One of London’s leading gay club owners sparked controversy today after posting an online rant about British Muslims, PinkPaper.com can exclusively report.
The entrepreneur – who was responding on Facebook to a story on the Evening Standard site entitled Protestors Fight Police in Clashes Outside Mosque – vowed to boycott Muslim-owned businesses in response to recent unrest in East London. He also tried to justify his decision by reference to the death toll of British troops in Afghanistan, which has this month risen above 300.
PinkPaper.com has been trying to contact Mark Ames of club XXL in London to ask how he justified his remarks. We also wanted to double-check his Facebook account hadn’t been hacked although similar remarks have been made in his previous posts.
Ames – or someone posing as him – wrote: “From today I will be boycotting any shops, petrol stations restaurants or businesses I know are owned by Muslims this also includes holidays to muslim [sic] countries today see [sic] our death toll up to 300, so why the hell are we not just flying this scum back out to there beloved states and pull out and let them fight out there [sic] own issues!
“Funny thing is most of there parent’s would have used I am escaping the brutal rules of muslim society when they arrived on UK shores many years ago!” [sic]
Unsurprisingly, the comments have sparked criticism. One PinkPaper.com reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, told us: “I find this remark absolutely disturbing from anybody. But from the gay community? I am shocked.”
See also “XXL owner Mark Ames slammed for Muslim boycott”, Pink Paper, 30 June 2010
Via Islam in Europe
Update: A Facebook group “Bears Against Bigotry” has been formed to oppose Ames’s Islamophobic views. They haveannounced:
“Bears Against Bigotry have decided to march in Pride London along side and in solidarity with Imaan the LGBT Muslim Support Group this Saturday. We have chosen to do this to show that bears, their friends, families and admirers support a non-bigoted, tolerant and inclusive view of LGBTQ communities.”