The problems facing young Scottish Muslims in a society in which chronic alcohol abuse and racism are a part of everyday life.
Mona McAlinden in the Sunday Herald, 5 June 2005
Category Archives: UK
‘Gitmo grovel: enough already’ – Charles Krauthammer
“Should the United States apologize? If there were mishandlings of the Koran, we should say so and express regret. And that should be in the context of our remarkably humane and tolerant treatment of the Guantanamo prisoners, and in the context of a global war on terrorism (for example, the campaign in Afghanistan) conducted with a discrimination and a concern for civilian safety rarely seen in the annals of warfare. Then we should get over it, stop whimpering and start defending ourselves.”
Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post, 3 June 2005
Victor Davis Hanson agrees: “Like a parent with a naughty child, a maddening forbearance is the order of the day: They burn American flags, behead, murder, and promise death and ruin to Americans; we ignore it and instead find new ways of displaying our sensitivity to Islam.” His advice is to “press on. We apprise Syria to cease all sanctuary for al Qaedists and Iran to give up its nuclear program – or face surgical and punitive American air strikes.”
Melanie Phillips wholeheartedly endorses these “two tremendous articles” which “pinpoint the profound sickness of the west in turning upon itself over its defence against the war being waged against it rather than turning on its attackers”. She warns that “the war being waged with escalating ferocity within the west by its decadent elites, along with some alarming moral and intellectual confusion within the Bush administration – and, most crucially, a fundamental fear of confronting the religious ideology that is driving this monster – could yet be our undoing”.
Nazis denounce ‘soccer strip concession to Islamics’
“The influence of Islam on Britain continues apace and the latest news from a Glasgow football club should serve as a wake up call to those who fail to see the extent to which our Christian country is rapidly yielding to every concession demanded by those who follow this alien faith.”
Little Green Footballs joins the fascists in condemning this example of “Scottish dhimmitude”.
Interview with Tariq Ramadan
There’s an interesting interview with Tariq Ramadan in the current edition of the French journal Socialisme International. Among other issues, Professor Ramadan deals with the media bias against him, the hostility he provokes among a section of the far left, Islamophobia and racism, relations between Muslims and the left, and his views on Malcolm X and Karl Marx.
Socialisme International, Spring 2005
The journal is not available online but subscription details can be obtained from their website or from John Mullen at john.mullen@wanadoo.fr
Because of the prominent role he has played in the European Social Forum, Tariq Ramadan has been a controversial figure on the French left. Catherine Samary mounted a vigorous defence of Ramadan’s participation in the 2003 ESF (see here and here), though her article does not pretend to offer an overall evaluation of Ramadan’s ideas and political engagement.
Club removes drink firm logo for ‘Muslim jerseys’
It’s not often that this member of the Islamophobia Watch collective can be heard praising Rangers Football Club but we’ve got to hand it to them for providing their supporters with the option of buying replica kit without their sponsor’s logo.
This has been done in direct response to Muslim fans of Rangers who didn’t want to be seen promoting alcohol.
Osama Saeed, Scottish spokesperson for the Muslim Association of Britain, made an excellent point in broadening out the issue of alcohol saying:
“Muslims are prohibited from selling, serving and promoting alcohol so this has been a difficult issue for Muslim fans of Rangers for many years.
“We do welcome the move by Rangers but there are wider issues of whether it’s responsible for football clubs to be promoting alcohol in this way.
“I would imagine other non-Muslims would not want their children particularly wearing alcohol branding.”
The story has had wide coverage in Scotland. See Press Association and Glasgow Evening Times.
Muslims urged to denounce terror
Muslim communities must “shout out” against violent terrorists who “tarnish their religion”, former Nato secretary general Lord Robertson has said. But Muslim Council of Britain secretary general Iqbal Sacranie told BBC News: “British Muslims have repeatedly made clear they condemn acts of terrorism absolutely. Islam categorically forbids the taking of innocent lives.”
It was “odd” Lord Robertson had made this “surprising and unfortunate” call to Muslims rather than to the countries continuing the “illegal war against Iraq … in defiance of world opinion”, Mr Sacranie added. “This war has killed thousands of civilians and given rise in Iraq to the terrible crimes Lord Robertson wants us all to condemn.”
BNP condemns Muslim mayor
“The world’s largest religion is now number one faith in Greater Manchester. This is the conclusion which could be drawn from last weekend’s distinctly non-British spectacle when the city’s first Islamic Mayor was inaugurated in the city chambers.
“The ceremony on May 22nd appeared as if would be more suitable at home in the Middle East or Pakistan, than Britain’s third largest city. The swearing in of mayor Afzal Khan took place against a background chanting of ‘Tala Al-Badru Alayna’ sung in Arabic and was followed by recitations from the Koran. Only after this clear mark of an alien faith was stamped on the proceedings were prayers said, ‘of other religions’.”
Evening Standard’s ‘provocative and sensationalist’ reporting: MCB writes to London mayor
The Muslim Council of Britain has written to Ken Livingstone, asking for his support in combating “the often provocative and sensationalist style of reporting of Muslim affairs in the London paper, Evening Standard”.
The MCB is particularly concerned by the Standard’s misleading account of the recent protest outside the US embassy against the desecration of the Qu’ran at Guantánamo. The MCB includes a selection of the abusive and threatening emails it has received as a result of the Standard‘s irresponsible journalism.
Jihad Watch goes UK
“Political correctness is turning lethal. Stockport Council is now using resource packs provided by the Muslim Council of Britain to teach schoolchildren about Islam, an initiative which is to be extended across the nation.” Melanie Phillips in another frothing-at-the-mouth attack on the MCB.
Melanie Phillips’s Diary, 30 May 2005
Here’s a further reason why it would be a mistake to dismiss Robert Spencer as a politically marginal fruitcake. Mad Mel (whose views reach a mass audience via her Daily Mail column) not only bases her article on a post from Spencer’s blog (see here), she even borrows the title for her article from him – “Dhimmi Britain”.
Spencer, for his part, reciprocates with a tribute to “the incomparable Melanie Phillips”.
For a reply to Phillips by Yusuf Smith, see Indigo Jo Blogs, 30 May 2005
Another secularist rant from Nick Cohen
In today’s Observer, Nick Cohen rallies to the defence of Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci, who published a book immediately following the Madrid bombing in which she argued that Muslim immigration is turning Europe into “an Islamic province, an Islamic colony” and that “to believe that a good Islam and a bad Islam exist goes against all reason”. In an earlier book, published after 9/11, she wrote that Muslim immigrants in the West have “multiplied like rats”. (See here.)
Cohen takes a relaxed view of this racist filth. He opposes a decision by the Muslim Union of Italy to take legal action against Fallaci, portraying it as an attempt to suppress free speech. “What she says may not be true”, he concedes (may not be true?!), but he defends her right to say it. “Fallaci is a raging prima donna. Still, since when has it been a criminal offence for prima donnas to sing, however tunelessly?”
Would Cohen take a similarly relaxed view of a book which claimed that Jews are breeding like rats and turning Europe into a Jewish colony? I think not. In any case, under existing race relations legislation, the author of that sort of writing would be open to prosecution in this country. If that happened, I rather doubt that Cohen would write a column for the Observer condemning legal action being taken.