Muslim groups staged a vigil outside Downing Street Saturday 16th February, protesting what they call a week of ‘appalling displays of prejudice and contempt towards Islam and Muslims’.
The protest was co-ordinated by the British Muslim Initiative (BMI), and backed by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and the British Muslim Forum (BMF).
The BMI said the protest was chiefly a response to public outcry over the Archbishop of Canterbury’s recent suggestion that UK law will have to accommodate aspects of sharia, or Islamic law.
In an open letter to the Archbishop, BMI president Mohammad Sawalha said his comments had been ‘taken out of context and used as a pretext for unleashing all manner of prejudiced and hostile views on Islam and Muslims’.
Other grievances cited by the protesters include reports that anti-terrorist officers secretly bugged conversations between Labour MP Sadiq Khan and his constituent Babar Ahmad. Accused of using the internet to raise money for the Taliban and Chechen terrorists, Ahmad currently faces deportation to the United States.
The BMI, a pro-Muslim Brotherhood group established by Iraqi-born activist Anas Altikriti, also condemn the Home Office's decision last week to deny a UK visa to Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Brotherhood’s spiritual leader.
Al-Qaradawi has publicly defended suicide bombing in Iraq and Israel arguing that ‘those killed fighting the American forces are martyrs’.
‘It all gives out a message that Muslims can never be trusted and any discourse must be banned and no-one, not even the esteemed Archbishop of Canterbury, can say anything about Muslims,’ said Altikriti, a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Muslim Association of Britain and alleged supporter of the Brotherhood’s Palestinian branch, Hamas.
A BMI statement said the three events ‘provide further evidence of bias, prejudice, xenophobia and even borderline racism rampant in wide corners of the media as well as in the corridors of government.’
Comments (4)
Yet another appalling display of total hypocrisy from more of the muslim "groups" we have in our midst.
Could we please have a debate concerning
"the appalling displays of prejudice and contempt towards non muslims, from muslims" please?
No?
Sorry, I can't hear you...
could you speak up please?
Posted by Robert | February 21, 2008 1:20 AM
Posted on February 21, 2008 01:20
Dear Nahid Khan, the problem with muslims is that many of them don't seem to understand the difference between 'attacks' and criticism. According to muslims, the Koran is totally off-limits to any form of reasonable critical analysis. Muslims are a special group who have to be protected from open debate and if we probe them too far they cry for victim status. Well, we live in a society where the Koran is (still) just another book, and one that has no great status. You obviously think otherwise which is why it was so stupid to allow islam into a non-muslim country in the first place. Your idea of cohesion is that we accept all your beliefs and switch off our critical faculties. That might be the Islamic idea of peace but it's not mine. I can understand why you feel attacked. It follows from your uncritical acceptance of Islam. Please try and understand my anxiety about Islam as I find it's beliefs and practices utterly obnoxious - especially its robotic followers.
Posted by Mike Woodman | February 20, 2008 12:30 PM
Posted on February 20, 2008 12:30
Well, I think Social Cohesion are doing a great job - the article about the former Met officer thinking the security of London rests in the hands of 'Islamists' shows to what depths we have sunk. The man is either a complete idiot or we've passed the point of no return vis a vis immigration, shari'a law and the wholly misconceived policy of 'multi-cultural diversity'.
Posted by Old-Tyke | February 20, 2008 12:08 PM
Posted on February 20, 2008 12:08
Can I congratulate you guys at Social (doing your best to create lack of) Cohesion; Of course attacking Islam, the Qur'an, won't have hacked off 1.8 million Muslims enough - so when they complain about how you guys attacked their holy work of "fiction", which describes women as "sub-human" and advocates violence and killing innocent peoples - the Muslims should just sit back and take it from you guys?
Give me a break; the Muslims engaging is a positive step, though I agree the nutters at MCB, are taking advantage of the Mess that the media and you guys created out of what the arch-bishop didn't say.
Another depressing blog....
Posted by Nahid Khan | February 19, 2008 11:37 AM
Posted on February 19, 2008 11:37