The Islamic Forum Europe and the East London Mosque have issued a riposte to the ant-fascist statement by the Unity Platform Against Racism and Fascism group.
[UPARF] – “In defending the people of Tower Hamlets and especially the ordinary Muslims we do not have to defend IFE. EDL is attacking the Muslims of this borough and we must protect them.”
[IFE] – It is clear that these people would be content if the EDL limited their attacks to the IFE and ELM. Hardly surprising, as many of them were conspirators in Gilligan’s discredited Dispatches programme, which the EDL give pride of place on the front page of their website.
[UPARF] – “Using this latest EDL threat to the local community, it is clear to us that the IFE brigade is trying to terrify the most vulnerable in our community – the Bangladeshi women and children into joining their ranks under the banner of ‘defending the Ummah’. It has come to our knowledge that IFE and its operatives have sent out mass e-mails, text messages and visited members of the community including young children in primary schools ask them to join forces and defend Muslims and East London Mosque from imminent threat of destruction.”
[IFE] – These accusations are lies. Of course, they give not a shred of evidence to support their outrageous claims. And we openly challenge them to bring any kind of creditable proof. We know they cannot, their slander will just add to the alarm and disunity they are trying to generate.
And so on, ad nauseum.
The tone of the IFE is statement the usual ‘oh-woe-is-me’ discourse we have now come to expect from the failed collective of clerical-fascists embedded in Tower Hamlets.
But oh the bathos!
Describing extreme far-right Islamist politics as ‘fascism’ is not “Islamophobia”, just as calling the EDL ‘fascists’ is not “anti-white racism”.
The anti-fascist/anti-Jamaat statement by the Unity Platform is impeccable and pitch-perfect. It articulates the necessity to stand against fascism in Tower Hamlets in all its manifestations.
All progressive forces must realize that the gut reaction to EDL is to defend everybody including IFE because they might be accused of being Islamophobic. But we boldly proclaim that it is not Islamophobic to have no trucks with the heirs of Fascist Jaamat. It is not Islamophobic to denounce the anti democratic credentials of IFE and their Saudi patrons. It is not Islamophobic to show solidarity with the Muslims of Tower Hamlets and their diverse representative organisations without marching under the leadership of IFE. We cannot be consistent in fighting the fascist EDL if we elect the “fascist” IFE as our Imam. In line with the best in the Islamic and Bengali tradition we reject the siren calls of IFE as we prepare to organise against EDL.
7 Comments
Thank God for that. How dare the spineless IFE fascists try to use this opportunity to further recruitment to their now thoroughly discredited organisation. It seems ‘Islamaphobia’ ‘Defend the Muslims’ is all they have left to rally people since their ideology has been a complete failure.
Well done Gilligan and Spittoon for exposing these morons.
I second that!
Unfortunately their organisation is not thoroughly discredited here in Tower Hamlets. Over the years its involved itself in all aspects of community life – anti-drug work, youth work, educational charities, etc and so able to claim that it is just an organisation working for the community. The recent events are giving the IFE a chance to show how well they work with other organisations and community groups, and even more credibility. People who question any of it are being accused of being not real Muslims or Islamophobes. The left groups who used to claim ignorance of the history of the IFE are now actively engaged in whitewashing it. This statement was great, but we need much more local opposition. And we need to hear more voices from Bangladesh making explicit the transnational links.
Rachel- doing some community work with generous council grants which have been approved by internal IFE cronies does not exonerate the group. Hitlers Nazis did some youth and community work too, as do the Taliban. There is plenty of local opposition, just try walking around TH and asking people. Oh and the links to JI in Bangladesh have never been denied. Thoroughly discredited.
Wajid, I really hope you’re right.
Interesting comment by Ted Jeory of splits and divisions, and the danger of th rise to the top of Islamists like Abjol Miah.
http://trialbyjeory.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/united-east-end-and-division/
Rachel – trust me I am, unless your from the Bob Pitt school of thought there only extremist Muslims are true Muslims and the rest should be ignored.