Scathing U.S. view of French unrest and Muslim integration in WikiLeaks

The U.S. embassy in Paris turns out to be one of the sharpest critics of France’s track record in integrating its Muslim minority. Thanks to WikiLeaks, we now have its unvarnished view of the 2005 unrest in the poor suburbs of Paris and other large cities.

It is a scathing indictment that goes beyond even what many of the government’s domestic critics at the time were saying. It may also go beyond most if not all of the criticisms of domestic policy found in cables from other European capitals (has anyone found anything more devastating elsewhere?). Here is our overall news report on the cables. Some excerpts from the key cables are copied below. [Reuters Blogs - FaithWorld] Read more

Believe this, or else

.... The resolution is designed to bolster discriminatory laws in Muslim countries and to combat Islamophobia in non-Muslim countries, in many of which, the OIC says, there is a campaign to promote intolerance, especially by linking Islam with violence and terrorism.

The danger of even a non-binding resolution, according to campaigner Nigel Rooke, is that it utterly contradicts the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and will be used to legitimise blasphemy and apostasy laws (which make it a capital offence to convert from Islam) in the countries that have them.

.... "The Australian government considers human rights are about protecting the rights of individuals, rather than the protection of institutions," he said.

Tragic tales like that of Asia Bibi or Latif Masih are far from unusual. If the resolution passes they will become much more widespread, because many Islamic states and Islamist groups will treat it as tacit UN approval to jail, torture and kill Christians, Sabaean Mandeans, Baha'is, Ahmadiyyas and other minorities. Open Doors's Nigel Rooke says: "Once you put an ideal above human beings, you open up serious abuses. Minority groups in these nations will face deeper persecution." [The Age] Read more

Muslim imam who lectures on non-violence in Germany is arrested for beating up his wife

A Muslim imam who lectures on non-violence and advises the German government on interfaith issues has been arrested in Germany for beating up his wife.

Sheikh Abu Adam, 40, is now on remand in Munich while his wife, 31, is being guarded by police. She was allegedly assaulted so badly that she suffered a broken nose and shoulder and numerous cuts and bruises.

Media reports claimed the woman, who has borne one of his ten children, wanted to live a more 'western' lifestyle and was allegedly attacked after telling her husband.

The police said they received a call from a lawyer hired by the victim. Adam is alleged to have shouted a verse from the Koran at his wife as he beat her. [MailOnline] Read more

No charges for Koran burning teen

A 15-year-old schoolgirl who burnt an English language version of the Koran will not face criminal charges, the Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed.

The West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service said it had also decided to take no action against a 14-year-old boy who made threats about the girl on a social networking site.

In a statement, the CPS said there was sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction against each teenager, but prosecutions would not be in the public interest.

The girl, who has not been named but is known to attend a school in the Sandwell area of the West Midlands, was arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred on November 19 after posting footage of the incident on Facebook. [UKPA] Read more

Why is the American ambassador visiting the East London Mosque?

The East London Mosque is among Britain's most extreme Islamic institutions. Built with financial aid from Saudi Arabia, the sprawling facility is home to the London Muslim Center where incendiary preachers are regularly welcomed. On Monday, the East London Mosque hosted a very different kind of visitor-the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, Louis Susman. Urged by President

Barack Obama to engage with British Muslims, Mr. Susman spoke of his "great admiration" for the mosque and his enthusiasm for meeting its staff.

By any measure the East London mosque is a troubling institution. Last year, for example, it hosted an event titled "The End of Time: A New Beginning," where pamphlets were distributed showing Manhattan crumbling under a Hadean apocalypse of meteors, which shattered the Statute of Liberty asunder and set the city ablaze.

One of the invited speakers, Khalid Yasin, described the beliefs of Christians and Jews as "filth." Most worryingly, the event also featured a live video question-and-answer session with Anwar Al Awlaki, the U.S.-born preacher aligned with al Qaeda. [Standpoint] Read more

The Centrality of Tradition in Sunni Muslim Society

Although there is a debate among scholars of Islam and the Muslim world as to whether Islam is the most important factor in the daily lives of all Muslims, irrespective of nationality, people in the Western world find it hard to accept that medieval texts can dictate the daily routine of other societies -- a result of mirror imaging, of assuming that everyone is "just like us," from which Westerners suffer when they try to understand the Muslim world.

For Muslims, Muhammed was the ideal Muslim. Sunni Muslims believe that they should model their behavior and pattern their lives after his. This means blindly imitating his habits, practices, and lifestyle whether they understand why he did what he did or not. This is called the Sunna (in Arabic, The Way of Life). In it, how the perfect man – Muhammed -- acted is how all Muslims should act; those who imitate Muhammed are called Sunnis. [Hudson New York] Read more

Islamic extremism: is this the year's most embarrassing academic report?

.... the primary purpose of the Lambert- Githens-Mazer dodgy dossier is not academic; it is political. The authors’ real aim is not to defend Britain’s Muslims, but to defend their own paymasters, the Islamist leaders of the IFE and its allies.

As they put it: “It is impossible to deal effectively with the multi-faceted problem of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred without grasping the nettle of neo-Conservative campaigning against effective, credible, politically-active Muslims like Dr Bari.”

.... The report is so transparently shrill and dishonest that I really don’t think the Islamists have got their money’s worth. Even the usual suspects online and in the press seem to have ignored it and the report is no longer available to download from the Cordoba website. Perhaps they’ve realised what an own goal it is.

The more important financial question is for Exeter University. I know universities need to get income from wherever they can these days, but the price of this particular funding in terms of political pain, media attention and academic credibility could turn out to be rather high. [telegraph.co.uk] Read more

The civil war among Muslims in Britain

The previous government’s controversial programme for preventing violent extremism is currently being reviewed by the Home Office. How did it happen that programmes which were introduced with the aim of promoting “community cohesion” and preventing the influence of violent extremists ended up achieving the opposite of what they set out to achieve?

Since the introduction of such programmes British Muslim communities have been engaged in what is effectively a ‘civil war’ which has left young Muslims (the intended beneficiaries of the programmes) further marginalised and more vulnerable to extremist ideas. [independent.co.uk] Read more

Wrong to ban student with niqab: ombudsman

“According to the DO’s assessment, kicking a student out of class simply because she was wearing a niqab, without taking into account the specific circumstances of her participation, violates the law against discrimination,” Equality Ombudsman Katri Linna wrote in an opinion article in the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper.

Linna’s decision stems from a January 2009 incident in which a Muslim woman was was told she would no longer be welcome at an adult education college in Spånga, west of Stockholm, if she continued to wear her niqab. The niqab is part of a hijab headress and covers the entire face except for the eyes. [The Local] Read more [via Islam in Europe]

Germans most critical of Islam

Germans are much more critical of Islam than other European countries. Sociologist Detlef Pollack of the University of Münster conducted a survey "Religion and Politics", and interviewed 1000 people in Germany, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Portugal about their attitudes towards Islam.

The study showed that 40% of West-Germans and 50% of East Germans feel threatened by foreign cultures.

Less than 5% of the Germans say that Islam is tolerant, compared to more than 20% of the Danes, French and Dutch say that Islam is tolerant. Although those countries have violent conflicts with their Muslim minorities, a clear majority had a positive image of Muslims.

In West-Germany, only 34% had a positive opinion of Muslims, and in East Germany, only 26% [Islam in Europe] Read more

Muslims and the Daily Star

During November, only seven different topics appeared as the front page lead on the Daily Star and Daily Star Sunday. Here's the list, together with the number of times they appeared:

• The X Factor - 12 days
• Katie Price and/or Peter Andre - 6 days
• Muslims - 3 days
• Footballers - 3 days
• Royal Wedding - 3 days
• I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here - 2 days
• Gordon Ramsay - 1 day

So for almost half the month, half-true (at best) stories about reality TV shows dominated the Star's front page. Another ten front pages were wasted on the sex lives and family feuds of celebs, chefs and footballers. Three front pages were devoted to the Royal Wedding. [Tabloid Watch] Read more [via Islamophobia Watch]

State of Muslim-West Relations

.... Section 5: Muslims’ Voices on the Meaning of Respect: On one hand, Muslims (63%) believe predominantly Muslim communities respect the West, and on the other, fewer than 3 in 10 Muslims (28%) believe the West respects them. Interestingly, significant proportions of non-Muslims share this sentiment as 42% say they do not believe the West respects predominantly Muslim societies.

Perceptions of disrespect are highest among residents of the MENA region (65%) and lowest among residents living in Europe (35%) and sub-Saharan Africa (37%). In the U.S., 53% of the American public say the West does not respect majority Muslim communities.

When asked what the West could do to improve relations with predominantly Muslim societies, Muslims say “respect Islam.” The most meaningful action to display respect revolves around religious symbols. Seventy-two percent of Muslims say abstaining from desecrating Islam’s holy book and Muslim religious symbols would be very meaningful to them. Muslims also report respect as being treated fairly in policies that affect them (54%) and portraying Muslim movie characters in an accurate manner (49%). [Gallup] Read more

Indonesia's Islamic laws are 'abusive', report says

Two Islamic laws applied in the Indonesian province of Aceh violate people's rights and are implemented abusively, Human Rights Watch says. Encouraging the community to enforce Sharia laws resulted in arbitrary arrests, abuses and torture, HRW says.

In one incident, an unmarried couple were dragged into the streets by a crowd and assaulted. The government is reviewing local laws that could be in conflict with constitutional rights, officials said.

Aceh's unique autonomy status within Indonesia allows it to implement Sharia as a formal legal system. [BBC] Read more

The Truth About Islam: In Rebuttal to a Recent Article Published in The Tennessean

.... It is a fact that the Wahhabi philosophy is diametrically opposed to the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States in every detail. It is also a fact that Saudi monies have played a large role in funding American colleges and universities. It is a fact that the Saudi regime itself promotes no democratic participation.

Does my citing of these facts constitute hatred of Arabs? Of course not. It merely indicates and states the power and influence of a political system beyond and within its own borders -- and we would be well served to consider the consequences of ignoring that influence and power and allowing a doctrine that is so blatantly opposed to our Constitutional belief system go unchallenged.

.... all the foregoing facts dictate with precise clarity the reality of the situation: fundamental, literal Islam presents itself as an ideology that is diametrically opposed to our Constitution and thus our country.

The mandate this reality dictates should be clear to all as well -- it is and should be the duty of every American to vigorously oppose the growth of an ideology that inherently contradicts our founding principles and documents and calls for the destruction of the freedoms and way of life those principles have established for Americans and for much of the free world. [New English Review] Read more

The Downfall of Political Islam

The theme of my argument is the following statement: Islam, as a religion, has nothing to offer to economic or political theory. This simple idea has serious consequences. Political Islam, when it runs the country, will ultimately fail. It has no appropriate agenda that provides solutions to real political or economic challenges such as underdevelopment, unemployment, inflation, recession, poverty, just to mention a few.

(I will not touch upon the most significant political-socioeconomic issue which is income inequalities, because Islam accepts a society composed of very rich classes living side by side with very poor classes- examples can be found from history or from today’s Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, and Iran). While some Islamists continue to claim the existence of “Islamic economics,” they have failed in producing anything close to a simple theory of economics. [New English Review] Read more

Accept truth, in all its extremes

.... If a Christian or a Jew suddenly becomes more devout, there is very little chance that he or she will become violent. Quite the contrary. By contrast, religious zeal among Muslims is often expressed with bombs and the blood of innocents. Thousands of imams worldwide preach violent jihad, Islamic schools instill contempt for other faiths, and terrorists actively recruit killers willing to commit massacres for Allah.

Yet Attorney General Eric Holder cannot bring himself to say, under questioning before Congress, that terrorists might be motivated by “radical Islam.” The State Department and the Department of Homeland Security banned the words “jihad” and “mujahadeen” from official statements about terrorism. And the president removed the term “Islamic extremism” from the National Security Strategy. [Spokesman-Review] Read more [via National Secular Society]

Moving with the times

.... A Saudi man is to be lashed 70 times with the whip after he was caught using the Bluetooth feature in his mobile phone near a women’s shopping centre, the London-based Saudi Arabic language daily Alhayat reported Wednesday.

Members of the feared Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice grabbed the man after suspecting him when he came close to a women’s market in the central town of Taif, the paper said.

They handed him over to the authorities after they checked his mobile phone and found that the Bluetooth option was in operation, it said. [Mick Hartley] Read more

Islamists and Muslim Haters Share a Common View of Islam

Let’s make no mistake here. Neo Nazis will do whatever it takes to whip up hatred against minorities. They’re determined to see conflict between the different cultural groups who make up the population of the United Kingdom.

However, that’s precisely the aim of Islamist politicians, as well. Yet, Islamists continue present themselves as champions of Islam by claiming to fight ‘Islamophobia’. As I argued in my last article, that is a mere guise for more infiltration into mainstream British politics with view to furthering divisive Islamist goals. [Harry’s Place] Read more

Muslim group aims to reverse Swiss minaret ban

A Swiss Islamic group has said it was launching a popular initiative to reverse a ban on building new minarets in the Alpine state, saying voters would decide differently if the matter came up for referendum again.

Last year, 57.5 percent of Swiss voters approved a ban on the construction of new minarets, drawing international condemnation. The government had rejected the initiative as violating the constitution.

The plan to reverse the minaret ban comes a day after a majority of Swiss voted to back expulsion of foreigners convicted of serious crimes, the latest sign of growing hostility to immigration. [Reuters Blogs - FaithWorld] Read more

Leading rabbi says Europe risks being 'overrun' by Islam

.... Speaking to journalists .... Rabbi Rosen, the director of inter-religious affairs at the Washington-based American Jewish Congress, said that a predominantly secular and liberal Western European society is under threat from the rapid growth of Islamic communities which do not want to integrate with their neighbours.

"I am against building walls. My humanity is my most important component. But Western society very clearly doesn't have a strong identity. I would like Christians in Europe to become more Christian ... those who do not have a strong identity are easily overrun by those who do," the rabbi warned.

"I think there is a pretty good chance that your grandchildren, if they are not Muslim, then they will be very strong Roman Catholics," he told one Italian reporter. "I don't think a tepid identity can stand up to the challenge." [EUobserver.com] Read more [via loonwatch.com]

David Cameron on radicalised Muslims: 'We let in some crazies'

.... Cameron went on to criticise Labour's dealing with groups such as Hizb-ut-Tahrir and the Muslim Council of Britain. "On the radicalisation of British Pakistanis, Cameron said the UK had 'gotten it wrong domestically'

… He argued that PM [Gordon] Brown's policy had been too willing to engage with radicalised but non-violent Muslim groups … 'We let in some crazies,' Cameron said, 'and didn't wake up soon enough.' [guardian.co.uk] Read more

The Islamists’ Last Throw Of The Dice: Lambert and Githens-Mazer’s New Report

.... the Islamist political organisations are utterly blameless and credible community organisations, fully committed to common civic values, which just happen to keep getting caught up in scandals involving hate preaching and terrorism. So we are told, it is actually the fault of the “Neocons” that people react badly to these revelations, which shouldn’t really be reported at all.

This is a desperate argument. Vilifying Muslim liberals, while promoting organisations with very clear links to extremist and sometimes terrorist politics? Funded by the very institutions with links to the Islamist political parties that are being defended? I really don’t think many will buy that.

This is the Islamists’ last throw of the dice. Over the next few days, we will be publishing some of the more jaw-dropping passages from Lambert and Githens Mazer’s report. You will be astounded by what you read. [Harry’s Place] Read more

Hot off the press: unlocked copy of Lambert’s Islamophobia report

.... Unfortunately, those of you wanting to read Bob Lambert and Githens-Mazer’s latest exercise in intellectual onanism would find it rather difficult. You see, someone deliberately set the security settings so high on the document that it couldn’t be printed. The text couldn’t be cut and paste.

In fact, just about every security setting possible was applied. Which is kind of strange – you’d think the authors would want us all to read their sterling work. [Harry’s Place] Read more

The new Government needs to take urgent steps to counter sharia-based radicalisation - Part 3

In the previous two articles ... I have outlined how attitudes to sharia are the most important touchstone in defining radicalisation. Sharia is the boundary line that defines most clearly the difference between on the one hand, ordinary British Muslims who follow a traditional, devotional form of their faith and who contribute much to our British way of life and on the other hand, extremists who pose a serious threat to our historic British values and the freedoms they give us.

In 2007 research conducted by Policy Exchange revealed that 37% of British Muslims aged 16-24 said they would prefer to live under sharia than under British law, while a similar number of Muslims under 35 said they agreed with the sharia stipulation that anyone who converted from Islam to another faith should be executed. [ConservativeHome] Read more

Sharia is the touchstone for recognising and combatting radical Islam - Part 2 .... Today I want to address another related issue which the previous government entirely failed to get to grips with – how to identify radicalisation among British Muslims. In particular. I want to suggest that each individual Muslim's attitude to sharia is the touchstone for identifying radicalisation.

One of the major problems any government faces in identifying and combating radicalisation is separating ordinary British Muslims from radicals. The thorny issue here is that ordinary British Muslims, who are deeply peace-loving, have a primarily devotional faith.

However, they are largely unaware that the Islamic theological schools (madrassas) that train imans follow a theological curriculum that has remained largely unchanged for 400 years and has very similar teaching to radical Islamism concerning the imposition of Islamic law and government on non-Muslims. [ConservativeHome] Read more

Three tests for a new All-Party Group on Islamophobia

…. To have enough authority to support such an inquiry, the secretariat concerned must be representative of British Muslims (in so far as this is possible); certainly trusted by the various political, ethnic, national interests concerned; expert, and dispassionate.

Whatever one thinks of Engage's views, it doesn't fit this bill. It's essentially a monitoring website or an attack website (depending on one's point of view) which targets non-Islamist Muslims in particular .... It's unclear who staffs it.

Over the last two weeks, its 37 posts have prompted a mere 47 comments. Its Newsletter section contains only two items: the last one is dated October 2009. This doesn't suggest that it has a large readership, or is representative of any significant interest.

.... Any conclusions must be practical. A diatribe against Fleet Street would be futile. Suggestions of new religious hatred laws would be both wrong and counter-productive. A new state monitoring apparatus, or anything like it, would be wasteful.

Instead, any recommendations must concentrate on establishing facts; refining data; improving reporting; protecting mosques, worshippers, schools, pupils, events and citizens; working with the police; exchanging ideas with other religious groups. [conservativehome] Read more