Category Archives: Entryism

is honest dialogue compatible with the exposure of dishonest dialogue?

By bananabrain | Published: May 12, 2011

we at the spittoon seem spend a lot of time both criticising people who appear to be disingenuous, swivel-eyed fundamentalist weasels and their stooges, as well as calling for honest, open-hearted dialogue and support for a stronger, more liberal society in which both jews and muslims have a role to play, not just as citizens, but as jews and muslims. we believe both in the robust defence of liberty and the principles of democracy as well as aspiring to a better, more peaceful future in which people of differing religions, cultures and points of view will be able to live together – call it a messianic vision, if you like, or even “roddenberry-lite”, but we don’t see why people can’t “sit under their vine and fig-tree, with nobody to make them afraid“.

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Also posted in Activism, Anti Muslim bigotry, Antisemitism, Blogosphere, Civil Rights, Democracy, Freedom of Religion, Human Rights, Identity Politics, Interfaith, Islamism, Jewish Extremism, Multiculturalism, Racism, UK Politics | 27 Comments

Why Lambert and Githens-Mazer are wrong on radicalisation

By Ziryab | Published: October 21, 2010

This is a cross-post by Robin Simcox

It seems increasingly trendy to believe that ‘non violent’ Islamists can be a bulwark against al-Qaeda in preventing terrorism in the west. Chief proponent of this thesis is Robert Lambert, director of the European Research Muslim Centre (ERMC). Along with Jonathan Githens-Mazer, his co-director at the EMRC, Lambert believes that Salafi and Ikhwani ‘street’ legitimacy and religious knowledge work as a safety valve in reducing the threat.

This is convenient, considering the ERMC receives all of its funding from Ikhwani-sympathetic organisations. The Cordoba Foundation, described by the Prime Minister in March 2008 as a ‘front for the Muslim Brotherhood’, donated £50,000 to the ERMC for the year 2009/10; and Islam Expo, whose registered directors and companies secretaries have a variety of links to the Brotherhood, another £50,000.

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Also posted in Activism, UK Politics | 2 Comments

Bye Bye Mr Ahmed

By Guest | Published: October 16, 2010

This is a cross-post by Habibi

Apparently Qazi Hussain Ahmed, the former leader of the South Asian Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, has been banned from the UK. He had a visa that was valid until 2015. It has reportedly been revoked.


Qazi Hussain Ahmed (centre)

One fan is “shocked”:

One of the organisers of the tour in the UK, S.Hussain of the UK Islamic Mission, said he had also been told that Mr Ahmed’s visa had been cancelled. However, UKIM’s national secretary-general, Zahid Parvez, said he had not heard this. “We would be very surprised and shocked,” he said. “He has been to this country so many times, and has always talked about the need to bring people together.

What, like this?

He [Qazi Hussain Ahmed] also said Bin Laden could not have carried out the 9/11 attacks because he lacked the “ability”; he said the Jews had done it, first giving the day off to all Jews working in the World Trade Centre.

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Also posted in Anti Fascism, International Affairs | 5 Comments

DCLG’s Senior Muslim Advisor Mohammad Abdul Aziz Rakes It In

By Ziryab | Published: October 8, 2010

This is a cross-post by Lucy Lips of Harry’s Place

Earlier this year we ran a guest post on Aziz:

Mohammad Abdul Aziz is a Senior Muslim Advisor at DCLG. He is also a honary trustee of East London mosque (ELM) and the London Muslim Centre (LMC), as well as having been an advisor to the MCB. He was formerly an executive committee member of YMO, which is the youth wing of Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE) – an Islamist entryist group. After spending years in YMO propagating the teachings of the Islamist ideologue Maulana Mawdudi, Mohammad Aziz resigned to follow a stricter and more conservative form of Islam known as ‘Salafism’. As a student he attended UCL to study Law, grew a lengthy beard and would roll his trousers up over his ankles to conform to his new stricter interpretation of Islam. During his time as a Salafi he influenced a whole generation of young Bangladeshis in East London. He later came under the influence of a senior Jamaati Islami member Khurram Murad who eventually convinced him to once again join entryist Islamism. Mohammad Aziz then went onto represent the MCB at a number of events.

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Also posted in Islamism, UK Politics | 3 Comments

Lutfur Rahman Suspended From The Labour Party

By Ziryab | Published: September 21, 2010

This is a cross-post by Lucy Lips

I have just been told that Labour’s NEC has suspended Lutfur Rahman, the IFE-supported candidate for Mayor.

Readers of this blog will be aware of the detailed and serious allegations of vote banking that have been made in relation to this candidate.

Suspension from the Labour Party will mean that Lutfur Rahman cannot run as the Labour candidate for Mayor. That will mean that the IFE/ELM clique will not get their hands on the £1 billion budget that Tower Hamlets will command. Perhaps RESPECT will take him on as their candidate.

Labour’s candidate is likely to be Helal Abbas.

Labour is to be praised for its timely actions. I expect that Labour will now face a law suit, brought against it by Lutfur Rahman’s solicitor, Makbool Javaid. Javaid is an extremist who opposes “man made law”, supported the creation of a Caliphate from an Al Muhajiroun platform, and signed a “declaration of war” on the United Kingdom.

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Also posted in UK Politics | 6 Comments

Exclusive: Tower Hamlets communities unanimously reject IFE!

By Ziryab | Published: August 13, 2010

Having become sick of the IFE and their Islamist entryist tactics, community groups in Tower Hamlets have got together and issued the following press release:

PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TOWER HAMELTS COMMUNITY STANDS UP TO FIGHT FASCISM IN ALL ITS COLOURS:

The entry of the English Defence League (EDL) into Tower Hamlets to protest against a meeting at the Troxy in East London is a direct provocation to stir up racial tensions, foment dissent among faiths and attempt to bring disunity amongst the communities of the borough. We condemn the fascist EDL whose sole objective is to act as storm troopers for the British National Party (BNP) and pick up the pieces for them after their miserable rout in the local and national elections in neighbouring Barking and Dagenham Council. Under the guise of being non-political and upholding “English” values they are propagating a virulent form of naked Islamophobia which is rejected by the communities of Tower Hamlets. We will do everything in our power to defend the peace in the borough, protect the lives of Muslims and ensure that the unity amongst all is maintained.

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Also posted in Activism, Anti Fascism, Anti Muslim bigotry, Islamism | 46 Comments

Is this the “counter-Enlightenment”?

By bananabrain | Published: August 6, 2010

i’ve not posted for a while, mostly because of pressure of work, but there are a number of things which are currently causing me to more or less lose sleep.

recently, i gave up posting on pickled politics, partly because of the level of personal animosity i was facing, but mostly just in frustration at my apparent inability to get my point across. now, i suppose i have nobody very much to blame for that apart from myself, but i’ve never felt that was a problem before now. now, i think i’m starting to work out what it is that is bothering me; certainly, it’s not about the denizens of one blog, or even the blogosphere, or even the media. it’s not any one set of views, not any one person, but a set of trends, a collective movement i sense in wider society.

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Also posted in Anti Fascism, Anti Muslim bigotry, Antisemitism, Blogosphere, Christian Evangelical Nutters, Civil Rights, Democracy, European Fascism, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Religion, Human Rights, Identity Politics, Interfaith, Islamism, Jewish Extremism, Moral relativism, Multiculturalism, Obscurantism, Sectarianism, Secularism, The Far Left, The Regressive Left, UK Politics | 37 Comments

Another story of government advisers undermining government ministers (this time in the battle against extremism)

By Ziryab | Published: August 4, 2010

This is a cross-post from Conservative Home

By Tim Montgomerie

Hats off to The Sunday Times (£) for yesterday’s scoop exposing senior Home Office officials who rubbished the Home Secretary to supporters of the Indian Islamist leader Zakir Naik – after she had banned him from coming into the country because of his extremist preaching.

The pair – both employed by the Office of Security and Counter Terrorism – went behind Theresa May’s back and told friends of the excluded televangelist Zakir Naik that they were “gutted and mortified” by their ministerial boss’s decision, which they considered to be “a huge error of judgement”.

One high ranking civil servant, Sabin Khan, has been suspended pending an investigation. Also in the frame is Charles Farr, the OSCT’s Director General.

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Also posted in Activism, Politics, UK Politics | 4 Comments

seven modest proposals for the british jewish community

By bananabrain | Published: March 16, 2010

the ferocious but charming miriam shaviv over at the jc is blogging a number of “daily proposals to transform the british jewish community” during march. i was discussing this with my redoubtable other half over friday night dinner and we thought the following might be worth submission:

1. transparency at the jewish leadership council

ok, we know who the board of deputies are. we know what it’s for. we know how it’s funded. we know how you get to be on it. we know who it represents. now, we have this new organisation called the “jewish leadership council”. on it, you have various movers and shakers, you’ve got the vc/banking/property tycoons, you’ve got the charity/safety/israel activists, you’ve got synagogue movement machers, you’ve got access, you’ve got international connections, you’ve got lords, baronesses, knights and the chair of ujs – you’ve got two women and no rabbis, for some reason. you’ve got no haredim, for some other reason. you’ve got leaders from the most broad-based and influential organisations in the community – but what are they for? clearly, this is an influential bunch of people, but who chooses them? who decided that there should be a jewish leadership council in the first place? how are they accountable? what is their strategy? what is their relationship with the board? how is it funded? i for one would like to know.

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Also posted in Activism, Antisemitism, Democracy, Education, Environmental, Identity Politics, Interfaith, Israel/Palestine, Jewish Extremism, Misc, Obscurantism, Politics | Tagged , | 6 Comments

how to complain before you see the programme!

By bananabrain | Published: March 2, 2010

now, i haven’t seen the “dispatches” programme yet, it’s on my sky+ box waiting to be viewed. however, i was quite amused to be warned by one naeem darr, who i understand is some sort of spokesman for our old friends the muslim safety forum, to have my complaint ready. helpfully, he then went on to provide me with a set of points to complain about to channel 4 and jim kirkpatrick mp. i reproduce his email in full – and include in bold the bits which he appears to know before broadcast:

Dispatches Islamophobic documentary

Channel 4’s Dispatches is due to broadcast a damaging and misleading programme on Monday 1st March at 8pm. For nearly a year the programme had undercover reporters attending events (including private meetings) of Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE) and passing themselves off as Muslims and friends, but acting as agents provocateurs to solicit replies to use against IFE.

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Also posted in Activism, Farce, Freedom of Expression, Identity Politics, Islamism, Media, PVE | 5 Comments

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