ISLAMOPHOBIA: Anti Muslim Racism
Entries in Resisting Islamophobia (1909)
Islamic group offended by 'mosque' drill
A U.S. Islamic group said an emergency drill at a simulated mosque in Irving, Ill., inaccurately stereotyped Islamic mosques as safety risks.
Nearly 30 government agencies took part in last week's drill, during which the village's Continuing Recovery Center was referred to as "Irving Mosque," a "home-base for a radical, heavily armed group with suspected terrorist ties," the Springfield (Ill.) State Journal-Register reported Thursday.
"It really was in poor taste, probably as a result of a lack of cultural prowess on the part of the person who made that choice," said Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations'.
The drill used simulated blasts, hostage situations and nerve gas to train law enforcement officers how to respond to such situations.
Diana Holmes, coordinator of the Montgomery County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency, said she was unaware of the council's criticism, the newspaper reported.
See also CAIR press release, 6 May 2008 and Pipe Line News, 6 May 2008
'Hijab' should be woman's personal choice
"We have a bad habit in Western secular society of thinking that we know best. And Western feminism often has an equally bad habit of thinking that its ideals are the right ideals for women of all cultures.
"In our society, the veils and scarves worn by Muslim women are commonly seen as symbols and tools of an oppressive Islamic patriarchy. This sort of establishment thinking makes feminism inaccessible for women of different beliefs, which robs the movement of its global power. Women who would like to be identified as feminists but choose to wear a headscarf don't always seem to have a place.
"Western stereotypes surrounding the hijab – the scarf that covers the neck and hair of Muslim women – include the assumption that women are wearing it because of subjugation and religious indoctrination. Some argue that such coverage is used to make women subservient and invisible. But what really makes them invisible is assuming that the women who choose to wear the hijab, the abaya or anything else did not make the choice themselves."
Amanda Teuscher in The Post, 6 May 2008
See also "Front Page news: Islamophobia makes you an expert on niqab" at Muslimah Media Watch
Schools for Muslims
Inayat Bunglawala of the Muslim Council of Britain replies to Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.
A new era of Islamophobia?
"What an election! We have the first Conservative Mayor for London and we also have the first racist Islamophobe from the BNP in the London Assembly. So what do we make of this? Is this the end of an era or is it a beginning of a new one? ...
"So what caused this shock result? Was it anti-Brown or anti-Labour sentiments? Was it the recognition that 'the Conservatives have changed into a party that can again be trusted after 30 years'? Was it the overt support of Muslims 4 Ken, as some have commented? Or was it the politics of fear created by the government and media? Can it even be as simple as 'he's been there too long’? We may never know the real reasons, as most voters will have different reasons for voting the way they do – but here is my thought on why the BNP got its first Assembly Member.
"If you recall the last 2 to 3 years, you will no doubt notice that the most discussed subject has been Islam and Muslims. The rancorous manner in which the government – a Labour government – attacked Islam and Muslim has been unforgivable. Together with the relentless and vitriolic media, it created the perfect atmosphere for the racist BNP to peddle its malevolence with impunity. In the eyes of the BBC this racist party has now become 'The anti-immigration British National Party'. Anti-immigration! When Jack Straw said that it’s not Ken's fault alone and that everybody in government had some responsibility, I sincerely hope he together with the likes of Ruth Kelly and others recall their Islam bashing and how they allowed the BNP to espouse the myth of 'Islamofascism'. And how the hatred they spew is becoming acceptable and mainstream. Maybe this is the 'new era' that has begun!"
Azad Ali assesses the results of the London elections.
Martin Sullivan
in Right Wing, Resisting Islamophobia, Far Right Racists
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Muslim women redefine feminism
"They speak in a heavily accented version of English, suffocating beneath tent-like cloaks. Voiceless and enslaved, these Muslim women wrap themselves up in head scarves in public. While the rest of American women take the slightest sunray as a signal for baring flesh and flaunting assets, these fully covered women stand out as more than unfashionable but as victims of oppression.
"Such are the tragic misconceptions of American Muslim women-barbaric, veiled housewives victimized by an Islamic lifestyle. To about 10 million Muslim women, that lifestyle includes the female head covering, an Islamic dress code called Hijab and a symbol of modesty and freedom."
Hanan Salem in The Connection, 1 May 2008
Daily Star exposes 'Muslim sickos'
"Is this the vilest front page headline we've ever seen?
"For those wondering – the article isn't actually about Muslims kidnapping anyone, although you won't find it on the Star's website.
"It's about some Muslims suggesting on the internet that the McCanns were responsible for their daughter's kidnapping.
"You know, similar to what The Star and Express had to print front page apologies about and pay half a mil in fines for a couple of weeks ago."
Five Chinese Crackers, 28 April 2008
See also Lee Burrows at How Liberty Dies
The BNP, anti-semitism and Islamophobia
"... the BNP remain a fascist organization and racist to the core. Currently Islamaphobia plays a central role along with attacks on migrants of every kind. Anti-Semitism is hidden but rumbles away at the heart of the beast. Jews, Muslims, people of all faiths and none, migrants and settled communities have a common cause with workers as a whole in ensuring their upward path is halted and that they are thrown down and dashed on the rocks."
David Landau assesses the current political trajectory of the British National Party.
Martin Sullivan
in UK, Resisting Islamophobia, Far Right Racists
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What turns some Islamists to terror
"We represent a cross section of the Muslim community, and reject the simplistic narrative about the dangers of Islamism espoused by the Quilliam Foundation. We believe this is just another establishment-backed attempt to divert attention from the main cause of radicalisation and extremism in Britain: the UK's disastrous foreign policy in the Muslim world, including its occupation of Muslim lands and its support for pro-western Muslim dictators. The foundation has no proven grassroots support within the Muslim community, although it does seem to have the ear of the powers that be, probably because it is telling them what they want to hear."
Letter from Anas al-Tikriti, Yvonne Ridley, Ihtisham Hibatullah, Ismail Patel and Roshan Muhammed Salih.
David Edgar replies to his critics
Those who responded to my article didn't accurately report my views – but, more importantly, they didn't address my fundamental point, David Edgar argues.
To lionise former extremists feeds anti-Muslim prejudice
"When one sinner repents, says the biblical adage, there is much joy in heaven. So the angels, along with the government, must be rejoicing at the launch of the Quilliam Foundation. The thinktank has been established by not one but two repentant sinners: Ed Husain and Maajid Nawaz, ex-members of the extremist Islamic cult Hizb ut-Tahrir.
"On earth, however, I would suggest a greater degree of caution. In the here and now, it's not the repentant sinners we should celebrate but 'the 99 righteous persons who need no repentance', those unmentioned Muslims who refused to be seduced by the dark side....
"The embrace of former extremists is a slap in the face for Muslims who have worked tirelessly to build a British Muslim identity and foster inclusion by constructive community activity. It's another attempt at the marginalisation of the overwhelming majority who never had a moment's doubt that Islam gives no sanction for such murderous and misguided perversion of belief.
"... we don't need neocon ex-extremists to tell us what extremism is about. They are part of the problem, not the solution. But we do need a viable politics that tackles the root cause of extremism."
Ziauddin Sardar in the Guardian, 24 April 2008
See also Yusuf Smith's post on Ed Husain at Indigo Jo Blogs, 23 April 2008