Al Spittoon | Heresy is another word for freedom of thought

None So Blind

By Guest | Published: January 19, 2010

This is a cross-post by habibi from Harry’s Place

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The government and the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) are talking again:

“The Muslim Council of Britain has made a commitment to Government to examine their internal processes and ensure that the personal actions of all members, including senior leaders, remain true to the organisation’s agreed policies, avoiding a repeat of the issues which arose after one member signed the Istanbul Declaration.

“The MCB has stated its categorical opposition to attacks on British defence interests and confirmed its unwavering support for British troops across the world. It has also made clear that it stands firmly against Anti-Semitism and other forms of racism.

“The significance of these actions on the part of the MCB has led to the Government lifting the suspension of its formal relationship with that organisation. The MCB will now contribute to ongoing dialogue with Government as one amongst a wide range of Muslim organisations.

Posted in Antisemitism, Islamism, UK Politics | 3 Responses

a few good rabbis?

By bananabrain | Published: January 18, 2010

for those of you who aren’t aware of it, this has not been a good couple of years for the orthodox, “strictly-”orthodox and ultra-orthodox communities. corruption around kosher slaughterhouses and conversions, sex scandals, money-laundering, drug smuggling, you name it. all the usual justifications are made, of course, all the usual people accept them and all the usual people sneer at them.

in such an environment, it’s extremely helpful to be able to point to people who can stand up and say in no uncertain terms: this isn’t right. excusing it is even worse. as it says in the Mishnah: where there are no men, at least you should try and act like a man. i am encouraged to see at least some orthodox rabbis swimming against the tide of denial although, of course, not that surprised to see the perennial awkward squad-nik and contrarian (and my own much revered teacher) rabbi jeremy rosen, writing in haaretz:

Posted in Activism, Education, Ethics, Interfaith, Politics | 3 Responses

Western Adaab and Arab Ethics

By Faisal | Published: January 17, 2010

An important Saudi liberal Ibrahim al-Buleihi’s take on Arabs and the West. Shown on Al-Arabiya TV in 2005.

hat/tip: Sam

Posted in Ethics | 3 Responses

The BNP: Political party or quasi-religious cult?

By Guest | Published: January 15, 2010

This is a cross-post by Edmund Standing

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Commenting on the time he had spent with Mark Collett and the BNP while filming for the Dispatches programme ‘Young, Nazi, and Proud‘, film maker David Modell stated:

To me, this organisation is no army, or even really a political party, more a fundamentalist movement – a cult.

This analysis of the BNP is as accurate as it was when Modell made his remarks in 2002. In many ways, the recent rise of the BNP as a political force has served to obscure the cult-like nature of the organisation, especially as it has now picked up single issue voters who are only really concerned about immigration and would have no interest in bizarre ideas about ‘the Ethno-State‘, conspiracy theories about ‘Zionists’, or the whacky pseudo-scholarship set out in Arthur Kemp’s ‘history of the white race‘, not to mention the occultism of the BNP Legal Director, or the Holocaust denial that founder member Richard Edmonds has spent decades promoting.

Posted in Anti Fascism, UK Politics | Tagged BNP | 3 Responses

Kaboom and Brum

By Guest | Published: January 15, 2010

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

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Azzam “Kaboom” Tamimi, one of the UK’s most radical Islamists, is scheduled to address a conference at the University of Birmingham on 20 January.

The conference is titled “In Pursuit of Justice: Remember Gaza” and is organised by the university’s student Islamic society (ISOC).

Tamimi’s fellow speakers will be Tony Benn and Mike Cushman of the British Committee for Universities for Palestine and Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods.

Tamimi is not the first radical guest of the ISOC. Just last month it hosted Abu Usamah At Thahabi, imam of the Green Lane Mosque in Birmingham, where Jew hating preachers are invited to speak and defended. Thahabi was barred from addressing an event at University College London (UCL) in November 2009, but was apparently still welcome in Birmingham the following month.

Posted in Antisemitism, Freedom of Expression, Islamism | 6 Responses

Friday Caption Competition – 15/01/10

By Effendi | Published: January 15, 2010

After a short break for Christmas and New Year normal service is finally resumed! Yes, ladies and gents, here is your first caption competition of 2010.

This week we feature the perpetually self-pitying Moazzam Begg. Here he is (second from left) on the Nile with three other former inmates from Guantanamo Bay.

Posted in Uncategorized | 28 Responses

ray hanania on the stupidity of pro-hamas leftie activists

By bananabrain | Published: January 14, 2010

well, no surprises here – ray hanania, writing in the jerusalem post, finds plenty to criticise about the sort of activist that is perpetuating the sad situation in the gaza strip, in the now-established tradition of leftie imbeciles sucking up to clerical fascists as an act of anti-imperialist egotism.

and, of course there’s none more egotistical that our good friend, saddam-fancying cat-impersonator ”gorgeous george”.

george laps it up

These are strange bedfellows in the Palestinian extremist camps, religious fanatics shoulder-to-shoulder with secular extremists like the Popular Front and the rejectionists led by the activists and fawned on by the Arab media that mistakenly believe “freedom” means embracing the most extremist activists.

you never spoke a truer word, ray. for G!D’s sake, please keep doing this. palestine needs your sanity, rationality and humanity, rather than serving to remind us all of the intransigence and lack of compassion for real human beings – other than as symbols of something-or-other-from-la-la-land-ideology – demonstrated by these smug, self-satisfied self-publicists:

Posted in Activism, Farce, Islamism, Israel/Palestine, Terrorism, The Far Left | 3 Responses

Saudi deradicalisation initiative

By Effendi | Published: January 12, 2010

Shiraz Maher has a piece over at the Wall Street Journal explaining why Saudi “deradicalisation” prisons are failing. I’ve reproduced it in full below.

It is now clear that the failed terrorist attack by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on Christmas Day was directed by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The reasons for the sudden resurgence of this previously almost extinct chapter of the global jihad network lie not in Yemen, though—where AQAP is based—but across the border in Saudi Arabia.

For three years the Saudi Kingdom has been experimenting with a deradicalization program for captured Islamist terrorists in the CARE Rehabilitation Center. Rather than turning the jihadists into productive members of society, however, the center has replenished the terrorists’ troops by releasing some extremists who immediately rejoined al Qaeda. Unwilling to challenge their own brand of radical Islam, Wahhabism, the Saudis don’t seem ideologically best equipped to resocialize Islamist terrorists.

Posted in Islamism, Politics, Terrorism | 59 Responses

Wakkas Khan: Faithful Islamist

By Guest | Published: January 11, 2010

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

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Here’s some news from the Department for Communities and Local Government. It has established a panel of 13 “faith advisers who will act as a ’sounding board’ to advise on effective engagement with faith communities, and the impact of Communities and Local Government policy on faith communities”. Here’s John Denham:

“This new panel brings together an unprecedented wealth of knowledge and experience that will help advise on the big issues facing society such as the economy, parenting, achieving social justice and tackling climate change.

“For millions of people the values instilled by their faith are central to shaping their behaviour. We should continually seek ways of supporting and enhancing the contribution faith makes to the decision-making process on the central issues of our time.

Posted in Islamism, Terrorism | 1 Response