Category Archives: Resisting Islamophobia

Good for Dobbo

Posted on by Bob Pitt

DobboMPs supportive of the government during the Commons debate on the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill included Frank Dobson who said:

“I do not believe that anyone – Rowan Atkinson or anyone else – needs the right to incite hatred against someone because of their religion. He has apparently said that we should look at things from the point of view of the comedian. Other people in the world are just as important as comedians. Muslim women who have been assaulted, abused and spat on for wearing the hijab are as important to me as Rowan Atkinson, for all his sense of humour.”

Not so sure I agree with you about Rowan Atkinson’s sense of humour, Frank, but otherwise – spot on.

Religious hatred law perpetuates inequality after Commons vote

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“Unfortunately, the misinformation and mischief making from popular comedians and some influential sections of the media, supported by certain political groups, has led Parliament to continue to sanction a wholly unjustifiable hierarchy of rights among British citizens. Freedom of expression and speech was never threatened under the incitement to racial hatred laws nor was it to be threatened under the proposed law. This situation is now not only unjust but makes the work of all those engaged in promoting a cohesive and harmonious society in Britain all the more difficult.”

MCB news release, 1 February 2006

Clinton warns of rising anti-Islamic feeling

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Former US president Bill Clinton warned of rising anti-Islamic prejudice, comparing it to historic anti-Semitism as he condemned the publishing of cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper.

“So now what are we going to do? … Replace the anti-Semitic prejudice with anti-Islamic prejudice?” he said at an economic conference in the Qatari capital of Doha. “In Europe, most of the struggles we’ve had in the past 50 years have been to fight prejudices against Jews, to fight against anti-Semitism,” he said.

Clinton described as “appalling” the 12 cartoons published in a Danish newspaper in September depicting Prophet Mohammed and causing uproar in the Muslim world. “None of us are totally free of stereotypes about people of different races, different ethnic groups, and different religions … there was this appalling example in northern Europe, in Denmark … these totally outrageous cartoons against Islam,” he said.

AFP, 30 January 2006

Muslim woman kicked out of US court over hijab

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Tacoma judge is under fire for kicking a Muslim woman out of his courtroom after she refused to remove her head-scarf. “I felt humiliated,” said 37-year old Mujaahidah Sayfullah, who has worn her head-scarf in court before.

She says she couldn’t believe it when first the bailiff and then Tacoma Municipal Court Judge David Ladenburg told her as she sat in the audience that either her head-scarf could go – or she could. “He said, ‘well, if you’re not gonna do it then I’m going to have to ask you to remove yourself from the courtroom,'” she said.

She left, fearing the judge would take it out on the relative who was on trial.

Judge Ladenburg stands by his decision. “It’s my understanding and belief that the Muslim religion does not prohibit the removal of head-coverings either for males of for females,” he says…noting that unless he learns that an exception should be made, there’s a courtroom standard that must be upheld.

Ladenburg says it wasn’t religious discrimination…but Mujaahidah says it sure felt like it, and that’s why she’s telling her story. “Just for it to be exposed, and the public be aware that people are able to blatantly discriminate based upon their position of power,” she said.

The Council on American-Islamic relations has sent a note to Ladenburg, notifying him of the allegations against him. Ladenburg says he plans to respond.

KOMO 1000 News, 30 January 2006

Muslim student calls on SOAS Director to quit

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Muslim student who was reprimanded for criticising the Israeli army in a student union publication has called on the Director of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) to quit. Nasser Amin, a masters student at the University of London, initiated a formal student grievance procedure against the School and Director Colin Bundy for failing to follow their own procedure.

Indymedia, 29 January 2006

Were we held at airport because we are Muslims?

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Muslim couple are threatening to take action against the police after they were held by Special Branch detectives at Cardiff Airport – missing their flight as their luggage and identities were checked. Aisha Pritchard and her Palestinian husband Sadi Eihaloul claim their detention was racist and are now considering bringing a test case against South Wales Police.

The couple, from Pentwyn, Cardiff, were due to fly to Dubai via Amsterdam for a four-day break on December 14 but they never made the trip after being stopped by security at the boarding gate. Ms Pritchard, 40, said: “We understand that there have to be security measures at all airports. It is the way we were treated we cannot accept. We feel we were deliberately stopped from boarding the plane, that it was racist and because we are Muslims.”

By the time they had been given the all-clear by the detectives, the couple’s flight had already left. And because their tickets were non-transferable, they were faced with having to pay out £1,500 if they wanted the next flight. Instead, they caught a taxi home.

Wales Online, 28 December 2006

See also the Independent, 29 December 2006

Muslims spread disease in hospitals, Sun claims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“Some Muslims are undermining the battle to rid Britain’s hospitals of killer infections by refusing to wash their hands when visiting sick relatives. Dispensers containing anti-bacterial gel have been placed outside wards at hospitals all over Britain in a bid to get rid of superbugs like MRSA and PVL. It prevents people bringing in more infections. But some Muslims refuse to use the hand cleansers on religious grounds because they contain alcohol. Health watchdogs are so concerned they intend to meet with NHS bosses in the New Year to try and hammer out a solution.”

Sun, 29 December 2006

(Note also the accompanying “Outrage at ethnic pool” story.)

For a discussion of the Sun article see Rolled Up Trousers, 29 December 2006

‘Homophobia isn’t the exclusive preserve of any religion’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Review of the Channel 4 documentary “Gay Muslims” by Marc Vallée, convenor of the Socialist Party’s LGBT group. Some useful points, rather undermined by the bizarre claim that accusations of Islamophobia against Peter Tatchell are “unfounded”.

Socialist, 26 January 2006

There’s also an interesting interview with Ubaid of the Muslim LGBT group Imaan in the current issue of Socialist Resistance. The article is on page 8 and the whole issue is available in pdf format here.

Muslim group asks radio host to apologize

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Muslim civil liberties group demanded an apology Thursday from the host of a Los Angeles-area radio show for making fun of a stampede that killed hundreds of Muslims during an annual pilgrimage. The Council on American-Islamic Relations asked for an apology from KFI-AM 640 host Bill Handel, who allegedly made fun of the deaths the same day they happened during a segment he called the “Annual Stampede Report.”

According to the civil liberties group, Handel imitated the people screaming and then joked that the Muslims at the pilgrimage should use a helicopter to monitor pilgrimage traffic, as is done in Los Angeles with the freeways. The group quoted Handel as saying: “This is Mahmoud Nolan. Hajj in the Sky. There is an accident…. Ali lost his sandal on the on-ramp to the Martin Luther King Jr. freeway.”

In March 2004, KFI issued an on-air apology after the group filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission following a skit that claimed Muslims have sex with animals, don’t bathe and hate Jews.

Associated Press, 27 January 2006

For Little Green Footballs, this is yet another example of “whining” by “thin-skinned Muslim advocacy groups” who are trying to “shut down free speech in the US”.

LGF, 27 January 2006