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10 May 2011

Pointing the Finger: Islam and Muslims in the British Media

Edited by Julian Petley and Robin Richardson. Published by Oneworld Publications 2011. See here

This book is a rehash of research done between May 2006 and April 2007 for the GLA and the then Mayor of London (Ken Livingstone) and in early 2008 by the Cardiff School of Journalism. Note 1

There is no new information even though the marketing blurb calls it “ …. a critical analysis of recent media coverage …”. [Reviews of the original research can be found here and here]

I was angry at first realising I had spent £20 on a book the contents of which I knew already (and had indirectly paid for as a London tax payer) and which were freely available.

However the book is useful. It illustrates the warped and irrelevant thinking of western apologists for Islam and shows how little they have to contribute to the discussions on Islamophobia and Muslim integration.

The largest chapter of the book (emulating the original GLA report!) Note 2 is an attack on a BBC Panorama programme “A Question of Leadership” which heavily criticised the Muslim Council of Britain and its then General Secretary, Sir Iqbal Sacranie. The programme was broadcast in 2005 shortly after the July bombings.

Yes, that’s right, a single TV programme shown nearly seven years ago, and here we are in 2011, given it again as an example of how unfair we are to the MCB. It is not worth going over the Panorama programme even just one more time but a highlight was the accusation that Sacranie was playing politics with religion (following the bombings) and the impression he gave that he believed the Iraq war was a war on Islam.

What struck me reading it now was what a shame it was that he had not been pressed to explain how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were a war on Islam.

In the chapters of (apparently) more recent origin the authors explain their belief that all criticism of Islam (well 99.9%) is out of place. It stigmatises all Muslims even those who aren’t religious. It is an attack on their identity.

“…. Muslim identity is not necessarily or universally to do with holding distinctive beliefs or engaging in specific practices - it can be primarily to do with a sense of belonging, or of being perceived to belong, to a broad cultural tradition.” (p9)

You might wonder how a Christian can divorce himself from criticism of his culture, of the Catholic Church, for example; celibate priests, papal infallibility, anti birth-control, the Inquisition etc etc.

They produce a definition of Islamophobia which has nothing to do with Islam.

“A shorthand term referring to a multifaceted mix of discourse, behaviour and structures which express and perpetuate feelings of anxiety, fear, hostility and rejection towards Muslims, particularly but not only in countries where people of Muslim heritage live as minorities.” (p12)

The authors amplify this definition by describing other practices to which Islamophobia is similar but not identical. They identify seven such Islamophobic like practices devoting more words to some than to others. Here they are listed in the order presented in the book and showing the percentage of words devoted to each which it is reasonable to assume reflects the relative importance the authors attach to them.

• racism, xenophobia and xenoracism (sic) …. (27%)

• prejudices against Arab and other Muslim cultures (which developed in the Iberian peninsula and south-east Europe) from the eight century …. (29%)

• demonising of military and economic rivals particularly since the first Gulf war …. and in relation to political and military support for the state of Israel. (13%)

• fears, insecurities, scapegoating and moral panics relating to national identity which arises from globalisation and multiculturalism … (11%)

• pursuit, prosecution and punishment of terrorist organisations …. (9%)

• critiques of Islamic theology jurisprudence and political philosophy. (3%)

• critiques of the human rights records of certain countries where Islam is a feature of the dominant culture. (7%)

The mind boggles. It is undesirable to mention tyranny, suppression of other religions, persecution of minorities, inhuman punishments, etc, in countries “where Islam is a feature of the dominant culture”.

But there you have it. Islam itself, its beliefs, its practices, its interpretations, are worth only a measly 3% of their attention. What planet are they living on?

In the authors’ worldview the causes of Islamophobia are next to nothing to do with Islam and everything to do with the West’s own history and failings. Islamophobia is brought about by globalisation and the unsettling of nation-states. People are anxious. They quote Tariq Ramadan who believes Europe is going through an identity crisis.

“…. while European countries and citizens are going through a real and deep identity crisis, the new visibility of Muslims is problematic - and it is scary.” (p19)

A remarkable chapter on the veil blames the present European debate about face covering and burquas on colonialism and imperialism.

“It is the contention of this chapter that the debate about the veil cannot be understood outside the broader context of colonialism and imperialism.” (p174)

And in the same vein in regard to Lord Tebbit's famous 'cricket test' they say:

“But the intention of the test was not really about accepting 'our culture' but reviving colonial supremacy.” (p200)

Dave Spart couldn’t do better.

The people who criticise Islam are a sorry lot. They suffer especially from closed-mindedness. For example they are prone to any or all of the following:

• won’t change their views in the light of new facts and evidence;

• deliberately distort, or recklessly over-simplify, incontestable facts;

• caricature the views of people with whom they disagree;

• over-generalise;

• are abusive claiming their opponents are evil or insane or sub-human;

• use double standards;

• fail to see difference and disagreement as a resource for understanding more about oneself, not as a threat;

• fail to understand other people's views and standpoints in their own terms, and where they are coming from and the narratives and stories with which they interpret events;

• claim greater certainty than is warranted;

The British Media (the main object of the book) are as bad as the Islamophobes and encourage and peddle all the uncalled for criticism of Muslims. The press not only grossly exaggerates but makes up anti-Muslim stories. Another chapter from the GLA report is repeated detailing the truth behind four such stories published in 2005 (after the July bombings) and 2006.

When you look at the analysis of these stories, you find one had a grain of truth, one was clearly fabricated and aimed at Muslims, one wasn’t explicitly aimed at Muslims or Islam and might have had something to do with journalistic ignorance, and the last simply illustrated the difficulties and pitfalls of newspaper reporting, it is far-fetched to give it an anti-Muslim classification. Note 3

Yet another chapter lifted word-for-word from the GLA report gives the results of in-depth interviews with six Muslim journalists. Interestingly, even the authors of this book as much as they seize on any criticism to illustrate the failings of the press, can’t hide the glimmers of light revealed by some of the journalists’ verbatim comments.

“If a story's there and it's the biggest story in town they have to cover it. If it's what your readership asks for, you will respond. …. If you are a news editor getting letters saying you need to be stronger on this stuff, you will ... Some of the reporting after the London bombs was very good. It was reported very well and very sensitively.” (p241)

“I think the press has been pretty fair to Muslims. They don't really need to stitch people up, they do a good enough job of that themselves. My view is Muslims have got to address issues themselves, things like anti-semitism and homophobia that seem to be unchangeable within Muslim communities. As far as I'm concerned newspapers just report them as they are.” (p242)

“I take issue with many things done by British Muslims. If the media was doing its job it would help Britain's two million Muslims to be able to develop a kind of reasoned, questioning attitude within itself. And you are beginning to see that a bit.” (p243)

These Muslim journalists don’t see any great failing in the media in regard to Islam or Muslims. In the main their concerns are those of any journalist or career minded person. Perhaps because they actually work on the front line and deal with real cases and real people they also know that the occasional press stupidity is the price of a free press.

The book’s concluding chapter repeats word-for-word the 10 findings of the five year old Ken Livingstone GLA report. Here are the first three. Enough is enough. You get the idea.

1 The dominant view is that there is no common ground between the West and Islam, and that conflict between them is accordingly inevitable.

2 Muslims in Britain are depicted as a threat to traditional British customs, values and ways of life.

3 Alternative world views, understandings and opinions are not mentioned or are not given a fair hearing.

Underlying causes of Islamophobia are again paraded: globalisation, Britain’s decline as a world power, Britain in Europe, the end of empire, the rapid advance of social pluralism etc. The authors say we need “religious literacy”. For example, it is “religiously illiterate to suppose that imams in Islam have the same range of roles and responsibilities as clerics in Christianity. Equally, it is illiterate to equate an attack on a bishop of the established church with an attack on a cleric in a marginalised community subject to racist violence.” (p263)

You wonder if it ever occurs to the authors of this book that those (not all) who criticise Islam can change their mind in light of new evidence, they can understand things from different perspectives, they are well-informed knowing a great deal about Islam in its various forms.

That they are even young enough, less than 65 years, to be untainted by British Imperialism, that they welcome the benefits of globalisation, and they are quite clear who they are.

That there are issues that have nothing whatsoever to do with racism and everything to do with Islam. Let us look at a few examples.

Halal

The toleration of halal slaughter in the UK makes a mockery of democratic processes. A lot of people might not be too bothered, some may have strong feelings, but a regulation, a law, exists for a reason. What is the point of having it if a large part of the population can simply ignore it?

I’m not too keen on the double yellow lines around where I live. If I park on them it doesn’t seem to cause any problems. So, I’m going to park on them whenever I feel like it. And I think farmers and country people should have dispensation from the ban on fox hunting.

Sharia “Courts”

Sharia “courts” are divisive encouraging further segregation. Muslim women are pressured to use a sharia system totally biased in favour of men in divorce, distribution of assets, financial support, and the custody of children. They are ignorant and kept ignorant of the fairer treatment that British mediation and court services would give them.

There is growing evidence that these “courts” are involved in cases of domestic violence, a criminal matter, and are creating a system whereby Muslim men are treated with greater leniency than other males, and Muslim women are forced to live within violent husbands. According to the BBC a spokesperson for the Muslim Arbitration Tribunals headquarters claimed his organisation had held discussions with the CPS exploring “an alternative form of resolution” for domestic violence for Muslims in Britain. Disturbing discussions and news can be found here and here

The men, and they are all men, who oversee these sharia courts are often uneducated foreign imams who have little understanding of Britain and wish to retain their power over Muslim communities by making them even more isolated. The head of the UK Islamic Sharia Council caused a public outcry recently saying rape cannot be committed within marriage. See here

Politics

Many Muslims believe Islam provides a complete political system. This is the killer app so to speak and the reason why Muslims are viewed with suspicion. A conscientious Christian might say that Christianity is the basis of his politics but when a Muslim says the equivalent an alarm bell goes off.

Many, most even, in the West may be able mix their religion and their politics as Christians do. They want to bring a certain morality to politics, they don’t want to take it over. But we have examples all the time of Muslim figureheads and scholars extolling Islam as a comprehensive political solution. Note 4

And we have the slippery words of people like Sacranie and the over-the-top protests of the MCB when the BBC Panorama programme (p121) accurately quoted Sayyid Mawdudi an Islamist ideologue that many in the MCB admire saying ”in ideal Islamic state, private and public life would be inseparable. In this respect it would bear a kind of resemblance to the fascist and communist states". Note 5

As a political system Islam has always failed even allowing for periods in the past where it seemed to work for Muslims themselves for a while. Today the developments in Iran show clearly the tyrannical nature of an Islamic political system. This is just one example. There are many more.

It really is very simple. The key to progress and democracy is that people can peacefully get rid of governments that fail or they don’t like. Can you imagine any government or ruling class that believes it is doing God’s work, it is the party of God, peacefully passing the reins of power to someone else?

Notes

(1) Rehash of earlier research

Identical or similar chapters from GLA report “The search for common ground: Muslims, non-Muslims and the UK media” A report commissioned by the Mayor of London. Published November 2007.

Political Correctness Gone Mad (34 pages)
'A Question of Leadership': Who Speaks for British Muslims? (52 pages)
Keeping Your Integrity - and Your job: Voices from the Newsroom (29 pages)
Responsible Journalism (25 pages)

Identical or similar chapters “Images of Islam in the UK: The Representation of British Muslims in the National Print News Media 2000-2008”. By the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies. Published 7th July 2008.

Images of Islam in the UK: The Representation of British Muslims in the National Press (26 pages)
'This Idiotic Man': Sharia Law and the Archbishop' of Canterbury (20 pages)

The above account for 186 pages. There are four chapters that are apparently new accounting for 82 pages.

(2) One fifth of the Book

The chapter concerning the MCB, 'A Question of Leadership': Who Speaks for British Muslims?, in this book accounts for 20% of the content. One fifth!

The original chapter “Full and Fair Debate” – Who speaks for British Muslims” in the five year old Ken Livingstone GLA report accouts for almost one fifth of that report.

(3) Anti-Muslim Stories

“Council chiefs ban Christmas”

This story had a front-page splash with a huge headline 'Christmas is banned: it offends Muslims' and appeared in the Daily Express on 2 November 2005.

These was a grain of truth in this story.

A Council official later said “ …. it was never council policy to rename the Christmas Lights switch-on events, or to change the name to winter lights. The naming decisions were made at a local level and this inconsistency in naming should have been picked up before council literature went to print, but it wasn't spotted until it was too late.”

“Piggy banks to be sacrificed”

This was a front-page splash in the Daily Express on 24 October 2005. The explanatory title was 'Now the PC brigade bans piggy banks in case they upset Muslims.'

This story was a complete fabrication.

Piggy banks had featured on posters in a bank’s branches as part of a nationwide savings campaign. When the campaign finished the posters were taken down. End of story.

“Now Christ is banned”

Another front-page splash in the Daily Express on 4 November 2005 although neither headline nor the text referred explicitly to Muslims. It said “In the latest ludicrous attempt to tear down traditions, curators have banned the phrase BC - Before Christ and insist on using BP - Before Present - to avoid offending other faiths.”

This story indicates malicious intent and/or gross ignorance on the part of the journalists. The pre-history Museum in question had simply been following academic convention since 1950. This was the benchmark year in which calibration curves for carbon-14 dating were established.

“Political correctness gone mad”

This story broke in the national press on the 7 April 2006. It appeared in the Daily Telegraph under the headline “CPS 'Is Crazy' to Take Playtime Insults to Court”. There was no mention of Islam or Muslims.

A judge had lambasted the police and Crown Prosecution Service for taking a 10-year-old boy to court over a playground spat. He said the decision to prosecute the youngster accused of calling a fellow pupil a 'Paki' and a 'nigger' - was 'political correctness gone mad'.

This story simply illustrates the practical and human problems of every day reporting. No one made things up. When all the evidence came out it could be seen the police and CPS had good reason to take the case to court, and the judge apologized to the police.

(4) Islam is a complete political system

Many Muslims believe that Islam provides a complete political system. It is the basis of all law and is a model for how society and politics should be organised. This is not the belief of some insigificant minority and it is constantly propagated by leading Muslim figures and scholars. Here is a small selection of links that show this and how completely at odds Islam is with the secular world.

Why is secularism incompatible with Islam? By Yusuf Al-Qaradawi
.... For this reason, the call for secularism among Muslims is atheism and a rejection of Islam. Its acceptance as a basis for rule in place of Shari’ah is downright apostasy.
Read more

Separation Of Church And State By Dr. Ja`far Sheikh Idris
.... Secularism cannot be a solution for countries with a Muslim majority or even a sizeable minority, for it requires people to replace their God-given beliefs with an entirely different set of man-made beliefs. Separation of religion and state is not an option for Muslims because is requires us to abandon Allah's decree for that of a man. Read more

Cleric issues 48-page fatwa against democracy
The spiritual leader of Algeria's influential Salafist movement has issued a 48-page fatwa, or religious decree, urging Muslims to ignore calls for change because he says that democracy goes against Islam.
Read more

Muslim preachers laude revolution, slam democracy
.... The statement, however, criticized the revolution’s call for the installation of full democracies. Democracy, Muslim clerics argued, allows the people have the final say in their countries’ affairs, which leads to the prevalence of several un-Islamic practices. Read more

(5) MCB Objections

The MCB objected to the accurate Sayyid Mawdudi quotation ”…. in ideal Islamic state, private and public life would be inseparable. In this respect it would bear a kind of resemblance to the fascist and communist states" on the grounds that it was unfairly selected and ignored other statements.

Mawdudi also said “… a Muslim state being 'something vastly and basically different from the totalitarian and authoritarian states. Individual liberty is not suppressed under it nor is there any trace of dictatorship in it”.

Most people of rational mind or with a modicum of historical knowledge will see a contradiction between “private and public life would be inseparable” and “Individual liberty is not suppressed” and they know which would prevail.

06 May 2011

This is Why - Part 4

A continuous survey of causes of “Islamophobia”. Conflicts in Muslim countries and terrorism are excluded. See here for explanation of survey.

April 2011

Indonesian president warns Islamic radicalism rising

University campuses are 'hotbeds of Islamic extremism'

Militants wanted to film, broadcast Indonesian church attack, police say

Poll: Most Egyptians want Quran as source of laws

Low-key Easter preparations for Pakistan’s fearful Christians

Islamic cleric threatens jihad if child marriage is banned

Muslims should ask Congress to outlaw Qur'an-burning -- because it incites violence
…. in contrast to the burning of the American flag, which, he says, the Supreme Court declined to outlaw because "no disturbance of the peace actually occurred or threatened to occur."

The Latest Enemies of Iran: Dogs and Their Owners
The bill warns that that in addition to posing public health hazards, the popularity of dog ownership "also poses a cultural problem, a blind imitation of the vulgar culture of the West."

Muslim Brotherhood leader talks of applying Sharia law

Carlisle man jailed for burning Koran in city centre

'I wanted to be free': Muslim model upsets family by posing nude for Playboy cover
I was always told, you must not go out, you must not make yourself look so attractive, you mustn't have male friends.

Obama's Muslim faith adviser helped craft "perfect Islamic state" for Sharia project led by Ground Zero Mosque imam Rauf

London police probing report that Islamist extremists told woman to cover up
…. an unidentified Bangladeshi woman …. threatened with death by men who told her to cover up because she works in an east London district with a predominantly Muslim population

'Wear a headscarf or we will kill you': How the 'London Taliban' is targeting women

Two Booked under the Blasphemy law
Once again the Christians are being victimized. Mushtaq Gill, in his sixties and his young son were accused of desecrating the Quran, and were taken away by the local police.

Muslim Council: women cannot debate wearing veil

Apology for performance stop over Koran quotes
Following a wave of criticism, the artistic director …. apologized for hastily cancelling a feminist performance last weekend in which women were set to dance to a score that included recitation of verses from the Koran set to music.

Muslim group declares jihad against ‘extremist’ Christians
An umbrella coalition of Muslim groups held a protest today and declared bloodshed against ‘extremist’ Christians that insult and ridicule the position of Islam in the country.

The EU vote on 'no-stun slaughter' meat

Pakistan switches on to Islamic radicalism peddled by TV stars
Wearing shoes with green soles can make you lose a cricket match …. the reasons behind the defeats suffered by Pakistan's cricket team. Apparently this is because green is the colour of Islam - and also the colour of the national flag.

Conservative Muslims protest against Christian governor in Egypt

Jordan to try Danish artist over Mohammed cartoon

Pakistan's blasphemy vigilantes kill exonerated man
But his crime was blasphemy. He was meant to have said something derogatory about the prophet Mohammed, so in Pakistan justice worked a little differently.

Muslim beauty contestant faces critics on all sides, she says

Bangladesh to legalize political Islam, ignore courts order to restore secularism

Turkish PM raps France for face veil ban, militants online urge punishment for Paris

Lutfur Rahman councillor charged with fraud

What Country in the World Has the Most Journalists Imprisoned?

Medieval justice... in the 21st Century: Woman caned in front of a baying mob for having an affair

Crepes and Cider (Halal of course!)

Muslims must be free to debate issues such as evolution without fear
The imam of a mosque in east London, Dr Usama Hasan, was earlier this year subjected to death threats over his support for the theory of evolution.

"A Daily Massacre of Animals..."
Nowadays they slaughter animals alive, without concern about the regulation and even less about the pain ….

Teenage blasphemy suspect to be tried inside prison
.... Samiullah, a first-year pre-engineering student, has been charged with writing blasphemous remarks about the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the answer sheets of his intermediate examination in April last year.

Dutch consider banning religious animal slaughter

Tax Authority teaching employees about Islamic culture
About 100 employees of the Danish Tax Authority will be taking a course in Islam next month, in order to learn why male Muslim pizzeria owners won't shake hands with female Tax Authority employees.

Organization of the Islamic Conference vs. Freedom of Expression
…. the OIC promised to present a new draft resolution on the issue of "Islamophobia" at the General Assembly in September.

Reciting from Quran only allowed if it’s to understand religion

How TV Islamic extremist who hates Britain enjoys £1,250-a-month benefits and rent-free luxury flat

Malaysian MP Says Men Have Affairs Because Wives 'Neglect' Their Duty in Bed

Chechnya, where stability comes at the price of secularism
Women face coercion to wear headscarves as part of a "virtues" campaign, including an Islamic dress code. Men are allowed polygamous marriage and alcohol is forbidden, though it remains tucked away inside shops

Iran upholds prison sentence for Baha'i leaders ahead of Christians' blasphemy trial

Lutfur Rahman council pays at least £50,000 a month to front organisations for extremist IFE

Dozens injured as Bangladeshi Islamists protest women's equality laws

Sandhurst mosque plans prompt public inquiry
The proposals – to demolish a locally listed Victorian schoolbuilding in a conservation area in Camberley, Surrey, and replace it with a £3m domed mosque.

Afghanistan: United Nations mission rocked by mob killings
…. he blamed Islam. "We must take a serious, serious look at Islam," he said. "It's a violent religion that promotes acts of violence, I believe we need to bring this before the UN."

March 2011

Saudis print fatwa against protests

Liberal MP says debate being stifled over 'racism' fears
"Islam itself is the problem, it's not Muslims. Muslims are individuals that practise their faith in their own way, but Islam is a totalitarian, political and religious ideology."

Muslim model defends Miss Universe contest bid

Afghan women are still at risk
She is serving her sentence for running away from domestic violence. About half of all women in Afghan prisons are there for the same "crime".

Intolerance in Muslim societies is rising

The Most Islamic Community in Europe
It reflects how Leicester's long-ballyhooed experiment with multiculturalism is being challenged by Muslim separatism and assertiveness

Five Christians to face trial for blasphemy in Iran

Fears raised over controversial speakers at Muslim Centre
Saudi cleric Shaykh Al Barrak, who has a reputation for issuing hardline fatwas including ones on strict gender segregation, was one figure who raised concern.

British Universities funded by Islamic sources
Islamic donations are now the largest source of external funding for universities in the UK.

Indonesia no longer secular

Anti-Muslim current in Australia: study
There is a current of anti-Muslim discourse that suggests an entrenched hostility often related to overseas events," the report said in its conclusion.

Ethiopian Christians flee after church burnings

Blasphemy suspect’s trial to start on 29th

British Muslim who entered Miss Universe contest receives death threat

Muslim mum convicted of assault loses appeal
A WOMAN convicted of assaulting young children has failed to persuade top judges her trial was unfair because too few Muslims were on the jury.

No victory in bible release
The release of the 30,000 Malay bibles has come with two attached conditions: that the books bear a stamp demarcating “For Christians Only” and marked with serial numbers

Malaysian Christian lawyer barred from Shariah courts

The Lewisham Islamic Centre: Promoting Hatred
…. reputable evidence that suggests that a much higher proportion Muslims in Britain …. hold views that would be considered to be ‘extreme’ in Western cultures.

Headscarf row re-surfaces - Hema employee refused contract for wearing hijab

48-page fatwa against democracy - Muslims told to ignore calls for change because 'democracy goes against Islam'
.... "As long as the commander of the nation is a Muslim, you must obey and listen to him. Those who are against him are just seeking to replace him, and this is not licit"

Muslim defendant can sue over hijab removal
a judge revoked their probation and put them in holding cells, where deputies ordered Khatib to remove her hijab.

Iran Christians Jailed, Bibles “Burned”

Pakistan Christian's death 'not due to natural causes'

Islamophobia report: Exeter University apologises
I expressed astonishment about the level of factual inaccuracy contained within what its authors hoped would be major academic report on Islamophobia.

Half of Europeans say Islam is a religion of intolerance

Bras, booze and how Islamic chauvinists have made satire redundant
“Out of the population of New York, the statistics tell us, one-third are gays… There are more than 25 million gays, sodomites, in America, in USA. Now the only option remaining for my sister is that she marries a man who already has a wife or she becomes public property.”

Christians protest: government blocks 30 thousand Bibles in Malay

Chechen women attacked with paintball guns for 'immodest' dress

40% of Americans link Islam to violence: poll

Asia Bibi fears she is next
.... The Christian mother is presently in an isolation cell in a Punjab jail for allegedly violating the country’s strict blasphemy law.

Why did the MCB and MINAB take so long to support Usama Hasan?
They knew a prominent imam was being threatened by fanatics, and yet they remained silent about it.

Fury at Omani sultan's cash for Cambridge

Muslim women 'should not travel more than 48 miles from home without male chaperone'

Muslim families refuse swimming lessons despite fines

Democracy Akbar! Coptic Church of St Mina and St George is torched by ‘thousands of Muslims’

London imam subjected to death threats for supporting evolution
Leyton Mosque in London has expelled its imam Dr Usama Hasan for holding a lecture titled ‘Islam & Evolution’ and saying the two were not incompatible.

Sharia law in Australia already a reality

Nearly 4000 Muslims Attack Christian Homes in Egypt, Torch Church

The grip of religious extremism on Pakistan’s political culture
Pakistan’s blasphemy law is a tool for persecution and its tyranny reflects the grip of religious extremism on political culture

With the rise of militant Islam, Pakistan reaps what for years the state has sown
…. Shahbaz Bhatti, the minorities minister, seems to have been killed for the same reason that Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab province, was assassinated on January 4th.

Lutfur Rahman council: homophobic hatred grows

‘Haia members’ rough up book fair participants
…. stormed the Riyadh book fair on Wednesday evening, roughed up participants and relayed orders through a mike for women to dress up properly and move graciously or face the consequences.

Newham Concern Press Release on Mega Mosque
Rejection of British values, the lack of any female participation and a refusal to integrate with other local communities are key issues for the Planning Inspector to consider ….

Pakistan's only Christian minister killed. ..... When will Britain wake up to Islam's persecution of Christians?

February 2011

Erdogan urges Turks in Germany to integrate, not assimilate
Turkish immigrants in Germany should integrate into society but not assimilate to the point where they abandon their native culture.

Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia: Womens’ Suffrage Movement Is a ‘Machination’ of the Enemies of Islam

Muslim Shelf Stockers Can Refuse to Handle Alcohol

Gaza's elected Islamist rulers crack down on secular community

Why are we not challenging violent Islamism in our schools?
"So, when a white person holds objectionable views, racist …. we rightly condemn them. But when equally unacceptable views or practices come from someone who isn't white, we've been too cautious – frankly, even fearful – to stand up to them."

Catalonia: Muslims ask to ban dogs from streets

Immigrant ghetto could become a 'state within a state'
"We are heading towards a 100% parallel society, if we don't intervene now. It's become normal for people to clear up problems behind closed doors"

Can we talk about Muslim homophobia now?
Last autumn, mysterious posters began to appear all over the East End of London announcing it is now a “Gay-Free Zone.” They warned: “And Fear Allah: Verily Allah is Severe in Punishment.”

No cash to fund privacy curtains for female-only pool classes

'Action needed' on forced marriage says abused teenager

Mullahs Fight Math in Madrassas

Another Pakistani Christian woman faces blasphemy charge

Four men slashed teacher's face and left him with fractured skull 'for teaching other religions to Muslim girls'

European Free Speech Under Attack
…. or "in any way that insults a group of people because of their race, their religion or belief, their hetero- or homosexual inclination or their physical, psychological or mental handicap, will be punished."

Chechnya Encourages Islamic-Style Customs

Warn against communist, secular parties - Muslim preachers laude revolution, slam democracy
“In democracies, people might vote for things that are prohibited in Islam like establishing brothels, allowing homosexuality, drinking alcohol, and usury, and prohibiting the call for prayers or the veil.”

Australian Senator receives death threats over 'Islam is problem, not Muslims' claims

iEngage Attacks Muslim Liberals, Defends Islamists and Hate Preachers

Tablighi Jamaat mosque accused of encouraging Muslim isolationism

Our high-profile Muslim minority
…. the problem with multiculturalism is Muslims. Or, to be more precise, the perceived failure of Muslim migrants to integrate and embrace the cultures and traditions of their adopted lands, which in turn allows Islamic extremism to thrive.

Controversial Islamic preacher speaks at Union

Vetting calls for teachers in mosques
…. Police were investigating allegations of assault against teachers at three Glasgow madrassas or Islamic schools operated in mosques.

Malaysia Arrests 100 Muslim Couples for Celebrating Lovers' Day

Mosque school arrest following Channel 4 documentary
…. the schoolteacher’s warning that pupils must stay away from men with less than “a fistful of beard… like you would from a serpent or a snake”.

Muslims prefer democracy but want stoning for adultery and death for apostasy - Pew Global Attitudes Survey 2010

Over half of French Muslims say they will marry only another Muslim

Malaysia warns Muslims of Valentine's Day 'trap'
Malaysia has stepped up a campaign to stop Muslims celebrating Valentine's Day - labelling it a "trap" that could encourage immoral behaviour.

Shame of Britain's Muslim schools: Secret filming shows pupils being beaten and 'taught Hindus drink cow p***'

Pupils must not be forced to eat halal Church tells schools

Salon worker fired over headscarf, she says

Banned hate preacher still broadcasting after 'Jews are enemy of Islam' claim

No exceptions to school lessons for religious reasons
At least a dozen Muslim families, newly arrived on the Canadian prairie, have requested that their children be exempted from phys. ed and music classes for religious reasons.

Minister: Scrapping Ham from Menu Not Islamisation
Home Affairs Minister …. rejected suggestions that the fact the police …. are not served pigmeat any more is an illustration of Islamisation of Dutch society.

Muslims in Java Protest 'Lenient' Sentence For Blasphemy

Religious freedom in Indonesia in tatters
During the attack on Sunday, the Ahmadiyah congregation …. were mobbed by a group of locals, and three Ahmadis died in the raid after being beaten or stabbed to death.

Saudi Scholar: Sharia the Only Path for Arabs
The denial of sharia (Islamic law) in Egypt and other Arab countries is at the root of the unrest in the region, Saudi religious scholar Ayed bin Abdullah al-Qarni said.

Oxford University students secretly served Muslim halal meat

Lee Kuan Yew On Muslim Integration In Singapore
“I think we were progressing very nicely until the surge of Islam came, and if you asked me for my observations, the other communities have easier integration - friends, intermarriages and so on - than Muslims.”

Netherlands: Moroccan teenager attacked for not wearing headscarf

Six die in religious clash in Indonesia

Muslims want children excused from music, mixed phys-ed classes

WikiLeaks: Americans call Leicester 'the most conservative Islamic community in Europe'

Bangladesh clerics arrested after girl whipped to death

Muslim councillor receives death threats over blasphemy case
In one threatening phone call, which he has reported to police, he was told to “stop supporting Christians or he would be made a terrible example out of”.

Student arrested for blasphemy

Pakistan: Man sentenced to death, boy arrested for blasphemy

January 2011

Five Muslims charged for inciting hatred against homosexuals

Former BBC Presenter: “Islam Could Not be Offended at Any Price, Christians Fair Game”…
Mr Sissons said: “Islam must not be offended at any price, although Christians are fair game because they do nothing about it if they are offended.”

Waitrose Halal lamb causes concern

Hundreds of rocks are thrown at her head
…. the Taliban execute a couple by stoning them to death in Kunduz province in front of a crowd of hundreds. The crime? The couple fell in love and attempted to elope ….

We should not absolve Islam of the crimes committed in its name
…. it was an attempted interpretation of Islam — in other words, that the inspiration for the lashing of that abused child was drawn from the ideology, even if it was an inspiration based on a misapprehension.

Muslim cabbie bans a mum for having beer

What Educated Non-Muslims Don't Like About Islam in a Nutshell
…. there are 527 verses of intolerance toward non-Muslims, and 109 verses specifically advocating violence towards non-Muslims. Not one of these verses has been abrogated.

Tunisian women fear Islamist return

Women soccer fans in Iran may be banned from live broadcasts

Harry Potter star's brother jailed
…. jailed for six months for a "prolonged and nasty" attack on the actress in which she was beaten and branded a "slag" for dating a non-Muslim.

Judge raises concerns over 'enormous emotional pressure' put on Muslim women after rape case collapses
…. 'enormous emotional pressure' exerted on women in Muslim communities after a rape case collapsed at the eleventh hour when the wife of an Asian man refused to give evidence against him.

Islamic Al Azhar University suspends dialogue with Vatican

Wear the hijab or I'll kill you, cousin told girl': Muslim tells of terrifying phone threats