Category Archives: Resisting Islamophobia
Union leader brings message of solidarity to Muslim community
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey became one of the first senior trade union leaders to officially address worshippers at Friday prayers when he visited two mosques in East London on 21 June.
He brought a message of support and solidarity to the Muslim community in Tower Hamlets and the wider Muslim community across the UK when he addressed Friday prayers at Brick Lane mosque. He then walked through Brick Lane market with Tower Hamlets executive mayor Lutfur Rahman. They both then went to the East London mosque where Len McCluskey greeted worshippers and met Muslim community leaders.
Unite condemns the recent attacks on Muslim men and women by far right extremists and racists and offers the hand of friendship. Unite believes that every person in our community should live without fear and intimidation.
Britain’s long standing de-civilisation of Muslims
The Woolwich murder and its backlash has exposed what has been apparent for decades – Britain’s liberal democracy has failed to prevent the persecution and victimisation of its Muslims, argues Ismail Patel.
Bias against Muslims rampant in ‘liberal’ California
“Muslim Americans come from more than 80 different countries and four continents; they occupy different socioeconomic classes, subscribe to a variety of sects and pursue all manner of jobs. Yet this highly diverse population has been shrunken into a single suspect class, unified now by its experience with Islamophobia.”
Charlotte Silver reports on recent studies by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (Once Upon a Hatred: Anti-Muslim Experiences in the USA) and the One Nation Bay Area Project (Bay Area Muslim Study: Establishing Identity and Community).
Electronic Intifada, 25 June 2013
Update: See “Islamophobia in the US is mainstream”, Electronic Intifada, 28 June 2013
Jewish patrol group Shomrim offers protection to mosques amid rise in hate attacks
A Jewish “police force” has offered protection to mosques in Hackney, following a spate of violent attacks on mosques. Shomrim, a uniformed Jewish patrol in Stamford Hill who are trained by the Met, patrol the area regularly looking for anti-Semitic hate crimes, and general disorder in the neighbourhood.
The volunteer group, similar to a Neighbourhood Watch, are trained to safely track and detain suspects until police arrive, and run a 24-hour hotline for those in the area to report attacks. The group was started by Jewish New Yorkers angry at lengthy police response times after crimes were reported.
Mosque elders met this weekend with Shomrim in the Cazenove Road Mosque and Community Centre to discuss cooperation between the two communities.
Criminalising communities after Woolwich
On not fearing Muslims
Andy Newman responds to the latest Islamophobic publication by One Law for All, Siding with the Oppressor: The Pro-Islamist Left.
Croydon Council leader calls for anti-Islam protest to be banned
The leader of Croydon Council has called for a planned rally by right-wing extremists to be banned.
The English Volunteer Force (EVF) plans to protest outside the headquarters of the UK Border Agency (UKBA), in Wellesley Road, on July 27. The EVF, which claims to fight “the Islamification of Great Britain”, has said “all patriots are welcome” and has admitted it is likely to spark counter-protests from anti-fascists.
The move has angered many, with council leader Mike Fisher calling for the rally to be banned, stating: “We do not need this additional tension in Croydon.”
Originally it was reported members of the EVF were planning a march from Lunar House to the Croydon Mosque in London Road, Thornton Heath, but the group’s leader Jason Lock said the idea had been dropped in favour of a demonstration.
Argenteuil: indifference and silence of the media
The Collectif contre l’Islamophobie en France condemns the media coverage of the recent horrific attack on a Muslim woman in Argenteuil.
Hull council to seek EDL march ban
City councillors have voted in favour of calling on police to ban future marches through Hull by groups such as the English Defence League. A march along Spring Bank by EDL activists earlier this month triggered ugly scenes and ten arrests. It was the first time the extreme right-wing group had staged a march in the city.
Former Humberside Police Authority chairman Councillor Colin Inglis, who proposed the motion, said he had no intention of criticising the police over their handling of the march. He said: “I think the police would dearly love to stop things like this but before they do, they need some comfort there is not going to be criticism from people like us. This is about putting down a marker for the police from us as politicians in Hull, saying we will support them doing this in a robust manner.”
Cllr Inglis said a video of the march filmed by the Mail clearly showed that many involved were not even from Hull. The Hull Daily Mail did a great service in recording that event. “Just looking at that video, you might have thought they were a bunch of football hooligans. If they had been, and this had happened inside the KC Stadium, the police would have no doubt dealt with them and banned from the stadium for life. However, this was on a public highway and the police allowed them to do it.”