The weekend papers provided a platform for pundits to offer their views on the House of Lords decision in the Shabina Begum case. These are, predictably, uniformly hostile to Shabina. Thus we have Fiona Phillips in the Daily Mirror (“‘I’m an intelligent girl,’ Shabina told me, ‘and no one tells me what to do.’ Clearly, though, her brother does”) and Carole Malone in the Sunday Mirror (“this uppity young woman not only needs to be brought down a peg or two, she needs to learn that in Britain rules and respect are a damn sight more important than what you wear”). Jasper Gerard in the Sunday Times dismisses Shabina’s point that “there are girls pressured to wear headscarves who don’t want to” (“here Shabina surely shoots her case out of the sky: if girls are subject to any unwelcome pressure to cover up, then far from giving in, perhaps schools should ban all religious clothing”), while Joan Smith in the Independent on Sunday says that “the decision marked the moment in Britain when the State, faced by religious extremism, drew a line” and claims that Shabina is among those who “advocate ideas that are quite at odds with the values of the society in which they live”.
Category Archives: Liberal
BNP supports ‘March for Free Expression’
“Freedom of expression has been in the news in recent weeks and attempts by both the State and extremist Islamicists to stifle freedom of expression have come under the spotlight in the wake of the Nick Griffin and Mark Collett trial in January and the recent furore over the publication of satirical cartoons featuring Mohammed. Freedom of expression has been in the news in recent weeks and attempts by both the State and extremist Islamicists to stifle freedom of expression have come under the spotlight in the wake of the Nick Griffin and Mark Collett trial in January and the recent furore over the publication of satirical cartoons featuring Mohammed.
“On Saturday in central London a wide range of political, religious and lobby groups will be taking part in a protest rally to affirm the importance of free expression in frank and honest debate, including the freedom to criticise and mock religions and faiths. The BNP, the only political party which champions free speech backs the protest and we have also been made aware that Civil Liberty supporters will be present to demonstrate against the encroaching intolerance of Marxism and militant Islamicists.”
BNP news article, 23 March 2006
To quote Nick Cohen’s boost for the “March for Free Expression” in last Sunday’s Observer: “Fortunately, the British National Party is nowhere to be seen and the rally will be filled with democratic leftists, Liberal Democrats, secularists and Iranian and Saudi Arabian dissidents.”
See also Salma Yaqoob’s post on the Guardian’s Comment is Free, 23 March 2006
The far right, racists and the ‘March for Free Expression’
Over at the “March for Free Expression” website they’ve taken issue with this post on Islamophobia Watch, where we referred to the support given to their demonstration by the “Civil Liberty” campaign, which is a far-right front headed by a BNP organiser.
March for Free Expression blog, 17 March 2006
In fact, contrary to the assertion by “Voltaire”, our point was not that the MFE supports the far right, but rather that the far right supports the MFE.
And while we’re on the subject of the far right, one of the organisations listed as a supporter of the “March for Free Expression”, and who have a platform speaker at Saturday’s protest, is the “Libertarian Alliance”. This is an organisation that welcomed the acquittal of BNP führer Nick Griffin and his fascist sidekick at Leeds Crown Court and expressed concern that the acquittal was only “partial” (because the CPS intends to have the case re-tried).
Sean Gabb, director of the Libertarian Alliance, who will be speaking at Saturday’s rally, commented: “Doubtless, there are people who take offence at the expression of certain views on race and immigration. But free speech that does not include the right to give offence is not free speech. It is the political equivalent of decaffeinated coffee. If people are upset by what they read or hear, let them ignore it or argue against it. There is no place in these debates for the Thought Police.”
Libertarian Alliance press release, 3 February 2006
As can be seen, the Libertarian Alliance stands for the repeal of all legislation against racial hatred and discrimination, and proposes that “the Commission for Racial Equality and all similar organisations should be abolished, and their records burned”.
We also note that “various branches of UKIP” are listed among the sponsors of the MFE. UKIP’s manifesto declares that Britain is “bursting at the seams” due to an influx of foreigners, and one of its leaders, Nigel Farage, is reported to have stated: “We will never win the nigger vote. The nig-nogs will never vote for us.” See What Next? No.29.
Still, not to worry, we have Nick Cohen’s assurance that the protest will be “filled with democratic leftists, Liberal Democrats, secularists and Iranian and Saudi Arabian dissidents”.
Nick Cohen supports anti-Muslim demo
Nick Cohen (surprise, surprise) throws his weight behind the “March for Free Expression”:
“Next Saturday at 2pm in Trafalgar Square, there will be a rally for freedom of expression. I think it’s fair to say that previous generations would be astonished that their descendants would have to take to the streets to demand such a basic right, but after the death threats against cartoonists, it seems we do. Fortunately, the British National Party is nowhere to be seen and the rally will be filled with democratic leftists, Liberal Democrats, secularists and Iranian and Saudi Arabian dissidents.
“With the white far right out of the picture, the brown far right has barged in and Islamic fundamentalists are proposing to hold demonstrations against free speech away from central London. So, if you want to protest on Saturday, you have a choice: for free speech or against? Come on, it’s not that hard a choice. All will be welcome in Trafalgar Square. Dress? Danish.”
Well, we’ll see how it turns out. I would expect the “Free Expression” event to attract a full complement of right-wingers and racists. But then, as we’ve pointed out before, it’s not that easy to distinguish them from “democratic leftists” of Cohen’s ilk.
As for the “brown far right”, this refers to the Muslim Action Committee, an umbrella organisation that includes Q News among its affiliates. You begin to wonder whether Cohen has finally lost his marbles.
Nick Cohen lines up with Mad Mel
As we’ve repeatedly pointed out on this site, Islamophobia is the issue over which a whole section of the Left has lost its political bearings and adopted positions barely distinguishable from the racist Right.
Nick Cohen is of course a prime example. In his latest Evening Standard column, he denounces liberals for opposing the imprisonment without trial of the Tipton Three at Guantánamo Bay (“the Americans had reasonable grounds for picking them up”) and for attacking the intended illegalisation under the government’s proposed new anti-terror law of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an organisation that has repeatedly stated its opposition to terrorist attacks such as the London bombings. As for 7/7 itself, Cohen lectures us that it had nothing whatsoever to do with the crimes of western imperialism but was solely motivated by the “psychotic ideology” of Islamism.
A very similar argument is presented by Mad Mel, with whom Cohen increasingly finds common ground, in today’s entry in Melanie Phillips’s Diary.
Why the Lib Dems?
A few days ago Liberal Democrat spokesperson Kishwer Falkner attracted some media attention when she stated that Muslims should have “broader shoulders” when it comes to issues of free speech such as the Danish cartoons – a statement that Osama Saeed rightly dismissed as “patronising drivel”.
I missed Kishwer Falkner’s speech at the Trafalgar Square rally against Islamophobia on 11 February (I’d sneaked off for a coffee). However, a contact has provided this account: “She came on directly after Azzam Tamimi and attacked him from the platform for his lack of ‘self restraint’ (without of course specifying what this meant). She ended her tedious and patronising speech with the inspiring slogan ‘Moderation is more important than militancy’ – and walked off to a chorus of boos.”
I notice that another leading Lib Dem, Evan Harris MP, is billed as a platform speaker at the so-called “March for Free Expression” in London on 25 March, which has been called basically in support of the right to incite hatred against Muslims.
I can understand why Muslim communities have been alienated from Labour by the actions of the Blair government, but why anyone should regard the Lib Dems as any sort of alternative beats me.
Jihad Watch applauds Trevor Phillips
Robert Spencer gives his seal of approval to CRE chair Trevor Phillips’ suggestion, following that of Australian deputy PM Peter Costello, to the effect that Muslims who want sharia law should go back where they came from. Under the heading “Anti-dhimmitude in the UK: Muslims who want sharia law ‘should leave'”, Spencer applauds “A welcome statement in the UK, echoing one that has already been made in Australia. Other non-Muslim states should follow suit.”
Muslims fly flag for peaceful protest against cartoons
Thousands of British Muslims flocked into Trafalgar Square yesterday to express their anger at the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist.
But they also voiced their rejection of the wave of violent protest that has swept the Muslim world during the past two weeks over the cartoons, first published in a small Danish newspaper.
“This is the Muslim community,” said the rally chairman, Anas Altikriti, of the Muslim Association of Britain. “Not a handful of people claiming vile things like those last Friday.” He was referring to protesters who took to the streets of London with placards embracing al-Qaeda and calling for the beheading of non-believers.
Five thousand men, women and children gathered in the square to listen to an array of speakers. Many shouted “Allah Akbar” (God is great) as people from many faiths addressed the crowd.
The organisers had carefully chosen calm, co-ordinated banners that were lifted in the air to create a sea of white and blue. The messages simply read: “United against Islamophobia, united against incitement, mercy to mankind and Muhammad, symbol of freedom and honour.”
The same issue of the paper features a letter pointing out that “Islamophobia is the new anti-semitism“, though this is more than offset by an article from the appalling Andrew Anthony entitled “The end of freedom?“. Anthony completely ignores the issue of anti-Muslim bigotry as a manifestation of racism, criticises British newspapers for their responsible decision not to re-publish the offensive cartoons, opposes yesterday’s Trafalgar Square demonstration, takes a swipe at multiculturalism, and offers yet another ignorant attack on the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill. Predictably, it’s backed up with the usual favourable references to Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Kenan Malik.
Abu Aardvark on the cartoons crisis
Marc Lynch writes: “By emphasizing angry voices on both sides, but especially on the Muslim side, the media is playing into the hands of extremists. It’s typical of the media – sensationalism sells papers, and gets viewers. But it isn’t constructive.
“When Qaradawi says that Muslims should be angry and should boycott, but should not engage in violence, don’t report the first and ignore the second…. this is not a clash of civilizations, and we should stop treating it as such. Yes, most Muslims I know are angry and genuinely offended, but they aren’t violent about it.
“If a similar cartoon had been run about Jesus, or Anne Frank … or Martin Luther King, lots of Americans would be angry and genuinely offended. By focusing on the extreme voices, the media really does an injustice to the legitimate, human feelings and ideas of that vast majority of Muslims who deserve the right to be heard without being reduced to some cliche of Muslim rage.”
Abu Aardvark weblog, 9 February 2006
Somebody should point this out to Anthony Garton Ash, who in yesterday’s Guardian endorsed the prominent media coverage given to irrelevant and totally unrepresentative nutters like Omar Bakri and Anjem Choudary.
A reply to Sunny
Sunny Hundal at Pickled Politics has asked, in connection with the provocative idiocies of former Al-Muhajiroun supporters on the demonstrations at the Danish embassy in London: “why can’t these inbreds be locked up? That’s what I want to know. I’d like to see Martin Sullivan comment on that.” Sunny goes on to say that “the only people who can really deal with these extremists are Muslims themselves, yet most of the time they’re too busy defending these idiots”.
What planet does Sunny inhabit? The actions of these lunatics have been condemned by everyone from the MCB to MPAC to Hizb ut-Tahrir. Nobody has defended them. My own view, for what it’s worth, is that the police should have intervened and arrested the provocateurs, and prosecuted them under the Public Order Act.