Schippers speech: stand up for freedom, against radical political Islam Politics Society

People should form a national freedom coalition to oppose the influence of radical political Islam, Dutch health minister Edith Schippers said in a lecture on Monday.

‘It is time that we – all Dutch people who love our culture, freedom and social contract – stand up to actively defend our achievements,’ she said, giving the prestigious Hendrik Jan Schoolezing speech in Amsterdam. She warned that fundamental rights are at stake, particularly of gay men, transgender people and women, ‘including Muslim women who are trying to win more freedom,’ reports the Volkskrant.

.... She said instead of debating whether or not women should or should not wear headscarves or burkinis, we should focus on freedom for all. She warned of ‘creeping self-censorship’ in schools where teachers no longer dare to be openly homosexual and the Holocaust cannot be discussed. ‘Who still dares to write books critical of Islam, draw cartoons or make films?’ she said. ‘Cultures are colliding. This is where our society’s core values are insidiously affected.’ [DutchNews] Read more

Birmingham street preacher 'abused woman over her tight jeans'

An Islamic street preacher threatened to blow up a Muslim woman's house and claimed she was Satan for wearing tight jeans, a court has heard.

Krissoni Henderson allegedly abused the woman on New Street in Birmingham on 4 July, city magistrates were told.

Noor Alneaimi said the incident happened after she stopped to listen to a Christian preacher.

Mr Henderson denies using religiously aggravated threatening words or behaviour.

Giving evidence behind a screen, Ms Alneaimi said she was surrounded by friends of the 31-year-old Mr Henderson.

She said "all of a sudden" she heard him shout abusive language to a passer-by and then started calling females in the streets prostitutes.

"He wasn't preaching at the time - he was just a by-stander like myself," she said.

"He started saying things like 'Look at your tight jeans'. "He said 'You shall burn in hell, look at your jeans they are so tight. You will burn in hell for wearing such clothes'. [BBC] Read more

‘Satanic Verses’ author Salman Rushdie: ‘Today, I would be accused of Islamophobia, racism’

Novelist Salman Rushdie spent two decades in hiding under the protection of the British government over a 1989 death sentence imposed on him by the Iranian government and murderous threats by other Muslims for purported blasphemy against the prophet Muhammad in his novel “The Satanic Verses.”

He doubts that would happen today.

Now, Mr. Rushdie says in an interview with a French magazine, Western governments are too eager to appease Islamism, both at home and abroad. He was also sharply critical of President Obama for his reluctance to use the I-word when speaking of terrorism.

“Today, I would be accused of Islamophobia and racism. People would say I had attacked a cultural minority,” the writer told Le Point magazine in an interview excerpted in the newspaper Le Figaro and translated with computer assistance by The Washington Times. [The Washington Times] Read more

Geert Wilders: maverick who could ride anti-Islam wave to the top of Dutch politics

He’s been called a “demagoue” and a “cheat” by the UN human rights chief and his party’s electoral platform, which calls for all mosques and Islamic schools to be closed, radicalised Muslims to be arrested as a precaution and a complete stop to asylum in the Netherlands has been called a “societal threat” by the prime minister. But none of that is likely to bother Geert Wilders.

Despite what many would view as his extreme views on Islam and immigration, his party is riding high in the polls and looks set to be the largest in the Dutch parliament after the next election in March 2017.

Wilders is one of the best-known politicians in Europe. Arguably, he is more familiar to the European public than any other living Dutch politician. How many, for example, can without going online name the current Dutch prime minister? [The Conversation] Read more

France Islam: Valls slams New York Times report on burkini ban

The French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, has accused the New York Times of painting an "unacceptable" picture of his country with an article about discrimination against Muslim women.

The report was prompted by the debate over controversial bans on Islamic swimsuits in many French Riviera towns.

Mr Valls said such bans were part of a "fight for the freedom of women".

The paper said it stood by the article. Some Muslims say they are being targeted unfairly over burkinis.

An increasing number of court rulings have rejected bans on the full-body swimsuit, including in Nice, where an attack on 14 July killed 84 people during Bastille Day celebrations.

Some of the women quoted by the NYT said the clothing was a chance for them to take part in activities, such as going to the beach, in line with their religious beliefs.

Many also complained of an alleged discrimination by non-Muslims exacerbated by the recent attacks in France and Belgium, and of restrictions in wearing the headscarf, banned in French public buildings. [BBC] Read more

Norwegian hairdresser who threw woman out of salon for wearing hijab faces six-month jail term

A hairdresser who threw a woman out of her salon because she was wearing a hijab is facing six-months in prison. Business owner Merete Hodne, 47, refused to colour 24-year-old Malika Bayan’s hair and said she did not want “this evil” inside the salon.

She also claimed she would be forced to discriminate against her male customers if she had to ask them to leave if Ms Bayan could not show her hair in front of them.

The incident at the salon in Bryne, south west Norway, was reported to police in October and Ms Hodne was ordered to pay a fine of 8,800 krone (£800) by police, but she has refused to pay the fine and is due to appear in court on Thursday.

Ms Hodne could be sentenced to six months in prison if she is found to have discriminated against Ms Bayan, the Express reports.

But she said if the court rules against her she is willing to appeal all the way to the European Court of Human Rights. [The Independent] Read more

The politics of fear: how Britain’s anti-extremism strategy has failed

The British government, like its European and US counterparts, has been struggling to find an effective strategy to counter “radicalisation” within Muslim communities. When programmes like Prevent were established, they quickly came under heavy criticism, both for their approach and for their poor results. Over a decade on, it is clear not a single anti-radicalisation scheme, either in Europe or the US, has proved effective.

There are several reasons for this. To begin with there is the terminology employed. Religious radicalisation is described as a process through which individuals pursue a continuing trajectory, leading from a “moderate” understanding and practice of religion, to an increasingly violent or extremist involvement. Nothing could be further from reality.

The religious practice of the overwhelming majority of those caught up by Isis propaganda is weak at best, and mostly partial or very recent. This diagnosis has been reconfirmed time and time again since 11 September 2001. Far from being “radicalised”, such vulnerable individuals slide into terrorist action not because they are supportive of Isis and its claim to “Islam”, but for mostly non-religious reasons. [Tariq Ramadan, 547 comments]

[TOP RATED COMMENT 331 votes] "At present, those organisations – the “good Muslims”– which the government collaborates with or finances, frequently enjoy no street credibility: how could they, if they never criticise the domestic or foreign policies of their government sponsor?"

The whole problem is the politicising of Islam – and you suggest we pander to it? Religion is just about ok if it consists of private prayer, observance of rituals, festivals and so on. The moment it’s used as a prism to view political events, it’s already too ‘radical’.

Expressing political views is a right – so is holding religious views. But combining the two things results in a third column of people born in Bradford or Marseilles who think that the war in Palestine is an attack on them personally – they’re part of the problem, not part of the solution.

[2ND 249] ".... how Britain’s anti-extremism strategy has failed"

This isn't a uniquely British problem. There are problems with radical Muslims all over Europe. The title should be how Islam’s anti-extremism strategy has failed.

[3RD 204] Is there any way of suggesting Islam might have failed Muslims, and everyone else, by having so many murderous, totalitarian thugs?

Or is that exogenous, and the only discussion we have is how wrong we are in the way we are going about dealing with it?

[4TH 176 ] SOMEONE SAID: "As a percentage of the number of Muslims in the world, the murderous totalitarian thugs are in a very small minority."

Sure they are; it's people like the 52% of British Muslims who think homosexuality should be illegal for whom you can just drop the word "murderous" and think everything's fine and dandy.

"Unfortunately, we love to give them what Thatcher called "the oxygen of publicity""

It's hard not to when they blow up the fucking tube.

"The reaction of many Muslims in this country when Anjem Choudary was locked up recently was "what took you long?"."

Don't make me laugh; more people marched against the Satanic Verses, calling for the death of its author, than have ever marched against Anjem Choudary.

"This was a man who was banned from mosques up and down the country, yet was regularly given a slot on heavyweight programmes like Newsnight and Today as though he spoke for some kind of constituency."

A man who had followers who actually have committed acts of terrorism on British soil.

[5TH 173] The most important thing to remember here is that we are not the problem. There is no chance I will ever become an islamic terrorist.

You should be broadcasting your message in muslim held areas and towns. Do muslim terrorists even read the Guardian?

[6TH 162] "The UK government has created an atmosphere of suspicion and stigmatisation of Muslims."

Maybe they've not calmed it, but I think the self exploding Muslims and those driving trucks into toddlers created the suspicion and stigmatisation.

Until Islam gets it own reformation, you're going to look bad as it appears to many to be a horrible and misogynistic religion.

[7TH 158] "Some individuals have been jailed in the UK, Germany and in Belgium, or have been detained under house arrest in France, because of so-called suspicious activities – such as visiting a website, or for expressing their views on Syria or Palestine which are deemed “dangerous”."

I'm sure that that website didn't feature pictures of cats, and that if you'd print those "views" on Syria or Palestine in full people would be a lot less sympathetic.

Here's an idea: instead of putting the blame for the radicalisation of Muslims squarely at the feet of the West, why don't you try some introspection and admit that all the worst atrocities committed by ISIS, from sex slavery to beheadings and crucifixions and even acts of genocide (killing all the males in a tribe), were sanctioned and/or practiced by Muhammad, Islam's founding prophet. [Guardian Cif] Read more

‘I’ve Become a Racist’: Migrant Wave Unleashes Danish Tensions Over Identity

Johnny Christensen, a stout and silver-whiskered retired bank employee, always thought of himself as sympathetic to people fleeing war and welcoming to immigrants. But after more than 36,000 mostly Muslim asylum seekers poured into Denmark over the past two years, Mr. Christensen, 65, said, “I’ve become a racist.”

He believes these new migrants are draining Denmark’s cherished social-welfare system but failing to adapt to its customs. “Just kick them out,” he said, unleashing a mighty kick at an imaginary target on a suburban sidewalk. “These Muslims want to keep their own culture, but we have our own rules here and everyone must follow them.”

Denmark, a small and orderly nation with a progressive self-image, is built on a social covenant: In return for some of the world’s highest wages and benefits, people are expected to work hard and pay into the system. Newcomers must quickly learn Danish — and adapt to norms like keeping tidy gardens and riding bicycles.

The country had little experience with immigrants until 1967, when the first “guest workers” were invited from Turkey, Pakistan and what was then Yugoslavia. Its 5.7 million people remain overwhelmingly native born, though the percentage has dropped to 88 today from 97 in 1980. [NYTimes.com] Read more

Prevent strategy has more pros than cons

Tariq Ramadan (The politics of fear: how anti-extremism strategy has failed, 5 September) displays a complete lack of understanding of the Prevent programme that is designed to safeguard people who are vulnerable to radicalisation. The Prevent strategy has never conflated religious practice with radicalisation.

Indeed, we are clear there is no single path to radicalisation, just as there is no single red flag that identifies it. In fact, Prevent’s multi-agency approach recognises that factors such as mental health, substance abuse and social circumstances are crucial factors.

What is more, Prevent also deals with far-right extremism. Of course, this is difficult and challenging work, but the kind of grassroots education that Professor Ramadan calls for is already happening around the country. Civil society groups supported by Prevent ran 130 projects last year, reaching more than 25,000 people and countering radicalisation in numerous communities. [The Guardian] Read more

A French mayor’s defence of the burkini ban

Béziers’s mayor Robert Ménard is adamant that France’s highest court has got it wrong. ‘The burkini should be banned, it’s a provocative symbol, nothing to do with modesty,’ he says.

‘Two years, a year ago, burkinis didn’t exist on our beaches. Now people are wearing them to make a point. But this is a Christian country. If we go to the Middle East we must abide by the rules and customs of that country. I think people who come to live here should do likewise.’

He is possibly France’s most interesting and controversial politician, a former journalist who is demonised by the left and increasingly idolised by the right. He was elected two-and-a-half years ago with the support of the Front National, the party of Marine Le Pen, but not on their ticket.

His critics say that he has launched a racist crusade. He made a video last year, which went viral, in which he visited immigrants from Syria and told them they were not welcome if they broke into houses and stole electricity and water. [The Spectator] Read more

Corsica parents 'block women in headscarves'

Five women wearing the Islamic headscarf have been prevented from entering a nursery school in Corsica by other parents, local media report.

Police intervened to calm the incident in Bonifacio, local media reported.

Staff and pupils at French schools are banned from wearing religious symbols - but parents are not.

Tensions between Muslims and other locals have been simmering in southern France, particularly after a jihadist in a lorry murdered 86 people in Nice.

Monday's incident in Bonifacio took place as children returned to school after the summer holiday.

The parents who blocked the women said they were unhappy because their children were reprimanded if staff saw their Christian crosses. [BBC] Read more

Sharia Academic: ‘Inherently Discriminatory’ Sharia Councils Have No Place in Britain

Sharia courts should be abolished in Britain, and British courts handed legal powers to adjudicate on Islamic divorce, an expert in Sharia has advised a government committee.

In written evidence to be submitted to the Home Office Select Committee’s inquiry into Sharia councils in the UK, Elham Manea, associate professor in Middle East studies at Zurich University, argues that making it mandatory for Islamic marriage ceremonies to be accompanied by a civil marriage will nullify the need for Sharia councils in the UK, as they are overwhelmingly used by women seeking a divorce.

Under Islamic law, men can divorce their wives simply by saying “talaq” (“I divorce you”) three times. But women must gain a judicial decree, or forgo all financial rights, in order to obtain a divorce from a sharia judge, in a process which costs £400. Many women report having been pressured by the council into staying with their husbands under the guise of taking part in mediation. [Breitbart London] Read more

A French imam’s argument for why Islam belongs in France

Tareq Oubrou is the leader of the Muslim community in a city famous for the earthy red wines that have made this region a household name — and that his followers are forbidden from sampling.

But after three major terrorist attacks in two years and recent controversy over the “burkini” swimsuit, Oubrou has become France’s leading advocate for an Islam that is progressive, inclusive and, most of all, French.

In a series of articles, television interviews and now a popular book, Oubrou has publicly criticized the headscarf, argued for welcoming homosexual Muslims into the faith and equated the essence of Islam with the basic French idea of human emancipation.

For this imam, the two are one and the same — and entirely unrelated to the frequent public debate over what Muslim women wear, either on the street or on the beach. [The Washington Post] Read more

UK courts should be able to issue Islamic divorces, sharia expert says

British courts should be able to issue Islamic divorces via a specialised unit set up to protect the rights of Muslim women, a leading expert in sharia law will advise a House of Commons inquiry.

In recommendations to the home affairs select committee, Elham Manea, associate professor in Middle East studies at Zurich University, will also argue for mandatory civil marriages alongside religious ceremonies, and say imams who violate the rules should be given harsh sanctions.

Manea, who spent four years researching the UK’s sharia councils and recently published a book on her findings, says the measures would render “inherently discriminatory” sharia councils redundant because they are mainly used by women seeking an Islamic divorce.

Under sharia law, men can divorce their wives unilaterally by pronouncing talaq (divorce) three times, but women must get a judicial decree on specific grounds or give up financial rights to obtain a divorce from a religious judge, a process that costs up to £400. [The Guardian] Read more

Councils ‘ignoring’ illegal faith schools

Attempts to close and prosecute illegal Muslim schools are being impeded by some local authorities anxious not to upset community relations, Ofsted’s chief inspector has warned.

In an interview with The Times, Sir Michael Wilshaw accuses some councils of “getting in the way” of his efforts to stop children from being taught in unregistered schools, without checks on their safety or education.

Ofsted has identified 150 to 160 of these potentially illegal schools, which it regards as only the “tip of the iceberg”. The education watchdog is preparing six potential cases for prosecutions and working with the Crown Prosecution Service to pursue illegal schools in the courts. Sir Michael said Ofsted’s lawyers believed, however, that some cases risk being weakened because of the “political correctness” of local authority officials, who fail to report them. [The Times (£)] Read more

The Battle for British Islam

The Battle for British Islam is a frustrating book to read. This is not to criticise Sara Khan, or co-author Tony McMahon – it’s simply a function of the story they have to tell. The authors offer an invaluable tour d’horizon of the different movements, events and (re)groupings which have shaped British Muslim identity and experience over the last couple of decades or so. A particular focus is the Government’s counter-extremism policy and the very concerted resistance it faces. [Harry’s Place] Read more

Angela Merkel and Marine Le Pen: one of them will shape Europe’s future

Two very different women hold Europe’s future in their hands – and neither of them is Theresa May. The battle for Europe’s soul is being waged between Angela Merkel and Marine Le Pen. This is a clash of personalities and visions: Germany’s chancellor v the leader of France’s Front National, the largest far-right party in Europe.

.... It is only partly reassuring to say that Le Pen has little chance of becoming president next year (the French electoral system makes that difficult). The trouble is, in recent months, her brand of anti-Muslim, xenophobic and nationalistic politics has spread across the French mainstream right like wildfire.

Le Pen is fast capitalising on this summer’s burkini episode and on the national trauma left by jihadi terrorism. It’s hard to see which French politician or movement can find the authority and strength to push back against her ideas, or counter their appeal among the French suburban middle classes as well as in rural areas. [Natalie Nougayrède, 975 comments]

[TOP RATED COMMENT 569 votes] But surely the Left has helped drive the debate to extreme positions by its seeming inability to differentiate between white supremacist nutjob racists and the "Mrs Duffy's" of this world and treating them as if they equalled the same thing?

[2ND 557] Well, Merkel's obviously failed so lets see what Marine can do!

[3RD 503] Well, Merkel has certainly done her best to screw up Europe's future.

Maybe Le Pen can reverse some of Merkel's follies

[4TH 443] One of them has helped destroy Europe's social fabric and caused divisions that will never be heeled

The other one is Marine Le Pen

[5TH 440] The pendulum of history swings from right to left - extreme swings create devastation on both sides.

What Merkel has failed to realize is that her recent decision to welcome the worlds' Refugees / Migrants into Germany has created a deep groundswell of opinion that regards her as selling out the German nation for an Internationalist cultural ideal

[6TH 428] They'll both shape the future - Angela is helping Marine get elected.

[7TH 354] Angela Merkel and Marine Le Pen: one of them will shape Europe’s future

One of them already has. Hideously. [Guardian Cif] Read more

Officials deny NZ meat industry favours Muslim religion

Officials have poured cold water over a Kiwi farmer's concerns that New Zealand's meat industry only caters to the Muslim religion.

The majority of meat works in New Zealand are halal-certified and comply with strict Islamic guidelines, including that the beast must have its throat cut by a Muslim slaughterman in the name of Allah while it is facing towards Mecca.

Kiwi farmer Ken Riddle told NZME the halal-requirements compromised his own Christian beliefs and recently decided to slaughter one of his cows at his North Island farm in order to avoid funding another religion.

Riddle questioned whether the halal-criteria was discriminating New Zealand meat workers based on religion as those employed to actually slaughter the animals all had to be practising Muslims. [NZ Herald] Read more

Halal industry concerns farmer

A Horowhenua man says he wants to know why New Zealand's meat industry only caters towards one religious point of view.

Ken Riddle wrote to The Chronicle that he was surprised to find the majority of meatworks in New Zealand were halal only.

Halal means "permissible" in Arabic and in reference to food and drink means that it complies under the guidelines of Islamic law, an essential part of the Muslim faith.

In slaughter, the animal dies from the "halal cut" to the throat, is faced towards Mecca and killed in the name of Allah by a Muslim slaughterman.

In New Zealand, animals are unconscious, complying with both animal welfare and halal requirements.

Mr Riddle said he's had a journey of discovery about the industry, which he believes most Kiwis aren't aware of. [Wanganui Chronicle] Read more

Top Academic: Muslims Would Not Tolerate Multiculturalism in Islamic Countries

Professor Afshin Ellian has warned that bleats of “multiculturalism” are a one-way street as Muslims in Europe oppress historic minorities in their own lands and have no intention of showing “tolerance”.

The Iranian-born professor of law argues that while Muslim migrants are quick to claim their customs under “multiculturalism”, they have no intention of reciprocating.

Writing in Elsevier magazine, Dr. Ellian says Muslims rapidly learn the rules of multiculturalism and push for their place in society but have no intention of adopting any sort of progressive ideals.

“The Islamic world is not multicultural. New migrants in Europe rapidly learn the rules of multiculturalism — claim your place in society! Minorities do not take the progressive ideals, but the despotism of their country of origin as a starting point”, he stated in the Dutch weekly.

The professor points out that while economic migration is normal, workers usually migrate within their own region.

Giving examples of Afghan and Pakistani workers in Iran, and Zimbabweans in South Africa Dr. Ellian notes that migration does not usually bring forth multicultural societies. [Breitbart London] Read more

Burkini ban suspended by Nice court, dismissing claim of public order risk

A Nice court finally suspended the burkini ban on Thursday after city authorities had defied a ruling by the country’s highest administrative court.

Judges in Nice said the terror attack on 14 July in the French Riviera resort city gave insufficient grounds to justify such a ban.

Thursday’s decision follows last week’s ruling by France’s highest administrative court, in a test case expected to set a legal precedent, to suspend the burkini ban in one French Riviera town. Bans have introduced by about 30 towns, mainly in the south-east.

Nice and several towns had ignored the ruling and kept their bans in place in the midst of a raging debate about religious clothing in secular France. [The Guardian] Read more

Muslim women may wear veil 'to allow them to integrate more'

Young, highly educated Muslim women who live in modern, urban environments may be choosing to wear the veil because it enables them to mix with non-Muslim friends, work outside the home and interact with strangers, according to the first empirical study into why wearing the veil increases alongside modernisation.

Attempts to force Muslim women to stop wearing the veil might, therefore, be counterproductive by depriving them of the choice and opportunity to integrate: if women cannot signal their piety through wearing a veil, they might choose or be forced to stay at home, concludes the study, published in the Oxford University Press’s European Social Review.

“For highly religious women, we found the modernising forces of education, occupation and higher income, urban living, and contacts with non-Muslims actually increase veiling,” said Ozan Aksoy, co-author of the report, Behind the Veil: The Strategic Use of Religious Garb. [The Guardian] Read more

British public back a ban on burka by two to one, poll finds

A majority of the British public are in favour of banning the burka in public, a poll has found, while almost half say the burkini should be prohibited.

The findings come as a controversial ban on the burkini in France has stirred debate on the subject of Muslim clothing.

Although the country's highest administrative court overturned the ban on the Islamic swimsuit on Friday, mayors have vowed to defy the ruling.

The issue has been widely debated in Britain ever since France became the first European country to ban the burqa - the Islamic full-face veil - in 2011.

According to the YouGov survey, 57% of respondents in the UK supported banning the veil in public places, while 25% were against outlawing it. [The Telegraph] Read more

'No other religion is causing problems' Le Pen continues to back burkini ban

The National Front leader has been among the most prominent figures supporting the ban on the swimsuit – which was overturned by France’s highest court last month.

In an interview with CNN, the 48-year-old also threw her support behind Donald Trump in the US presidential election.

She said: “The burkini is a symptom. One of the multiple symptoms of the rise of fundamentalist Islam in France for many years.

“It is about demands that are designed to say ‘We Muslims, though not all are in agreement with this, we want to eat differently, we want to live differently, and we want to dress differently’.”

She also said Islamic fundamentalists desire to impose their own rules on France.

When asked by CNN why Muslim women were being targeted by the proposed bans Ms Le Pen said: “Because it is fundamentalist Muslims that are causing problems in France.

“No other religion is causing problems.” [Daily Express] Read more

CDU-CSU bloc says Germany needs new laws on 'child marriage'

The Christian Democrats and their Bavarian allies in the Christian Social Union are looking into measures against the problem that they have identified as " child marriage," defined as unions in which at least one partner is younger than 18 years old.

"The priority of child welfare and the equal treatment of men and women are pillars of our society and our understanding of our values," legislators from the right-wing bloc wrote in a strategy paper quoted in Thursday's edition of the "Passauer Neue Presse."

That paper estimates more than 1,000 such unions have been registered in Germany - largely connected with the influx of foreign migrants to the country over the last year.

"The annulment of foreign child marriages must be the policy going forward," the lawmakers added. "When the youth office becomes aware of a child marriage in the future, it must file a petition for annulment," they wrote. [Deutsche Welle] Read more