Muslim radicalisation and British Foreign Policy
mike langridge | 19.09.2006 23:13 | Culture | Repression | Social Struggles
Amidst world-wide Muslim protests at the Pope's recent remarks, Hizb ut-Tahrir (the Muslim organisation Tony Blair wanted to proscribe with his Anti-Terrorist legislation) called a typically (for HT) peaceful and low-key meeting.
Zardad Khan and Jahanghir Lal (right) of Hizb ut-Tahrir Bedford
Held last night (Monday 18th) in Bedford's Queens Park at the Parish Church of All Saints meeting room (a Christian venue be it noted) some 40-50 of the local Muslim community gathered to talk about the alleged "radicalisation of Muslims", in an effort to establish who or what they believe to be really responsible for this.
Zardad Khan of HT Bedford kicked off by briefly outlining the issue and expressing the view (held fairly widely within the local Muslim community) that, contrary to what the Government is willing to admit, this whole business of "radicalisation" can be directly attributed to Western foreign policy.
Mr Khan accused Tony Blair of seeking to make the Muslim community a scapegoat for his (Blair's) own actions, and drew attention to the hypocrisies within Blair's public statements.
He was scathing of public remarks that suggest Blair regards any Muslim who even so much as disagrees with government foreign policy as being an extremist.
A good half of the meeting was taken up with a question and answer session that was conducted in a far more polite and orderly fashion than some non-Muslim meetings I've attended!
The Chairman of Bedford's largest Mosque was also at the meeting and spoke of the divisions within the Muslim community, of energies wasted in needless finger-pointing and attributing blame, and of the huge lack of understanding of the Muslim way of life within Western society as a whole.
One guy I spoke with afterwards referred critically to the fear that Muslims in this country feel, particularly amongst the older generation, which acts as a restraint on their coming forward and expressing their true opinions about major issues... fear of prejudice, fear of persecution, and indeed fear of the State seeking reprisals.
Yet the overall message that seemed (at least to me) to come out of the meeting is the absolute necessity for Muslims to stand up and speak out against the injustices being perpetrated by the West against Islam.
That said, both Zardad Khan and Jahanghir Lal (chairman of the meeting) were very clear in their condemnation of acts of terrorism directed against innocent civilians.
It also emerged that the idea of Mosques in Britain radicalising the Muslim youth and being breeding-grounds for terrorism is laughable, and yet one more example of the propaganda practised by much of the mainstream media.
However, one thing's certain. This ain't an issue that's going away quickly.
Zardad Khan of HT Bedford kicked off by briefly outlining the issue and expressing the view (held fairly widely within the local Muslim community) that, contrary to what the Government is willing to admit, this whole business of "radicalisation" can be directly attributed to Western foreign policy.
Mr Khan accused Tony Blair of seeking to make the Muslim community a scapegoat for his (Blair's) own actions, and drew attention to the hypocrisies within Blair's public statements.
He was scathing of public remarks that suggest Blair regards any Muslim who even so much as disagrees with government foreign policy as being an extremist.
A good half of the meeting was taken up with a question and answer session that was conducted in a far more polite and orderly fashion than some non-Muslim meetings I've attended!
The Chairman of Bedford's largest Mosque was also at the meeting and spoke of the divisions within the Muslim community, of energies wasted in needless finger-pointing and attributing blame, and of the huge lack of understanding of the Muslim way of life within Western society as a whole.
One guy I spoke with afterwards referred critically to the fear that Muslims in this country feel, particularly amongst the older generation, which acts as a restraint on their coming forward and expressing their true opinions about major issues... fear of prejudice, fear of persecution, and indeed fear of the State seeking reprisals.
Yet the overall message that seemed (at least to me) to come out of the meeting is the absolute necessity for Muslims to stand up and speak out against the injustices being perpetrated by the West against Islam.
That said, both Zardad Khan and Jahanghir Lal (chairman of the meeting) were very clear in their condemnation of acts of terrorism directed against innocent civilians.
It also emerged that the idea of Mosques in Britain radicalising the Muslim youth and being breeding-grounds for terrorism is laughable, and yet one more example of the propaganda practised by much of the mainstream media.
However, one thing's certain. This ain't an issue that's going away quickly.
mike langridge
Homepage:
http://website.lineone.net/~fotd/
Comments
Hide the following 4 comments
Modesty and capacity to INCLUDE all the humanity is the teaching of Islam
20.09.2006 15:42
The piece could easily have taken into account the wider participants in the crusade of Blaring lies.
That part or those parts of the UK media, typified by the London Guardian, the BBC radio Four and Radio Five Live etc [which can easily be translated across to the USA where the likes of the Guardian and the BBC are to be found in the forms of the New York Times and the so-called public sector broadcasting outlets which repeat the leis that the BBC has specialised in initiating on behalf of the agenda settlers that are operating the Blair crusade] which are supposedly not biased or prejudiced, are the ones that do the most permanent damage against the cause of the truth.
They enter into the public realms a very fundamentally flawed and falsified record of the ‘events’.
It then becomes impossible to erase those lies and those falsified records.
That is what they have been doing for the past century. The BBC is almost a century old. And between the Guardian and the BBC [remember the BBC World Disservice]
What all supporters of the universal cause of truth, justice and fairplay have to do is to point out the lies and the lying. Whenever they lie, point this out and hold them to account for that wrong.
And the Muslims must show that they are capable of standing yup for the non-Muslims victims of Blair Bush lies and lying as well as for Muslim victims.
This is the ethical onus that all genuine believers in Islam must show they understand and are able to carry out.
Without Muslim thinkers and campaigners being able to show that they are above just criticising one Blair [or one Bush or One Gordon Brown - for it is quite likely that if he gets to enter the Number 10 address, he will indulge in the same sorts of outrageous antics and behaviour that Blair has become identified with] and that they are as speedy in taking up the cause of HUMAN RIGHTS, for justice for non-Muslims and unbelievers ['atheists'] alike in the world today, there will not be any freedom from the deep sea of lies that the liars have created.
Muslims must provide the ethical, the moral and the intellectual liberation leadership away from the world wide morass that the collusions of liars have confected and are perpetrating daily against the masses of humanity that is held hostage by these power-grabbing, power-abusing liars in control of the most lethal destructive weapons that human kind ever had seen before.
That leadership cannot occur unless the aspiring Muslim leaders show by their consistent deeds that they are capable of and in fact keen to rise above the pettiness that careerism and cash bring.
Muslims cannot be corrupt and pure.
There is no choice.
Be pure in material and in moral terms and show that that is the case.
Muslims must make a distinction between boasting and basic deeds.
No grandstanding events at Trafalgar square boasting that so many white people have converted to Islam!
That kind of display is repugnant to the spirit of modesty which is where the foundation of Islam is.
Then there is the obscene line of ‘Muslim leaders’ eager to get in the TV news ready to mouth words and utterances that have no sense.
Where do the media find these people?
We have to reflect seriously on these characters. Discourage them. And shun them. For they do the cause of human rights or civilisation no favours at all. They most certainly do not advance the cause of modesty at all….
1525 Hrs GMT
London
©Muhammad Haque/AADHIKARonline 2006
e-mail:
aadhikarlaw@yahoo.co.uk
When are the BNP going to be allowed to post articles on this site?
21.09.2006 10:07
Paul
BNP and Islam are not the same
23.09.2006 20:04
It is a news item of a HT meeting in Bedford
Where dose it say the Muslim community wants to take over us or set up a dictatorship
Suggestion go research Islam and talk to the Muslim community you will be surprised at how little you know.
Baffled non-Muslim
Er well look at what HT want!
24.09.2006 18:12
As a virulently anti-Semitic and homophobic organisation they have been banned in many European countries. Criticisms of Sharia law include:
1. No democracy, death penalty for blasphemers and apostates.
2. Death penalty for homosexuals.
3. Second class status for Jews and Christians, i.e. Dhimmitude.
4. Second class status for women.
Check out
I could go on but will allow others to investigate Islamist organistions like HT and Sharia law for themselves; it is an act of Naive folly to give these lunatics publicity. HT are quite open about their aims, I never said Muslims want to take over but these Muslims sure do! They represent a bigoted unpleasant minority.
Paul