Letter in the Guardian, 24 January 2012:
Joan Smith on ‘intimidation’ of Islam critics
Joan Smith had an article in yesterday’s Independent on Sunday (“Strong religious belief is no excuse for intimidation”) on the theme of Muslim attempts to suppress freedom of expression. Her arguments have been enthusiastically endorsed by fellow liberal Islamophobe Nick Cohen on his Spectator blog.
Smith claims that there has been an upsurge in attempts to intimidate critics of Islam, and gives three recent examples:
‘Alarming’ spike in anti-Arab sentiment concerns community
WASHINGTON — Shortly before the December holidays, an olive-skinned construction worker showed up to his job to find two holes drilled into his toolbox with wires sticking out – a prank by his co-workers, whose intention was to make the toolbox look like a bomb.
Taped onto the toolbox was a photoshopped picture of Osama bin Laden, with the construction worker’s face superimposed onto the image. The man’s supervisor called him into his office, “What’s going on here?” he asked. “Are you a terrorist? A jihadist?”
‘Radical Islamization of Norway creeps forward’ claims right-wing Christian fundamentalist
Dale Hurd, senior reporter at Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Corporation, rails against the “radical Islamization of Norway”:
HRW calls on West to accept Islamist rise to power
The United States and other Western governments must accept the new reality that Islamists have emerged to fill the power vacuum in the Arab world after a wave of popular uprisings, Human Rights Watch said in its annual report Sunday.
The New York-based group also urged Islamist parties, which have emerged as the biggest winners in recent elections in Tunisia and Egypt and are expected to fare well in Libya, to respect the rights of women and religious minorities, saying they cannot “pick and choose” when it comes to human rights.
Prejudices about Islam will be shaken by this show
The hajj, subject of a new exhibition at the British Museum, shows that a respect for other faiths is central to Muslim tradition, argues Karen Armstrong.
Socialists now most popular party in Netherlands, support for Wilders’ PVV continues to slide
For the first time ever, the Dutch Socialist Party has emerged as the biggest party in a national weekly opinion poll. At the same time, support for Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party continues to dwindle. And Labour and the Christian Democrats – once the biggest parties – see their combined number of seats plummet to a mere 29.
Islamophobia harms Poland
Almost 55 percent of all Poles have a negative attitude to Islam, 30 percent more than four years ago according to a survey by the marketing research company TNS Obop. This Islamophobia is difficult to explain and above all harms Poland’s reputation abroad, writes political scientist Klaus Bachmann in the liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza:
The false claims about ‘two-tier system’ behind EDL’s planned Leicester protest
The Leicester Mercury exposes the lies and myths surrounding the assault on Rhea Page, which have been exploited by the English Defence League in order to mobilise its supporters for a protest in Leicester next month.
The Mercury argues:
One can only conclude that the reason the EDL has leapt upon the misunderstandings about this case is because it actually has a much wider agenda. It is seeking to propagate a message that white English people are becoming second-class citizens in their own country and preferential treatment is given to Muslims.
That is, of course, deeply divisive and dangerous stuff which breeds resentment between communities. And, as we have seen, its argument crumbles as soon as one carries out a detailed examination of the facts.
See also “Brilliant public meeting as Leicester unites to oppose EDL”, UAF news report, 20 January 2012
Man racially assaulted Muslim worshippers and attempted to set fire to mosque in Tooting
A man with mental health problems racially assaulted Muslim worshippers and attempted to set fire to a mosque, a magistrates court heard.
Damian Royston Smith, 30, of Lambourne Gardens, Essex, harassed worshippers at the Tooting Islamic Centre, in Upper Tooting Road, over five days.