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The Scottish Islamic Foundation – definitely not party political

By Guest | Published: July 13, 2009

This is a guest post by Al-Qanaas Al-Masri

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The Scottish Islamic Foundation, a hard-line Islamist outfit run by two former Muslim Association of Britain spokesmen, was today taken to task by the Scottish Herald newspaper over its half-baked plans to hold a conference in the Gulf to promote Scotland.

The article quoted Omar Shaikh, a board member of the Islamic Finance Council UK, who warned that the SIF’s planned event threatened to be “shallow, incoherent and patchy” and Frank McAverty, a Labour MSP, who said that “the SIF has to demonstrate its independence from key figures associated with the SNP.” He added “I hope this expo will not be used for partisan politicking to promote the SNP, its leadership and candidates.”

The Scottish Islamic Foundation responded by attacking McAverty for being partisan, accusing him of trying to manufacture a “party political knockabout” and adding that “the SIF has no view, and can have no view, on the various parties”.

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Also posted in Islamism, UK Politics | Tagged | 2 Comments

Hizb ut-Tahrir “Brandishing the Sword”

By Guest | Published: July 13, 2009

There are many people who try to argue that Hizb ut-Tahrir is a non-violent organisation. That we can use them to prevent al-Qaeda style extremism. That they really only represent a peaceful opposition movement to current regimes around the world. This is not the case.

This is a guest post by Abdul Qadeem Zallum, global leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir between 1977 and 2003.

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[T]he issue pertaining the obligation of ruling by Islam and preventing the rule by Kufr is a vital issue, because the Legislator (swt) has made the measure that should be undertaken towards it a measure of life and death; thus, he who does not rule by Islam and rules by a Kufr system should either retract or be killed.

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Also posted in Islamism, Politics | Tagged , | 34 Comments

BNP’s “Reverend” West Refuses to Answer Questions About His Ordination

By Guest | Published: July 12, 2009

This eyewitness account is cross-posted from Hope not Hate, Norfolk

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Three Hope not hate campaigners went to meet the fake Reverend Robert West in Norwich today. The three campaigners approached Robert West and asked him to explain where he got the right to use the title “Reverend”. The BNP activists, who were rallying in a car park at a closed pub, The Duke of Norfolk on Mousehold Lane, were surprised and angry that Hope not hate were there to greet them.

The BNP asked for volunteers to come to Norwich today. Only about twenty actually turned up, and it seemed their idea of a day of action was to attack local Hope not Hate campaigners.

Robert West, who as well as believing himself to be a Vicar, also now appears to believe that he is Winston Churchill, held out the V for victory sign.

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Also posted in Anti Fascism | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Selling the Caliphate

By Guest | Published: July 10, 2009

This is a guest post by Ibn Khaldun

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In a recent interview with ‘AltMuslim’, Scotland’s resident entry level Islamist Osama Saeed sought to do with the Caliphate what Nick Griffin is doing with his racial prejudice, i.e. using more ‘saleable’ terms to make the idea sound more appealing to a modern Western audience. When pressed on the issue Osama said:

All that I was saying was the Caliphate can be consistent with democratic norms and human rights norms. I think to say the opposite of that is effectively saying that Islam is problematic and not compatible with these things. I also think it’s complicated internationally. I’m not advocating that we need one big superstate, because there are territorial integrities to take into account.

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Also posted in Islamism | 4 Comments

How to defeat white racist terrorism – the IPPR approach

By Guest | Published: July 6, 2009

This is guest post by Al-Qanaas Al-Masri

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During the weekend, the British police announced that they had arrested 32 white extremists in Northern England and uncovered huge stocks of rocket-launchers, hand grenades and explosives. The men, at least one of who appears to be a member of the British National Party, were apparently planning attacks on Muslims and mosques around the UK.

Andy Hull from the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) has previously proposed for the government to tackle Islamist violence by working with and funding non-violent Islamists. Seeking to apply his theories to similarly tackling white racist violence, I have taken the liberty of editing one of his papers on this subject in order to see how it would likewise address the problem of white racist violence.

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Also posted in Anti Fascism, Islamism, Terrorism | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Sohaib Saeed: Forced veiling is “abhorrent”

By Guest | Published: July 1, 2009

This is a guest post by Al-Qanaas Al-Masri

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Sohaib Saeed, a leading light of the Scottish Islamic Foundation and a former spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain, has publicly expressed his opposition to countries and individuals that believe that women should be forced to veil or wear hijab.

In a letter to The Metro opposing Sarkozy’s suggestion that the Burka should be banned, and which was published on the Scottish Islamic Foundation’s website last week, Sohaib wrote that that “Forcing a lady to remove a garment is as abhorrent as forcing her to don it.”

Although Sohaib does not spell it out, his uncompromising defence of liberal values can only be seen as a blunt criticism of countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia that force all women – Muslim and non-Muslim  - to wear the hijab, as well as a criticism of opposition Islamist groups around the Middle East and elsewhere that aspire to similarly force dress codes on women.

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Also posted in Fashion, Islamism | 3 Comments

What are you?

By Guest | Published: July 1, 2009

This is a guest post by Raziq

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“You are not British, Pakistani, Indian, Bengali, Arab or African.  These are colonial identities, you are only a Muslim and that’s what god wants you to be” (Member of Hizb-ut-Tahrir)

After the Second World War issues of national identity began to change.  The introduction of foreign cheap labour (from former colonies) brought with it foreign cultures and traditions.  The newly arriving immigrants retained a desire to one day return to their home nations as ‘rich men of high statuses’.  This mindset encouraged them to lead a non-confrontational life here in the UK.  They tolerated discrimination and soft-racism mainly because they did not intend to stay in the UK permanently.

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Also posted in Identity Politics, Islamism | Tagged | 7 Comments

The City Circle – Not So Moderate After All?

By Guest | Published: June 19, 2009

This is a guest post by al-Qanaas al-Masri

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The City Circle, a “moderate” Muslim group headed by Rabia Malik, sent out an email yesterday announcing that in July it will hold an event to celebrate the group’s 10 year anniversary. It says that:

The City Circle has been a unique experiment in creating an indigenous, independent and inclusive space for Muslim and non-Muslim communities to critically debate issues that concern them and to harness professionals’ skills back into helping local communities.

Independent? Really?

For the last two years, many of City Circle’s events have been quietly organised by and co-hosted with the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), a Saudi-backed, US-based Islamist organisation that also has a branch in London. City Circle has not openly advertised this collaboration and the details of the eleven joint events held between the two organisations to date are only available on the website of the IIIT.

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Also posted in Islamism, UK Politics | Tagged , , | 29 Comments

Ban Hussein Ye

By Guest | Published: June 7, 2009

This article by Habibi is cross-posted from Harry’s Place

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Later this month a “dawah” (propagation) campaign will get underway in the UK. It is the first big venture of a new outfit, the Islamic Education and Research Academy, or iERA. Events are scheduled in Brighton, Bristol, Manchester and London.

Have a look at one of the speakers – Malaysian cleric Hussein Ye (sometimes spelled Yee). He was trained at the Islamic University of Medina in Saudi Arabia and is considered a Wahhabi in Malaysia. This clip opens with an invocation:

“May Allah help all the mujahideen, especially in Palestine, especially in Iraq, and wherever they are, who fight to protect human rights.”

Ye goes on to claim – in a speech delivered in 2006 – that America has “no hot proof” of who carried out the 9/11 atrocities. Then he slips in this little observation:

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Also posted in Antisemitism, Islamism | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Why a secular state

By Guest | Published: May 29, 2009

This is a guest post by Ibn Khaldun
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“In order to be a Muslim by conviction and free choice, which is the only way one can be a Muslim, I need a secular state.”

The above quote is taken from the book Islam and the Secular State by Sudanese academic and scholar Abdullahi an-Na’im. The argument is a very powerful one and very difficult to challenge from a Muslim point of view. If acts of worship (ibadat) are only valid when done out of free choice rather than coercion then surely an Islamist state would prevent Muslims from practicing their faith in the manner in which it should be practiced, i.e. voluntarily. On that basis we could argue that the Islamist idea of the “Islamic State” is anti-Islamic and anti-religious because it seeks to force its citizens to engage in acts of worship thus preventing them from achieving closeness with their creator which only voluntary worship can bring.

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Also posted in Secularism | Tagged | 1 Comment

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