Category Archives: Multiculturalism

Torygraph explains how to defeat racism

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Under the heading “Defeating racism” – always a cause close to the hearts of the right-wing media – the Telegraph offers its take on the current conflict between anti-racists and the Commission for Racial Equality: “Trevor Phillips, the former New Labour functionary who chairs the CRE, has woken up to the perils of multiculturalism, and has also attacked bigoted Islamists. This has infuriated hard Leftists and radical Muslims…. The Mayor of London’s office wants to boycott a CRE conference that promises to be truly open-minded, even to the extent of debating Enoch Powell’s views.”

Editorial in the Daily Telegraph, 27 November 2006

One silver lining to the assault on our freedoms

Posted on by Bob Pitt

One silver lining to the assault on our freedoms

By Jeremy Corbyn

Morning Star, 22 November 2006

LAST weekend, the Stop the War coalition organised an enormous assembly linking the war and the defence of minorities and freedom of expression. Two days later, the British Muslim Initiative and Liberty came together to host a rally in Westminster’s Central Hall on the theme of Islamophobia.

Intolerance is not new in Britain. The Jews were thrown out in the 13th century and they were not allowed back until Oliver Cromwell allowed them in the 17th century. However, they suffered persecution for centuries more to come, with hysterical campaigns in the 19th and 20th centuries run by the popular media which enabled the far-right to gain ground.

Black migrants suffered racist abuse and stereotyping in the 1950s and, later, Asian and other groups suffered in the same way.

The Irish were singled out for special vilification and, after the 1974 Prevention of Terrorism Act, they had the unwelcome attention of the state itself forced upon them. The PTA was finally replaced by the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent acts, all of which have been designed to give excessive and unaccountable power to the security services.

The US may operate a blot on human existence in Guantanamo Bay, but Britain has Belmarsh and is holding dozens of foreign nationals indefinitely without trial, appeal or action date.

Ever since 2001, the vocal campaign against Islam has gained momentum. It has been given occasional puffs of credibility by public statements.

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Far-right racists make gains in Belgium on anti-Muslim platform

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Vlaams BelangAnti-immigrant sentiment is spreading across Europe, boosting support for populist, right-wing parties. One of the most successful is in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium. Backers of the party, known as Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest Party) criticize Muslim immigrants for failing to assimilate. In the Vlaams Belang’s stronghold of Hoboken, on the outskirts of Antwerp, the party soared in local elections last month. It won 41 percent of the vote, far ahead of all other parties.

Sitting at the bar of a smoky cafe, school bus driver Eric Delawer says this working-class town used to vote socialist. But in recent years, with the influx of large numbers of Muslim immigrants, he says the people of Hoboken have turned to Vlaams Belang. “The immigrants don’t integrate,” he says. “They separate themselves from us. They want to stay among themselves. I say, if they don’t adapt to our customs, the only option is to send them back to their home countries.”

“We are not in favor of the famous multicultural society,” says Filip Dewinter, the party’s leader. “We do not have a problem with legal immigrants if they are willing to assimilate to our culture, our way of life, our values,” he says. “But we can’t allow that they come to our country, that they come to Europe, and they keep their own culture, their own religion – Islamic religion – which is not always compatible with our way of life, our culture.”

NPR, 21 November 2006

Study rejects claim that Muslim areas harbour terrorists

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Muslims living in ghettos are no more likely to become involved in terrorism than those living in mixed areas, according to research to be published today. The study by Manchester University says that “terrorist hotbeds” are a fantasy and concludes that Islamist terrorists are as likely to come from towns and cities with small Muslim populations as from so-called “self-segregating” Muslim areas.

Guardian, 20 November 2006

Livingstone decries vilification of Islam

Posted on by Bob Pitt

MayorMuslims are being singled out for demonisation on a par with the victimisation of Jews during the last century, the mayor of London claimed today.

Unveiling new research indicating that 75% of those polled in the capital support the right of Muslims, and those of other faiths, to dress “in accordance with their religious beliefs”, Ken Livingstone criticised the “barrage” of attacks as an assault on freedom of religious and cultural expression.

His comments coincide with the launch tonight of a high-powered coalition, involving MPs, Muslim groups, trade unions and the campaign group Liberty, to confront Islamophobia. The new coalition is supported by figures from the three major parties, Sikhs, black-led organisations and human rights groups.

Many leading figures are concerned about issues such as Jack Straw’s observations on Muslim women who wear the veil and criticisms from ministers who say Islamic communities should do more to root out extremists.

Mr Livingstone said: “Over recent weeks we have seen a demonisation of Muslims only comparable to the demonisation of Jews from the end of the 19th century. As at that time, the attack on Muslims in reality threatens freedoms for all of us, which took hundreds of years to win – freedom of conscience and freedom of cultural expression. Every person who values their right to follow the religion of their choice or none should stand with the Muslim communities today.”

He linked the criticism of Muslims with the adverse scrutiny accorded to government policy overseas. “I cannot believe it is a coincidence that this entire artificial pseudo-debate has been stirred up at a time when the credibility of the entire war and occupation of Iraq is collapsing before our eyes. Muslims and all of us have a right to call for a different policy within the democratic process.”

Guardian, 20 November 2006

See also “Rally calls for religious freedom”, BBC News, 20 November 2006

Londoners back freedom of conscience and religion

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A new Greater London Authority (GLA) poll showed on yesterday that 75 per cent of Londoners back the right to dress in line with religious beliefs.

The poll, which was undertaken by MORI on behalf of the GLA, found that 82 per cent of Londoners also believe that everybody in London should be free to live their lives how they like as long as they don’t stop other people doing the same, with 13 per cent disagreeing. It also showed extremely strong disagreement with the government being allowed to tell people how to lead their lives, with only 15 per cent agreeing and 76 per cent disagreeing.

The figures coincide with a public meeting tonight, organised by Liberty and the British Muslim Initiative, at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, in support of freedom of conscience, religion and thought. The meeting will include speakers from across the political spectrum and individuals representing different faiths and none.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone said that the figures are consistent with previous polls and confirm that Londoners strongly support living in a city as diverse as London. “London is applying the principle that people should be able to live their lives as they choose, including the way they practise their religion, as long as it does not prevent others doing the same,” he said. “Such a strong support of liberal values is a core foundation of good community relations.”

Morning Star, 20 November 2006

London mayor backs anti-Islamophobia rally

Posted on by Bob Pitt

BMI_Liberty rallyIslamophobia on the March

By Ken Livingstone

Morning Star, 4 November 2006

On November 20, at Methodist Central Hall Westminster, a national rally will be held to defend freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

Organised jointly by the British Muslim Initiative and Liberty, it has the support of a wide range of organisations, including faith groups, anti-racist campaigns and labour movement bodies.

The rally will be the first step in initiating a national campaign to defend freedom of religion and culture and to combat the rise of Islamophobia.

The aim is to support the principle that communities from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, of all religions and none, should live together in a spirit of tolerance and respect for each other’s customs and values.

London itself is in many respects a model for the sort of multicultural society we want to build. The diversity brought about by successive waves of migration has been a key factor in the success and dynamism of the capital.

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London likes multiculturalism

Posted on by Bob Pitt

MayorMost Londoners believe multiculturalism is good for the capital despite the recent row over Muslim veils, according to a new survey.

The MORI poll for the Greater London Authority showed 70 per cent of residents felt London was a better place to live because of its “mix of cultures, languages and ethnicities”. Thirty-seven per cent said the diversity of the capital was “a very good thing” and 33 per cent “quite a good thing”. Seven per cent said it was “quite a bad thing” and six per cent a “very bad thing”.

Ken Livingstone said: “It is good to see Londoners have not been deflected from their enjoyment of multiculturalism by the intolerance we have seen from politicians over recent weeks. Londoners support a basic principle: we all have the right to be ourselves as long as we don’t interfere with the rights of others. That tolerance and respect for individual choice unites us and underpins our success as a global financial centre, welcoming companies and their staff from every part of the world.”

The poll found nearly three quarters of voters believe Britain’s involvement in the Iraq war led to the 7/7 terror attacks last year.

Evening Standard, 30 October 2006

Media ‘bullied’ into not discussing Islam, according to Mad Mel

Posted on by Bob Pitt

madmel“The head of Britain’s Commission for Racial Equality, Trevor Phillips, was one of the first in the governing and quangocrat class to sound the alarm over multiculturalism some fourteen months ago when he warned that Britain was ‘sleepwalking to segregation’. He has also said that mass immigration is changing the face of Britain and that Muslims wanting to live under Sharia law should leave the UK….

“But now, Phillips’s position appears to have shifted. Last weekend, he said he was disconcerted that the debate about the veil seemed ‘to have turned into something really quite ugly’ and descended into ‘bullying’. He told BBC One’s ‘Sunday AM’ show: ‘I, this morning, really would not want to be a British Muslim because what should have been a proper conversation between all kinds of British people seems to have turned into a trial of one particular community, and that cannot be right.’

“Ugly? Bullying? ‘A trial of one particular community’? Surely, it’s those who draw attention to Islamic extremism who are mostly on the receiving end of ugly bullying. Any mention of ‘Islamic terrorism’ produces instantaneous denunciation as an ‘Islamophobe’, racist, bigot and all the rest of it – backed up by the implicit threat of violence, a state of affairs which started with the fatwa against the life of Salman Rushdie. As a result, the British media are now so cowed and intimidated they refuse to publish much vital discussion about Islam, to the terrible detriment of free and vital debate.”

Melanie Phillips’s Diary, 24 October 2006

Regular readers of this site will of course be well aware of how “intimidated” the British media has been when it comes to attacking Islam and Muslims, particularly in recent weeks during the outburst of racist hysteria provoked and legitimised by Jack Straw’s comments on the veil.

Veiled prejudice

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Veiled prejudice

By Jamil Hussain

Morning Star, 23 October 2006

LET’S face it, Muslim-bashing is newsworthy. Politicians now feel that it’s a sure-fire way of getting noticed

In the last month, MPs have pumped out timely and much-publicised polemics about Muslims, packaged as a “new and honest debate” about multiculturalism.

Jack Straw kicked off the latest furore with his veil comments, the timing and subject of which seemed opportune.

He could have talked of other pressing issues, such as the report by the equal opportunities commission which found that Muslim girls have fewer job opportunities, despite overtaking white boys at GCSE level.

Instead, Straw picked on the minuscule number of Muslim women wearing the veil, attacking an iconic Islamic image to gain maximum exposure.

He has reason to distance himself from Muslim opinion, especially if he wants to become the new deputy Labour leader.

Four weeks after Condoleezza Rice’s visit to his Blackburn constituency, which was overshadowed by protests by Muslims against the US Secretary of State, Straw was dismissed as foreign secretary. Rumours suggest that President Bush put pressure on Tony Blair because of Straw’s perceived reliance on Muslim opinion and votes.

Straw’s comments were also backed by other Cabinet colleagues, including Harriet Harman, another candidate vying for the deputy leadership role.

As a feminist, Harman would, presumably, abhor Muslim men dictating what women should wear, but she saw no irony in backing a non-Muslim man doing the same. Had Straw asked a woman to cover up, would Harman have given him the same support?

She voiced regret that women “whose mothers fought against the veil now see their daughters taking it up as a symbol of commitment to their religion.”

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