Inayat Bunglawala’s assessment of Friday’s EDL/SIOE demonstrations makes of it a game of two halves.
On the one hand, we see Bunglawala lend his support to the younger generation of Muslims, whom he refers to as the so-called “war on terror” generation. Urging them to strike out against the clearest manifestation of what he calls the “relentless vilification, denigration and attacks on their community and faith” – now represented by a collection of football firms calling themselves the English Defence League (EDL).
On the other hand, and this is very interesting, Bunglawala, an MCB honcho, takes a clear swipe at the MCB itself for adopting the more sensible stance against the anti-Muslim demonstrations of the EDL by advising young Muslims to avoid the counter-protests. Here is Bunglawala on the MCB’s “caution”:
It is worth noting that the MCB did not appear to give backing to the anti-fascist groups who did so much to raise awareness of the EDL’s inflammatory antics and helped ensure that there was a large turnout on Friday to thwart the ambitions of the EDL and SIOE in Harrow.
Indeed, the MCB went out of its way in its press release to commend those who had “caution[ed] young Muslims against joining [the] counter-protests.”The MCB’s Take
UK’s laws on incitement to religious hatred are currently far weaker than the corresponding ones on inciting racial hatred and it is precisely this loophole that the far right have been exploiting to foment hatred of Muslims.The MCB appears to be understandably concerned that some young British Muslims may allow themselves to be provoked into committing unlawful actions against the EDL and/or the police which will then in turn play into the hands of the far right.
However, whether the MCB’s aim of trying to dissuade Muslims from attending counter-protests rather than encouraging them to hold peaceful protests while ensuring better and more disciplined stewarding will succeed in the coming weeks is a moot point.
Whether Friday’s demonstration was a win for the EDL or for “the Muslims” is a debate that will continue to be discussed and analysed until the next EDL demo. What is certain however, is that TV video of Muslim youths running amock shouting “Allah-hu Akbar!” and flinging projectiles at the police presents an own-goal for the Muslim community and a coup for the EDL who, without so much as cower in a pub and drink themselves into an impotent rage, have scored a vital win in the all-important propaganda war of ‘Fascists vs Muslims’.
Bunglawala is quite the urban guerilla, isn’t he? But someone please break the news to him gently, that sitting safely at home and agitating young Muslim men in hoodies and keffiyeh to rampage against the police does not make him a brave man by any stretch. It is exactly the kind of cowardly, snot-nosed action we would expect from a self-serving weasel like Bunglawala to take.
Far more mature and long-sighted has been Ajmal Masroor’s position in this entire episode. Respect has to be granted to Masroor for standing his ground in Harrow and telling the Muslim youth who came for a fight, that the best tactical move they could have made against the fascist provocateurs in the EDL would have been to hang fire. For now.
Well done Mr Masroor.
15 Comments
You confused, duplicit imbeciles, Ajmal Masroor is an Islamic activist who is a member of the ISB and the MCB, by any of your sick measures, he is what you would call an ‘Islamist’ a believer in the notion of supremacy of the Law of Allah, the Shariah. When are you charlatons going to grow enough balls to come out and debate your putrid conspiracies in public? Alas we await that day when you can be exposed and humiliated on an open and public forum.
Oh this is delicious irony.
Previously muppets like you would remonstrate loudly whenever the term ‘Islamist’ was used to describe folks like Azzam Tamimi, Anwar al-Awlaki, Abu Qatada etc. They aren’t Islamists, you said, they’re just Muslims doing their thing.
And now you’re dictating how Ajmal Masroor should be called an Islamist simply because he is a “believer in the notion of supremacy of the Law of Allah”!
Now that’s a piece of irony you could slice down the middle and preserve in a glass box of formaldehyde and call it ‘contemporary art’.
If all Islamists were like Ajmal Masroor then things would be a whole lot better, I’m sure.
Bunglawala, very bad, very bad
Ooparwala, very good, very good
The ISB and the MCB are not fully fledged Islamist organisations but rather they have been heavily influenced by Islamists within. A number of key individuals within the MCB, past and present, are not Islamist, like Sacranie, Mogra and Masroor. So I am afraid ‘Ummah Lover’ your emotions have got the better of you and you do not have a coherent point to make.
P.S. What is it with South Asians and emotional rants
Khaldun, although i take your point that neither the ISB or MCB are only made up of Islamists and that Mogra seems to be ok – how can you say that Sacranie isnt one?? He is the archetypal Jamaati who has come to Europe for dawa and he was crucial in setting up the MB/JI infrastructure in the country in the early 90s. Also, everyone knows what he thinks of Salman Rushdie…
Faisal,
I think it is important for Muslim bloggers to maintain a certain level of adhaab throughout their writings. Whilst I encourage debate between Muslims, I absolutely abhor the snide insults, made on blogs and forum posts all over the Islamo-Webosphere, by otherwise intellectual individuals such as yourself. Pray tell, whether your reference to Inyat Bungawala as a “self serving weasel” was absolutely necessary for you to get your point across?
I don’t think you would call Bungawala a “Weasel” to his face (at least I hope you wouldn’t), so I do not see any reason why you should take to slandering him online.
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With regards to the article: what exactly is your point of contention with Bungawala? Is it his call for peaceful demonstrations to be encouraged? Is it that he encouraged demonstration at all? Is he really “agitating” Muslim youths to “rampage against the police”? The right to peacefully demonstrate, we are told, is one of the virtues of living in a free secular society. Why should a call for peaceful protest be scoffed at in such a way?
Meh – maybe I totally missed the point of your article.
I would have thought the authors of this blog may have wised up by now by understanding that the mcb is a broad church. But the the great Satan gone and spoilt it all with his ignorant remarks. Iqbal Sacranie extremist? Yes, quite. That’s why he has a track record of taking on extemists, unlike the faux former extremists here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4081208.stm
I’m not saying Sacranie has not said or done crazy things in the past I’m just saying I don’t think he is an Islamist. Yes he has been at the heart of the MCB or other dodgy Islamist outfits but he is a dove compared to the likes of Bari and Bangwala and other crazies. But I have never met him so I may be wrong.
Jack which former extremists are you refering too?
I think people would be hard-pressed to find any recent evidence of Sacranie actively being an “Islamist” – although not being an Islamist obviously doesn’t preclude him from making crazy statements about forced-marriages, Iraq, Jews, homosexuality or whatever.
With regards to the article: what exactly is your point of contention with Bungawala? Is it his call for peaceful demonstrations to be encouraged? Is it that he encouraged demonstration at all? Is he really “agitating” Muslim youths to “rampage against the police”? The right to peacefully demonstrate, we are told, is one of the virtues of living in a free secular society. Why should a call for peaceful protest be scoffed at in such a way?
But that’s the whole point, isn’t it? Why indeed?
Is Bunglawala calling for peaceful demonstrations? Judging from the criticism he makes of the MCB for calling for peaceful demos or to even avoid the demos altogether, that looks debatable. And why exactly is the possibility that peaceful demonstrations will be successful a “moot point”? What is Bungles implying here? Is he supportive of violent counter-demos made up of alliances between Muslim youths with thugs from far-left “anti-fascist” groups? Again, this is not clear.
And frankly, why isn’t he being more clear?
If one does not say what one means or not mean what ones says, one can rightfully be called ‘weaselish’ – of or like a weasel. In that regard, I reserve the right to call a spade a spade or, in this case, Bunglawala a weasel for his irresponsible use of words over this sensitive and critical issue.
Faisal,
I think the confusion stems from Bungawals wording in the piece, which could be better phrased. Let’s break it down:
“However, whether the MCB’s aim of trying to dissuade Muslims from attending counter-protests” – suggests that the MCB is trying to dissuade Muslims from attending counter demonstrations.
“rather than encouraging them to hold peaceful protests” – here, Bungawala is bemoaning the MCB’s apparent unwillingness to condone peaceful protests.
Whilst I cannot speak for Bungawala, I think he sees the UAF – and the protests they organise – as being being non-violent and, therefore, a completely legitimate way of speaking out against Facist groups. As a result, he probably doesn’t see his support of the UAF as tantamount to encouraging young Muslims to go on the “rampage”. From what I gather (and please do correct me), you consider the UAF to a group that Muslims shouldn’t associate with – if this is your stance, you, ironically, share the same outward opinion as HT – although for very different reasons.
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I still think calling him a weasel is absolutely unnecessary. Whilst some may appreciate your candour, I believe it is always best to show restraint when discussing a person. Remember “you have faults, and other people have tongues”.
Peace and all that!
Hassan
khaldun and Sniper,
I am fairly certain that before coming to the UK , Sacranie was a fully fledged member of the JI.
I think you have it wrong. I think Bunglawala’s point is the exact opposite of what you’re suggesting he said. Bunglawala is actually bemoaning the MCB’s position which was to advise caution by suggesting that Muslim youths should stay away rather than advise them to join in albeit with better standards of stewardship, which in any case Bungles regards as irrelevent.
Of course, Bunglawala doesn’t specify clearly whether he supports the aggressive tactics of the far left thugs and those of the Muslim youth. But then he hasn’t made a clearcut statement to say anything otherwise either. This is why he’s a weasel.
It has been left to Ajmal Masroor to take the far more mature position on Muslim reaction to EDL thuggery and he should be saluted for it.
Faisal,
Whatever Bungawala meant, I’m sure his words will be hotly contested for centuries to come
Peace Out.
Probably. Or at least until the next instalment of Bunglawalaism.