Category Archives: Resisting Islamophobia

Stop defaming Islam, says Doudou Diene

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The warning by a United Nations expert that world peace is under threat because of defamation of religions – particularly criticism of Islam in the West – is by no means an exaggeration. It is problematic how Islam today is being perceived and treated. If this continues, the repercussions would undoubtedly be grave.

In his statement to the UN Human Rights Council, Doudou Diene said: “Islamophobia today is the most serious form of religious defamation. We see the initiatives and activities of many groups and organisations which are working hard to bring about a war of civilisations.” Protests of far-right groups and campaigns against the construction of mosques in a number of European countries are examples. Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of all is the attempts being made to equate Islam to violence and terrorism.

Undoubtedly, not stopping such attacks would lead to an extremely unhealthy atmosphere where extremism would breed in all directions. Not only would it encourage more anti-Islam extremist groups to organise and thrive, but would also encourage some Muslims to resort to extreme measures to make their voice heard. Today’s world is way too fragile to tolerate any insensitivity towards any and all religions.

Gulf News, 15 September 2007

See also Reuters, 14 September 2007

Colson discovers book revealing Muslim plot to take over the West

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Richard Bartholomew takes apart Patrick Sookhdeo’s claim (which formed the basis of Chuck Colson’s recent Islamophobic diatribe) that that a book “published in 1980 by the Islamic Council of Europe gives instructions for how Muslim minorities are to work towards achieving domination of European countries through a policy of concentration in geographical areas”.

Bartholomew’s Notes on Religion, 14 September 2007

Calderoli outrages Italy’s Muslims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Roberto CalderoliA far-right Italian senator outraged Muslims on Thursday by calling for a “Pig Day” protest against the planned construction of a mosque in northern Italy.

Roberto Calderoli of the anti-immigrant Northern League party said he was ready to bring his own pig to “defile” the site where the mosque is due to be built in the northern city of Bologna.

“I am making myself and my pig available for a walk at the site where they want to build the mosque,” Calderoli, who is a deputy speaker of Italy’s Senate, said in a statement. Calderoli also said he would eat “a nice plateful of pork chops to show my lack of sympathy for those who consider pork forbidden meat.”

Reuters, 13 September 2007

See also Catholic World News, which quotes condemnation of Calderoli’s comments by Italy’s welfare minister, Paolo Ferrero of the Communist Refoundation Party. “I apologize to Muslims living in Italy on behalf of all civilized Italians,” Ferrero said.

The Islamophobe who cried Islamist

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“Pipes is quick to parrot that radical Islam is the problem and moderate Islam is the solution. That is all very well – until you realize that his raison d’etre is to claim that every Muslim individual or group of mentionable influence is a conveyer of radical Islam – particularly if they are outspoken against the illegal Israeli occupation. On the other hand, everyone upon whom he bestows the ‘moderate’ badge is either a lone wolf with no credibility in the Muslim mainstream, an apologist for Pipes’ own radical views on the Middle East, or both.”

Ahmed Rehab takes on Daniel Pipes at Media Monitors Network, 10 September 2007

Canada’s chief electoral officer stands firm on veiled voters

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Canada’s chief electoral officer said he will not use his discretionary powers to change the rules and force veiled women to show their faces in upcoming elections, saying it’s not his job to “juggle” fundamental rights. Marc Mayrand made the comments as he was questioned by members of Parliament before the procedure and house affairs committee Thursday morning.

Mayrand said those powers are only to be used in exceptional circumstances, and he does not consider veiled voting an exceptional circumstance. Asked whether he would use those powers if directed to do so by the committee, Mayrand said he wouldn’t, because it would require him to “offend the act and not uphold the law.”

CBC News, 13 September 2007

Cartoons aid US lynch mob mentality

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Cockroach cartoon“Here is a clue why, despite billions spent by Washington on its global public relations campaign, the image of ‘ugly Americans’ still persists in many part of the world, particularly the Muslim world.

“Just look at the vicious demonization of Iran and everything Iranian in Hollywood, the US media and, of course, the political rhetoric of American politicians.

“A distasteful odor of hate ideology, repelling rational thought, is discernible everywhere, with Iran-bashing in vogue and evincing the darker side of US political culture, ie, the imperialist, xenophobic, intolerant and repressive sentiment of politicians and media pundits toward Iran.

“… other than several Iran-bashing motion pictures by the Hollywood ‘culture industry’, perhaps the most flagrant, and ugliest, manifestation of this phenomenon in US politics and media has appeared in that vital compartment of opinion-making we call political cartoons.

“Notwithstanding the recent controversies swirling about European cartoons denigrating Islam’s Prophet, or a German cartoon showing the Iranian soccer team dressed as suicide bombers, the right-wing American cartoonists have been making their own contribution – by depicting Iranians variously as dogs, beasts and, in the case of one published last week, by Pulitzer-winning cartoonist Michael Ramirez, as cockroaches.”

Kaveh L Afrasiabi in the Asia Times, 11 September 2007

Petition against the “cockroaches” cartoon here

Three cheers for Canada’s chief electoral officer

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Don Macpherson applauds the decision by Marc Mayrand, Canada’s chief electoral officer, to uphold the legal right of veiled Muslim women to vote in next week’s federal by-elections in Quebec, and condemns Mayrand’s Quebec counterpart Marcel Blanchet for capitulating to right-wing threats to disrupt the electoral process.

Montreal Gazette, 11 September 2007

The Godson approach to political warfare

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Dean GodsonTom Griffin identifies parallels between the psychological warfare employed during the Cold War and the methods used by right-wing propagandists against Islam today, and draws attention to the role played by Dean Godson of Policy Exchange.

“‘During the Cold War, organisations such as the Information Research Department of the Foreign Office would assert the superiority of the West over its totalitarian rivals. And magazines such as Encounter did hand-to-hand combat with Soviet fellow travellers’, Godson wrote in The Times last year. ‘For any kind of truly moderate Islam to flourish, we need first to recapture our own self-confidence. At the moment, the extremists largely have the field to themselves.’

“In fact there is reason to believe that Cold War methods of psychological warfare are already shaping the debate about Islam and the war on terror in Britain. Dean Godson himself may be one the most successful practitioners….

“He is better known in Britain as the former chief leader writer of the Daily Telegraph, and as a research director for the Conservative think-tank Policy Exchange. In the latter capacity, he has been at the forefront of the debate about the British Government’s engagement with the Muslim community. He has been particularly critical of Government contacts with the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), which he describes as an ‘Islamist front group’.

“In July 2006, Godson sponsored the publication of When Progressives Treat with Reactionaries, in which New Statesman editor Martin Bright denounced the Foreign Office’s attempts to engage with political Islam, notably the Muslim Brotherhood. The pamphlet featured copies of twelve high-level Whitehall documents leaked to Bright by a Foreign Office official.

“The individual responsible has reportedly been arrested under the Official Secrets Act, but Policy Exchange can nevertheless claim some success in influencing Government policy. In October last year, Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly called for a ‘fundamental rebalancing’ of the Government’s relations with Muslim organizations, a move that was widely seen as a repudiation to the MCB.

“There are good reasons to be concerned about Dean Godson’s role in bringing about this change in policy. He has made no secret of his own advocacy of ‘political warfare’.”

Spinwatch, 4 September 2007