Advance publicity for the annual Peter Tatchell Human Rights Fund fundraiser, which was held last night, made much of the fact that Sheikh Dr Muhammad Yusuf, Chair of the Council of University Imams, was billed as one of the speakers.

However, Sheikh Yusuf withdrew from the engagement, apparently because of pressure from “senior Muslim figures”. Presumably they made clear to Sheikh Yusuf that Tatchell would use his presence at the event to give credibility to Outrage’s anti-Muslim campaigns.

And how did Tatchell spin the news? In characteristically Islamophobic fashion. It was reported under the headline “Liberal Muslim theologian pulls out of Tatchell lecture after threats: Lecture cancelled after fears for Sheikh’s safety”!

Happily, Maryam Namazie of the Worker Communist Party of Iran stepped in to replace Sheikh Yusuf. Yes, that’s the same Maryam Namazie who described the Islamic headscarf as “comparable to the Star of David pinned on Jews by the Nazis to segregate, control, repress and to commit genocide”. Much more in keeping with the spirit of the event, I’d have thought.

Another anti-Muslim diatribe from Peter Tatchell, who resurrects his campaign to get the MCB banned from February’s Unite Against Fascism conference. A phrase involving the words “dog” and “own vomit” immediately springs to mind. For coverage of this issue on our site, see here, here, here, here and here.

While the uncritical support given to Tatchell by Tribune may serve the personal political agenda of the magazine’s deputy editor, it is extremely damaging to the Labour Party’s relations with Muslim communities, which are already under severe strain following the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq. Perhaps readers of our site might like to point this out (in appropriately restrained language) to Tribune‘s editor, Chris McLaughlin?

Alliance with bigots won’t halt fascists 

By Peter Tatchell

Tribune, 17 March 2006

Human rights campaigners claiming victory after Sir lqbal Sacranie failed to speak, as advertised, at the recent trade union-sponsored Unite Against Fascism (UAF) conference in London. His no-show followed widespread protests against his participation. Sacranie has condemned gay people as immoral, harmful and diseased.

Supported by London Mayor Ken Livingstone, plus five trade unions and the South East Region of the TUC, the UAF conference theme was “Stop the BNP”. Why did UAF invite a speaker whose views on homosexuality echo the bigotry of the far Right?

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Last week the Peter Tatchell Human Rights Fund Campaign Report 2005 was published. Among the list of Peter’s marvellous accomplishments over the course of the year, the report includes the following nugget: “The website, Islamophobia Watch, regularly (but falsely) denounces Peter as anti-Muslim. It is feared this could make him a target for Islamic fundamentalists who monitor the website to compile their hit-lists.”

Peter is of course noted for keeping a low profile – indeed, within a Left not short of inflated egos and narcissists, his self-effacing approach to political activism is one of his most appealing qualities – and without the efforts of Islamophobia Watch we doubt that anyone would have the slightest idea who Peter Tatchell is. Furthermore, were it not for our harsh criticisms of Peter’s attitude towards Islam, we are convinced that the majority of Muslims would long ago have recognised him as the friend and sympathiser that he is.

As for the claim that “Islamic fundamentalists” monitor our site to “compile their hit-lists”, some might suspect that this is a baseless slander on Peter’s part aimed at silencing his critics. However, as anyone familiar with Outrage’s campaign against Yusuf al-Qaradawi can confirm, Peter is the last person in the world to make an accusation against anyone without solid evidence to back it up. We look forward to to Peter providing his own list of the fundamentalists who use our site for the purpose of targeting people like himself for murder.