five arrests for public order offences but the Scotland United rally, attended by about 2,000 people, passed off peacefully in Princes Street Gardens, about half a mile away.

The SDL members congregated in Jenny Ha’s opposite the Scottish Parliament at about 11am yesterday, forcing police to erect two cordons on the Royal Mile, separating them from members of the Edinburgh Anti-Fascist Alliance.

While the majority of those in attendance – among them teenagers and women – said they refused to speak to the press for fear of being misquoted, others said they expected a considerable turnout from SDL supporters. “There’s people up from Leeds, Stockport, Wolverhampton, London, all over. We’re getting 3,000 bodies here,” said a member of the English Defence League. We’re coming in from everywhere – Spain, Gilbraltar, Bulgaria.”

The group unfurled banners with slogans such as “Say no to fundamentalist Muslims” and sporadically raised chants, including “We want our country back” and “Muslim bombers off our streets”. Despite attempts to break through the police cordon, they were contained in the pub, until two double-decker buses took them out of the city centre at about 4pm.

At the formal Scotland United rally, which included a march from Princes Street Gardens to the Meadows, speakers said the SDL had failed to gain support, but warned against complacency. Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill said: “Today is about making a stand against those who would seek to divide and saying to them that their views are not welcome.”

Osama Saeed, of the Scottish Islamic Foundation and an SNP candidate for Glasgow Central, said it was a “further humiliation” for the SDL. “They only got ten minutes in the rain last November in Glasgow. They didn’t even get that today.”

Scotland on Sunday, 21 February 2010

Update:  The EDL reports that its “leadership team” were arrested on their way to the Edinburgh demonstration and their homes have been raided by the police. As a result, the planned EDL demonstration in Bradford on 30 May has been cancelled.

Further update:  See Richard Bartholomew’s coverage of the EDL arrests at Bartholomew’s Notes on Religion, 22 February 2010

Hundreds join Facebook protest against Valleys anti-Muslim march

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Facebook page against Rhondda March

More than 700 people have joined a Facebook group to oppose a proposed anti-Muslim march through the Rhondda, which five men have been arrested and bailed in connection with.

“We Say No To The Planned Rhondda Valleys Racist March” is described on Facebook as “a group for intelligent, informed, peace-loving residents of the Rhondda Valleys, who are opposed to the planned anti-Muslim march from Treherbert to Pontypridd on February 28”.

Police arrested five men for religiously aggravated public order offences two weeks ago, after Wales MEP Jill Evans alerted them to some of the comments being made on the social networking site in relation to the Rhondda March, a group set up to organise a protest in favour of moving Muslim people out of Wales.

Teacher Kelly Robson, who formerly taught French at Porth County Comprehensive School, explained that she decided to set up the opposition group after reading about the Rhondda March on the Rhondda Leader page of WalesOnline website.

The former Treorchy Comprehensive School student said: “I was disgusted by the kind of comments that had been posted on the original Facebook group. I know a lot of people who live in the Valleys and I know the majority of them don’t share these views. So I decided to set up this group so that these people could make their views heard as well.”

Within three days of setting up the group, the 33-year-old received positive messages from anti-racism groups from as far away as Canada, as well as backing from hundreds of supporters, such as Rhondda AM Leighton Andrews and South Wales Central AM Leanne Wood.

“The first group had 150 members but hundreds more people joined this group within a week, which just goes to show how strongly people feel about this,” she said.

Some members of the opposition group have suggested marching on February 28, which was the intended day of the original march. But Mrs Robson has stressed that if anyone decides to organise a protest it should be peaceful.

“I set up this group as a peaceful outlet for residents of the Rhondda Valleys who wish to declare their opposition to an anti-Muslim march,” she said. “I do not wish to antagonise the situation.”

Police have confirmed that they do not believe the Rhondda March will take place but will be monitoring the situation.

The five arrested men have been bailed pending further inquiries until February 28.

No one from the Rhondda March would comment when contacted by the Leader.

Wales Online, 18 February 2010

Peace protestor hits out at BNP

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Luton PatriotA Luton peace protestor has called for a ban on British National Party propaganda being posted through residents’ doors.

Peter Wakeham, from Luton for Peace with Justice, has called for BNP campaign material to be stopped after leaflets were put through the door of his Bushmead home by the postman on Monday.

Mr Wakeham said: “One leaflet is pure racial hatred against Muslim people and I’m sure contravenes the current anti-hatred laws. I wish to take this matter further to find out if indeed the police consider this kind of material racial hatred and that the local BNP can be prosecuted. I’m not a Muslim, but I find the attached leaflet revolting and offensive.”

He said: “Not that many years ago this kind of filth would not have been allowed to be posted to people’s homes.”

Luton Today, 18 February 2010

Brick Lane plan for ‘hijab gates’ angers residents

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Brick Lane archesThe Guardian of all papers endorses the myth of the “hijab gates” in Brick Lane. Even the Daily Express had the honesty to at least quote the architect, David Gallagher, who was responsible for designing the arches, as saying:

“We were briefed to design something that celebrates the demographic changes of the area. The arches were not designed to look like hijabs. Huguenot and Jewish women wore headscarves. The arches are just modern curves and they will have symbols on them reflecting the different immigrant communities. Having the Star of David on them is one option we have considered, but no decision has been made yet.”

Update:  See also “Tracey Emin leads protest at ‘hijab gates’ for Brick Lane”, Evening Standard, 16 February 2010

Further update:  The relevant section of the Design and Access Statement can be consulted here.

Another update:  See Lutfur Rahman, “These are not ‘hijab gates’ – they represent the whole community”, Guardian, 26 February 2010

The rising tide of Islamophobia

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Islamophobia does not appear to be being taken seriously by the Government, the media or the general public and the situation is becoming increasingly dire – why this is remains unclear. It could be because of a lack of understanding and recognition of the seriousness of Islamophobia; it could be because little ‘hard evidence’ exists; it could also be that anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic attitudes are becoming more socially acceptable. Whatever the reason though, it is clear that neither Islamophobia – nor indeed anti-Semitism – are going to quickly or easily disappear.

Last week’s bleak report on Islamophobic hate crime in London from the European Muslim Research Centre argues that fears and misunderstandings of Muslims were increasingly providing a basis for violent acts. The report found that Muslim Londoners face a threat of violence and intimidation from three primary groups: small violent nationalist groups with similar ideologies as the British National Party; street gangs with no allegiances to the far-right; and a small number of others who appear to be acting on prejudices gained via negative media portrayals of Muslims as terrorists and security threats.

But hate crimes are just the tip of the iceberg. Anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic attitudes are also increasingly commonplace. As the British Social Attitudes Survey recently highlighted, not only are Muslims the least popular religious community in Britain today but over half the population would be bothered by a large mosque being built in their community. Neither of these attitudes are specifically Islamophobic but they do suggest a hardening of attitudes especially when Muslims and Islam are considered against other religions. As Professor David Voas provocatively put it, Muslims are increasingly being understood as posing a threat to British society.

Chris Allen in the Daily Telegraph, 12 February 2010

‘Britain has nothing to fear from Islam’ says New Statesman

Posted on by Bob Pitt

New Statesman Islam issue“Contrary to popular opinion, polls show that the overwhelming majority of British Muslims are integrated, loyal, non-violent and eschew religious fanaticism. But the antics of a small cabal of British-born Muslim radicals – exemplified by the buffoonish Anjem Choudary and his Islam4UK group (now banned by the Home Office) – bring the entire Muslim community into disrepute in this country.

“Yet publicity-seeking hotheads like Choudary have been aided and abetted by a sensationalist press that often conflates the actions of an angry minority with those of the peaceful majority. Islamophobia now seems rife – in the words of one conservative commentator, ‘prejudice against Islam . . . is Britain’s last remaining socially respectable form of bigotry’.

“In 2008, researchers at Cardiff University revealed that more than two-thirds of the stories about Muslims published in the press since 2000 identified them either as a source of problems or as a threat – culturally, as well as in security terms. More than a quarter of the stories propagated the idea that Islam is dangerous, backward or irrational.

“This relentlessly negative coverage of Muslims and Islam must end. The liberal left has always defended minorities in this country – be they Jewish, black or gay. Today, it is Muslims who are demonised and bear the brunt of racist attacks. ‘I try to imagine how I would feel if this rainstorm of headlines substituted the word “Jew” for “Muslim”,’ wrote one leading Jewish commentator, in the wake of the 2006 row over the niqab, or Islamic face veil. ‘I wouldn’t just feel frightened, I would be looking for my passport.’ …

“Misunderstanding Muslims can only lead to further tensions and will make civic harmony impossible. This week, the magazine attempts to offer a more nuanced understanding of a range of contentious issues, in particular whether Islam is compatible with the values and principles of western liberal democracy. Meanwhile, British Muslims, alienated, frustrated and under siege, need our support.”

Editorial in the New Statesman, 11 February 2010

Four charged over racial harassment on Bristol estate

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Two men and two boys have appeared in court after a TV programme which showed undercover reporters being racially abused in Southmead.

Sean Ganderton, 22, and Martin Durnell, 18, appeared before magistrates charged with racially aggravated harassment. The boys, 11, appeared in the youth court charged with attempted robbery.

One of them faces two further counts of attempted robbery and one count of racially aggravated harassment. During the summer reporters Tamanna Rahman and Amil Khan spent eight weeks, filming for the BBC’s Panorama. During that time they became the victims of attempted muggings, were called “the most offensive racial insults” and had waterbombs, glass and rocks thrown at them.

Ganderton and Durnell did not enter a plea and were granted unconditional bail and will appear in court again on April 8.

This is Bristol, 12 February 2010

Defending Moazzam Begg and Amnesty International

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Guantanamo Files“Just when it seemed that Republicans in America had a monopoly on Islamophobic hysteria, the Sunday Times prompted a torrent of similar hysteria in the UK by running an article in which an employee of Amnesty International – Gita Sahgal, head of the gender unit at the International Secretariat – criticized the organization that employed her for its association with former Guantánamo prisoner Moazzam Begg.

“Before getting into the substance – or lack of it – in Sahgal’s complaints, it should be noted first of all that her immediate suspension by Amnesty was the least that should have been expected. What other organization would put up with an employee badmouthing them to a national newspaper on a Sunday, and then allow them to return to work as usual on Monday morning?”

Andy Worthington’s blog, 10 February 2010

Football clubs should lose points for failing to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia, FA told

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Football Association must deduct points from clubs whose fans indulge in racist behaviour or risk further erosion of the English game’s “moral authority”, according to a report submitted by its own anti-racism taskforce yesterday. Digger has obtained a copy of the report, prepared by the chair of the FA taskforce on Tackling anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, John Mann MP, and can reveal its wide-ranging recommendations.

“The FA should implement with immediate effect the Fifa rules which allow for the deduction of points where clubs have not taken sufficient action to combat racism and bigotry in their clubs and where such abuse continues,” Mann wrote. “This has been used boldly in France and Hungary – its lack of implementation by the English FA reduces our moral authority at international levels and within the wider Fifa network, including when we demand action on abuse of our own national or club players abroad.”

Guardian, 10 February 2010