Category Archives: Resisting Islamophobia

How to really prevent violent extremism

Posted on by Bob Pitt

George and Salma“The government is always looking for some Islamic organisation to proscribe or some Muslim cleric – preferably with a steel claw – to ban. All in the name of community cohesion and preventing violent extremism.

“But how many Muslims does the government think have been radicalised by the horrific scenes coming out of Gaza and the complacent hypocrisy of the British foreign office?

“The appeal for a policy that breaks with slavish support for Israel’s actions operates on a number of different levels. I’ve long since stopped addressing the great lacuna which passes for an ethical sense at King Charles Street. An argument based on naked self-interest stands a better chance. And from that point of view the efforts by various branches of government not only to justify the unjustifiable in Palestine, but to delegitimise protests over it are extremely difficult to fathom….

“In Tower Hamlets young people organised a 100-strong car cavalcade in protest at the massacres in Gaza and advertising a national demonstration in central London. The following day the police were handing out fliers at Brick Lane mosque telling people that such activities were illegal. Of all the problems we face in Tower Hamlets – including illegal activities – not one of them is young men cooperating with one another and using their cars to form peaceful convoys with a socially engaged message. I’m sure the same is true elsewhere in the capital.

“If the authorities in London and across Britain thought this through they would welcome this efflorescence of political protests over Gaza. How better to marginalise the violent extremists than by creating the space for radical but democratic political engagement?”

George Galloway at Comment is Free, 23 January 2009

Mail on Sunday replies to complaint over Azad Ali story

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Muhammad Amin, editor of the Between the Lines blog, reports: “The Mail on Sunday has not only replied to my letter of complaint, but also (quietly) removed the articles from its website. However, John Wellington’s (Managing Editor) reply does not address the central issue of the complaint – the misquote and resulting false allegation. I have written to him once again urging him to issue a full apology in print.”

And over at Pickled Politics Sunny Hundal comments: “Last week a Muslim civil servant, Azad Ali, was suspended from work because an article in the Daily Mail said he suggested killing British troops in Iraq was justified, on his blog…. Now, I don’t have sympathy for his views but the Daily Mail were clearly bullshitting. Now they’ve withdrawn the article. Let’s see what happens next…”

Geert Wilders to be charged with inciting hatred

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Geert Wilders (2)A Dutch court has ordered prosecutors to put a right-wing politician on trial for making anti-Islamic statements. Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders made a controversial film last year equating Islam with violence and has likened the Koran to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf. “In a democratic system, hate speech is considered so serious that it is in the general interest to … draw a clear line,” the court in Amsterdam said.

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Ilford Muslims challenge “Islamic ‘terror’ scare at Jewish school” story

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Muslims in Ilford have complained to the editor of the Ilford Recorder for the publication of a story in the local paper headlined “Islamic ‘terror’ scare at Jewish school”, and which refers to “two Muslim boys with knives” causing havoc at a Jewish school in the borough.

ENGAGE, 20 January 2009

Update:  Ilford Recorder editor Chris Carter has issued an apology over the headline, which he concedes could be seen as “inflammatory”. Mr Carter said: “The story was breaking and our reporting team was on the spot. Often stories change as we are posting them on the web, but in this instance I accept the headline was not appropriate, particularly given what transpired and apologise to our readers.” The paper has also published a letter from Abdurahman Jafar, who expresses his concern that “this kind of inaccurate and irresponsible reporting plays into the hands of the far right”.

MSF defends Azad Ali

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Latest Witch Hunt on Muslim leader by the Mail on Sunday

The Muslim Safety Forum is dismayed with the provocative article written in the Sunday Mail on the 18th January 2009 regarding MSF Trustee Azad Ali.

The central objective of MSF has been to build relations between communities and the police service during very difficult circumstances and ensuring dialogue remains open. The MSF is a voluntary organisation built on good will and trust between communities, the wider public and the police.

Azad Ali embodied that civic commitment and led the bridge building efforts between the police service and the community following the terrorist atrocities of 7/7 and the failed bombings of June 2007.

Chair of the MSF Mujib Miah said “Instead of highlighting the positive community building work Azad Ali has accomplished throughout his career, The Sunday Mail has sought to misrepresent his work. We understand he is taking legal advice in that regard.

“I have been inundated with calls from members and the wider public expressing disappointment and alarm by the serious distortion of Azad Ali’s character. In these difficult times inflammatory headlines such as these are counter productive and damage community cohesion.”

END

Note for Editors:

The MSF is made up of national and regional Islamic organisations including: Al Ershad Centre, Al Ikhlas Foundation / Muslim Prisoners Support Group, Al Khoei Foundation, Al Maghrib, Al Muntada Al Islami, Amal Trust, AMP – BTP, AMP – MPS, An Nisa Society, Bangla 2000 – 1990 Trust, Barnet Muslim Advisory Group, Basildon Islamic Centre, British Muslim Forum (BMF), Eritrean Muslim Community, FAIR, FOSIS, IFE, Iqra Trust, ISB, Islamic Cultural Centre, Kingswood Islamic Committee, LMC, MAB, MCB, Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, Muslim Directory, Muslim Parliament, Muslim Voices, Muslimaat UK, Q News, Somali Muslim Community, Cage Prisoners, The Avenue School, The Muslim College, UKIM, Women’s Relief, YMO, UMO.

The MSF is the key advisory body for the Police Service and has signed a working protocol with the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police & ACPO to build better police / community relations. It has been advising the police on matters of safety and security from the Muslim perspective for over five years now. It meets on a monthly basis with senior representatives of ACPO and the MPS, the MPA, Home Office, CPS and the IPCC amongst others.

Witch-hunt against Azad Ali: letters to the Mail on Sunday and others

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“I am writing to complain about the article published in the Mail on Sunday (18/01/09) about Azad Ali, one of the bloggers on Between the Lines. The article selectively quotes from his blog to paint a picture which is misleading and falsely portrays him as an extremist.

“The specific and central allegation in the article entitled: Muslim civil servant suspended over ‘killing British troops is justified’ blog, claims that Azad Ali ‘suggested that killing British troops in Iraq is justified’; this is completely untrue and libelous.”

Between the Lines reproduces the letter of complaint sent to the Mail on Sunday, Daily Telegraph and Evening Standard in response to their false accusations against Azad Ali.

Islam based on ‘an explicit anti-Jewish discourse’ says Geoffrey Alderman

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“The conflict in Gaza has also furnished us, most usefully, with further proofs of Islamic prejudice against Jews and Judaism. As I reminded you last week, I have not hesitated to point out that Islam was founded in part on the basis of an explicit anti-Jewish discourse, and that this discourse is alive and well.

“I have been pilloried publicly, on more than one occasion, for having said this. So I have taken some pleasure in drawing the attention of my critics to (a) the calls by Hamas ‘commander’ Mahmoud Zahar (on Al-Aqsa TV, January 6) for the worldwide murder of Jewish children and (b) the much-reported possibility that an Islamist website has been used to compile a ‘hit list’ of prominent British Jews deemed guilty of ‘war crimes’.”

Geoffrey Alderman in the Jewish Chronicle, 14 January 2009

For a reply, see ENGAGE, 16 January 2009

For earlier articles by Alderman in the JC see here and here.

Australian retail lobby slams call for hijab shop ban

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A national retail lobby boss has taken a swipe at Queensland retailers for backing calls to ban Muslim women wearing traditional hijabs in shops.

The state’s retail association came out in support of Brisbane’s 4BC radio presenter Michael Smith after he claimed on Wednesday that wearing the hijab or burqa posed a security risk. The Queensland body says the ban should be in line with riders being forced to remove their helmets when entering a store or bank.

But the National Retailers Association, which has no association with the Queensland organisation, has rejected calls for the ban. “I think it’s a bit of dog whistle,” executive director Richard Evans told ABC Radio, adding there was no evidence to support claims the wearing of hijabs was a security concern for shopkeepers.

He accused the Queensland retail group of trying to categorise a certain group of women and create fear among them. “It’s outrageous, to be honest with you, absolutely outrageous. It diminishes not only those folks who wear those outfits, but diminishes all of us.”

AAP, 16 January 2009

Australia – groups say veil ban unlawful, unfairly targets Muslims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Shopkeepers are demanding sunglasses, baseball caps and religious face veils be banned to guard against criminals trying to hide their identities.

The Queensland Retailers Association yesterday declared its members should have the right to ban customers from wearing any clothing that obscured faces. But the proposed ban has outraged civil libertarians, Islamic groups and Queensland’s Anti-Discrimination Commission. They say the move would be unlawful and unfairly target Muslims and teenagers.

QRA executive director Scott Driscoll said retailers were increasingly concerned they could not identify robbers and thugs whose faces were hidden by headgear. “This is about ensuring a more safe and secure retail environment for all and being able to readily identify any and all perpetrators of armed holdups or shop theft,” he said.

But critics – including federal Labor MP Graham Perrett, who represents the multicultural electorate of Moreton in Brisbane’s south – attacked Mr Driscoll’s call as unfounded and unnecessary. “Kids in hoodies, Muslim women wearing face veils, they are simply not an issue for the retailers I speak to,” Mr Perrett said.

Queensland police have no record of any robbery committed by a person wearing a Muslim face veil.

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Aussie radio announcer accused of anti-Islamic remarks over hijab

Posted on by Bob Pitt

4BC RadioA Brisbane radio station may have to explain why it should keep its licence after an announcer was accused of making anti-Islamic comments.

Former Victorian police officer, now 4BC drive-time announcer, Michael Smith called for Muslim women who wear an Islamic hijab in public to be fined for offensive behaviour. He made the remarks on-air and on the 4BC website, saying: “Any reasonable person would find this offensive.” Islamic Council of Queensland president Suliman Sabdia said Mr Smith’s remarks amounted to “a clear case of intolerance”.

Under the Commercial Radio Code of Practice, a licensee must not broadcast a program likely to incite hatred against or vilify any person or group on the basis of age, ethnicity, nationality, race, gender, sexual preference, religion, or disability. Christine Donnelly from the Australian Communications and Media Authority said Mr Smith’s comments could be a breach of the Code of Practice.

4BC general manager David McDonald said Mr Smith’s remarks were not intended to be anti-religion or anti-Muslim.

Courier-Mail, 14 January 2009

Update:  See also “Retailers back shock jock Michael Smith’s call for hijab ban” at News.com.au, which reports:

“A radio announcer’s call for a ban on Islamic hijabs has been backed by the Retailers Association. The body has called for all hijabs, helmets and hoodies to be banned in shops and banks for security purposes…. Retailers association executive directorScott Driscoll said it had been a long accepted practice to require customers to remove helmets and other identity obscuring headwear when entering a shop or bank. ‘Retailers should not have to fear any form of retribution or backlash for requiring the removal of any obscuring headwear, including hijabs, as a condition of entry’, Mr Driscoll said.”