Wilders’ PVV suppresses free speech again

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Wilders supporters protestA second speech containing criticism of the anti-Islam PVV has come under fire from the party itself, the NRC reports.

Several days after a speech for Noord-Holland province was cancelled for anti-PVV content, Utrecht University officials have given assurances that a Remembrance Day speech will not mention the PVV.

Philosopher Rob Riemen is due to reflect on World War II in a speech on May 4 and has indicated he will warn of the dangers posed by PVV leader Geert Wilders, the paper says. Riemen has previously likened the PVV to a fascist movement.

But following protests from local PVV official René Dercksen, who says it is “scandalous” to use Remembrance Day for “political games”, the university issued a statement saying the party will not be mentioned.

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Muslim waiter had to change name from Mohamed because Waldorf hotel ‘did not want to scare guests’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Waldorf-Astoria hotelAn Arab banquet waiter at the legendary Waldorf-Astoria hotel says he was forced to wear different name tags at work to prevent guests from being frightened by being served by someone named Mohamed.

Mohamed Kotbi said the first time he was asked to do so was on Sept. 13, 2001 – two days after the attacks on the Twin Towers. Kotbi, who has worked for the hotel since December 1984, said he was given a name tag that said, “John”.

“I put it on. I was in shock,” the Muslim man said. When he later went to complain to hotel management, he said he was told, “We don’t want to scare our guests.”

He filed discrimination complaints with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2005 and 2009, and was eventually given a name tag with his last name, Kotbi.

This past November, however, he was given a name tag that said, “Edgar”. Kotbi said he complained and was told by a manager, “It’s better to be Edgar than Mohamed today.”

Now he is suing the Waldorf for religious and racial discrimination, charging that hotel management has created a “hostile work environment” with the nametag shenanigans and its failure to stop a group of co-workers from tormenting him.

The suit says co-workers have repeatedly called him “terrorist”, “al Qaeda boy”, and other names. “It’s like I’m guilty, like I did the attacks on September 11,” the Moroccan-born man said.

New York Post, 30 April 2011

Netherlands: freedom of expression suppressed in deference to Wilders

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Wilders as NaziWhen it concerns his own right and that of his fellow right-wing bigots to slander Islam and incite hatred against Muslims, Geert Wilders presents himself as a staunch defender of free speech. Indeed, he has won international support – including financial backing from the likes of Daniel Pipes – on the basis of that claim. When it’s a matter of his opponents’ right to criticise him, however, Wilders’ commitment to freedom of expression suddenly evaporates.

Earlier this year we saw him bully a Dutch public broadcaster into removing a cartoon (see picture) that he found offensive, because it drew a parallel between Wilders and the Nazis. And now Radio Netherlands Worldwide reports on two further examples of the PVV’s critics being suppressed in deference to Wilders.

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No show from English Defence League leadership at Weymouth demonstration

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL WeymouthThe English Defence League’s march through Weymouth yesterday in protest against the supposed “entrapment of the youth of Weymouth by extremist Muslims” turned out to be a bit of a damp squib. Given that Muslims comprise 0.3% of the population of Weymouth, and the EDL would be hard pressed to find an adherent of mainstream Islam in the town never mind an “Islamic extremist”, perhaps the organisers should be thankful anyone turned up at all.

No doubt frustrated by the absence of a substantial Muslim community to intimidate, the EDL called off their street protest after only ten minutes and returned to the main business of the day – getting tanked up at Moby Dick’s pub.

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Dearborn: Terry Jones denounces Islam, provokes protestors

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Terry Jones in DearbornAmid a heavy police presence, Pastor Terry Jones delivered a rambling speech today from the steps of Dearborn City Hall that lashed out at Islam and President Barack Obama, but many of his words were drowned out by the voices of a swarm of protesters.

Jones repeatedly provoked and insulted the counter protesters. At one point, he ignored police requests by ambling down to the front of the police barricades while taunting his opponents. Angered, some of those protesters stormed past police barricades and marched across Michigan Ave as they hurled bottles and shoes at Jones’ supporters in front of them. One woman spit in Jones’ direction.

The young crowd then pushed down a security fence that separated them from Jones’ supporters as they surged forward, their faces tight with anger. For a moment, it appeared a major clash was about to break out. But Arab-American leaders and police pushed back the angry group of youngsters as dozens of police in full riot gear and masks marched out in single file out to separate the two sides. At least two were arrested.

Dearborn Mayor John O’Reilly said afterward that Jones was responsible for creating the disturbance by ignoring city requests not to approach the barricade. “He refused to comply,” O’Reilly said. “He was asked, please don’t come to the barricade. He just ignored us…. His goal was to start trouble… That shows his character.”

O’Reilly said Jones was a trouble maker promoting fear among Americans during a time of economic anxiety. His goal, the mayor said, was to make money for his Florida church, which has hardly any members left. “He’s got an online business of creating fear and hatred,” he said.

Jones started his talk by repeating his claim that parts of America, like Dearborn, are under sharia, or Islamic law. “We will not allow sharia to be instituted” in America, said Jones during his talk. His assistant, Pastor Wayne Sapp – who burned a Quran last month in Florida on Jones’ orders – said during his talk: “It’s time for Christians to take to the streets.”

The crowd grew as they spoke, with more Arab-Americans and Muslims appearing as the rally took place. Some waved shoes, an Arab symbol of disrespect. Others held up Qurans. American, Palestinians, and Lebanese flags were also waved. More than 600 anti-Jones protesters appeared to assemble, despite repeated pleas by Arab-American and Muslim leaders to not show up.

During his talk, demonstrators opposing Jones repeatedly chanted “Go home Terry Jones” and “U-S-A! U-S-A!” They waved a USA flag during Jones speech.

In his talk, Jones repeated what he has been saying for weeks. But it was more pointed, and more insulting, say local Muslims. At one point, Jones said that Islamic doctrine promotes lying. As Jones spoke, Sapp held up a sign that read “Ban Sharia Law in USA”
About 100 supporters of Jones listened to his talk. Some said they were from New York City.

Jones also launched an attack on Obama, questioning the President’s speech in Cairo where said Islam was part of the American story. “Islam has never been part of the American story,” Jones said.

Detroit Free Press, 30 April 2011

True Finns MP asked to show more discretion following controversy over racist remarks

Posted on by Bob Pitt

True Finns party chairman Timo Soini had a stern discussion with the newly elected MP Teuvo Hakkarainen on Thursday.

Hakkarainen had raised eyebrows with comments on immigration that he made in a video clip put up on the Helsingin Sanomat website.

In the interview he called for a need for faster expulsion of rejected refugees, used an expression that is generally considered to be an offensive racial slur, and made a mocking imitation of a Muslim call to prayer.

In their discussion Soini urged Hakkarainen to exercise more discretion in what he says. The fresh MP attributed his speech to his rural background.

Earlier in the day Hakkarainen, who runs a sawmill in Viitasaari, expressed surprise at the uproar that his comments had caused in the social media. “Why can’t I say how things are?” he asked.

Helsingin Sanomat, 29 April 2011

Belgium moves closer to banning veil

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Belgium has taken a major step toward banning burqa-type Islamic dress in public when its lower house of parliament overwhelmingly backed the measure.

After Thursday’s approval, the senate still has several weeks to decide whether to put the bill up for further discussion and another vote.

The Belgian legislature already came close to approving such legislation last year, but the process was held up at the last moment when the governing coalition collapsed.

On Thursday, the bill was approved by an overwhelming majority of 136-1 and two abstentions.

Associated Press, 28 April 2011

Update:  See also the statement by the far-right alliance, Cities Against Islamisation, which declares itself “satisfied with Burka ban in Belgium”. Its chairman, Filip Dewinter of Vlaams Belang, is quoted as saying: “Burka ban is just the first step, the recognition and subsidising of Islam in Belgium has to be revoked. Islam doesn’t belong on European soil.”

The statement adds: “The vote also illustrates once again the pioneering role that parties like the Vlaams Belang and others play. Cities Against Islamisation hopes the burka ban in Belgium may lead to the reduction and forcing back of Islam. After this first symbolic victory the next step is to undo the recognition and subsidizing of Islam. Islam is a totalitarian conquestial religion, a threat to our European values and our western way of life.”

APPG on Homeland Security joins Anthony Glees and the Henry Jackson Society in scaremongering over ‘Muslim extremism’ at universities

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Keeping Britain SafeBoth the Daily Telegraph (“University campuses are ‘hotbeds of Islamic extremism'”) and the Daily Mail (“University campuses ‘a hotbed of Muslim extremism’, claims Parliamentary security group”) have articles covering a new report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Homeland Security.

It claims to have uncovered “damning evidence” of extremism among Muslim students which the government is urged to tackle with “utmost urgency”.

Looking through the report you’d be hard pressed to find any serious evidence, damning or otherwise, of Muslim extremism on university campuses. The only material provided is a transcript of a lengthy diatribe by Anthony Glees, whose record of irresponsible scaremongering on this issue is well established. A 2008 Cambridge University study by June Edmunds found, contrary to Glees’s unsubstantiated assertions and much to his annoyance, that Muslim students were well integrated and posed no threat to anyone.

The fact that the APPG is prepared to issue these bloodcurdling warnings about Muslim extremism at British universities, based solely on Glees’s say-so, is perhaps not unconnected with the fact that the author of the report is one Davis Lewin. The neocon campaign group the Henry Jackson Society helpfully informs us that Lewin “is a Special Adviser to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Homeland Security and Head of Programmes at the Henry Jackson Society, which serves as the Secretariat for the APPG on Homeland Security”.

The BBC has a rather more critical assessment of the APPG’s report, which quotes Nicola Dandridge of Universities UK as stating:

“There is no evidence to suggest that universities are ‘hotbeds of Islamic extremism’. The experts, including police and counter-terrorism experts, state quite firmly that there is not a major problem with radicalisation or extremism in higher education at present. The issue is that the people most likely to be vulnerable to radicalisation or extremism are young people, many of whom will either be students or former students. Over 40% of young people in the UK will enter higher education.”

Postscript:  Needless to say, this is all grist to the mill of the English Defence League, who posted a link to the Telegraph article for the enlightenment of their members:

EDL post on Torygraph campus extremism article

And here are some of the comments by EDL supporters that it provoked:

EDL comments on APPG Homeland Security report

Bullying targets Muslim, Arab students, say activists

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Wayne, New Jersey — “Terrorist,” “towel head,” “camel jockey” – those are some of the taunts that bullies have used to put down Arab, Muslim and South Asian students in what some community leaders say is a growing epidemic.

The students have become frequent targets of bullies since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, with reports of name-calling, intimidation and physical violence in schools, community and civil rights leaders said Thursday at a forum about bullying. With the rise of anti-Islamic sentiment, the problem has grown worse, they said.

“When public officials and media commentators propagate these ideas, it gets into the main discourse, and schools are a ripe environment for these feelings,” said Aref Assaf, president of the American Arab Forum, a Paterson-based think tank specializing in Arab and Muslim affairs.

For Shehnaz Abdeljaber, the telling moment was when her son came home with his yearbook, and it was plastered with notes from classmates – and a teacher – about blowing things up and bombs. Abdeljaber said she did not want to identify her son or hometown to protect him.

Activists said the vilification of Muslims and Arabs was a key factor in the rise of bullying, citing as examples anti-mosque activism, the burning of the Quran as a form of protest, and the recent congressional hearings on radicalization of American Muslims.

The Record, 29 April 2011

See also Sheila Musaji, “Bullying a problem for Muslims, Arabs, and other minorities in American schools”, The American Muslim, 22 April 2011