Category Archives: Resisting Islamophobia

‘Acquitting a terrorist’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

AAH logo“This case was a big blow for the war on terrorism…. Sami al-Arian was a major player on the wrong side of this war. Because someone like him – someone who was so blatantly involved in terrorism – was acquitted, the Justice Department may think twice before bringing future terror cases to trial. And that undoubtedly will embolden the enemy.”

Joe Kaufman of Americans Against Hate – an organisation that devotes itself to spreading hatred against Muslims – bemoans the fact that an innocent man was found not guilty of terrorism charges.

Front Page Magazine, 7 December 2005

Cf. Eric Boehlert’s account: “Al-Arian didn’t call a single witness on his behalf. That might have been because prosecutors, who had tapped Al-Arian’s phone for years and collected 20,000 hours of conversations, failed to present a single phone call in which violent terrorist acts were plotted.”

Huffington Post, 7 December 2005

Mockbul Ali exposé – a damp squib

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Martin Bright (1)Rumours have circulated for some time that journalist Martin Bright was researching an exposé of Mockbul Ali, the foreign office’s adviser on Muslim Affairs. Ali’s sin was to have prepared an accurate briefing on Yusuf al-Qaradawi, which underlined the latter’s role as a force of moderation in the Muslim world – see (pdf) here. Clearly, from Bright’s perspective – he was the author of the Observer article boosting Panorama’s witch-hunt of the MCB – Ali was someone who needed to be discredited.

This week’s New Statesman (5 December 2005) contains the results of Bright’s labours – and a pretty damp squib it turns out to be. Ali’s unit at the foreign office apparently co-authored a PowerPoint presentation in which the Muslim Brotherhood and Jamaat-e-Islami were described (entirely accurately) as “reformist” organisations. We are also informed that “Louise Ellman, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, has told the NS she intends to investigate Ali’s role in drawing up government policy towards British Muslims”.

Yes, well you can see why Ellman might not be too happy about Ali’s role. It was she who headed the witch-hunt of Dr al-Qaradawi during his visit to London in July 2004 and called on the home secretary to ban him. In 2003 she took advantage of parliamentary privilege (see here) to attack MAB:

“It is time that the spotlight fell on the Muslim Association of Britain, particularly the key figures, such as Azzam Tamimi, Kamal el Helbawy, Anas Al-Tikriti and Mohammed Sawalha. All of them are connected to the terrorist organisation Hamas. The Muslim Association of Britain itself is a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood – an extremist fundamentalist organisation founded in Egypt in 1928, and the spiritual ideologue of all Islamic terror organisations. It is militantly anti-Semitic and always has been.”

Yup, that’s the same Anas Altikriti who’s currently in Iraq on behalf of MAB fighting for the release of hostages held by terrorists.

For Yusuf Smith’s comments on the NS piece, see Indigo Jo Blogs, 5 December 2005

For Osama Saeed’s comments, see Rolled Up Trousers, 6 December 2005

‘The Project’: an Islamophobic conspiracy theory

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“Muslims may not be on course for another set of gas chambers as some seem to think, but Islamophobia in Europe is taking on yet another of the characteristics of traditional European anti-Semitism: the conspiracy theory.”

Yusuf Smith comments on the Muslim plot to conquer the world uncovered by Scott Burgess and Melanie Phillips.

Indigo Jo Blogs, 5 December 2005

Warning on ‘criminalising Muslims’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Government proposals to close mosques suspected of having terrorist links would criminalise entire communities, Sir Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said yesterday. He described the anti-terror measure as “the single most dangerous piece of legislation” if it were put into place.

Under Home Office proposals issued in October, members of mosque committees would face criminal charges if they failed to act against extremists using their premises. The home secretary, Charles Clarke, would then be able to close the mosque.

Sir Iqbal, who was speaking at the Global Peace and Unity event in Canning Town, east London, told the Guardian that the proposal should not be translated into law. “It’s not only divisive, counterproductive and ill-conceived, but it will cause more harm than good and will play into the hands of our enemies. We don’t have a problem with applying the law to tackle the incitement of hatred, violence or terrorism. That law is needed. But a mosque is a place of worship. It brings together a community and promotes messages of peace and tolerance.”

He also rejected the idea that there was any kind of dialogue between the government and the Muslim community. He said: “They ignored us when we told them the war in Iraq was wrong. After 7/7 the communication links were breached. We have sent our representations to the the government.”

Guardian, 5 December 2005

Attacking Islam hinders integration: Danish Muslims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Muslim activists blasted recent anti-Islam remarks by a Danish lawmaker, cautioning that recurrent attacks on their faith by politicians and some media hinder the minority’s integration into society.

“The Muslim minority has for sometime been suffering from anti-Islam and anti-Muslim statements which send shockwaves through the minority,” Qassim Saeed Ahmed, the media officer of the Copenhagen-based Scandinavian Wakf, told IslamOnline.net.

MP Martin Henriksen of the People’s Party has recently described Islam as a “terror network,” describing Muslims and their faith as enemies of Western civilization. “Such statements infuriate Muslims and stymie their integration into the Danish society,” Ahmed said.

He stressed that the Scandinavian Wakf, the main Muslim organization in Denmark, is coordinating with other groups the possibility of taking the lawmaker to court.

Henriksen’s attack on Danes who revert to Islam have also triggered rebuke. “I think such statements would eventually having their toll on Muslim reverts,” Ahmed. The Danish legislator described Danes who embrace Islam as morally inferior, accusing them of betraying their roots and culture by becoming Muslims.

“This is unacceptable and violates Danish laws,” Abdul Wahid Pedersen, a Danish-born imam, told IOL. “Such statements demonstrate utter ignorance of the true teachings of Islam,” he added. Pedersen, who embraced Islam 28 years ago, shrugged out any influence of such hostility on himself. “But new reverts might be affected.”

Both Ahmed and Pedersen agreed that the more the Danes understand Islam, the more they will respect the Muslim faith and its believers.

Islam Online, 4 December 2005

BNP bottom of pile

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The British National Party came bottom of the poll in the Essex heartland of Thurrock last night. The neo-Nazi outfit trailed in last place in a council byelection held in the Homestead ward, Thurrock. The BNP had high hopes of winning a seat but were trounced by Labour’s Tony Benson. The party led by Nick Griffin came third in another byelection, in the Grays Riverside ward behind the winner, Labour’s Val Cook, and second-placed Sharon Ponder.

Sabby Dhalu, Unite Against Fascism Joint Secretary, said: “This is a great result particularly after a racist hoax leaflet attempting to stir up Islamophobia was distributed in both of the Thurrock wards. The vast majority of people abhor the BNP – a fascist, racist and homophobic organisation that is full of criminal thugs – and this majority made their voice heard.” BNP activists have been blamed for a hoax leaflet purporting to be from the “London East Islamic Movement”, an invented name.

BLINK news article, 2 December 2005