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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

ISIS vows to assassinate 21 Muslim clerics (!)

2016-04-16

[ARA News] ISTANBUL – Under the banner of “Disbelief Leaders“, radical group of the Islamic State (ISIS) has revealed a list includes dozens of Muslim clerics who are active in Europe, US and Australia, threatening to assassinate them. The list, which was published by the group’s Dabiq magazine in its latest edition, includes 21 people with diverse orientations, some of them are linked to the Muslim Brotherhood group, while others are linked to the Salafis and Sufis of the various Islamist doctrines. The ISIS radical group stated in its official English-speaking online magazine Dabiq that the list includes the following names: Abu Basir Tartusi, Hamza Yusuf, Pierre Vogel (Abu Hamza), Suhaib Webb, Mohammed al-Yacoubi, and Hisham Qabbani, Yasser al-Qadi, Bilal Philips, Tawfiq Chawdari, Walid Bassiouni, Hakim Queik, Muhammad Abyari, Arif Ali Khan, Rashad Hussain, Keith Ellison, Hima Abidin, Muhammad Abdul Bari, Saeeda Wirasi, Waqar Azami, Sajid Jawid, and Ajmal Masrour. Speaking to ARA News, Syrian journalist Kamal Ayyoub said: “The barbaric group has went bankrupt politically and militarily, especially after the US-led coalition forces intensified airstrikes on its command centers and financial resources, paralyzing its movements in both Syria and Iraq.” “Daesh has been pushed back in many areas of its control across Syria and Iraq,” Ayyoub said, using an acronym for ISIS. “Everything indicates that ISIS is ‘on the verge of collapse’,” he argued. “That’s why it keeps posing threats everywhere.” The hardline group had carried out a series of assassination operations since its emergence, targeting rival clerics, media activists, civilians, rival military commanders and even its own militant leaders, according to observers. On April 4, ISIS published a footage showing pictures from the Paris and Brussels attacks along with 9/11, threatening European capitals with deadly attacks. In a propaganda film called ‘Fight them, Allah will punish them by your hands’,” ISIS threated Western leaders. “If it was Paris yesterday, and today in Brussels, Allah knows where it will be tomorrow,’ an ISIS member said in English. ‘Maybe it will be in London or Berlin or Rome,’ the militant concluded.

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Britain

BBC apology and £45k damages to Muslim leader

2009-07-16

The BBC has apologised and paid £45,000 in damages to the secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain over comments made about him by former Daily Telegraph editor Charles Moore on Question Time. The BBC issued its apology to Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari at the high court in London this morning and agreed to pay damages and legal costs. The court heard that during the BBC1 Question Time programme on 12 March a member of the public asked the panel: "Should these protests we saw last week when the Royal Anglia Regiment came to Luton be banned?". It was a reference to protests organised by a group of Muslims targeting the British troops. In response to the question, Moore suggested that despite having been asked many times to condemn the kidnapping and killing of British soldiers, the Muslim Council of Britain had failed to do so and so implicitly condoned such acts. He further suggested that the leadership of the MCB believes the kidnapping and killing of British soldiers to be a good and Islamic thing. Although Bari was not mentioned by name, his lawyers Carter Ruck argued that by talking about the "leadership" of the MCB, Moore had libelled Bari in his capacity as leader and chief spokesperson of the MCB. His solicitor Adam Tudor said in court today: "My Lord, I am pleased to say that the defendant accepts that these allegations about the claimant are untrue. "The claimant does not condone the kidnapping and killing of British soldiers and does not believe this would be a good or Islamic thing to do. "In fact in 2007 the claimant said publicly that the killing of British troops in Iraq was unacceptable." Bari has said he will pay the damages to charity. The BBC said that it "apologises unreservedly to the claimant for the allegations broadcast on Question Time and is pleased to set the record straight".

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Britain

Muslim councillor Hasina Khan: I will not let male [Muslim] bigots win

2008-07-04

When multiple cultures collide ... A female Muslim councillor has been subjected to a hate campaign by Muslim men in her ward, leaving her unable to visit some of the streets that she represents. Hasina Khan, 38, the only Muslim councillor in Chorley, Lancashire, said that she had suffered a barrage of threatening phone calls, verbal abuse and insulting graffiti because the men objected her public role. Muslim 'no-go' zones apply, it seems, to democratically-elected Muslim females, too. Cool, Britain! Mrs Khan, a mother of three, said: “I've had to totally change the way I go about my job. I used to do ward walks all the time, but now there are some streets I can't even walk down.” The hate campaign began when she put herself forward as a Labour candidate three years ago. “It is just a few members of the community who think I should be at home with a veil over my face, although if other people choose to do that, then I respect their choice,” she said. “However, I feel that if it was a male Asian councillor then he would be treated as a hero. Because I am a woman I get the opposite treatment. They can't understand my mainstream views and those of ‘live and let live' and how the British culture should be respected ... It has been extremely hard for me and my family and if it wasn't for my British constituents, I don't think I would have been able to get through it.” "British constituents"??? Could this be a Muslim euphemism for non-Muslim residents? [RQ] Terry Brown, the Mayor of Chorley, who represents the same ward as Mrs Khan, said: “Because she's a female Asian woman their view is that she should be at home producing babies. “It's a shame. She's a well-respected member of the community and ... an exceptionally talented woman.” Despite the campaign, Mr Brown insisted that there were no ethnic tensions in the area. Yes, yes he would. Mrs Khan, who blames the smear campaign on a small minority of Muslim men, said that she would not give into the threats. “This has gone on for too long and I will not sit back and let it happen any more ... Nobody should have to go through this, especially an Asian Muslim woman, as Islam is very protective and fair with women. It isn't just about me any more - it is about thousands of other women who are being held down by people who refuse to wake up to the reality that it is the 21st century.” Dukandar Idris, the imam of Chorley's Dawat ul Islam mosque, said that Mrs Khan should have taken her grievances to the mosque's elders, rather than speaking out. He also questioned some of her claims: “Which streets can't she walk down?” "It's sharia 24-7 in the ummah, woman. The infidel Brown won't protect you, and the infidel police won't protect you. Submit, woman, or suffer the consequences." He said that, as imam, he could not forbid Muslim women from standing for election, but he would be entitled to forbid his wife. “Because this is Britain, you cannot tell anyone what to do. I can tell my wife, but cannot tell other women, ‘You cannot do this and that',” he said. There is little participation by Muslim women in local government. Of the 19,400 councillors in England in 2006, 75 were women of Asian origin and 20 were from Pakistani or Bangladeshi backgrounds. There are nearly six male Asian councillors for every female Asian councillor. Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, urged Mrs Khan to go to the police. “It is unacceptable for anyone to be treated in this way. We want more Muslim men and women playing an active role in ... politics."

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Africa North

Islamic fanatics demand teddy bear teacher 'must die'

2007-11-29

Righteous Seething alert! The British teacher who let her pupils call a teddy bear Mohammed appears in court in Sudan today amid a furious diplomatic row between London and Khartoum. Gillian Gibbons faces 40 lashes and a year in jail after after being charged with insulting Islam. She was charged after behind-the-scenes political moves to avoid a court case collapsed amid growing Islamic anger in the east African country. A powerful Sudanese newspaper urged authorities to call a hardline Islamist leader linked to Osama bin Laden to give evidence at her trial, to stress how offensive the case was to Muslims. Extreme Islamic groups said Mrs Gibbons "must die" and urged Muslims to hold street protests after prayers tomorrow. How about they all gather in the main square tomorrow at noon. Anybody who disagrees should move to about 1km away until they see a sign from God .... In London, Foreign Secretary David Miliband called in the Sudanese ambassador , while Downing Street made it clear that Gordon Brown was 'disappointed' the 54-year-old teacher had been charged. "Disappointed", eh? I'm "disappointed" you couldn't come up with something a bit more "appropriate". Welcome to reality, Gordon. The Muslim Council of Britain said it was "appalled" at the decision. Hmm, now who is on whose side now? Perhaps the MCB should be the PM of GB! :-) Legal sources in Khartoum said it is possible the case could be dealt with in a single hearing. One lawyer said that if Mrs Gibbons pleads guilty and makes profuse apologies, she could emerge with a "relatively minor penalty", such as a hefty fine or a jail term equivalent to the four days she has already spent in custody. Or both. And 40 whacks. And death. But he warned that rising anger in Sudan, as news of the case spread, might affect the court's decision. How islamic. Yesterday, Mrs Gibbons met British consular officials in the jailhouse where she is being held. She looked tired and pale as she was escorted across the dusty courtyard with a blanket around her shoulders. Mrs Gibbons, a former deputy head in Liverpool, moved to Khartoum in August to fulfil her dream of teaching abroad after her marriage broke down last year. Shoulda picked North Korea. Or Watts. Or Soweto ... The mother of two grown-up children was arrested on Sunday after parents were said to have complained she had insulted Islam's prophet by naming a teddy bear Mohammed as part of a class project. However, a boy of seven came forward on Tuesday to say it was "all his fault", as he and his classmates at the Unity High School had voted to call the bear Mohammed after his own name. Careful kid, they'll have to either eat crow or kill you. He insisted his teacher had not intended to insult Islam. Shut up, kid. They've worked hard at coming up with a perfectly reasonable excuse to kill someone and you're threatening to spoil the fun! Mrs Gibbons technically faces three charges - insulting Islam, inciting religious hatred and contempt for religious beliefs - each of which carries a maximum penalty of 40 lashes and a year in jail. But it is believed she will stand trial on only one. How generous. One's all that's needed. Abdul Daem Zumrawi, the Justice Ministry's undersecretary, said: "What will be applied is at the discretionary power of the judge." How 'bout the judge grows some discretion and deports the clueless one? Mr Brown's spokesman said: "We are surprised and disappointed by this development." I wonder what you'd say if you found yourself staring at the business end of the cane. Mrs Gibbons's former husband, Peter Gibbons, 54, said last night that he and their children Jessica, 27, and John, 25, had been horrified at the news that she had been charged. "The children are not coping very well, they are upset," he said. "We are praying and relying on the Foreign Office and the embassy out there. Could be worse - it could be the US State Department. "My son is waiting on advice from the embassy to see if it's possible to go over there. Although I understand the sentiment, those folks don't. I would have some serious second thoughts about doing that. "Gillian is an innocent in all this, she would not want to cause offence to anybody." Sorry, can't find "intent" in the Koran's index . . . . One of Khartoum's biggest papers, the pro-government Akhir Lahza - Last Moment - said Hassan Al Turabi, once seen as the Islamic ideologue behind the government, should be called as an expert witness in the case to stress how offensive the teacher's action had been. I'm sure he's quite an expert. Rolls his eyes clean 'round the back of his head, he does ... The religious and Islamist political leader is thought to have been instrumental in institutionalising Sharia law in the north of the country. That alone would get him into Alcatraz in any decent society ... He personally invited Osama bin Laden to Sudan and the Al Qaeda leader based his operations there from around 1990 to 1996. Perhaps you could get UBL to show up at the trial, too. The newspaper's editor-in-chief also called for politicians to avoid meddling in religious affairs and not to argue that Sudanese foreign relations would be affected. It already has. Not that it matters ... At the same time, Sudanese legal scholars warned that an increase in rhetoric would make it difficult for a deal to be done quietly behind the scenes. They're barbarians. Might as well talk to a fencepost. At least you wouldn't risk offending it. Probably. Professor Eltyeb Hag Ateya, director of Khartoum University's peace research institute, said Sudanese president Umar al-Bashir would not want to be seen to back down in the face of Western pressure. "One of main criticisms of the government is that they are giving too much away to foreigners," he said. They're always using paper instead of stones, always stepping into the latrine with the wrong foot first, "If imams at Friday prayers turn this into a much bigger thing, then no one will listen to the facts." That will make them all that much more powerful and righteous, won't it? Sudan's legal system is based on laws introduced during British colonial rule, but aspects of Sharia law were incorporated in 1991. 'Aspects'? Thought it was an all or nothing issue ... Sudanese reaction to the case had been muted until yesterday, when demonstrations took place at one of Khartoum's student campuses. Speakers took turns to denounce Mrs Gibbons, brandishing a newspaper bearing her photograph. A statement circulated by members of the Muslim Brotherhood - a multinational Sunni Islamist movement and the world's most influential political Islamist group - also condemned her actions. "We want to express our boiling anger and deep sorrow about this case caused by this British teacher," it said. "We want to tell you that the majority of Sudanese are Muslims so we love our Prophet Mohammed so much and we decry this careless way of dealing with our beloved Prophet." One of its authors, 27-year- old Elsheikh El Nour, added: "If she made an innocent mistake and did not mean Mohammed the Prophet (when naming the bear) there is no problem. Sounds somewhat logical! "But if she did mean Mohammed the Prophet, she must die." Whoops. Cancel that. Leaflets distributed outside Khartoum's Great Mosque urged Muslims to march tomorrow in protest at Mrs Gibbons' actions. They condemned what they described as "flagrant aggression" against the Prophet Mohammed and asked imams to address the subject Friday prayers. The leaflets added: "What has been done by this infidel lady is considered a matter of contempt and an insult to Muslims' feelings and also the pollution of children's mentality as an attempt to wipe their identity." The Muslim Council of Britain was furious at the decision to charge Mrs Gibbons. "This is disgraceful and defies common sense," said Secretary-General Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari. "There was clearly no intention on the part of the teacher to deliberately insult the Islamic faith. Willing to go to war with the "extremists" on this one? "The children in Mrs Gibbons's class and their parents have all testified as to her innocence in this matter. We call upon the Sudanese President, Umar al-Bashir, to intervene in this case without delay to ensure that Mrs Gibbons is freed from this quite shameful ordeal."

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Britain

Muslim Council of Britain leader : Integrate Muslim and British cultures

2007-11-10

The head of the Muslim Council of Britain does not mince his words on integration, report Rachel Sylvester and Alice Thomson There is fear and loathing in Britain. This week, the head of MI5 claimed there were 2,000 people involved in terrorist activity and children as young as 15 were being "groomed" to be suicide bombers. Gordon Brown announced plans to require immigrants to learn English and Downing Street said the Prime Minister wanted to double the number of days that terrorist suspects can be detained without trial. Then, just as the Metropolitan Police was being censured for shooting the Stockwell One, the Lyrical Terrorist became the first woman to be convicted of terrorist crimes. Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, the leader of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), thinks the Government is stoking the tension. "There is a disproportionate amount of discussion surrounding us," he says. "The air is thick with suspicion and unease. It is not good for the Muslim community, it is not good for society." The 53-year-old special needs teacher has a gentle manner and a quiet voice - he describes himself as a "community spokesman" rather than a "religious leader" - but he does not mince his words. Britain must, he warns, beware of becoming like Nazi Germany. Or like Saudi Arabia? Or like Iran? Or like Tajikistan? Or like Kosovo? Or like Pakistan? Or like ... "Every society has to be really careful so the situation doesn't lead us to a time when people's minds can be poisoned as they were in the 1930s. If your community is perceived in a very negative manner, and poll after poll says that we are alienated, then Muslims begin to feel very vulnerable. We are seen as creating problems, not as bringing anything and that is not good for any society." Kinda rich, a Muslim cleric warning us of Nazis ... There is, in his view, no such thing as Islamic terrorism. "Terrorists are terrorists, they may use religion but we shouldn't say Muslim terrorists, it stigmatises the whole community. We never called the IRA Catholic terrorists." Dr Bari thinks Jonathan Evans, the head of MI5, made the extremists' job easier by giving a bleak picture of the threat on the eve of the Queen's Speech. Never mind the equivalence game (for the record, the IRA, particularly the Provos, were Marxists), but just for grins, did the 7/7 bombers call the cops with a coded message before the bombs went off? Has the IRA ever demanded that Britain surrender to a religious theocracy? "I think it is creating a scare in the community and wider society. It probably helps some people who try to recruit the young to terrorism. Muslim young people are as vulnerable as any others. Under this climate of fear they will begin to feel victimised." Can't recall off-hand the last time Anglo-Saxon teens and twenty-somethings trained overseas for the opportunity to kill hundreds/thousands of Muslim Britons. The Prime Minister's plan to increase the length of time terrorist suspects can be detained without trial is also, he believes, misguided. "Even the police haven't asked for more than 28 days. As far as we know there is no clear evidence of the need for more time." Control orders and stop and search powers are further increasing the sense of alienation among Muslims, Dr Bari says, and the Metropolitan Police are not helping matters either. "There was institutional racism and institutions as massive as the Met find it hard to change. They need more Muslim police officers. I'm not going to use the term trigger happy - sometimes the police can make mistakes - but they need to do their job in a better way." Sir Salman Rushdie should never have been knighted, he says. "He caused a huge amount of distress and discordance with his book, it should have been pulped." First he announces that the British government is behaving like "Nazis", and now Bari barks for a book-burning. What a card ... ... not to mention what he really wants done ot Rushdie ... Critics say the MCB - an umbrella organisation with 500 affiliates - has itself contributed to the growing sense of unease in Britain. The Government has cut funding to the council following claims that it had links with extremists. A Tory report this year accused it of promoting segregation. Dr Bari insists he is simply trying to unite disparate communities. "On the one hand we are accused of not engaging, being insular, and on the other hand of being too political. We can't win." Which makes you ... losers? The MCB was criticised for boycotting Holocaust Day but he says he did not mean to offend Jewish people: "It should be inclusive, commemorating all massacres." BS + more moral equivalence. Farcical, too- they hate Jews. According to a recent report by the Policy Exchange think-tank, the bookshop at the east London Mosque, which Dr Bari chairs, stocks extremist literature. "The bookshops are independent businesses," he says. "We can't just go in and tell them what to sell I will see what books they keep, if they have one book which looks like it is inciting hatred, do they have counter books on the same shelf?" But Bari sure as hell knows which books HE would pulp. He is more careful about who is allowed to preach in the mosque. "If I hear of a specific preacher who is inciting hatred I will ban him from preaching but I cannot disallow him from praying." In Dr Bari's view, suicide bombers are victims as well as aggressors. "I deal with emotionally damaged children," he explains. "Children come to hate when they don't get enough care and love. They are probably bullied, it makes a young person angry and vulnerable. More than 50 innocent people were killed on 7/7. The bastards who killed them wanted to kill hundreds more. "The extreme case could be suicide bombers, it is all they have The people who become suicide bombers are really vulnerable." Unfortunately, they weren't vulnerable enough. Although he stresses there is no justification for suicide bombing - "killing innocent people is completely forbidden, Islam is very emphatic on that" - he says British foreign policy has driven Muslims into the arms of the extremists. "Criminal people have used that as a weapon to encourage young people, those who don't have any anchor in themselves, [to become suicide bombers]. Iraq has been a disaster, the country has been destroyed for no reason, that had an impact on the Muslim psyche." His passion is to integrate Muslim and British cultures - he says integration must go both ways. Sharia, of course. And he's lying - it's all one way. "Everybody can learn from everyone. Some of the Muslim principles can help social cohesion - family, marriage, raising children with boundaries, giving to the poor, not being too greedy." British people could, in his view, benefit from arranged marriages. "I prefer to call them assisted marriages," he says. "Marriage should not be forced on people but parents can be a catalyst Young people are emotional, they want idealism. Older people have gone through all sorts of things and become a bit more experienced. A child will always want to eat chocolate but if he does then he will become fat. He needs to be given things that are good for him too." "Alcohol is the worst drug long-term," he says, and adds that the Government should consider banning drinking in public places, as it has done with smoking. Dr Bari believes Britain would benefit from a little more morality: "Religion has principles that can help society Sex before marriage is unacceptable in Islam On adultery and living together we should try to go back to the religiously informed style of life that helps society." Abortion should also be made more difficult. "By the time a foetus is 12 weeks old our religion says that the child has got a spirit." Homosexuality is "unacceptable from the religious point of view". Is stoning ever justified? "It depends what sort of stoning and what circumstances," he replies. "When our prophet talked about stoning for adultery he said there should be four [witnesses] - in realistic terms that's impossible. It's a metaphor for disapproval." Wow. He said that for publication, too. He must be feeling very confident. Lips stayed on, too. He's very practiced ... There should be more modesty too. "You shouldn't be revealing your body so much that it can be tempting to other people. I hope my daughter wouldn't wear a bikini but I also hope she wouldn't wear a burka." Dr Bari runs guidance courses for parents of all faiths. "Children are like plants, if you don't look after them they will grow wild and weeds can come in." The same is true of Britain, he says. "There is plenty of freedom in Western society but boundaries are sometimes hard to see."

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Britain

Lessons in hate found at leading mosques

2007-10-30

Books calling for the beheading of lapsed Muslims, ordering women to remain indoors and forbidding interfaith marriage are being sold inside some of Britain’s leading mosques, according to research seen by The Times. One book, Fatawa Islamiyah, which urges the execution of apostates, was found in bookshops at Regent’s Park mosque and at the huge East London mosque in Whitechapel. Muhammad Abdul Bari, the secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), is the chairman of the East London mosque. The researchers said that they found further controversial works during visits to mosques in Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Oxford and High Wycombe. The Times has learnt that five of the books that were acquired by researchers had been also found in searches during Scotland Yard antiterrorist investigations since 2001. About half of the books collected were in English – raising questions about the emphasis placed by the Government in combating extremism by training more English-speaking imams. The other publications were in Arabic or Urdu. The report, The Hijacking of British Islam, is published by the conservative Policy Exchange think-tank and was written by Denis MacEoin, a Fellow at Newcastle University and expert on Islamic issues. The researchers found hardline material at a quarter of the 100 mosques visited during the project. The report said: “On the one hand, the results were reassuring: in only a minority of institutions – approximately 25 per cent – was radical material found. “What is more worrying is that these are among the best-funded and most dynamic institutions in Muslim Britain – some of which are held up as mainstream bodies. Many of the institutions featured here have been endowed with official recognition.” A key theme of the books was a “strident sectarianism” which told Muslims that they should remain separate from other faiths and resist integration. The report stated: “Simply put, these notions demand that the individual Muslim must not merely feel deep affection for and identity with his fellow believers and with all that is authentically Islamic. The individual Muslim must also feel an abhorrence for nonbelievers, hypocrites, heretics, and all that is deemed ‘unIslamic’. The latter category encompasses those Muslims who are judged to practise an insufficiently rigorous form of Islam.” Most books stopped short of calling for violence. But they created a climate of intolerance and contempt for nonMuslims that could be exploited by violent jihadists, the researchers said. The report called for a radical overhaul of Britain’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, which it argued has a “powerful and malign” influence over British Islam and sponsored the export of fundamentalist Islamic doctrine. Regent’s Park mosque said that the bookshop on its premises was run by a private company. Yunes Teniaz, of the London Central Mosque Trust, told The Times: “The bookshop is franchised to a separate organisation. These books express their authors’ opinions and not those of the London Central Mosque Trust.” Inayat Bunglawala, the MCB assistant secretary-general, said: “Bookshops sell a variety of publications and we live in an open, democratic society where it is not illegal to sell books which contain antiWestern views.” Fundamental views Extracts from works found on sale in British mosques “And if he apostatises after that, his head should be chopped off, according to the Hadith: ‘Whoever changes his religion, kill him’.” (Fatawa Islamiyah – Islamic Verdicts, volume 5; reported found at the East London mosque and the London Central mosque) “Whoever takes part in stoning a married adulterer is rewarded for that, and it is not fitting for anyone to abstain from it if a ruling of stoning is issued.” (Fatawa Islamiyah – Islamic Verdicts, volume 6; reported found at the East London mosque) “Some Kinds of Women Who Will Go to Hell 1. The Grumbler the woman who complains against her husband every now and then is one of Hell. 2. The Woman Who Adorns Herself. 3. The Woman Who Apes Men, Tattoos, Cuts Hair Short and Alters Nature. (Women Who Deserve to Go to Hell: East London mosque; Muslim Education Centre, High Wycombe)

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Britain

Muslims must help police more, leaders urge

2007-07-04

Britain's most influential Muslim umbrella group yesterday signalled a significant shift in policy as it urged its communities to play a key and potentially decisive role in the fight against terrorism. Declaring that "condemnation is not enough", leaders of the Muslim Council of Britain appealed to all Muslims to work hand in hand with the police. Declaring that "condemnation is not enough", leaders of the Muslim Council of Britain, which has 400 affiliate organisations, voiced its most robust message yet and appealed to all Muslims to work hand in hand with the police. The message carries dangers for the MCB which has been criticised by radical activists for being too close to government and the establishment. But Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, the MCB's secretary general, said the current crisis meant that issues of conflict between the government, police and Muslim communities - who have clashed in the past over anti-terrorist incidents and foreign policy - needed to be put to one side. "When the house is on fire, the concern must be not to blame each other but to put the fire out. Our country is under threat level critical." He added: "Those who seek to deliberately kill or maim innocent people are the enemies of us all. There is no cause whatsoever that could possibly justify such barbarity." He said the police and security services "deserve the fullest support and cooperation from each and every sector of our society, including all Muslims". The MCB has called a meeting in London on Saturday of key imams and activists from all over the country to discuss what Muslim communities can do to confront the threat and to discuss whether more should have been done in the past. "It is our Islamic duty not only to utterly and totally condemn such evil actions but to provide all the necessary support to prevent such atrocities from taking place," said Dr Bari. Inayat Bunglawala, the MCB's assistant general secretary, said anyone with information should not feel conflicted. He said the MCB was confident that affiliates would back the new stance. "The overwhelming majority of Muslims will understand the predicament our nation is in. The risk is not that we will lose affiliates. We are more likely to gain them." Though shocked by the failed terrorist attacks on London and Glasgow, there are signs that the MCB and government are seeking to seize the moment. Relations between Muslim leaders and the Blair government deteriorated amid concerns that the prime minister, former home secretary John Reid and former communities secretary Ruth Kelly gave succour to those who sought to blame the wider Muslim communities for terrorism. But Dr Bari was quick to praise Gordon Brown and Jacqui Smith, the new home secretary for the "calm and reassuring tone" of their comments since the weekend's attacks. "They made clear that it was unacceptable to hold any one faith group responsible for the actions of a few," he said. He also praised Alex Salmond, Scotland's first minister who provided high profile reassurance to Muslims north of the border. The unfolding events, though horrific, may well strengthen the hand of moderate Muslim opinion. One source said: "There is little room for manoeuvre for those who have previously been in denial or have clung to conspiracy theories." Anti-terrorist chiefs have been quick to stress the need for communities to provide them with the intelligence they need to find and monitor suspects. But close liaison between Muslim leaders and the authorities is also seen as crucial in the battle for "hearts and minds" to stop a whole new generation of young people becoming radicalised. The rallying call gained broad approval from Muslims shopping and trading in east London. The rallying call gained broad approval from Muslims shopping and trading amid the bustle of Whitechapel market in east London. "I think the MCB have got it absolutely right," said Abdul Ali, 30, as he tended his jewellery stall. "If I had information I would go to the police. The people killed in a terrorist attack could be my son or my sister." A young woman in her 30s, her head covered, said: "We all know these people have nothing to do with Islam. They are extremists just like the BNP." But two men smoking by an electrical stall said some Muslims had grievances that only government could address. "They say it is because of Iraq and some say it is because of the Afghan attacks. Those in power will have to solve those problems first."

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India-Pakistan

Rushdie knighthood 'justifies suicide attacks'

2007-06-18

The award of a knighthood to the author Salman Rushdie justifies suicide attacks, a Pakistani government minister said today. "This is an occasion for the 1.5 billion Muslims to look at the seriousness of this decision," Mohammed Ijaz ul-Haq, religious affairs minister, told the Pakistani parliament in Islamabad. "The west is accusing Muslims of extremism and terrorism. If someone exploded a bomb on his body he would be right to do so unless the British government apologises and withdraws the 'sir' title." The comments follow other condemnation of the award for Rushdie, whose novel The Satanic Verses provoked worldwide protests over allegations that it insulted Islam. He received the knighthood for services to literature in the Queen's birthday honours list published on Saturday. Earlier today Pakistani MPs demanded Britain withdraw Rushdie's knighthood. A government-backed resolution condemning the author's knighthood was passed unanimously by the lower house of the Pakistani parliament amid angry protests across the country. MPs said the honour was an insult to the religious sentiments of Muslims. In the eastern city of Multan, hardline Muslim students burned effigies of the Queen and Rushdie, chanting "Kill him! Kill him!" Pakistan's minister for parliamentary affairs, Sher Afgan Khan Niazi, who proposed the resolution condemning the honour, branded Rushdie a "blasphemer". She told MPs: "The 'sir' title from Britain for blasphemer Salman Rushdie has hurt the sentiments of the Muslims across the world. Every religion should be respected. I demand the British government immediately withdraw the title as it is creating religious hatred." Also today, Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said many Muslims would regard the knighthood as the final insult from Tony Blair before he leaves office next week. "Salman Rushdie earned notoriety amongst Muslims for the highly insulting and blasphemous manner in which he portrayed early Islamic figures," Dr Bari said. "The granting of a knighthood to him can only do harm to the image of our country in the eyes of hundreds of millions of Muslims across the world. Many will interpret the knighthood as a final contemptuous parting gift from Tony Blair to the Muslim world." Yesterday, Iranian politicians accused Britain of insulting Islam by awarding the knighthood to Rushdie, who was forced into hiding for a decade after the country's late spiritual leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa calling for his assassination. Mohammad Ali Hosseini, a spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry, said the decision to honour the novelist was an orchestrated act of aggression directed against Islamic societies. He said Rushdie was "one of the most hated figures" in the Islamic world. "Honouring and commending an apostate and hated figure will definitely put the British officials [in a position] of confrontation with Islamic societies," Mr Hosseini said. "This act shows that insulting Islamic sacred [values] is not accidental. It is planned, organised, guided and supported by some western countries." "This act shows that insulting Islamic sacred [values] is not accidental. It is planned, organised, guided and supported by some western countries. Giving a badge to one of the most hated figures in Islamic society is ... an obvious example of fighting against Islam by high-ranking British officials." The Iranian government formally distanced itself in 1998 from the original fatwa against Rushdie, issued in 1989 by Khomeini. But shortly after it disavowed the death edict under a deal with Britain, the Iranian media said three Iranian clerics had called on followers to kill Rushdie, saying the fatwa was irrevocable and that it was the duty of Muslims to carry it out. A spokesman for the Foreign Office said the honour was "richly deserved" and the reasons for it were "self-explanatory". In a statement after the announcement of his knighthood on Saturday, Rushdie, 59, said he was "thrilled and humbled to receive this great honour".

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Britain

Anglican Bishop attacks 'Muslim hypocrisy'

2006-11-05

A senior Anglican bishop has accused many Muslims of being guilty of double standards in their view of the world. The Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali, told the Sunday Times some had a "dual psychology" in which they sought "victimhood and domination". The Muslim Council of Britain said the comments were "not very helpful". The bishop, whose father converted from Islam, also said situations such as teaching could require Muslim women not to wear full-face veils. Mr Nazir-Ali argued it would never be possible to satisfy all of the demands made by Muslims because "their complaint often boils down to the position that it is always right to intervene when Muslims are victims... and always wrong when Muslims are the oppressors or terrorists". He compared Bosnia and Kosovo, where he said Muslims were oppressed, with the powerful position of the Taleban in Afghanistan, who he said had been the oppressors. He added: "Given the world view that has given rise to such grievances, there can never be sufficient appeasement and new demands will continue to be made." Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, told the Sunday Times such remarks could affect "community relationships". The bishop's comments on the use of full-face veils by Muslim women add to the debate sparked by Commons Leader Jack Straw, the former foreign secretary, last month. He disclosed that he asks Muslim women to remove the veil when they attend his Blackburn constituency surgeries. Mr Straw also suggested that Muslim women who wear veils over their faces can make community relations harder. In the Sunday Times, Mr Nazir-Ali referred to a "huge increase" in the wearing of Muslim dress in Egypt, Pakistan and Malaysia. He said: "I can see nothing in Islam that prescribes the wearing of the full-face veil. "In the supermarket those at the cash till need to be recognised. Teaching is another profession in which society requires recognition and identification." Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, entered the veil debate last month by saying people should be free to wear visible religious symbols. He said aiming for a society where no symbols such as veils, crosses, sidelocks or turbans would be seen was "politically dangerous".

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Fifth Column

Islamists Threaten Civil War in Great Britain — A Good Idea?

2006-09-25

Daniel Pipes' Weblog: September 11, 2006 I noted the jujitsu-like ability of British Muslim leaders to turn the threat of terrorism to their advantage in "Piggybacking on Terror in Britain." But the specifics documented there pale in comparison to the aggressive comments just made by Muhammad Abdul Bari, head of the Muslim Council of Britain. Britain will face have to deal with up to two million Islamic terrorists unless there is an end to 'demonising' of Muslims, the leader of the most influential Muslim organisation has said. Treating all Muslims as if they were terrorists will encourage large numbers to become terrorists. 
 Dr Bari declared: "Some police officers and sections of the media are demonising Muslims, treating them as if they are all terrorists, and that encourages other people to do the same. If that demonisation continues, then Britain will have to deal with two million Muslim terrorists, 700,000 of them in London. "If you attack a whole community, it becomes despondent and aggressive." Comment: It remains to be seen how effective this aggressive tactic will be. I am inclined to give it poor prospects, as non-Muslims will likely reject the implicit threat — give us special treatment or we will wage a civil war on you. Moreover, were such a civil war actually to come to pass, Muslims being a small minority could not realistically hope to win it. (September 11, 2006) Sep. 12, 2006 update: Richard Littlejohn responds in the Daily Mail, using choice words and sound logic to expose Abdul Bari: With exemplary tact and exquisite timing, the 'leader' of Britain's Muslims chose the eve of the fifth anniversary of 9/11 to warn that we are facing the threat of two million home-grown Islamic terrorists. The preposterous, self-aggrandising 'secretary-general' of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), Muhammad Abdul Bari, predicted an angry backlash against what he perceives as widespread 'Islamophobia' in this country. Perhaps while the Muslim Council is accusing others of bigotry it would like to share with us its enlightened views on homosexuality and arranged marriages. 'Islamophobia' is just another of those catch-all, smear-the-messenger fantasies dreamed up to close down debate and stifle free speech. When you examine closely Bari's latest outburst, it is nothing short of monstrous. What he is saying is that every Muslim in this country is a potential terrorist. If anything is guaranteed to increase suspicion of Muslims it is incendiary statements like that. The anniversary of the attacks on America should be an occasion for sober reflection and remembrance. But the MCB has never met an atrocity it didn't try to exploit. Their tactic is always the same. After their perfunctory condemnation of terrorism, there's always the caveat about British foreign policy in the Middle East and the assertion that the real victims are not those who have actually been blown to smithereens but Muslims themselves. While they could never condone what has happened, we are invited to understand the anger and alienation which cause young men to turn themselves into human bombs.

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Olde Tyme Religion

Turkish Official Compares Pope to Hitler

2006-09-15

Turkey's ruling Islamic-rooted party joined a wave of criticism of Pope Benedict XVI on Friday, accusing him of trying to revive the spirit of the Crusades with remarks he made about Islam. A party official said the pontiff would go down in history "in the same category as leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini" for his words. The Vatican said the pope did not intend the remarks - made in Germany on Tuesday during an address at a university - to be offensive. The pope quoted from a book recounting a conversation between 14th century Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel Paleologos II and a Persian scholar on the truths of Christianity and Islam. "The emperor comes to speak about the issue of jihad, holy war," the pope said. "He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached,'" he quoted the emperor as saying. He did not explicitly agree with them nor repudiate them. Turkey's top Islamic cleric, Religious Affairs Directorate head Ali Bardakoglu, asked Benedict on Thursday to apologize about the remarks and unleashed a string of accusations against Christianity, raising tensions before the pontiff's planned visit to Turkey in November on what would be his first papal pilgrimage in a Muslim country. Bardakoglu said he was deeply offended and called the remarks "extraordinarily worrying, saddening and unfortunate." I know I'm stating the blindingly obvious, but even putting jihadists and run-of-the-mill muslim misdeeds aside, islamic theological tenets state that christians (and jooooos) are falsificators who rewrote their own holy books to deviate from the One True Natural Religion (islam, which of course predate every other religions, whatever chronology and common sense tell); in its very essence, islam is a negation and a direct refutation of christianity (no Trinity, Jesus only a *muslim* prophet, no crucifixion), and is a supremacist, hegemonical and expansionnist ideology created from scratches to serve arab imperialism (it's probable old Mo' didn't even exist and is actually a mythical founding father whose biography is a mix of several calife's), more than a religion anyway... so this is VERY rich. On Thursday, when the pope returned to Italy, Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said, "It certainly wasn't the intention of the pope to carry out a deep examination of jihad (holy war) and on Muslim thought on it, much less to offend the sensibility of Muslim believers." Lombardi insisted the pontiff respects Islam. Benedict wants to "cultivate an attitude of respect and dialogue toward the other religions and cultures, obviously also toward Islam," Lombardi said. On Friday, Salih Kapusuz, a deputy leader of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party, said Benedict's remarks were either "the result of pitiful ignorance" about Islam and its prophet, or worse, a deliberate distortion of the truths. "He has a dark mentality that comes from the darkness of the Middle Ages. He is a poor thing that has not benefited from the spirit of reform in the Christian world," Kapusuz blurted out in comments made to the state-owned Anatolia news agency. "It looks like an effort to revive the mentality of the Crusades." "Benedict, the author of such unfortunate and insolent remarks is going down in history for his words. However ... he is going down in history in the same category as leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini," he said. In Beirut, Lebanon's most senior Shiite Muslim cleric denounced the remarks and demanded the pope personally apologize for insulting Islam. "We do not accept the apology through Vatican channels ... and ask him (Benedict) to offer a personal apology - not through his officials - to Muslims for this false reading (of Islam)," Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah told worshippers in his Friday prayers sermon. A Lebanese government official said the country's ambassador to the Vatican has been instructed to seek clarifications on the pontiff's remarks. In neighboring Syria, the grand mufti, the country's top Sunni Muslim religious authority, sent a letter to the Pope saying he feared the pontiff's comments on Islam would worsen interfaith relations. And in Cairo, about 100 demonstrators gathered in an anti-Vatican protest outside the capital's al-Azhar mosque. Pakistan's parliament unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the pope for making what it called "derogatory" comments about Islam, and seeking an apology from him Pakistan's Foreign Ministry also called the pope's remarks "regrettable." "Anyone who describes Islam as a religion as intolerant encourages violence," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said. "What he has done is that he has quoted very offensive remarks by some emperor hundreds of years ago," Aslam said. "It is not helpful (because) we have been trying to bridge the gap, calling for dialogue and understanding between religions." She said Muslims had a long history of tolerance, adding that when the Catholic kingdom of Spain expelled its Jewish population in 1492 they were welcomed by Muslim nations such as the Turkish Ottoman Empire. The head of Britain's largest Muslim body said it was disturbed by the pope's use of a 14th century passage. The Muslim Council, which represents 400 groups in Britain, said the emperor's views were "ill-informed and frankly bigoted." "One would expect a religious leader such as the pope to act and speak with responsibility and repudiate the Byzantine emperor's views in the interests of truth and harmonious relations between the followers of Islam and Catholicism," said Muhammad Abdul Bari, the council's secretary-general. Benedict, who has made the fight against growing secularism in Western society a theme of his pontificate, is expected to visit Turkey for a few days, starting Nov. 28. He was invited by the staunchly secularist Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who said the invitation was part of an effort to strengthen dialogue between religions. On Friday the pope appointed a French prelate with diplomatic experience in the Muslim world as the Vatican's new foreign minister. The new foreign minister - officially called secretary for relations with states - is Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, 54, who was born of French parents in Morocco.

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Britain

Threat of up to two million UK Muslim terrorists

2006-09-12

Britain will face have to deal with up to two million Islamic terrorists unless there is an end to 'demonising' of Muslims, the leader of the most influential Muslim organisation has said. Nice country you've got here. Be a pity if anything happened to it, say what ol' chap? Treating all Muslims as if they were terrorists will encourage large numbers to become terrorists, Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari said. The warning from the chief of the Muslim Council of Britain - the grouping that Tony Blair's Government has considered the leading voice for Muslims - came amid rising tensions over the increasingly suspicious attitude to Muslims in the rest of society. Dr Bari declared: "Some police officers and sections of the media are demonising Muslims, treating them as if they are all terrorists, and that encourages other people to do the same. If that demonisation continues, then Britain will have to deal with two million Muslim terrorists, 700,000 of them in London. If you attack a whole community, it becomes despondent and aggressive," he added. The message from Dr Bari appeared to be aimed at muting criticism from police officers and broadcasters and newspapers who have questioned widely-held Muslim attitudes and at police officers who have called for greater surveillance of Muslims. It appeared to contain a measure of exaggeration - according to the last national census, there are fewer than 1.6 million Muslims in the country. But by suggesting that a majority of British Muslims may be prepared to support or engage in terrorism the Muslim Council chief may undermine figures who have tried to ward off attacks on Muslims. “ His view appears to mock Scotland Yard (officials) who declared after the 7 July bombings last year that "Islamic and terrorist are two words that do not go together” His view appears in particular to mock Scotland Yard Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick, who declared after the 7 July bombings last year that "Islamic and terrorist are two words that do not go together". In recent weeks a number of senior police officers have called for 'profiling' measures that would pick out Muslims for greater attention in security checks. Metropolitan Police anti-terrorist chief Peter Clarke said last week that thousands of Britism Muslims are now being watched, and last month Met superintendents' spokesman Chief Superintendent Simon Humphrey said it was "wholly unacceptable to portray the Asian community as victims". At the same time a series of highly-publicised surveys have shown that a high proportion of people are reluctant to sit next to a Muslim on public transport or would feel unhappy to have a Muslim neighbour. Dr Bari said in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph that he did not understand why "the whole of our diverse community" is being criticised. "We want to isolate that bad people and put them in the dock," he said. "But we all have to work together to do that: police, politicians, the media and the Muslim community." Security profiling at airports "reinforces a negative stereotype", he added. And it keeps messing up operations, dammit! "When the IRA was blowing people up, the entire Catholic population of Britain was not demonised, so why is it happening to the Muslim community?" he asked. Another prominent Islamic figure also said that extremists had been falsely represented as typical of Muslims. But Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui of the Muslim Parliament said the responsibility lay on Muslim communities to expose and end the threat. Dr Siddiqui said: "Muslim failure to act robustly against extremist ideology provides ammunition to those who wish to pursue the Neo-con agenda by demonising Muslims and creating an atmosphere of fear and hatred within society." It is up to moderate Muslims to reclaim Islam and for a new generation of young Muslim activists and leaders to emerge who love both their country and their religion." Most mosques have remained immune to change and faith schools need to become more open to the wider society, he added.

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