Another plug for Gina Khan, Britain’s answer to Ayaan Hirsi Ali – this one by Trevor Kavanagh in the Sun. Kavanagh writes:

“Gina Khan, 30, risked her safety by attacking the extreme interpretation of Islam spreading like wildfire through the Pakistani community in Britain. She believes Muslim women and children are paying dearly for a closed, male-dominated society which wants harsh Sharia law to replace the law of the land. Gina Khan is one of many British-born victims of what she describes as a ‘cult’ flourishing under the noses of the government. And she fears it may be too late to stop vulnerable young Muslim men being turned into suicidal killers by a voodoo version of Islam.

“In emails to me over the past year, she has spoken privately about the abuse of women sanctioned by religious leaders – polygamy, beatings, forced marriages and, in extreme cases, honour killings…. Gina is appalled by the reaction of fellow Muslims to the arrest of nine terror suspects near her home in West End, Birmingham…. She wants faith schools abolished, along with the veil. And she wants to stop mosques and madrassas being built on ‘every street corner’ as channels for blood-curdling extremism.

“Gina is scathing about the veiled woman pictured raising a V-sign after the police terror raid. ‘This woman shames moderate liberal Muslim women by sticking two fingers up like louts do in public’, she says. ‘The veil should be banned because people like her prove all is not necessarily pious or dignified under that Seventh Century garment.’

“Most Muslim women are reluctant to anger their menfolk by speaking out. Instead they endure medieval repression that would be utterly unacceptable to non-Muslims – banned from leaving home unless accompanied by a male relative, barred from higher education and forced to accept their husbands’ second wives. They watch dumbly as daughters are removed from school and whisked away for weddings to strangers. Some silently endure their fate. Others join the wild eyed conspiracy frenzy peddled by superstitious men and cunning propagandists….

“Can women turn the tide against deluded men who seem to inhabit an Arabian Nights fantasy? … Gina Khan is one woman with no resources. She needs help from other sensible Muslim women. They can email her at gina-khan@hotmail.co.uk.”

Sun, 12 February 2007

Somehow I can’t imagine there’s going to be a rush by “sensible Muslim women” to finance a campaign by someone who is at best unbalanced and at worst intent on furthering her own career by reinforcing the worst stereotypes about the Muslim community. On the other hand, Gina Khan may well receive some support from the racist Right, for whom she is providing a valuable service.