Archive for the 'Islamophobia' Category

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Arguing with Islamophobes

Published on May 4, 2007 in Islamophobia and UK. 0 Comments

A few days ago, The Daily Express, the BNP’s favourite newspaper, carried the following article “Now Muslims Get Their Own Laws in Britain“ on the front page about Sharia Courts in the UK. That may sound familiar. That is because it is. The Express has simply done a rehash of other front page stories it has run on exactly the same theme. Inayat Bunglawala posted a rebuttal of the article on Comment is Free.

The Shariah courts that exist do not – at all – deal with criminal issues which are a matter for the British courts, they entirely deal with civil matters such as marriage and divorce. The arrangement is entirely voluntary and the two parties have recourse to the UK courts at any time should they wish.

Unless you’re a rabid Islamophobe or a Daily Express reader that doesn’t sound like any reason for mass hysteria. Inayat’s post attracted quite a few comments among which was the following gem:

Spittingmadwoman
Comment No. 556901
April 30 21:57
GBR

If Inayat Bunglawala wrote an article explaining that 2+2=4, that the Earth went round the sun and that bears shit in the woods, some of the commentators here would say:

“Well 2+2 might equal 4 today Inayat, but if you had your way it would be 2+2 = global caliphate and beheading of all kaffirs.”

“The Earth going round the Sun? What shameless propaganda. We all know the Sun is going to EXPLODE in a few billion years and it will all be the fault of Muslim terrorists like you.”

“How bloody typical, your bears coming to our woods to leave their droppings. If they like shitting so much why didn’t they stay in their own woods and shit there? If we allow this to continue in a few years the entire country will be swamped with bearshit and then you’ll all be sorry.”

It’s so boring.

Inayat, an awful newspaper with a vile proprietor? Next you’ll be telling us that bears shit in the woods ;-)

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Inside the struggle for Iran

Published on April 30, 2007 in Iran, Islamophobia and Middle East. 0 Comments

If you’re under the impression that the British media likes to present Middle Eastern news in a fair and balanced manner then have a look at the following article, Inside the struggle for Iran,  which appeared in The Guardian this morning:

A grand coalition of anti-government forces is planning a second Iranian revolution via the ballot box to deny President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad another term in office and break the grip of what they call the “militia state” on public life and personal freedom. Encouraged by recent successes in local elections, opposition factions, democracy activists, and pro-reform clerics say they will bring together progressive parties loyal to former president Mohammad Khatami with so-called pragmatic conservatives led by Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani.

The alliance aims to exploit the president’s deepening unpopularity, borne of high unemployment, rising inflation and a looming crisis over petrol prices and possible rationing to win control of the Majlis in general elections which are due within 10 months.
Parliament last week voted to curtail Mr Ahmadinejad’s term by holding presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously next year.

Though the move is likely to be vetoed by the hardline Guardian Council, it served notice of mounting disaffection in parliament.

But opposition spokesmen say their broader objective is to bring down the fundamentalist regime by democratic means, transform Iran into a “normal country”, and obviate the need for any military or other US and western intervention. Rightwing political and religious forces, divided and dismayed by Mr Ahmadinejad’s much-criticised performance, are already mobilising to meet the threat.

The movement amounts to the clearest sign yet within Iran that the country is by no means unified behind a president who has led it into confrontation with the west over the nuclear issue, while presiding over economic decline at home.

If you take out all the Neocon doublethink (anti-government forces, militia state, fundamentalist regime, etc.), you’re left with the following: 

Iran is a democracy and the Iranians, at the next elections, are going to vote in a moderate government to replace the hardline government that they voted for a few years back because they are fed up of the current govenment’s hardline policies.

So why didn’t they just say that? Anyhoo, I think those Iranians might be onto something, perhaps our own Labour party could look into something similar to get rid of that twat Blair.

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Fox News sinks to new low

Published on April 29, 2007 in Islamophobia, US and Video. 0 Comments

Fox News should really change their name to Faux News. On Tuesday, Fox News morning show “Fox & Friends” aired at least eight segments on a purported “news” story that was actually a parody article written by a publication similar to The Onion.

The backstory: Last week in the town of Lewiston, Maine, a group of Somalian Muslim middle school students were the subject of a cruel prank when their peers placed a ham steak next to them in order to personally offend the students. School officials filed a report because the students considered the act to be a hate/bias crime.

This actual story was then spoofed by a parody site called Associated Content, which made up quotes and details, such as the school’s intention to “create an anti-ham ‘response plan.’”

On Tuesday, Fox & Friends reported these parody quotes and details as actual news. Poking fun at the students, hosts asked whether ham was “a hate crime…or lunch?” and showed screen shots of ham sandwiches, starving Somalians, belching, animal noises, and mock “reenactments” of the incident. Ironically, the hosts assured viewers several times, “We’re not making this up!”

Fox’s careless blunder made news in the town and “launched an immediate avalanche of angry phone calls and ugly e-mails to the school system.”

In the parody, the ham steak became a ham sandwich. Fake quotes were attributed to Superintendent Leon Levesque, Stephen Wessler of the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence, and one of the Somali students targeted in the incident. […]

Following the Fox broadcast, Levesque’s office received dozens of angry phone calls and profanity-laced e-mails, made and sent by people all over the country, who charge the school district overreacted to what they believed from news reports to be a ham sandwich tossed at a Somali student. […]

“Fox has figured out, from the calls we’ve gotten, that they’ve made a big mistake,” Wessler said.

“This is a wake-up call that the level of hate and anger, among a small population, is vibrant,” he added.

Levesque said he was bothered not only that the parody took aim at a sensitive issue in Lewiston, but also that Fox and others reported the information as fact without checking. The national media, Levesque said, sees information posted online and “uses it as gospel.”

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