Category Archives: Resisting Islamophobia

Campaigners call for action against Islamophobia

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Campaigners call for action against Islamophobia

By Louise Nousratpour

Morning Star, 11 July 2005

Peace campaigners called for urgent action against burgeoning Islamophobia in the light of the London bombings after news of a series of hate crimes in and outside the capital yesterday.

The most serious of these incidents was an arson attack on the Shahjalal Mosque in Birkenhead, Merseyside, in the early hours of Saturday morning. The building was empty at the time, but one man living in a flat above the mosque was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.

Merseyside TUC secretary Alec McFadden said that the trade union movement will not sit in silence over these “fascist and criminal” attacks on innocent people. “We all feared that, following the London attacks, far-right groups would use them to attack innocent Muslim communities”, he added.

Commenting on the arson attack, Mr McFadden said that he was convinced it was the work of fascist BNP members travelling in from neighbouring areas such as Oldham and Burnley. “Our Merseyside Coalition Against Fascism and Racism is very strong and, wherever the BNP raises its ugly head, we are there to stamp it out”, he insisted. Mr McFadden added that the coalition would be getting in touch with Muslim leaders in the area and “taking it from there”.

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Islamists condemn terrorist attacks

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“The grand imam of Al-Azhar, Sheik Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi, condemned the bombers but went further, rejecting the argument that this attack could be justified as an attempt to force Britain out of Iraq. ‘This is illogical and cannot be the motive for killing innocent civilians,’ he said. More striking have been the condemnations from radical groups like Hamas, Hizbullah and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, all of which have denounced the bombings. Many of them have, of course, coupled their attacks on the terrorists with denunciations of American and British policies in the Middle East, particularly regarding Iraq and the Palestinian territories. But that kind of rhetoric is old news. What is new here is the fact that no one, not even Hamas, can continue to condone or even stay silent about these barbarities.”

An article by Fareed Zakaria in Newsweek, quoted favourably by Marc Lynch, who also provides some useful links to fatwas by Qaradawi and other leading figures in the Muslim world condemning al-Qaida.

Abu Aardvark blog, 11 July 2005

Iraq, Afghanistan and the London bombings

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“People who insist that the London attacks have nothing to do with Iraq or Afghanistan are living in their own fantasy world. There are reports of threats of retaliation against Muslims because dozens of people were killed by bombs. Is it not possible that there might be similar threats against Britain because Western bombs killed tens of thousands in Iraq and Afghanistan? The website of the organisation claiming to be behind the attacks explicitly stated that the attacks are revenge for Afghanistan and Iraq.

“We are being reminded, as we learnt with Northern Ireland, that what we do in other places may come with a price nearer home. Politicians who are surrounded by mountains of security give us sanctimonious speeches about good and evil whilst the rest of us have to pay the price of their actions. It is high time that we held them to account.”

Bilal Patel, letter in the Times, 11 July 2005

UK fatwa to call bombers unbelievers, if proved Muslims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Britain’s top Muslim scholars are drafting a fatwa stripping those behind the grisly London blasts, if proved Muslims, from the right to call themselves Muslims, a leading British newspaper said Sunday, July 10.

Signed by dozens of prominent Muslim bodies, mosques, Islamic scholars and community groups, the religious edict will brand the attacks as a breach of the most basic tenets of Islam, reported The Independent.

“If these bombers are found to be Muslims, we will make it clear we utterly dissociate ourselves from them – even if they claim to be Muslims or are acting under the mantle of the Islamic faith. We reject that utterly,” said the official spokesman of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).

Islam Online, 10 July 2005

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Living together takes effort

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Tariq Ramadan“On Wednesday Londoners were united in joy. Now we face the risk that fear will build walls of doubt and misunderstanding between them. All could come to feel that they are potential victims: of Muslim extremists on the one hand; of rejection and racism on the other. The proponents of the ‘clash of civilisations’ theory will have won if we allow ourselves to become suspicious towards people of other faiths and cultures.”

Tariq Ramadan in the Guardian, 10 July 2005

Friedman wrong about Muslims again

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“To this day – to this day – no major Muslim cleric or religious body has ever issued a fatwa condemning Osama bin Laden”. Thomas Friedman’s monumentally ignorant claim in his New York Times article (see here) is demolished by Juan Cole.

Cole remarks: “I don’t personally care for Yusuf al-Qaradawi. He is an old-time Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood preacher who fled to Qatar and now has a perch at al-Jazeera. But he does have some virtues. He … absolutely despises Bin Laden and al-Qaeda. Al-Qaradawi has repeatedly condemned the latter. He even gave a fatwa that it was a duty of Muslims to fight alongside the US in Afghanistan against al-Qaeda!”

Informed Comment, 9 July 2005

Arab view: ‘Enough, enough’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Arabs and Muslims in Britain and across the world expressed outrage at the terrorist attacks in London, with the dominant viewpoint summed up by one person who wrote on a website, “Enough … enough.” The loud condemnation of the attacks that targeted civilians reverberated on the street, over the Internet, in newsrooms, and in Arab and Muslim seats of power. Minority voices praised the attacks with anti-Western invective, but they were largely drowned out.

CNN, 8 July 2005

Juan Cole on the London bombings

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“After Abu Ghraib and Fallujah, many Muslims felt that Bin Laden’s dire warnings to them that the United States wanted to occupy their countries, rape their women, humiliate their men, and steal their assets had been vindicated. These claims were not credited by most of the world’s Muslims before the Iraq war. Opinion polls show that most of the world’s Muslims have great admiration for democracy and many other Western values. They object to the U.S. and the U.K. because of their policies, not their values….

“Long-term Western military occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq is simply not going to be acceptable to many in the Muslim world. U.S. actions at Abu Ghraib and Fallujah created powerful new symbols of Muslim humiliation that the jihadis who sympathize with al-Qaida can use to recruit a new generation of terrorists.”

Juan Cole on the London bombings.

Salon.com, 8 July 2005

London Muslims fear backlash after bombs

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Thousands of Muslims crowded London mosques for Friday prayers, condemning the bombings, but also wary they could be made scapegoats and fearful of reprisals against their growing and vibrant community.

At the East London Mosque, near the site of one of Thursday’s attacks, an imam told the 8,000 worshippers to be “confident in our identity” as part of London’s multicultural fabric.

The mosque said it had received hate e-mails and a telephone threat to disrupt Friday prayers. A few police officers stood outside during the prayers, which ended peacefully.

Outside, some Muslims said the attacks had made them more cautious on the streets, but others said they were secure in their identity as Londoners _ confident of the city’s tolerant traditions.

“It will have some impact on people. But this is London, a cosmopolitan city,” said student Ali Ayubi. “Maybe after one or two months it will go back to normal.”

Associated Press report, 9 July 2005