Category Archives: Right wing

‘Muslims are against physical labor’ according to Donald Rumsfeld

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Donald RumsfeldThe Washington Post reports that Donald Rumsfeld has argued that their inherent laziness makes Muslims susceptible to terrorist propaganda.

In an internal memo from May 2004 the then US Defense Secretary wrote that oil wealth had detached Muslims “from the reality of the work, effort and investment that leads to wealth for the rest of the world”.

“Too often Muslims are against physical labor, so they bring in Koreans and Pakistanis while their young people remain unemployed,” he wrote. “An unemployed population is easy to recruit to radicalism.”

Birmingham Central Mosque chairman slams ‘irresponsible’ report

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque has accused the Government of failing to do enough to tackle those peddling extremist Islamic literature. Dr Mohammad Naseem also criticised “irresponsible” reports of a study by think-tank Policy Exchange, which found material attacking gays and non-believers was available at several UK mosques.

“A mosque is an open, public place and anyone can distribute literature or leave literature in a mosque,” Dr Naseem said. “The real question is who is publishing these leaflets? These are people that spread hatred and the people who do publish this literature generally don’t put their name on it. If such literature comes to our notice we will confiscate it and we will report it to the police.”

Researchers for Policy Exchange spent more than a year visiting nearly 100 Muslim religious institutions across the country, and found extremist material was available – either openly or under the table – in about 25. Extreme statements in the documents included a call for jihad against “tyrants and oppressors”, which is “best done through force if possible”.

But Dr Naseem added: “My presumption is that these leaflets have nothing to do with the mosques – it’s irresponsible to suggest that a quarter of mosques are involved with this.”

Birmingham Post, 30 October 2007

The killing of apostates in Edinburgh

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Osama Saeed (4)Osama Saeed on the “Hijacking of British Islam” report:

“Right-wing thinktank Policy Exchange’s latest report into the Muslim community has implicated Edinburgh Central Mosque in apparently distributing hate literature. They have said that the material in question called for apostates from Islam to be killed.

“The mosque have not made official comment themselves, but I’ve spoken to people close to them who say that this is not something they stock or distribute. Further, as evidenced during an event at their Islam Festival held during August, their view on apostasy is that everyone should have the right to practice religion as they see fit. This includes leaving Islam.

“I’ve spent half a day fielding calls from the media on what is really a non-issue. Policy Exchange themselves say they only found one offending piece of literature, which was about killing apostates. There have been no killings of apostates in Edinburgh to date. Clearly, if this was something they were promoting, they’re not very good at it.”

Rolled Up Trousers, 30 October 2007

Policy Exchange publishes another futile report

Posted on by Bob Pitt

MCB banner

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) views the Policy Exchange’s latest offering as another divisive attempt to drive a wedge between British Muslims and the rest of society.

Today’s report from Policy Exchange entitled ‘The Hijacking of British Islam‘ plumbs new depths in the ongoing and transparent attempts to try and delegitimise popular mainstream Islamic institutions in the UK and replace them with those who are subservient to neo-conservative aims.

The report cultivates an insidious programme of generating sectarianism amongst British Muslims by preferring some traditions of Islam over others. From its inception, the MCB has been a pioneer in creating a space for the many rich traditions of Islam. The authors of this report would do well to learn from the MCB’s good practice. The MCB reasserts its commitment to seek the common good and point to its record in encouraging all British Muslims to enthuse the Islamic value of reaching out and seeking common cause with all, of all faiths and none. The MCB does not tolerate any messages of hate, whatever its source – and the law should take its course.

“Today’s report lists extracts from a number of books on sale in some Muslim bookshops which they deem to be unacceptable. The plain fact is that if you deliberately go looking for controversial material then you will be guaranteed to find it somewhere in a bookshop. Muslim bookshops are no exception. Yet tellingly, it is only Muslim bookshops and institutions that Policy Exchange calls to be regulated. British Muslims will not be intimidated by these futile and irresponsible recommendations,” said Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain.

He added: “I would urge everyone to guard against the shrill hysteria generated by divisive organisations such as the Policy Exchange who provide succour to the far right. Sources of hope can be found elsewhere – yesterday’s launch of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB) will complement, continue and strengthen the on-going work of the MCB in ensuring that mosques are welcoming and equipped for the twenty-first century.

Muslim Council of Britain news release, 30 October 2007

‘Agenda of hate in British mosques’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Extremist literature calling for the execution of gays and the oppression of women is being distributed in British mosques. Researchers found radical or hate-filled books and pamphlets at a quarter of the 100 Islamic religious institutions they visited.

The material found in the mosques urges Muslims to lead separate lives from “nonbelievers” and makes repeated calls for gays to be killed. Women should be subjugated and are warned not to pluck their eyebrows or wear perfume.

In the alarming report, drawn up by the Policy Exchange thinktank, the Saudis were accused of having a “powerful and malign” influence.

Hardline material was found at the East London Mosque which has been visited by Prince Charles and is closely linked to the Muslim Council of Britain. The think-tank said separatist or hateful material was also found at the former Finsbury Park Mosque in North London – made infamous by hook-handed cleric Abu Hamza – and institutions in Wycombe, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Blackburn, Bradford, Rochdale and Oxford.

Anthony Browne, Policy Exchange’s director, said: “It is clearly intolerable that hate literature is peddled at some British mosques.”

The report, The Hijacking of British Islam: How extremist literature is subverting Britain’s mosques, was written by Denis MacEoin, an Islamic studies expert at Newcastle University. Dr MacEoin said the radical material was found by Muslim research teams working in 2006 and 2007. He added: “What is more worrying is that these are among the best-funded and most dynamic institutions in Muslim Britain – some of which are held up as mainstream bodies. Many of the institutions have been endowed with official recognition.”

Daily Mail, 30 October 2007

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Islamophobia and self-hating Arabs

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Nonie Darwish“A recent weeklong campaign undertaken by anti-Arab, anti-Muslim racist David Horowitz in university campuses across the US was designed to intimidate and terrorize students and professors who do not share Mr. Horowitz’s views when it comes to Israel….

“Among those recruited to participate in Mr. Horowitz’s hatred campaign is an Arab and former Muslim woman, named Nonie Darwish. Darwish is an Egyptian who is going around the country defending Israel’s right to occupy Arab lands and kill Arabs. She is also speaking against Arab and Muslim Americans accusing them of supporting terrorism.

“As if it’s not enough for Arab Americans and Muslims in this country to deal with bigots, racists and extremist pro-Israeli militants, they now have to deal with Nonie Darwish, who joins the racist cacophony in order to blemish the faith and culture of Arabs by falsely claiming Arabs and Muslims in America are about to or desire to ‘declare war’ on America.

“As ridiculous as this lie may sound, not surprisingly however, it finds fertile ground and receptive ears among those who has made it a career to tarnish Arab and Muslim Americans…. Nonie Darwish functions as the Native Informant who uses her knowledge of the Islamic faith and Arab culture to twist and bend the facts to serve her purposes.”

Ali Alarabi at The American Muslim, 29 October 2007

Melanie Phillips advocates war with Iran

Posted on by Eddie Truman

“The consequences for the Jews of a strike on Iran are therefore fearsome. But the alternative, a nuclear Iran, is worse – not just for Israel but for the world, which from that time forth would be held hostage to nuclear blackmail by an Iran hell-bent on regional and global Islamic domination. This is not a choice between a good outcome and a bad outcome. This is a choice between a terrible outcome and a cataclysmic one. It is the choice between a rock and a very hard place; and those who now advise that there is no alternative but war with Iran do so with the heaviest of hearts.”

Spectator, 28th October 2007

15 lonely fascists protest in central London

Posted on by Bob Pitt

SIOE London demoThat’s how Indymedia reported the Stop the Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) “Stop Kuffarphobia” demonstration in London yesterday. So few people turned up for the protest march from Whitehall Place to Temple tube station that the police refused to allow them to march along the road and insisted that they walk on the pavement.

Strictly speaking, SIOE England is more accurately described as a hard-right anti-Muslim racist – rather than fascist – organisation. And our information is that fully 30 SIOE supporters attended the closing rally at Temple Place to hear SIOE head Stephen Gash (of the tiny English Democrats party) warn against the Islamist plot to impose sharia law on Europe.

Admittedly, the attendance was slightly down on the thousand demonstrators Gash had told the police he was expecting.

It would be easy to mock Gash as a sad little man afflicted by organisational incompetence and delusions of grandeur – and we have no hesitation in doing so. But the humiliating failure of the “Stop Kuffarphobia” demo should not blind us to the fact that, as Soumaya Ghannoushi recently pointed out at Comment is Free, SIOE’s message of anti-Muslim hatred and paranoia has a much wider resonance.