French MPs to denounce Muslim veils, ban later

Posted on by Bob Pitt

France’s parliament is likely to call in a resolution for a ban on Muslim face veils in public but take longer to turn that policy into law, deputies said on Thursday.

A parliamentary commission studying the sensitive issue, which has been discussed alongside a wider public debate about French national identity launched by President Nicolas Sarkozy, is due to publish its recommendations next Tuesday.

Polls say most voters want a legal ban on full-length face veils, known here by the Afghan term burqa although the few worn in France are Middle Eastern niqabs showing the eyes. Critics say a law would stigmatize Muslims and be unenforceable.

Jean-Francois Cope, parliamentary floor leader for Sarkozy’s conservative UMP party, told France Inter radio said the plan was for “a resolution to explain and then a law to decide.” A parliamentary resolution would not be legally binding.

Andre Gerin, head of the commission, agreed that deputies needed more time to draft a law, but told the daily Le Figaro: “The ban on the full facial veil will be absolute.”

Police reports say fewer than 2,000 women in France wear full veils, but deputies such as Gerin – whose constituency in Lyon has many Muslim residents – insist this is a growing trend that Paris must legislate to stop in its tracks.

Gerin said France also had to deal with “the French Taliban who force women to be veiled. By ‘Taliban’ I mean the husband, big brother, family, even the neighborhood, because there is a kind of sharia (Islamic law) in some areas. The full veil is the visible part of this black tide of fundamentalism.”

Reuters, 21 January 2010

Driven out by racists?

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A vocal minority of bigots are responsible for Amir Khan’s decision to move to the US

By John Wight

Morning Star, 20 January 2010

Good luck to Amir Khan with his decision to sign with Golden Boy and re-focus his career in the United States from now on. There are undoubtedly many reasons for the young Bolton fighter’s decision, but money surely isn’t one of them – not for a young man who’s already made more than enough in his short career thus far.

Nor will it be because he’s been unhappy with his relationship with Frank Warren, the man responsible for shepherding his pro career since he returned to Britain with an Olympic silver medal from the games in Athens back in 2004. Indeed, he deserves much credit for bringing Khan on the way he has, especially after his one defeat at the hands of Breidis Prescott in 2008.

After such a devastating KO Khan’s confidence would inevitably have been shaken and lesser promoters might have struggled to coax him through the inevitable months of depression and doubts which followed. That Khan has bounced back from that low point in such convincing style is in no small way a credit to Warren, who never for a second lost belief in his protege, even when the knives were out among the British boxing literati. That said, lest people start to get the impression that Warren is running a Christian charity, his relationship with Khan has earned him a pretty penny over the years, which should help to sweeten the bitter pill of losing him to pastures new.

In a pure boxing sense the timing of this move could not be better. Since decamping to LA to train under Freddie Roach, Khan has embraced both Freddie’s training regimen and the southern Californian lifestyle, where year-round sunshine sits in stark contrast to the British winter weather which this year has been bad enough to make the South Pole seem like a better alternative. Gone are early winter mornings trussed up in three layers in order to venture out for roadwork, having to summon up every ounce of determination in order to do so without questioning your sanity.

There’s also the mouth-watering prospect of being matched against and beating the sport’s elite, winning the respect of what remains the most educated and sophisticated boxing public there is at the same time. Khan’s incredible speed and rate of improvement under Roach put both of the aforementioned well within his grasp over the next few years and it will be interestesing to see how his career progresses as a result.

However, we should not fall into the trap of fooling ourselves that boxing is the only reason for Khan’s decision to cut his ties with Britain. In fact, there is reason to believe that boxing isn’t the main reason. Regardless of those who think otherwise, the world of sport does not exist in isolation from the world around it and in Britain anti-Muslim racism has poisoned society to the point where it’s impossible to pick up a newspaper or watch the TV news without a negative stereotype of Muslims or Islam staring back at you.

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EDL’s Sikh supporter exposed

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Sikhs Support EDLEver since its formation last year, the English Defence League (EDL) has insisted it is not racist and doesn’t have a problem with ordinary Muslims, just radical extremists.

Amit Singh is a British-born Sikh and EDL activist who will address the EDL’s demonstration in Stoke this Saturday to try and show British Asians that the group is neither racist nor anti-Muslim.

But as Secunder Kermani discovered, scratch beneath the moderate surface and a very different picture of the EDL’s Asian poster boy emerges – one of vitriolic rants against Muslims and insults aimed at the Prophet Muhammad.

The Samosa, 19 January 2010

No place for veil in Denmark, says prime minister

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The face-covering burqa and niqab veils worn by some Muslim women “have no place in Danish society”, Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen has said.

“They symbolise a view of women and humanity that we totally oppose and that we want to combat in Danish society,” he said. Denmark was “an open, democratic society where we look at the person to whom we are talking, whether it’s in a classroom or on the job. That is why we don’t want to see this garment in Danish society.”

Mr Rasmussen said his centre-right government was “discussing ways of limiting the wearing” of the veils without violating the Scandinavian country’s constitution.

The prime minister’s comments came a day after the publication of a report which showed that use of the burqa was “extremely rare” in Denmark, though no figures were given, and that the niqab was worn by “between 100 and 200” women.

Some 100,000 Muslim women live in Denmark, representing about 1.9 per cent of Denmark’s total population of 5.5 million. Some 0.15 per cent of the Muslim women wear the niqab, according to the report.

AFP, 19 January 2010

See also Politiken, 19 January 2010

US lifts bans on Tariq Ramadan and Adam Habib

Posted on by Bob Pitt

In a major victory for civil liberties, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has signed orders that effectively end the exclusion of two prominent scholars who were barred from the United States by the Bush administration. The American Civil Liberties Union challenged the denial of visas to Professors Adam Habib of the University of Johannesburg and Tariq Ramadan of St. Antony’s College, Oxford University, in separate lawsuits filed on behalf of American organizations that had invited the scholars to speak to audiences inside the United States.

“The orders ending the exclusion of Adam Habib and Tariq Ramadan are long overdue and tremendously important,” said Jameel Jaffer, Director of the ACLU National Security Project. “For several years, the United States government was more interested in stigmatizing and silencing its foreign critics than in engaging them. The decision to end the exclusion of Professors Habib and Ramadan is a welcome sign that the Obama administration is committed to facilitating, rather than obstructing, the exchange of ideas across international borders.”

ACLU press release, 21 January 2009

See also New York Times, 20 January 2010

More bias in US against Muslims than other faiths

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Americans are more than twice as likely to express prejudice against Muslims than they are against Christians, Jews or Buddhists, a new survey found. Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they have little or no knowledge of Islam. Still, a majority dislike the faith. The analysis is from the Gallup World Religion Survey and is part of a project on finding ways to increase understanding between Americans and Muslims.

In the poll, just over half of Americans said they felt no prejudice against Muslims. However, 43 percent acknowledged at least “a little” prejudice against Muslims, a significantly higher percentage than for the other four faiths in the survey. About 18 percent of respondents said they had some level of prejudice against Christians, while the figure was 15 percent toward Jews and 14 percent toward Buddhists.

Asked about knowledge of Islam, 63 percent of Americans say they have “very little” or “none at all.” A large majority of respondents believe most Muslims want peace. Yet, 53 percent of Americans say their opinion of the faith is “not too favorable” or “not favorable at all.”

Associated Press, 20 January 2010

Update:  See also “Americans’ bias against Jews, Muslims linked, poll says”, Washington Post, 21 January 2010

Posted in USA

More on the Taunton ‘giant mosque’ hoax

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A hoaxer who spread a false rumour that a mosque was being built on a Christian-run centre has been accused of stirring up racial and religious hatred. More than 1,500 protestors on a cloned Facebook page criticised ‘plans’ for “a giant mosque” on the site of the YMCA, in Lisieux Way, Taunton. The claims were rubbished by the YMCA, which owns the building, and landowner Taunton Deane Council.

Now Jimmy Higgerson, who was falsely named as the site originator, has hit back. “Somebody’s started setting up Facebook groups using my name,” said Mr Higgerson, a club doorman who works for a builders’ merchant. “It’s a bit of an annoyance – I’m the victim. The site doesn’t reflect my views and isn’t something I approve of. I’m not anti-Muslim, but this person has started racial and religious tensions.”

This is the West Country, 20 January 2010

Posted in UK

Anti-Muslim thugs jailed over rampage in Luton

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Luton riotFour men who were part of a mob that went on the rampage during a march against Islamic extremists were yesterday (January 19) jailed.

The “March for England” through Luton town centre in 2009 saw windows smashed at an Asian-owned fast food shop, an Asian man attacked in the shop’s doorway and the police goaded by a mob who hurled placards at them.

Luton Magistrates’ Court was played CCTV footage which showed a small group running across a dual carriageway where they attacked a car containing three Asian men. The footage showed more than 200 men, many who had met up in a Luton pub, were involved in a march that lasted between one-and-a-half and two hours. Some wore balaclavas, some were draped in the flags of St George or the Union Jack, others carried placards which read “United People of Luton”. Some were heard to chant ‘”Scum, Scum, Scum”.

Yesterday (Tuesday January 19) seven men appeared for sentence having pleaded guilty to causing affray during the march which happened on May 24 2009. Only four were sentenced as pre-sentence reports had not been prepared for three of the others. Tony Griffiths, 27, of Manor Road, Caddington and Simon Hattle, 21, of Hazelwood Close, Luton, each received 16 weeks in jail. Richard Myers, 21, from Marsom Grove, Luton, was sentenced to 28 weeks.

The group gathered outside Luton Town Hall where there was chanting before they marched through the town centre. In Chapel Street an Asian man was attacked and a window was smashed at the Asian-owned Piri Piri chicken takeaway. On the Stuart Street dual carriageway a group of men ran over to a car driven by an Asian man that was in a queue. Racists comments were made and a side window was smashed, causing £700 damage.

The group headed back towards the Arndale shopping centre but were stopped in Flowers Way by police wearing helmets and armed with shields. At that point poles and placards were hurled at the officers, who were “goaded” by the group, said the prosecutor. Later there was more trouble in St George’s Square where an Asian man, who has not been identified, was also attacked.

Bedfordshire News, 20 January 2010

We particularly liked the account of how one of those convicted, Simon Hattle, came to be arrested:

“He had tried to cover his face while on the parade, but was easy for the police to identify because he was bare-chested and had his name tattooed on his body.”

‘The unrivaled leader of those Europeans who wish to retain their historic identity’ – Pipes hails Wilders

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Pipes and Wilders“Who is the most important European alive today? I nominate the Dutch politician Geert Wilders. I do so because he is best placed to deal with the Islamic challenge facing the continent. He has the potential to emerge as a world-historical figure.

“That Islamic challenge consists of two components: on the one hand, an indigenous population’s withering Christian faith, inadequate birthrate, and cultural diffidence, and on the other an influx of devout, prolific, and culturally assertive Muslim immigrants. This fast-moving situation raises profound questions about Europe: Will it retain its historic civilization or become a majority-Muslim continent living under Islamic law (the Shari’a)?

“Wilders, 46, founder and head of the Party for Freedom (PVV), is the unrivaled leader of those Europeans who wish to retain their historic identity.”

Daniel Pipes at NRO, 19 January 2010