Category Archives: Resisting Islamophobia

Reflections on ‘Undercover Mosque’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“… the programme-makers repeatedly interspersed the ugly material emanating from a handful or so preachers from one wing of the Wahhabi sect with material which is more mainstream but is simply distasteful to western ears and images of women wearing niqab … the programme is likely to cast more suspicion over the Muslim community generally, not just the small group involved, while much of the Muslim youth get defensive and accuse Channel 4 of taking their words out of context and the profile of Uncle Tom pseudo-Sufis is raised further.”

Yusuf Smith assesses yesterday’s Dispatches programme, Undercover Mosque.

Indigo Jo Blogs, 15 January 2007

And for those of you who missed it, the fascists of the British National Party have helpfully provided links to a recording on YouTube.

BNP news article, 16 January 2007

Meanwhile would-be führer Nick Griffin has written to the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, urging them to prosecute some of the speakers featured in the programme … for inciting violence and racial hatred. Satire itself stands disarmed.

BNP news article, 16 January 2007

Call for an to end to ‘demonisation’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Muslim groups are to come together at a special event in Manchester. The emergency meeting of the alliance of Mosques and Muslim organisations will take place at 7pm on 16th January at the Saffron Restaurant, Cheetham Hill Road.

The meeting is being arranged to highlight the impact of Islamophobia on Muslim life in the UK and to open debate and dialogue about the causes of terrorism and social disharmony. The event also hopes to bring to the fore the importance of responsible journalism and mature political discussion.

Representatives of various organisations, including from UK Islamic Mission, Muslim Association Britain, Hizb ut Tahrir, Centre for Muslim Affairs, MCB, Islamic Society of Britain, Islamic Forum Europe, other organisations and respected Imams have been invited.

Asian Image, 16 January 2007

See also Manchester Muslim Forum press release, 11 January 2007

German court upholds ban on head scarves

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A court on Monday upheld a ban on Muslim teachers wearing head scarves in the schools of a German state under a law that says teachers’ attire must be in line with “western Christian” values.

A Berlin-based Islamic association had complained about the law, which authorities in the conservative-run state of Bavaria have used to ban head scarves while allowing Roman Catholic nuns to continue to wear their head-covering habits in schools.

The Bavarian Constitutional Court ruled on Monday that the application of the law in the state neither violated religious freedom nor was discriminatory.

However, a lawyer for the Islamic Religious Community said some of its members were considering taking their case to the Federal Constitutional Court, Germany’s highest court.

Authorities in several states, including Baden-Wuerttemberg and Hesse, have introduced similar head scarf bans.

Judge Karl Huber insisted the Bavarian law did not favor the Christian faith. But because teachers must transmit the values of the constitution, the religious feelings of students and parents must be considered, the court said.

Associated Press, 15 January 2007

See also “Bavaria bans teacher headscarves”, BBC News, 12 November 2004

Channel 4 accused of creating mischief over portrayal of Black Muslim

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Muslim mosque in Birmingham which features in Dispatches at 8pm tonight has accused Channel 4 of “creating mischief” and “engaging in sensationalism” for claiming that it harbours extremists. The documentary shows secretly-filmed footage of an African American preacher, Imam Abu Usaamah, from Queens in New York, who studied in Saudi Arabia and who preached at the Green Lane Mosque in Birmingham. The programme accuses the preacher of promoting an extreme view of Islam.

The Saltley Gate Peace Group (SGPG), a multi-faith community organisation based in Birmingham is made up of representatives from the Muslim and Christian community. It issued a press statement on Friday giving its “undiminished support” for the Green Lane Mosque. SGPG said that Imam Abu Usaamah “is accepted by much of his congregation and the wider interfaith community to be a peaceful man and is known to promote peace to his congregation”.

Black Britain, 15 January 2007

Complain about Richard Littlejohn’s Islamophobia

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Osama Saeed draws attention to an Arab Media Watch alert urging supporters to complain to the Daily Mail about a Richard Littlejohn column in which he wrote: “… here is a simple cut-out-and-keep guide to the two dominant branches of Islam: Sunnis are the peace-loving, Saudi-backed wing who brought you Al Qaeda. Shias are the peace-loving, Iranian-backed strain behind Hamas and Hezbollah. I hope that helps.”

See Rolled Up Trousers and Arab Media Watch.

The sick mindset that breeds Islamophobia

Posted on by Bob Pitt

From Pope’s anti-Islam comments to Church signs saying, “You must remember, Islam is the enemy”, and “The Koran needs to be flushed”, a Church in west Windsor, Canada, came out in its true colors with publicly promoting anti-Islam hatred.

On January 11, 2007, Campbell Baptist Church organized a lecture of a purported former Muslim terrorist, Zachariah Anani, to warn the public that Islam is a religion of war being brought to Canadian soil.

Donald McKay, senior pastor at the church, said the event was organized simply to propagate what the church believes to be “absolute truth”. So the “absolute truth” which the Church decided to propagate through Anani’s lecture, entitled The Deadly Threat of Islam, is that Islam teaches nothing less than the “ambushing, seizing and slaying” of non-believers – especially Jews and Christians.

According to Donald McKay, “We have no desire to be offensive. We have no desire to polarize people unnecessarily”. It is, in his words, the Islamic faith that is “oppressive” and “vicious”.

Media Monitors Network, 14 January 2007

See “Rage over anti-Islam rally”, Windsor Star, 12 January 2007

Birmingham mosque leader critical of hate speech

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The leader of a Muslim society whose Birmingham Mosque supplied a platform for a preacher of hate said the address damaged good work there.

Sparkbrook mosque, run by UK Islamic Mission, hosted a meeting led by controversial Muslim militant, Dr Ijaz Mian, in June. In a TV investigation preachers were seen praising the Taliban, and saying of a British Muslim soldier who died in Afghanistan: “The hero of Islam is the one who separated his head from his shoulders.” Dr Mian was one of dozens of speakers and groups to hire out rooms at the UKIM complex on Anderton Road in Sparkbrook, which boasts a mosque and community centre.

Wolverhampton-based Mohammed Akhtar, Secretary General of UKIM, said UKIM was a moderate group which had never espoused extremist views, although it did disagree with Government policy. It has run an Islamic centre for more than 20 years and regularly stages inter-faith dialogues.

“We do disagree with a lot of policies by Government and the decision-making bodies but there are ways to address them, and we try to work alongside them through dialogue and peaceful protest,” said Mr Akhtar. “Something like this comes and destroys all the good work our group does. Islam teaches us to live in a non-Islamic environment as good neighbours. Multi-culturalism is part of Islam.”

Birmingham Post, 12 January 2007

Misbah’s father denies school bid

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The father of runaway schoolgirl Misbah Rana has denied reports that she is to study Islam at a controversial religious school in Islamabad. He said: “It’s totally untrue. She is not enrolled in any madrasa. She made a statement saying she was interested in doing some Islamic studies and was looking at different schools. There are plenty of schools in Lahore – why would she go to Islamabad? She only went there to meet friends.”

BBC News, 13 January 2007

Muslim Council of Britain responds to Dispatches documentary

Posted on by Bob Pitt

From the latest transcript it is clear that Monday’s heavily hyped ‘Dispatches’ is an attempt to forment sectarian divisions among British Muslims and misrepresent some leading UK Muslim institutions, including the Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith, the London Islamic Cultural Centre and the UK Islamic Mission.

“Islam commands Muslims to deal positively and peacefully with those around us. These transcripts show that the programme makers have mischievously tried to prove that key Muslim institutions are teaching the exact opposite by resorting to the dishonest tactic of selectively quoting from some recorded speeches for the purpose of misrepresentation. Their aim is to attach guilt by association. This continuing demonisation of British Muslims and the risible attempt at promoting sectarianism among British Muslims will be firmly rejected,” said Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain.

At the same time, the Muslim Council of Britain urges all Muslim institutions to be vigilant and ensure that their premises are not allowed to be abused by those who are intent on pursuing divisive agendas. Unacceptable and inflammatory language can never be accepted from Muslim speakers either during talks or on recorded DVDs. It is vital that the sanctity of mosques and Islamic centres is maintained at all times and an Islamic code of conduct upheld.

MCB press release, 12 January 2007

LINKS
MCB letter to affiliates & press release, 15th January 2007 (2MB pdf file, 15th Jan 2007)

Response from the UK Islamic Mission
Response from the Islamic Cultural Centre, London
Response from the Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-hadith UK