Category Archives: USA

Hijab ban forces French Muslims out of state education system

Posted on by Bob Pitt

France’s ban on religious symbols in state schools, a move meant to check a feared spread of Islamist radicalism, is prompting some Muslims to pull out of the system and launch their own schools and tutoring services. Representatives of new projects around the country turned up at France’s largest Muslim convention at the weekend, canvassing for money and support to educate girls who have dropped out or been expelled from school for insisting on wearing headscarves.

Pro-Hijab, 31 March 2005

Robert Spencer has his own interpretation of this – he seems to think it is an example, not of resistance to state oppression, but of French Muslims’ rejection of “assimilation”.

Jihad Watch, 5 April 2005

Calls mount for Australian state to rescind religious hatred law

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A campaign to rescind a law against religious hatred in the Australian state of Victoria is winning growing support from churches since two evangelical Christians were found guilty of vilifying Muslims.

CNS News, 31 March 2005

For the background, see here.

No prizes for guessing Robert Spencer’s views on this. See here and here.

And worth noting that evangelical Christian groups have come out against a religious hatred law in Britain. See here.

‘Terrible disease spreading in Britain!’ sneers Spencer

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“A new epidemic is spreading in the British Isles, and no one can find the cause! It’s called (gasp) ‘Islamophobia’! Children as young as 13 are displaying signs of Islamophobia and are voicing their support for the British National Party, researchers have found. Horror of horrors! As young as 13???? Can’t they be inoculated against this dread disease? Why, of course they can. A good dose of multiculturalism is doubtless in the offing.”

Robert Spencer takes a relaxed view of the report that British teenagers are drawn towards racism and fascism.

Dhimmi Watch, 3 April 2005

Robert Spencer on Tariq Ramadan’s appeal

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Given that Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch has considerately announced that he is prepared to “encourage any Muslim individual or group who is willing to work publicly for the reform of the Islamic doctrines, theological tenets and laws”, you would think he’d welcome Tariq Ramadan’s appeal for a moratorium on hudud punishments, wouldn’t you? Well, only if you were naive enough to take Spencer’s statement seriously.

Dhimmi Watch, 2 April 2005

‘Are you Islamophobic? Web witch-hunt in full swing’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“A new website has been set up solely to monitor the rather vague concept of ‘Islamophobia’. Considering upstanding New Humanist contributors and allies such as Nick Cohen, Polly Toynbee and Peter Tatchell have already fallen foul of these self-appointed watchers, chances are you, as an NH reader, are probably on the verge of being accused of being an Islamophobe. Any. Minute. Now.”

Panic breaks out among liberal secularists:

New Humanist, 29 March 2005

And we’ve attracted the attention of Jihad Watch, too. One contributor who couldn’t get the link to Islamophobia Watch to work asks: “Is it possible it has been shut down as a jihadist hate site already?” Sorry, ‘fraid not.

Jihad Watch, 27 March 2005

Government is ‘pandering to homophobic Muslims’ – Outrage

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Protection from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation has been excluded from five key provisions of the government’s new Equality Bill, the gay rights group Outrage! complains. According to Outrage! spokesperson Brett Lock, the government is “pandering to homophobic Muslims by excluding gay rights”.

Outrage! press release, 31 March 2005

So, nothing to do with pandering to anti-gay prejudice in Christianity or any other religion then, Brett – just Muslims?

For the Sunday Times article on which the Outrage! allegations are based, see here.

For Daniel Pipes’ response, see here.

Jihad Watch defends secularism

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“The lesson of Turkey is that eternal vigilance on behalf of secularism is necessary, and those who have been the beneficiaries of such secularism are foolish not to recognize that it occasionally requires military force (that of the Turkish Army) and constant reinforcement of legal measures taken against the outward expression of Islam as a political and social force, to keep Islam in its place, since it cannot otherwise be dealt with or transmogrified into something less menacing.”

Hugh Fitzgerald of Jihad Watch proposes a solution to the problem of Islamists in Turkey participating in the democratic process and getting elected to parliament.

Dhimmi Watch, 30 March 2005

What are Islamic schools teaching? (Daniel Pipes has the answer)

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Daniel Pipes claims that Muslim schools are training grounds for anti-semitism and “Islamist supremacism”. On the rare occasion that any such thing does occur, and Muslim teachers and community leaders say they are shocked and will take immediate action, their declarations are merely “fraudulent” according to Pipes.

Front Page Magazine, 29 March 2005 and Jewish World Review, 29 March 2005

Needless to say, Robert Spencer and his friends agree: Jihad Watch, 29 March 2005