Swiss youth erect Geneva’s first new minaret

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Cardboard minaretThe Network of Genevan Youth Associations (GLAJ) immediately registered its shock at the result of the Swiss referendum on the banning of minarets by erecting a minaret made of cardboard, wood, paper and tissue in Geneva’s New Square.

The site of the symbolic minaret was deliberate; it was placed at the feet of the statue of General Dufour on a horse. Dufour is a Swiss national hero who presided over the first Geneva Convention which established the International Red Cross.

The young people, all of whom were too young to vote in the referendum, wanted to express their dismay at the ‘vote of shame’ through this symbolic action. As all shops were closed, they had worked through the night collecting whatever materials they could find on the streets of Geneva to build the minaret. GLAJ says more actions will follow and will be posted on Facebook.

Now other young people are joining the protest, bringing with them their own minature minarets upon which they have written messages. Among the messages inscribed on one was an extract from the Tunisian national anthem, written by the celebrated poet Abou El Kacem Chebbi, “When a people want their life, the force of destiny responds. The shadows dissolve and the chains break.”

IRR news report, 3 December 2009

Racists are a minority in Manchester, vigil told

Posted on by Bob Pitt

UAF vigil ManchesterMore than 100 people joined a vigil outside Southern Cemetery in south Manchester following the desecration of Muslim graves.

The group – which crossed religious, social and political divides – met to show a united front against the action after more than 20 graves were vandalised.

It is the third time in three months that vandals have targeted Muslim headstones at the cemetery on Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton, and police are treating the attacks as a racist hate crime.

The 45-minute vigil was organised by Unite Against Fascism, and protesters waved placards as speeches were made by representatives of different uniting groups. Those taking part included leaders of the Muslim, Christian and Jewish faiths, along with members of white and non-white communities, and political representatives from different parties.

Speaking at the rally, Chorlton councillor and deputy leader of the council, Val Stevens said: “This attack is not an act of mindless violence. Those who did it knew exactly what they were doing. And we all know that they are a tiny, tiny minority in this city.”

Manchester Evening News, 4 December 2009

Lincoln EDL ‘are not racist’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Lincoln EDLFootball hooligans, or so-called “casuals”, from Lincoln are descending on Nottingham this Saturday, December 5th, for the English Defence League (EDL) demonstration, according to the EDL Lincoln Division Facebook page.

According to the group: “[The EDL] are not racist, but we want Islamic extremists off our streets!” However, one of the group’s administrators has written on the wall saying: “Let’s be out in force and do Lincoln and England proud, and show these Muslim scum we shall never surrender! For Queen and country.”

The same person has posted a link to a petition which advocates the banning of Islam.

Another member of the group made racist comments underneath a photo of some Asian men, saying: “Some nice people get let into the country… can’t believe the immigration system… all they do anyway is sell drugs and rape white women.”

A picture of a flag bearing the name of Lincoln’s gang of football hooligans, the “Lincoln Transit Elite”, has been uploaded to the page. Another picture of a flag uploaded includes a tribute to fascist organisations such as the BNP, National Front, and Combat 18. More pictures depicting football hooliganism, alongside pro-Loyalist images, have also been uploaded.

The Linc, 4 December 2009

‘It’s not just the Swiss – all Europe is ready to revolt’ claims Liddle

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Rod Liddle“In the last ten years the people of Europe have begun to revolt against what, at one extreme, they see as the ‘Islamification’ of their countries, or else they hold the more moderate position of being disquieted by the high number of Muslim immigrants they have been forced to receive, most of whom are antithetical to the indigenous way of life and have cultural values that do not accord with the resident majority….

“Across Europe, opposition to Muslim immigration runs at a steady 60 to 65 per cent; the people of the Continent didn’t want the immigration in the first place, are not happy with the way in which the incomers have failed to integrate and do not want any more, regardless of … how often they, the general public, might be written off as Islamophobic. In his recent study of Islamic immigration into Europe (Reflections on the Revolution in Europe), Christopher Caldwell wrote: ‘If Europe is getting more immigrants than its voters want, then it is a good indication that its democracy is malfunctioning.’ Precisely.”

Rod Liddle in the Spectator, 5 December 2009

Via ENGAGE

Update:  But let’s be fair to Liddle – he’s not only hostile to Muslims. Just to show that he’s an equal opportunities bigot, in his latest post at the Spectator he assures his readers that: “The overwhelming majority of street crime, knife crime, gun crime, robbery and crimes of sexual violence in London is carried out by young men from the African-Caribbean community.” How long, you wonder, before Liddle draws the obvious political conclusion and joins the BNP.

France: chief rabbi urges more tolerance for Muslims in Europe

Posted on by Bob Pitt

GILLES BERNHEIM, GRAND RABBIN DE FRANCE, AU TALK ORANGE-LE FIGAROFrance’s chief rabbi said Europe must change its attitude about Islam.

Rabbi Gilles Bernheim said a Swiss vote Nov. 29 forbidding the construction of minarets alongside mosques was a clear sign that Western European leaders had “failed” at building tolerance toward Muslims, and he called on “all religions” as well as political leaders to increase interfaith dialogue.

“Today we need to act so that Europeans, and not just the Swiss,  change their opinion about Islam,” he wrote in an editorial published Wednesday in the French daily Le Figaro.

He compared the law aimed at minarets to past sanctions against European Jews. “The problem” with the Swiss vote “is the discrimination that it introduces by authorizing the construction of church steeples and tall buildings by all other religions except Islam”. Bernheim noted that in the past, Jews were forbidden to construct synagogues taller than churches.

JTA, 3 December 2009

See also The Local, which reports:

An official from the German Jewish Council warned on Wednesday that Switzerland’s vote to ban mosques with minarets was an expression of Europe’s deep-seated aversion to Islam that was aggravating the integration of Muslims.

While Muslims are regularly accused of an unwillingness to integrate or engage in dialogue, the majority of European society does “very little” to be hospitable or respectful, he said.

“A climate of trust can only happen if Muslims are naturally entitled to the right to their own religion, culture and language, and cultural diversity is considered to be a benefit and enrichment to our country and not a threat or burden,” Kramer said.

CAIR report shows rise in anti-Muslim bias incidents

Posted on by Bob Pitt

CAIR report 2009An annual report released today by a prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization shows an increase in the total number of bias-related incidents, but a decrease in anti-Muslim hate crimes in 2008.

The report by the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), titled “Seeking Full Inclusion,” offers a summary of incidents and experiences of anti-Muslim violence, discrimination and harassment reported to the group during the 2008 calendar year. It also examines the use of Islamophobic rhetoric in the 2008 presidential election and highlights a number of issues of concern to the American Muslim community, including watch lists, surveillance of mosques and new FBI guidelines that allow religious and ethnic profiling.

To view the entire “Seeking Full Inclusion” report, go here.

CAIR press release, 3 December 2009

Swiss leader calls for Muslim and Jewish cemetery ban

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A mainstream Swiss political leader is calling for a ban on separate Muslim and Jewish cemeteries. Christophe Darbellay, president of the Christian Democratic People’s Party of Switzerland, made the statement in a television interview Tuesday, two days after Swiss voters passed an initiative to ban minarets.

The anti-minaret initiative came from the opposition ultra-conservative Swiss People’s Party and other right-wing political organizations. Critics say Darbellay is starting a “crusade” to attract voters by proposing similarly xenophobic measures. Mainstream politicians and religious leaders across Europe have reacted with dismay to the anti-minaret vote.

According to the Swiss online daily Tagesanzeiger, Darbellay also wants to ban the wearing of burkas, head-to-toe veils worn by some fundamentalist Muslim women.

Darbellay reportedly said that existing cemeteries would not be affected by a ban, but that there should be no separate cemeteries in the future.

The Swiss People’s Party called for crackdowns on expressions of Muslim fundamentalism in 2006. Observers said the demand for separate cemeteries is an escalation.

JTA, 3 December 2009

CST warns Jewish community against joining SIOE Harrow protest

Posted on by Bob Pitt

SIOE logoThe Community Security Trust has urged the Jewish community not to lend their support to the group “Stop the Islamisation of Europe”.

SIOE have been canvassing support from British Jews to attend their forthcoming demonstration at Harrow mosque. Emails have been circulated by SIOE, including one sent to the Jewish Chronicle, asking for support. SIOE have urged Jews to bring Israeli flags to the demonstration on December 13, and have said their aim is to recruit 1,000 Jews to join the protest.

A statement on their website declares: “If you do not attend this demonstration then you are prepared to see Israel wiped off the map. Vile antisemitism is being preached in mosques across the world and almost certainly the one in your neighbourhood.”

The CST has drawn attention to the Islamaphobic comments on SIOE’s website, and compared the group to the English Defence League, and the BNP’s Nick Griffin, who have attempted to gain support from Jews through pro-Israel and anti-Muslim statements.

The blog singled out an central image on the SIOE’s website, which shows a skull with blood dripping from its mouth on the front of a mosque, where the minaret and crescent moon and star symbol is also covered in blood.

On its blog, the CST says: “This image tells us everything we need to know about SIOE and Islamophobia. If a Jew cannot understand why the image is racist, or hateful, or bigoted then they should try imagining it as a synagogue: with blood dripping from a Star of David; with blood dripping down the rabbi’s pulpit; and with blood dripping from the mouth of a skull that wears an Israeli army helmet.”

Jewish Chronicle, 30 November 2009

See “Don’t be fooled by Islamophobia” on the CST blog.

See also ENGAGE, who comment: “The CST’s commendable advice is strongly welcomed for its denying the SIOE an opportunity to drive a wedge between faith communities in Britain and engage in cheap politicking. As we’ve noted before, in the battle against far right racist groups, Muslims and Jews should be natural allies.”

Lega Nord calls for Italian referendum on minaret ban

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Roberto_CalderoliItaly could be the next European country  to consider a referendum on the building of Islamic minarets following the Swiss vote to ban the structures.

Cabinet minister Roberto Calderoli, of the xenophobic Northern League, said Italy should confirm its Roman Catholic roots and hold a vote as soon as possible.

Like the Swiss, Italian voters can have a direct say on an issue if a minimum number of signatures are gathered calling for a referendum. The League is expected to now start the process for a referendum, despite the Vatican expressing unease over the Swiss vote.

Calderoli said the Swiss decision was a triumphant “yes to bell towers and no to minarets” that served as an important example for other European countries losing touch with their Christian identities. Others within the anti-immigration Northern League have called for a cross to be inserted on the Italian national flag to symbolise the deep Christian roots of the country.

The Northern League have frequently made headlines for their views on Islam and immigration, most notably during the Danish cartoon row in 2006, when Mr Calederoli wore a T-shirt emblazoned with one of the anti-Islamic images.

They have also allowed pigs to graze over sites where mosques were earmarked in order to make them unholy, while recently, the Northern League was accused of racism after it emerged that a local scheme to rid a town of illegal immigrants had been nicknamed “White Christmas“.

Daily Mail, 1 December 2009

See also “Swiss minaret ban spills over Europe”, Islam Online, 30 November 2009

And Radio Free Europe reports: “Danish People’s Party head Pia Kjaersgaard welcomed the Swiss ban and said her party would also seek a similar vote. Martin Henriksen, a deputy for the Danish People’s Party, acknowledged that Denmark currently had no mosques with minarets. But he told RFE/RL that Muslim immigrants have to adapt to Danish society, not the other way around. ‘There are plans in Copenhagen and other Danish cities to build grand mosques, and we oppose it in every way possible. And this could be another way to oppose it’.”