Category Archives: Resisting Islamophobia

Turning the tables

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“My sister has worn a face veil for six years. She lives in Birmingham, where it is common to see women shrouded in black, however the sight is more unusual in Southampton, where my parents live and where, at the weekend, my sister was called ‘a ninja woman’.

“This insult is neither the most hurtful – ‘fucking terrorist freak’ – nor the most spurious – ‘Osama-lover’ – to have been levelled at her over the years. But it wasn’t the name-calling that really rankled her and me.

“We challenged the man who made the remark, he denied saying it, even though he said it as I was passing him. My sister called him ‘a lying bigot’, which is all she could muster on a Sunday afternoon in Primark, en route to Clark’s to have her children fitted for new shoes, but she delivered it rather splendidly, to the bemusement of shoppers who, if they hadn’t noticed her before, suddenly found her rather interesting. Her children asked why mummy was shouting at a man.”

Riazat Butt in the Guardian, 27 August 2008

Abbey Mills Mosque: ‘No pledges have been broken’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Abbey Mills Mosque logoMosque developers this week denied breaking promises to keep neighbours abreast of the controversial project. Newham councillor Alan Craig, outspoken opponent of the proposals, had criticised mosque backers Tablighi Jamaat, who want to build a 12,000-capacity complex in West Ham.

“Tablighi Jamaat pledged an open day event during the summer at which we would view the work, see an exhibition and meet their architects and consultants,” said Mr Craig, leader of the Christian Peoples Alliance group. “It is now almost the end of summer with the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan just two weeks away, yet there is still no sign of the event.”

He added that worried locals have had five months “with the threat of this huge mosque hanging over their heads” yet still are given no information. “This silence is not golden. It represents yet another false claim and broken promise by Tablighi Jamaat.”

A statement from the developer’s PR company said: “The trustees have not changed their plans to stage two major consultation events. These will take place prior to making a formal planning application for this project.”

The statement expressed disappointment that progress has been slower than expected. “It is not the case that the trustees have broken a promise of any kind to the community. The trustees will ensure that all residents and those who have expressed interest through our website will be informed in plenty of time when the Work in Progress exhibition will be held.”

Newham Recorder, 26 August 2008

Terrorist – or just a curious teenager?

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“Let’s look at what had Hammaad Munshi is actually said to have done. According to all accounts of the case, Munshi surfed the internet and is said to have downloaded material about the making of napalm and other explosives. He also had ‘al-Qa’ida propaganda videos’ on his PC.

“So what? That’s freedom folks. Just think how many British teenagers have got hold of the Anarchist’s Cookbook over the years and how much easier the internet has made it to seek out and read such material. How many of them went on to become terrorists? And if people want to download videos of US army tanks being blasted apart by Iraqi resistance fighters then that is surely their own business, right? Where have all the ‘free speech’ warriors gone now?”

Inayat Bunglawala examines the conviction of “Britain’s youngest terrorist”.

Comment is Free, 25 August 2008

MI5 colluded with torture of Guantánamo prisoner

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Binyam MohamedMI5 participated in the unlawful interrogation of a British resident now held in Guantánamo Bay, the high court found yesterday in a judgment raising serious questions about the conduct of Britain’s security and intelligence agencies.

One MI5 officer was so concerned about incriminating himself that he initially declined to answer questions from the judges even in private, the judgment reveals. Though the judges say “no adverse conclusions” should be drawn by the MI5 officer’s plea against self-incrimination, they disclose that the officer, Witness B, was questioned about alleged war crimes under the international criminal court act, including torture. The full evidence surrounding Witness B’s evidence, and the judges’ findings, remain secret.

The MI5 officer interrogated the British resident, Binyam Mohamed, while he was being held in Pakistan in 2002. Mohamed, 30, an Ethiopian national, was later secretly rendered to Morocco, where he says was tortured by having his penis cut with a razor blade. The US subsequently flew him to Afghanistan and he was transferred to Guantánamo Bay in September 2004 where he remains.

In a passage which appears to contradict previous assurances by MI5, Lord Justice Thomas and Mr Justice Lloyd Jones concluded: “The conduct of the security service facilitated interviews by or on behalf of the United States when [Mohamed] was being detained by the United States incommunicado and without access to a lawyer.” They added: “Under the law of Pakistan, that detention was unlawful.”

Asked last month about unrelated allegations involving detainees held in Pakistan, the Home Office said on behalf of MI5: “All security service staff have an awareness of the Human Rights Act 1998, and are fully committed to complying with the requirements of the law when working in the UK and overseas.”

It added that the security and intelligence agencies “do not participate in, solicit, encourage or condone the use of torture or inhumane or degrading treatment”.

Guardian, 22 August 2008

‘Britain’s terror laws have left me and my family shattered’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Hicham Yezza recounts his experiences as an innocent person swept up by the “war on terror”.

Comment is Free, 18 August 2008

Hicham was released without charge after six days in custody, but was immediately rearrested on immigration charges and issued with a removal order to Algeria. See freehicham.co.uk for details on how to support his campaign against deoprtation.

Sun apologises to Arunas Raulynaitis

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Arunas Raulynaitis“An article on March 29, ‘Everyone off my bus, I need to pray‘, stated that Arunas Raulynaitis, a London bus driver and a Muslim, asked passengers to leave his bus so he could pray and that passengers later refused to re-board the bus because they saw a ruck-sack which made them think he might be a fanatic. The article included pictures of Mr Raulynaitis praying.

“We now accept that these allegations were completely untrue. Mr Raulynaitis is not a fanatic and he did not ask passengers to leave his bus to allow him to pray. In fact, he was praying during his statutory rest break. We apologise to Mr Raulynaitis for the embarrassment and distress caused.”

Sun, 15 August 2008

Policy Exchange faces legal action over ‘Hijacking of British Islam’ documentary

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Policy Exchange, the right-wing think-tank with close links to Conservative leader David Cameron’s inner circle, is facing legal action for accusing British mosques of distributing extremist literature.

The Independent has learnt that the Al-Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in west London has hired the law firm Carter Ruck to sue the think-tank for defamation. An initial complaint will be made “very soon”, a source close to the case said.

Al-Manaar claims that Policy Exchange fabricated several receipts used as evidence of purchase. The North London Central Mosque in Finsbury Park is also understood to be pursuing libel action against the think-tank through the solicitors’ firm Dean and Dean.

Last October the BBC’s Newsnight had been due to run an exclusive report on the findings of an article written for Policy Exchange by Denis MacEoin entitled The Hijacking of British Islam.

Mr MacEoin argued that extremist literature was widely available in British mosques and shops adjoining them, that much of it was funded by the Saudi Arabian government, and that the Finsbury Park mosque was a major perpetrator of such distribution.

But when Richard Watson, the reporter covering the story, and Peter Barron, then editor of Newsnight, examined the report in detail, they found that five receipts used as incriminating evidence looked fake.

The director of the Al-Manaar Centre, Abdulkarim Khalil said last night: “This report is still in circulation and has been very widely read. We are determined to clear our name.” Nobody from Policy Exchange was available for comment.

The news follows the publication earlier this week of another controversial report by the think-tank which recommended migration from some northern cities to the south of England.

David Cameron, on a tour of the North-west at the time, distanced himself from its conclusions, branding the report “insane”.

Independent, 15 August 2008

‘Nothing but respect’ for women athletes who are wearing the hijab

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Hijab Olympics“The Greeks, as we all know, used to compete in the original Olympic games stark naked and smothered in olive oil. That’s no longer the fashion – because we have different cultural ideas about what parts of the body are suitable for public display – and, in fact, some women have taken the trend for Olympic modesty one stage further.

“This year, several women, including Egyptian fencer Shaimaa El Gammal and Bahraini sprinter Rakia Al Gassra, will be competing wearing the hijab.

“I suppose that as a good liberal feminist I ought to be appalled by this, seeing it as a symbol of patriarchal oppression. In fact, I find I rather admire these women.

“I am appalled by the fact that some countries, including Saudi Arabia, have sent male-only teams to the games. But for these women, combining their religious beliefs with their athletic ambitions, I have nothing but respect.

“A lot of rubbish is talked about the hijab. Since France banned girls from wearing them in schools in 2004, there has been a steady stream of media stories and comment suggesting that Britain should do the same. Feminist friends tell me that the headscarves are a symbol of female subjugation, a way to deal with male lust by forcing women to cover up, and that as such, they should not be tolerated in a gender-equal society. The women who wear them, they say, have been pressured into it by their communities.

“Well, yes and no. We all wear the kind of clothes we wear partly because of social pressure – and our own culture still says, for example, that it is more acceptable, and less sexual, for men to walk down the street topless than it is for women. Many patriarchal religions do indeed hold highly disturbing views about women, which should be challenged, but we should confront those ideas via education and debate, not by forcing young women to reveal parts of their bodies they would rather keep covered. If women say that they want to wear a headscarf, I’m afraid we have to take them at their word. What could be more anti-feminist than telling women that they don’t really know what they think?

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Scottish Islamic Foundation hits back at critics

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Scottish Islamic FoundationThe Scottish Islamic Foundation (SIF) has hit back at criticism about the support the organisation has received from the Scottish Government.

Osama Saeed, the interim chief executive of SIF, is an SNP candidate for the next Westminster election and believes this has been at the root of press attacks on its funding arrangements.

The government insisted the £210,000 grant given to constitute the group in March and further aid of £190,000 under the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Fund had been recommended by independent assessors under proper procedures.

Mr Saeed said accusations of favouritism were inaccurate given that other organisations working with Muslims also received grants from the fund, including some groups with strong Labour Party links.

The SIF had no permanent staff yet but strict appointment procedures would be followed, said Mr Saeed, pointing out at board level and among volunteers there was cross-party representation.

A statement from SIF cited public support from a range of individuals and groups, and added:

“There are a tiny handful of people who have been engaged in what others in the wider community are seeing as misinformed or jealous sniping. However, as has been demonstrated, we have the support and backing of imams and mosques around the country; the umbrella bodies of Muslim organisations in Scotland and the UK; Muslim students and many others.”

Among those quoted in support of SIF was Amar Shakoor of the Strathclyde Police Muslim Association, who said: “I would like to congratulate SIF and their team and wish them every success in the future to promote Islam and work with the Muslim community in an effort to foster better understanding of all faiths in Scotland.”

The Herald, 11 August 2008