Category Archives: Feature

Demonstrate Against Al Muhajiroun and for Secular Democracy

On Saturday 31 October, Islam4UK plans to hold a procession called “March for Sharia” starting at 1pm. They intend to march past the Houses of Parliament where their members will call for the imposition of Shariah law and for the House of Commons to be abolished.

This website was set up by a collection of groups and individuals – both Muslim and non-Muslim – to organise a counter-demonstration against those who seek to undermine and challenge our values. We come from diverse social and religious backgrounds but share a common belief in secular democracy and the values of the British liberal state such as legal and constitutional equality for all, equal rights for women and minorities, and the right to religious freedom (including freedom from religion).

British Muslims for Secular Democracy (BMSD), is organising and coordinating a broad based counter-demonstration of those of all faiths and none who are determined to stand together, in defence of liberal secular democracy.

Also posted in Anti Fascism, Secularism | 3 Comments

Tories will ban Hizb ut-Tahrir

This is an extract from the speech delivered by Chris Grayling, shadow Home Secretary, at the Tory party conference in Manchester yesterday.

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The Home Office has another key responsibility.

The security of our people and of our nation.

To take the lead in the battle against terrorism.

And the fight against an ideology of hate and violence.

An ideology that damages the reputation of decent, law abiding British Muslims as well as threatening life and limb.

And let’s be clear. That ideology wants to destroy the civil liberties that make this country what it is. No Government should allow them to do so, and the way this Government has eroded those liberties is shameful and must be reversed.

Our police and security services have done a magnificent job in protecting us against the terrorist threat.

We owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

Also posted in UK Politics, Your View | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Shana Tova and Eid Mubarak from the Spittoon Team!

We at the Spittoon wish all our Jewish friends and readers Shanah Tovah U’Metukah and to all our Muslim friends and readers Eid Mubarak عيد مبارك

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Ramadan Mubarak

To all of our readers,

We at the Spittoon would like to wish you a very blessed Ramadan.

You may not all agree with our views and you may not all agree with how we choose to express them, but we hope that you will accept our avowal that this is a blog written out of sincerity, not bitterness, and with a genuine concern to make things better.

At least, we trust, there can be agreement on this being a time of the year to remember the pettiness of any differences we may have and to prioritise those things in life which matter much more.

كل عام وانتم بخير
(Kullu ‘aam wa antum bikhair)

Also posted in Misc | Leave a comment

An Appeal To The World’s Conscience

From the Egyptian writer and academic researcher of Islamic Affairs, Dr. Sayed Mahmoud El Qemany, who is being exposed to incitements to assassinate him.

In the context of my academic research and practical work I have been able to provide an important set of motion in the stagnant Egyptian situation. I have attempted to make reforms from the inside and worked on the disarmament of those who exploit Islam politically and make it a source of livelihood at the expense of the simple, good people of Egypt. I have therefore created a secular movement that has imposed its presence, although still at a formative stage.

In a free ballot of Egyptian thinkers, I was granted the State Award for Social
Sciences, on June 25th 2009. The hard-line radical militant groups considered that the state has adopted this intellectual secular trend officially, infuriating the mentioned group which called on the State to withdraw the prize with the declaration of my defection from Islam and excommunication which means in our country, I could be slain; any citizen is allowed to kill me and be awarded by God in Paradise.

Also posted in Freedom of Expression, Human Rights, Islamism | Leave a comment

What Muslim Women Want

This is a guest post by Lucy James, a research fellow at Quilliam

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South Asian Muslim women are the most economically disadvantaged group in terms of religion, ethnicity and gender in the UK today. A recent poll of unemployed South Asian Muslim women showed that not only are they disadvantaged, but that they are misunderstood and not being given sufficient support in order to break a cycle that, given the chance, will transmit similar attitudes on to future generations. The poll— published in Quilliam’s latest report Immigrant, Muslim, Female: Triple Paralysis [pdf]— established what these Muslim women want: they want to work. Over 600 women were interviewed, 57% of which said that they wanted a paid job. This figure is really positive. Although 39% said that they didn’t want to work, many of these women may have said so because of a lack of confidence rather than as a downright refusal to work.

Also posted in Identity Politics, UK Politics, Your View | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Remembering the victims of Srebrenica

Yesterday was the 14th anniversary of the UN marked genocide of Bosnian Muslims. Eight thousand – mostly men and boys – were massacred in Srebrenica, Bosnia-Hercegovina, by Bosnian Serb forces, despite the area having been declared a UN safe haven.

Bosnian families laid to rest the remains of 534 newly identified victims. The US ambassador to the country said in the latest burial ceremony: “The world failed to act, failed to protect the innocent of Srebrenica.”

That’s why we must remember and never forget.

Posted in Feature | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Lampton School: Aiding And Abetting Islamism

Yesterday I blogged about developments in relation to the planned Hounslow Muslim Forum event at Lampton School, Hounslow. According to the Hounslow Chronicle, the event is still going ahead tomorrow even though the police have pulled out and Hounslow Muslim Forum has expelled Hizb ut-Tahrir. Common sense had finally triumphed at the Metropolitan Police – and a watered down version of it had done so at Hounslow Muslim Forum too.

This is not the case with Lampton School.

It is still planning on giving a platform to Daud Abdullah and Moazzem Begg. For more information about these two men see my original post about this event. Indeed, the fact that the police have refused to go along with this charade could be argued to have made the situation worse. Now there will be no voice to challenge the views of two men who are far from moderate and a state comprehensive is playing host.

Also posted in Islamism | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Green Thursday

This Thursday is the tenth anniversary of the brutal repression of students in Iran.

Today a new round of repression is underway in Iran.

Here is something you can do about it. An anniversary demonstration at the Iranian embassy in London is scheduled for this Thursday, starting at 6 PM. Please wear green and come along to 16 Prince’s Gate, SW7. The nearest Tube station is South Kensington.

The only point – and I hope this leads other British bloggers to echo this call – is to show solidarity with the Iranian people.

In fact, as one Iranian exile tells me, people who “come selling newspapers and lecturing the people on what they should do” are not wanted. “Just join and express solidarity”, the exile says.

Please come.

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Post by habibi

Also posted in Activism, Democracy | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Civil Service has lost the plot

I’m truly lost for words on this one and completely outraged by it, so I’ll keep it short and simple.

The Telegraph is reporting that Lisa Greenwood, an administrator in the Department of Children, Schools and Families, has lost her job for writing an anonymous message on an internet site at the height of the expenses scandal.

After learning that Hazel Blears had allegedly ‘flipped’ her second home to avoid capital gains taxes, Lisa Greenwood wrote:

“How dare you wave a cheque about on national TV, saying that you are sorry.

You are only sorry that you have been caught. You are a disgrace (including all the other honourable members). Why haven’t you been sacked?”

The message was written anonymously on the “They Work for You” website, but was still traced back to her work computer. She was promptly suspended and then sacked.

Also posted in Anti Fascism, Islamism, Moral relativism, Politics, UK Politics | 7 Comments
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