Racism row over 9/11 protest (From Harrow Times)
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Harrow Mosque protest sparks racism row
11:03am Wednesday 26th August 2009 in News
ANTI-ISLAM campaigners have been locked in a bitter row with Muslims and anti-fascists ahead of a planned 9/11 protest.
Stop the Islamisation of Europe (SIOE), which has a number of branches on the continent, is organising the demonstration outside Harrow Central Mosque but has been accused of racism over its beliefs.
A Facebook event hosted by the English Defence League (EDL) and Casuals United, who are also attending the rally, has been peppered with criticism and there have also been threats of violence against them on the day.
SIOE's moto is: “Racism is the lowest form of stupidity. Islamophobia is the height of common sense,” and members say they do not believe in moderate Muslims.
Stephen Gash, of SIOE, says Islamaphobia is not racist and accuses the western media of being biased, selectively failing to report immoral acts he claims have been committed by Muslims around the world.
He claims to have rejected openly racist groups like Combat 18.
Sarah Cox, 72, of Unite Against Fascism (UAF), said: “They claim they are not racist in that they are not against people because of the colour of their skin but because of their religion.
“But given that a lot of people who come from Islamic backgrounds may not be particularly religious but identify themselves as Muslim for cultural reasons it's as racist as the antisemitism of the Nazis.
“It's a form of irrational discrimination.”
UAF and the EDF clashed in Birmingham on August 10 and there are fears there could be violence in Harrow on September 11, when both groups plan to protest.
EDF and Casuals United are made up of football supporters and some say many are football hooligans.
Bill Baker organised a protest outside the mosque on August 29 which was cancelled after the religious institution categorically denied allegations members planned to hold Sharia Court meetings.
He said: “The protesters are looking for a reaction. There's no political points that they can score from it.
“All they are going to do is turn people who are against Sharia Law against them, and it will show them to be the thugs that they are. That's football hooligans for you I'm afraid.”
He added: “A lot of these people are aged between 18 and 21. They've got the brains of rocking horses some of them.”
The police say the groups will only get 15 to 20 people to turn up but around 165 have said they will definitely attend on social networking website Facebook.
Someone with the name Nick Griffin, who is displaying a British National Party (BNP) logo as their profile picture, has been sent a Facebook invitation and says they might be attending.
Mr Gash, who said he expected turn out to be around 60 people, told the Harrow Times the BNP were not welcome at the rally and would be told to leave if they arrived.
He said the EDF and Casuals United were for more “boisterous” people and said as long as they did not behave like football hooligans he was happy for them to attend.
He said: “I didn't see any violence at the protest in Birmingham. If they do the same things as in that demonstration I will not have a problem with them.”
He is encouraging them to turn up with anti-BNP flags.
SIOE claims to have the backing of an array of non-white groups around the world, including people Mr Gash says are victims at the hands of Muslims.
For a Democratic, Secular Iran is also said to be attending.
Local branches of the UAF, from Brent and Harrow, are newly formed specifically to tackle this issue and include members of traditional left wing groups including trade unions.
Both sides say they intend to protest peacefully and UAF say they do not believe the anti-Islam protest will go ahead.
But if both events do take place the police will be there.
Chief Superintendent Dal Babu, borough commander for Harrow, said: “We are confident that we are able to deal with any issues that come to our attention and we ask that you remain calm and confident in our ability to deal with them.”
Comments(2)
leon gramsci
says...
7:52am Sat 29 Aug 09
The excuses and lies they use are unacceptable to all of us, whether Muslim, Jew, Hindhu, Sikh, Gay, atheist, East European, Romani,male or female.
We will not allow this divide to get a foothold in Harrow or elsewhere.
Brent and Harrow Unite Against Fascism stands alongside many other organisations in rejecting their lies and threats.
Harrow people remain united in the face of this attempt to turn the clock back to the 30's.
The present day Nazis are not welcommed here at all.
SueZy says...
11:21am Thu 27 Aug 09
In most Muslim countries a Christian community cannot build a church - or could be arrested as in Pakistan for ringing church bells at Christmas (when they permission from the gov. to do so).
In Egypt at the university Obama spoke at - a Shaeik professor there said building churches is a sin - in support of last year's officially recognised fatwa - that said building a church is like building a barn for dogs, cats and pigs. The Copts called up to verify and confirmed this.
What groups like SIOE are saying - if we are going to have mosques in Europe - then we should have churches in the Middle East and Islamic world.
Even the Catholic Church - is pushing for more reciprocity with the Islamic world - and has been advocating for the first Church in Arabia.
SIOE site's statements say the same thing - we should have churches in Saudi Arabia - since they are the main funders of mosques - really across the world - while allowing no other religion on their own soil.
Forget about race - it is the imbalance that is being argued over.
The Saudis approached Russia - and said let us build a grand mosque in St. Petersburg or Moscow - and the Russians answered - let us build a Russian Orthodox Church in Arabia.
The Russians clearly get Islamisation!
Perhaps it is because they don't need the oil!
Shari'a law mandates that non-Muslims should be brought under Islam - and there is no amount of politically correct speak that can change the Koran - the Koran says there is no compulsion - but goes on to say - and this is the part that gets left out - non-Muslims living among Muslim must willing pay the jizya tax (its is written in the Koran) so that they will know that they have been subjugated. And if they don't pay this jizya or protection tax - then they are either to convert to Islam are they are to make war with us (non-Muslims).
The people who are most affected by these subjugation laws - are people who are Pakistani - for ex. - but are Hindu, Sikh or Christian. In Egypt the people who are Copts - are treated like the Pakistani Christians - and more frighteningly the Egyptian Copts once were in the majority. A non-Muslim in Egypt cannot take a Muslim to court - in Pakistan a non-Muslim's word is worth half that of a Muslim in their courts.
It is okay to say "We are for Islam" "And against racism" - But what Islam are we for? The one that feels that it is right - to subjugate non-Muslims? So to be against this racist?
Here are some of the things - that when groups like SIOE say they are against - they are called racists.
*A Muslim man can marry any woman in his society - a Christian / non-Muslim man cannot.
*A Christian or non-Muslim can convert to Islam - but no one can leave Islam.
*Only Muslim children can attend school - Baha'is for ex. in Egypt and Iran are not allowed to.
*To kill a person who leaves Islam - in so many Muslim countries - there is no penalty under the law.
When we focus on Islam we usually focus on the rights for men versus women - then that disparity extends to Muslim versus non-Muslim - where the Muslims are in the majority.
We saw the attacks on Christians in Pakistan a few weeks ago - just one in the line of many attacks and shootings - just a few weeks before that several Christians were shoot dead and had - Convert of Die - scrolled on the walls of their homes and churches. The police usually don't like to get involved.
Though in the last case - which received international coverage - now that it has all quieted down - the Pakistani police have accused the Anglican Bishop and a local Christian councilman - of taking part in burning those Christian families alive.
This thing is so way past racism - and what is worrying some people is that Muslims feel that their system of Shari'a is right for the West.
The Wall Street Journal has called it - Islamic Supremacy.