In the hours after the bombings in London, the backlash began. Innocent people, as in the bombings, were targeted in what appear to be racially motivated attacks. The Institute of Race Relations reports.
Category Archives: Resisting Islamophobia
NUS statement about Tariq Ramadan
“Earlier this year and as a result of incorrect articles like those found in The Sun last week, the NUS National Executive Committee also condemned Mr Tariq Ramadan for his stance on women, homosexuals and other faith groups. We too were caught up in the hysteria that the media creates around prominent Muslims today.
“Such articles can only contribute to hostility and mistrust of the Muslim communities as a whole. In the past few days, the Muslim Council of Britain have received over 30,000 emails of anti-Muslim abuse. Our own Muslim members have reported being verbally and physically abused. Phrases such as ‘Islamo-nazi nutters’ as used in one of The Sun articles may give rise to even more anti-Muslim racism.
“Last week’s horrific attacks were not an ‘Islamic atrocity’. They were terrorist attacks against ordinary people, Black and white, Muslim and Christian, Hindu and Jew, young and old and we must work together as one in defiance against them.
“National Union of Students UK”
Muslim scholar’s invite defended
Met Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair has defended the decision to invite a controversial Muslim scholar to speak at a police-sponsored conference.
Tariq Ramadan’s US visa was revoked in 2004 for “security reasons”. Mr Ramadan has been accused of supporting attacks in Israel and Iraq. He publicly condemned the 11 September and London attacks.
Sir Ian said his was an important voice that would be listened to by young radicalised Muslims. He said Mr Ramadan, who was also previously banned in France, had been visiting the UK for five years. “We can’t understand why he’s banned in the US, (and) he is no longer banned in France,” Sir Ian said.
Muslim scholar to press on with lectures
Britons of all races must pull together to promote a common understanding, a leading Muslim scholar said yesterday. Professor Tariq Ramadan said only a shared dialogue between Britain’s different communities could isolate extremists. He told the Guardian that he intends to press ahead with his lecture visit to London and Birmingham despite calls yesterday from the Sun for him to be banned from the country.
London bombings show ‘Cold War’ within Islamic forces
Marc Lynch (Abu Aardvark) draws our attention to an article by Jalal Ghazi which echoes his own interpretation of the London bombings.
Abu Aardvark blog, 12 July 2005
For Jalal Ghazi’s article see Pacific News Service, 11 July 2005
‘London United’ gig set for this Saturday
Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has announced a free music festival – London United – to be held on Saturday 16 July to remember all of those who died in the attacks last Thursday and to show London’s defiance of those who try to change the character of the city through terror.
Madness star Suggs, who will be performing at London United, said: “We love London because London lets you be yourself. On Saturday at ‘London United’ we will show that London stands firm in all its diversity after the terrible events of last week.”
Billy Bragg, who will be also be appearing, said: “This free festival gives all Londoners an opportunity to come together to send a message of defiance to the bombers by celebrating the diversity they wish to destroy.”
Sun newspaper condemned for inciting Islamophobia
In a move that appears designed to stir up Islamophobia, The Sun newspaper today launched a front page attack on Professor Tariq Ramadan, an internationally respected progressive Muslim scholar.
The Sun’s leader column claims that Ramadan is ‘more dangerous’ than extremist clerics Abu Hamza or Omar because ‘he is a soft-spoken professor whose moderate tones present an acceptable, “reasonable” face of terror to impressionable young Muslims.’
This shows a dangerous inability to distinguish between the progressive Islam promoted by Ramadan, a best-selling author whose work focuses on the compatibility of European and Muslim principles, and the proponents of the terrorist attacks on London. Ramadan himself unreservedly condemned the London bombings in a statement on 7 July, stating that ‘The authors of such acts are criminals and we cannot accept or listen to their probable justifications in the name of an ideology, a religion or a political cause.’
Newspapers warn of threat to America from ‘Londonistan’
London has become a “feeding ground for hate” and a “crossroads for would-be terrorists” where Muslims exploit civil liberties to “openly preach jihad”, according to newspapers in the United States.
Gary Younge in the Guardian, 12 July 2005
NAAR/MCB joint statement
Joint statement by the Muslim Council of Britain and the National Assembly Against Racism on the London bombings.
Another hoo-hah over Tariq Ramadan
Yusuf Smith comments on the Tariq Ramadan case.