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Legoland Cancels “Muslim Family Fun Day” After Threats From Violent Anti-Muslim Groups

By on March 1, 2014 in Loon-at-large

LEGOLAND-Parks

The hysteria over “Muslim Family Fun Day” in the UK (h/t: Farhan) sounds very familiar, as a similar anxiety and hysteria was witnessed here in the USA last year when some Muslim groups organized a Muslim Family Day at Six Flags Great America,

There has been a Muslim Family Day at Six Flags Amusement Parks in many cities across the U.S. for 10 years now, since 2000.  The idea was to plan a special day after Ramadan.  This year some of these Family Days will be held on September 12th, and that has set off a firestorm of objections.  Some even calling the event a “stab in the eye” of Americans, or “spitting in the face” of Americans.

Glenn Beck wonders why they (those Muslims) would be so insensitive as to pick a day so close to 9/11.  Obviously his crack research staff needs to be replaced.  That is the weekend after the end of Ramadan this year.  The Islamic calendar is lunar rather than solar, so events on the Islamic calendar move forward by approximately 11 days each year in the lunar calendar.  In a couple of years this event will be coming in August rather than September.  In 2009 the events were planned around September 21, in 2008 around October 1, in 2007 around October 14 – you get the idea.

…

The Tea Party Patriots website (the same folks that brought you the “bring your dogs” protest of the Temecula mosque) has a page which posts the rantings of all sorts of bigots claiming that this is a“symbolic victory”, “this is all about conquest”, “Islam is not a religion”, “STOP THE SILENCE. STOP THE NONSENCE. STOP THE MUSLIM DAY – THEY ARE NOT AMERICANS. THEY DO NOT ABIDE BY OUR CONSTITUTION – THEY ARE NOT ONE OF US – YOU ARE EITHER WITH US OR AGAINST US – MAKE YOUR DECISION.”, ” Islam tells people it is OK to be two-faced liars”, ” they cannot ever respect our constitution because it’s in direct violation with Sharia and how they must abide by a set of laws called dualism, compelling them to lie to others”, “there is no such thing of (sic) a ‘mild’ muslim”.

Legoland cancels Muslim family fun day in fear of “guest and employee safety”

(5Pillarz)

The family fun day which was organised by Sheikh Haitham al Haddad of the Muslim Research and Development Foundation (MRDF) for Sunday 9th March will not be going ahead after a barrage of violent messages were made by far-right Islamophobic extremists.

The English Defence League, Casuals United and other far-right groups vowed to hold a protest outside Legoland, many threatening to use violence to prevent the family outing.

Legoland issued the following statement:  

“The Legoland Windsor Resort prides itself on welcoming everyone to our wonderful attraction; however due to unfortunate circumstances the private event scheduled for Sunday 9th March will no longer take place. This was an incredibly difficult made after discussions with the organisers and local Thames Valley Police, following the receipt of a number of threatening phone calls, emails and social media posts to the Resort over the last couple of weeks.

“These alone have led us to conclude that we can no longer guarantee the happy fun family event which was envisaged or the safety of our guests and employees on the day – which is always our number one priority.

“Sadly it is our belief that deliberate misinformation fuelled by a small group with a clear agenda was designed expressly to achieve this outcome. We are appalled at what has occurred, and at the fact that the real losers in this are the many families and children who were looking forward to an enjoyable day out at Legoland.

“We would like to apologies to them and to the organisers, and to thank them for their understanding. We hope that they will all be able to come to visit us during the season.”

Read the entire article…

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    • Salaams to all, Well it must be my lucky day; this is the second time I’ve thanked someone in as many posts. Oh, I suppose I’d better thank you. Thank you, and Jazakallah khair!

    • SarahAB

      But it really is (partly) about Haddad. This sounds, from what I’ve read in the article, quite different from the US equivalent story where the objections just seem purely bigoted. It is true that this story was reported (by EDL type groups) in a hyped up way in the UK – for example, it was implied that the park would otherwise have been open as usual, that this was a Muslim-only event which was excluding others. But it was a private booking at a time when the park would otherwise have been shut – in line with Legoland’s normal practice.

      Of course associating those going with terrorism is over the top and Richard Littlejohn is known in the UK for his offensive and provocative style. But, although I was sympathetic to those objecting to the letter, it wasn’t at the worst end of the scale because it did make an effort to make clear that not all Muslims were being targeted by the ‘satire’ and that the objections were to Haddad’s views, not to Islam in general. Of course it may well be read by people who aren’t alert to those distinctions, and that for them it just confirms prejudices.

      But although it’s awful if the event is being cancelled due to threats of violence, I do think it is the case that some Muslim individuals and organisations are quite as hateful as far right organisations that a business such as Legoland wouldn’t want to be associated with for fear it hurt their brand.

    • Solid Snake

      Ahh yes, the benefits of being an oxygen deprived Islamophobe. -Claim that Muslims are suppressing free speech when they sign a petition to remove Islamic imagery from a video. -Turn right around and celebrate the cancellation of a Family Fun Day due to threats of violence as a victory for freedom.

    • mindy1

      Pathetic-just let the families have there fun for crying out loud

    • GaribaldiOfLoonwatch

      No doubt someone will want to turn this into being about Haddad. You don’t have to agree with his views, in fact you can hate his views and condemn them but to claim that there was some terrorist threat by his group’s presence at Legoland is ridiculous, bigoted and inflammatory. These same people are quiet about the EDL and their threats of violence to Muslims and Muslim families.

ADL Traffics in Crude Stereotyping of Muslims

By on March 1, 2014 in Loon at large

The_Muslim_Taxi_Driver

Yesterday, William Saletan of Slate.com published an article (The Muslim Taxi Driver) on how to kill legislation that favors Christian religion and it has to do with prejudice and paranoia against Muslims,

If you want to kill legislation that protects the right of Christians to withhold business services from same-sex couples, here’s one way to do it: Don’t warn people about Christians. Warn them about Muslims.

That strategy was on display in the campaign against Arizona Senate Bill 1062, which would have shielded businesses from discrimination suits if they acted on religious beliefs. Everyone understood that the bill would have allowed conservative Christians to refuse services for a gay wedding. But in Arizona, that wasn’t a strong enough argument against it. So opponents went for the Muslim angle.

Many Americans who talk about religious freedom are really just interested in the rights of conservative Christians. They’re not so keen on Muslims. In fact, they worry about Muslims imposing their beliefs on Christians. Two days ago, in praise of the Arizona bill, Rush Limbaugh complained, “Religious beliefs can’t be used to stop anything the left wants to impose—unless they’re Muslim religious beliefs, and then we have to honor those. But any other religious beliefs are not permitted.”

The first reference to Muslims in the Arizona fight, as far as I can tell, came from the Anti-Defamation League in a letter to state senators and in testimony before a state Senate committee on Jan. 16. If the bill were to pass, the ADL’s assistant regional director told the committee, “A Muslim-owned cab company might refuse to drive passengers to a Hindu temple.”

CAIR-Arizona has condemned the ADL’s stereotyping, calling on the group to apologize,

“It is unconscionable that a group purporting to defend civil rights would resort to religious bigotry to promote its political agenda,” said CAIR-AZ Board Chair Imraan Siddiqi. “The introduction of this stereotypical scenario gave way to the narrative that Muslims are in some way serial abusers of ‘religious freedom based denials of service,’ which is completely baseless.”

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    • Guess

      You got that right. It is a mouth-piece all right. Paying lip services to save face once in a while when American Islamophobia gets too raw for them to ignore it — which by the way the Zionism ideology they adhere to is for the most part responsible for. And to wholeheartedly defend the Zionist crimes in Palestine at every corner, should give a pause, especially to American Muslims about this organization and its agenda.

    • Solid Snake

      Well, when I used the “50%” number I meant to use it in a way to indicate in a simple manner that the Republican Party (The Democrats being the other half) represents a good number of the US population and is mostly responsible for spreading this sentiment.

    • Salaams to all, Thank you for this. It brings some perspective which was needed in this particular case. On a related note, these are interesting objections to the ex-bill which I had not considered. I would, however, have to read the text of the bill itself to discern whether these scenarios would be possible. I’ve seen special interest groups outright lie–blatantly–on more than one occasion when it came to extrapolating the possible effects of proposed legislation. But now that the legislation has been killed, I needn’t go to the trouble. There remains the thorny problem of the case which inspired the legislation in the first place; but that is outside the purview of this website.

    • Just_Stopping_By

      I don’t think you were oversensitive. I think the issue was in the way the material was presented. No one reading the Slate piece or the CAIR-Arizona letter would have known that this was one of five examples or that another example involved hypothetical discrimination against a group that wanted to study the Talmud or Koran (Qur’an).

      “When 50% of the Untied States population uses the word Muslim, not even extremist or radical Muslim just Muslim, as an insult and a way to discredit, impeach, and sometimes even justify killing the president of the US, then you know that this sentiment is woven into society to an alarming degree.”

      I agree 100% on the concept, though I doubt the figure is actually 50%. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/26/obama-muslim_n_1706522.html ) Whatever the figure, it’s not negligible, as probably close to 100% of us have seen that tactic used. I think it could actually be the subject of an interesting LW piece if someone wanted to write about it.

    • Solid Snake

      I think I was a bit sensitive today, lack of sleep does that to you.

      But after reading the whole letter, I don’t think this was a case of intentional Islamophobia. Like you said they needed a few examples and they happened to use one involving a Muslim. They also used a Christian example.

      Im just so used to people on the internet and in real life bringing up Muslims when they want to present an example of bad behavior or violence. Its getting beyond ridiculous. Its just thrown about so casually with such confidence that it makes you want to tear your hair out. because there is no use arguing logically, the amount of misinformation and ignorance that has built up over time into these little soundbites is overwhelming. And its just so ingrained in that person, in the supporters of that opinion, and honestly, and unfortunately, it is ingrained in Western society as a whole.

      And that’s not just my opinion. Its a provable observable phenomenon. When 50% of the Untied States population uses the word Muslim, not even extremist or radical Muslim just Muslim, as an insult and a way to discredit, impeach, and sometimes even justify killing the president of the US, then you know that this sentiment is woven into society to an alarming degree.

    • Just_Stopping_By

      Agreed. I’m just stuck between two possible explanations for what happened at the Arizona branch of the ADL, and I don’t know which is worse. Was this a deliberate attempt to fight a law using Islamophobia, or are they so oblivious that this just “sounded right” to them? Either explanation would be bad.

      That said, the Slate piece and the Arizona CAIR letter are a bit misleading. Here is a link to the actual Arizona-ADL letter: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CCsQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com%2Fjewishaz.com%2Fcontent%2Ftncms%2Fassets%2Fv3%2Feditorial%2Fa%2Fe1%2Fae13ae96-8534-11e3-b511-001a4bcf6878%2F52e2ce0025ea0.pdf.pdf&ei=fC4TU93wPMiSkQfC74CwBA&usg=AFQjCNGvbKJSz8-wOB-dLfFmtAUXFf_a9w&bvm=bv.62286460,d.eW0 . It has the following examples:

       An employer could raise SB 1062 as defense to an employee’s equal pay claim under A.R.S. §23-341 arguing that his or her religious beliefs require that men be paid more than women.  The legislation could be used as defense to paying statutorily accrued interest on liens or other amount owed to individuals or private entities based on a religious objection to paying interest.  A secular corporation with religious owners could refuse to hire someone from a different religion, so as to avoid paying a salary that might be used for a purpose that is offensive to the owners’ religious views.  A Christian-owned hotel chain might refuse to rent rooms to those who would use the space to study the Koran or Talmud.  A Muslim-owned cab company might refuse to drive passengers to a Hindu temple.

      Again, I think what the Arizona branch of the ADL did was wrong, though if they had had a third example with a Jewish-owned business also engaged in discrimination, I think it would have been sufficiently balanced.

    • Solid Snake

      Wow, what a low blow. Shameful really, we haven’t said a thing nor are we involved in that situation yet they have to fucking mention us? See the stereotype isn’t whats making me angry, no I’ve heard worse. Its the fact that they say it so casually, like its everyday common sense. Whenever you need an example of a POSSIBLE crime or violence or discrimination just use Muslims or even better, Arabs. No one will say anything and if we ever do, we are trying to suppress free speech like when people peacefully petitioned that pop star to remove the Islamic imagery.

      We are accused of doing bad things whether we are vocal or silent, whether we are involved in a certain situation or not.

    • mindy1

      The ADL should be combating prejudice against all. For my Jewish brethren to engage in that kind is embarrassing and I am sorry about that.

    • GaribaldiOfLoonwatch

      I don’t think anything will change in the near or mediate term in regards to Israel, but maybe their strategy in regards to Muslim Americans will, it has to in my opinion.

    • JD

      Yes right… ADL is nothing but a mouth piece and lobby group for Israel pretending to fight “defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all” If Abe goes and Bob takes over it wont matter there mission and job is the same

    • GaribaldiOfLoonwatch

      Maybe things will change at the ADL once Abe Foxman finally retires, which is supposed to be soon.

New Anti-Sharia Legislation Introduced in Several States

By on March 1, 2014 in Loon Politics, Loon at large

Lee-Bright

Sen. Lee “not so” Bright.

New Anti-Sharia Legislation Introduced in Several States

(Imagine2050)

The 2014 legislative year has already seen legislation proposed that would ban the application of Sharia law in state courts. There are currently nine states that have introduced some variation of a bill aiming to block Islamic law. Most of the bills have carried over from 2013 with the exception of Vermont, which has introduced its first bill of this stature.

The bills are intended to combat the perceived threat that Muslims are undermining the United States Constitution and imposing Sharia law. Although almost none of the bills mention Sharia or other religious law specifically, instead opting for more neutral language, such as “foreign” and “international” law, their intent to vilify Muslims remains very much the same.

The bills are modeled after legislation entitled American Laws for American Courts (ALAC), which was authored by anti-Muslim lawyer and activist David Yerushalmi. The decision to explicitly leave out words like Sharia and Islam reflects a recent court case in Oklahoma where a federal judge ruled that legislation directly targeting Sharia law was in violation of Muslims’ Constitutional rights. However, the bill was amended and secured Oklahoma as the sixth state to enact such a law. Now even more states are looking to pass their own versions.

South Carolina State Senator Lee Bright (R) is one of the lawmakers trying to pass this type of legislation in his state. Bright is a prime example of the paranoia and anti-Muslim demagoguery behind these bills. Over the summer, Bright, who is primarying Lindsey Graham (R-SC) for a 2014 Senate seat, accused the senator of being a “community organizer for the Muslim Brotherhood.” This was after Graham took a diplomatic trip to Egypt with Senator John McCain (R-AZ). In a recent speech, Bright also went on a diatribe about Muslim immigration, asserting that the country might be admitting terrorists.

“We got to be careful about who we let into this country,” he told the crowd. “A lot of these folks from terrorist nations are coming in on student visas, and we shouldn’t allow it.” Later in the speech, Bright referred to immigrants crossing the Southern border unlawfully as “an invasion” and claimed some of them might have connections to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Bright is not the only state representative looking to have a bill of this category passed, however. Listed below are all of the proposed 2014 anti-Sharia bills:

  • Florida has introduced Senate Bill 386. The bill’s sponsor is Sen. Alan Hays (R), who last year proposed SB 58, which died on the Senate floor. Hays has previously compared Sharia law to a “dreadful disease,” and its only vaccination is anti-Sharia legislation.

  • Georgia has introduced HB 895 and SR 808 prohibiting courts from recognizing foreign and international law.

  • Iowa’s House Bill 76 was carried over from 2013 and has been referred to a Judiciary House Committee.

  • Kentucky has introduced HB 43, which has been referred to a House Judiciary Committee.

  • Missouri has re-introduced SB 619. The bill’s sponsor is Republican State Senator Brian Knieves, an anti-immigrant legislator and member of the State Legislators for Legal Immigration. SB 619 was vetoed last summer by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon.

  • South Carolina has introduced three bills: HB 4494, which specifically bans Sharia, and SB 60 and 81, both of which were carried over from 2013. Sen. Bright is responsible for SB 81.

  • Mississippi has introduced HB 44, which has been referred to a House Judiciary Committee.

  • Vermont has introduced SB 265 and is the state’s first anti-Sharia bill.

  • West Virginia has introduced SB 2116, which is currently in a Judiciary House Committee.

  • Washington has introduced SB 6118 and HB 1392, which carried over from 2013.

Legislation outlawing Sharia law in state courts remains unnecessary and a distraction from more pressing matters. The background of the laws and its fringe sponsors show their true intent and has no place in our legislative process.

For more on Senator Lee Bright and his controversial views, visit The National Memo here.

“Lee Bright Warns of Immigrant ‘Invasion’ From ‘Terrorist Nations’” (via Right Wing Watch)

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    • Laila Muhammad

      Talmudic laws in nyc and other cities seems to be immune from these anti-int’l law bills…wonder why?….maybe mr jarushalem could enlighten us

    • Seeker

      The Muslims are taking over in France and have taken territories in England Oh noooo, our secret is out !!! It’s time for Operation Taqiyya everybody !

    • Hussein

      Yes, the fear what they see in Islamic countries, then wants to have a preemtive laws and at the same time giving those who wants these laws a signal that they are not welcomed. Who really will want to live under sharia Law…? Look at Theocratic Iran, Saudi Arabia and all the muslim countries where sharia is implemented if there is human rights and tolerance. The west should fight against sharia law with tooth and nail.

    • Hussein

      Can someone please tell me where on this earth the sharia is implemented, and at the same time does not infrige on human rights…? Is it in Pakistan with their blasphemy law..? Somalia, Sudan..? Saudi Arabia..? Are these coincidences..? Then which place is there on this earth that sharia is well implemented and then people hurry or rush to live there…?

    • The greenmantle

      Sorry are you on the same planet / dimention as everyone else on this blog ? have you ever travelled much ? I am British and now live in France and can confirm you are talking what I can only say is complete bollocks . Maybe if you dealt with the real world and actually got out of your basement you would realise this . By the way world of warcraft does not count as travelling . Have a nice day Sir David

    • Amie

      Not if you look the way Shari’ah Law is interpreted in countries like Saudi Arabia. In fact, I sometimes wonder if their version of Shari’ah is a mix of islamic and Mosaic Law (you know: chopping heads, chopping hands, stoning, etc). For example, the stoning punishment comes directly from the Mosaic Law (Old Testament). No stoning is required according to the Qur’an. However, to make their actions islamically lawful certain countries like Saudi Arabia have invented a story how the stoning punishment was in the Qur’an but the passage was “eaten by a goat.” What a joke! Really? A goat? So Allah SWT promises to keep his Word intact and protected, yet a goat got it?!? Check out this video in Arabic and English from learned sheikh Imran Hosein explaining the lie about the stoning rule: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsrSQeoJdso

  • Amie

    Are we, the American Muslims, being prepared for something more sinister?

Sikhs Against Sharia (SAS) – Sareeta Webra & Anti-Muslim Rhetoric

By on February 10, 2014 in Loon-at-large

Liberal-Labour-pro-Islamic  (h/t: Edgar)

Sikhs Against Sharia (SAS) – Sareeta Webra & Anti-Muslim Rhetoric

An Expose by Steven Rose

Sikhs Against Sharia (SAS) are somewhat of an anomaly.  They are an informal organisation that largely exists on Facebook, where most members are white nationalists and non-Sikh.

It acts more like a vehicle for supporters of the English Defence League and Stop Islamisation of Europe (SOIE). We find fellow ‘patriots’ from across Europe. Including supporters of the far-right Danish People’s Party (Dansk Folkeparti), Spanish and German Defence Leagues.

However, several days ago, Sareeta Webra, founder of Sikhs Against Sharia, and Stephen Gash, of Stop Islamisation of Europe, applied for a Cambridge County Court injunction to prevent a mosque being built.

Their justification is found in a rambling press release that makes many unsubstantiated claims. Perhaps most offensively, they suggest that a majority of Islamic charities are fronts for terrorism.

They also believe that Cambridge “is the last bastion of Christianity in England and must not fall to Islam.” But this is nonsensical as Muslims remain a religious minority (4.8 per cent) compared to Christians (59 per cent).

Sareeta Webra even attempts to exploit religious differences by stating: “As a first generation English Sikh I am alarmed at how Islamic discrimination against non-Muslims is defended, condoned and even encouraged, by the British establishment.”

The injunction failed but they now have grounds for appeal.

Sikhs Against Sharia maintain they are not anti-Muslim but that statement rings hollow. A quick search of their Facebook wall reveals a plethora of Islamophobic abuse.

For example, one member recently shared a picture of a nuclear explosion with the caption ‘The Future of Mecca.’

Others use dehumanising language, “So when a Musrat says he don’t eat meat unless it’s Halal he lies!!! He muffs a goat at least once a day,” such crass remarks are followed up with badly doctored images.

Many in the group share stories from the usual deeply Islamophobic slanted sources: Jihad Watch, Atlas Shrugs, FrontPage Magazine, Britain First, English Defence League, Liberty GB and other dedicated ‘counter Jihad’ Facebook pages.

Sareeta Webra has a noted history with the British far-right. In 2010, she was part of an English Nationalist Alliance march that took a petition to Downing Street calling for the end of Sharia Law in the UK. In that same year, she also spoke at an EDL rally in Dudley, which was later posted on Jihad Watch.

Years later, and her admiration for Tommy Robinson is unwavering. When learning of his departure from the EDL, she praised him as a ‘legend’ and a strong leader.

Varinder Singh, from the Turban Campaign, described the injunction as a cheap and damaging publicity stunt. He stated:

“We are disappointed to learn that Sikh history is being misrepresented by individuals with violent far-right connections in order to incite religious intolerance and obstruct the development of a much-needed place of worship.

The messages shared by these individuals are diametrically opposite to the core Sikh values. One of the main messages in our faith is the concept of “Sarbaht dah Phahla” which means “blessings for everyone” or literally “may everyone prosper”.

Both Muslims and Sikhs share a rich joint-heritage since the birth of the Sikh faith in the northern plains of India. It should be noted that the holiest shrine of the Sikhs – the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, had its foundation stone laid by a Muslim saint (Mian Mir).

Sareeta Webra’s views are not those of the British Sikh Community and have no mainstream support. We are particularly concerned at the damage Sareeta Webra’s actions will do to interfaith harmony between British Muslims and Sikhs.”

This attempted injunction is a reflection of a growing far-right tactic to target mosques during the planning stages. (Lastly, we have sent a specific tweet from Sareeta Webra which verges on incitement against the Director of TELL MAMA to the police.)

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    • Talking_fish_head

      They’re not white thats why

    • Ummer Farooq @faro0485

      “…compared to Christians (59 per cent).” I personally would classify all Protestants as muslims, according to what the historical supporters of the Papacy had claimed.

    • Wait, wait, I thought Jews were the most unwanted minority in history? Or was that gypsies? “and there’s a good reason for that” is a repeat of the stupid bigoted rhetoric applied to those groups as well.

    • moraka

      Whats the reason?

    • Iman

      This remind me of the Hadith when our prophet Mohammed peace be upon him said that when the end of time comes the whole nations will come upon you. His apostles asked him if the Moslems are going to be few at that time , he said no they will be as much as the froth of the sea but they will be so weak. We are really so weak that everybody is making fun of us or want to kill us .

      Allah Please have mercy on us .

    • mindy1

      Barney really IS satanic…

    • mindy1

      Thank god, for a moment I thought that Sikhs joined the dark side

    • Co-opting the religious terminology of others is not unknown in right wing circles, some more serious than others. From the Democratic Workers Party in Germany to The “Jihad” against Barney (yes the “Satanic” childrens character) those who do not want to be shown as the racists (or anti-religious bigots) they are, often dupe others to be their “Uncle toms” willingly or otherwise.

      I am sure /sarc the families of the Oak Creek massacre are rushing to “like” these guys on Facebook.

‘Let them go to Saudi … we are not a dumping ground’ – Kevin Carroll condemns decision to accept Syrian refugees

By on January 30, 2014 in Loon People

Kevin-Carroll-and-Maajid-Nawaz

This is the extent of the humanity of Kevin Carroll, the former EDL thug who Maajid Nawaz and Quilliam tried to convince us was no longer an extremist.

‘Let them go to Saudi … we are not a dumping ground’ – Kevin Carroll condemns decision to accept Syrian refugees

Grudgingly, belatedly and on the eve of a Commons debate over a Labour motion that would very likely have resulted in defeat had they opposed it, the Tory-led coalition government announced yesterday that Britain would temporarily resettle up to 500 refugees from Syria.

The government has still not signed up to the United Nations programme that has seen Germany take in 10,000 refugees, and the tiny number it has agreed to accept must be seen in the context of the millions who have fled the civil war in Syria. The select few who are to be admitted to the UK will be only “the most vulnerable”, namely children, the elderly, the disabled and victims of torture and sexual violence.

You might think that nobody with a shred of civilised feeling would object to giving refuge to these desperate people. And you’d be correct. Vocal opposition this token humanitarian gesture has mainly been restricted to the scum of the far right. Here, for example, we reproduce a series of tweets and retweets by former English Defence League co-leader Kevin Carroll angrily denouncing the government’s decision.

Nobody familiar with Carroll’s record will be surprised at this. Only the other day, he was tweeting his support for the genocidal campaign against the Rohingya community in Myanmar. But it’s worth reiterating that this is a man who a few months ago, along with his cousin Stephen Lennon, was presented to the public at a Quilliam press conference as a changed character who had broken (or was in the process of breaking) with extremism. Quilliam’s Maajid Nawaz went so far as to declare that Lennon and Carroll’s supposed renunciation of the EDL’s racism and xenophobia represented “a huge success for community relations in the United Kingdom”.

We’re still waiting for an admission from Nawaz and his colleagues that they got this badly wrong. Kevin Carroll Syrian refugees tweets Kevin Carroll Syrian refugees retweets

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    • Christian-Friend

      They’re seeking asylum ANYWHERE that are willing to take them.

    • The eight whose rights are being withheld denies me that priviledge, if Allah blesses me it is out of his forgiveness.

    • Lynchpin

      It reminds me of a game I used to have in my younger days which started out around the year 1066, involving the groups occupying Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. There were many factions to choose from, two of which included the Almohads who occupied southern Spain (Granada and Córdoba) all the way through Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya (given as ‘Cyrenacia’), and the Spanish who occupied much of what is present day Spain except Granada, Córdoba (Almohads), Valencia (led by El Cid), Aragon and Navarre (led by local kingdoms). Portugal started independent. Even though the game’s producers undoubtedly simplified the situation, the politics and resulting warfare was fairly chaotic. Goodness knows what it must have been like in real life during those hundreds of years.

    • Lynchpin

      I’d agree with you, albeit for slightly different reasons. As I mentioned above, the 4 biggest donators proportional to their income do not have a history of meddling – they appear to be donating because they believe it to be the right thing to do.

      I’d agree with you in that in the vast majority of cases it’s better not to donate. I believe this for a few reasons, some of which include enabling corruption to fluorish and causing the beneficiary to become reliant, and hence detrimental to the country’s long-term prospects. http://www.cato.org/publications/economic-development-bulletin/african-perspectives-aid-foreign-assistance-will-not-pull-africa-out-poverty is a brief article around it. It’s just a shame that, by not donating, we’d rule out the success stories such as Rwanda.

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Kevin Carroll backs leader of violent racist campaign against Rohingya Muslims

By on January 28, 2014 in Loon People

Hasan-Lennon-Nawaz-and-Carroll

Bob Pitt of IslamophobiaWatch has flagged a supportive tweet by Kevin Carroll for the violent and racist Burmese Buddhist monk, Ashin Warathu who is wreaking havoc through his 969 movement in Myanmar.

Carroll, along with Tommy Robinson are the same men that Maajid Nawaz and Quilliam Foundation told us have been rehabilitated and are no longer “Islamophobes.”

Kevin Carroll backs leader of violent racist campaign against Rohingya Muslims

Since Stephen Lennon (“Tommy Robinson”) and his cousin Kevin Carroll appeared at a Quilliam press conference last year to announce their resignation from the leadership of the English Defence League, opponents of racism and fascism have concentrated on exposing the fraudulent character of Lennon’s supposed break with extremism.

With “Tommy” now safely locked up, beginning an 18-month prison sentence for his part in a £162,000 mortgage fraud, it is perhaps time to turn our attention to Carroll – who, just like Lennon, was presented by Quilliam as a man that had renounced his far-right, anti-Muslim past.

For anyone who is still stupid or blinkered enough to buy Quilliam’s lies, here from earlier today is Carroll tweeting his support for Ashin Wirathu, the Buddhist monk who has inspired the ongoing genocidal campaign against the Rohingya Muslim community in Myanmar. (The admiration is mutual – last year Wirathu told the Times that his anti-Muslim movement “would like to be like the EDL”.)

Postscript:  It’s worth noting that Carroll’s backing for the anti-Rohingya campaign is nothing new. Here he is in November, retweeting inflammatory propaganda from an anti-Muslim racist posting as “Myanmar Buddhist”:

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    • Mehdi

      Good also exists and can erase evil

    • Friend of Bosnia

      Thanks for your solidarity.

      Well, there is nothing I can do. On this Earth evil outweighs good. I can only thank the All-Merciful that so far I haven’t been touched too much by it…

    • Mehdi

      Not much i can add there…

    • Friend of Bosnia

      I cant respond to the twerps any longer as Balkaninsight has banned me from commenting. But they still provide a platform for anti-Bosnia and anti-Albanian hate speech, Muslim-bashing, Bosniak/Albanian-baiting and war propaganda. They let the backers of Greater Serbia say things that it is forbidden to say about the Jews. And now I can’t even object to it. All that after being on it for almost 20 years now.

    • Seeker

      Yes, it does indeed. But fortunately there are still enough people with sense to look beyond man-made barriers and stand up for a fellow human. Inspite of being ‘programmed’ by the powers that be otherwise. And that is very reassuring.

    • Friend of Bosnia

      And not only of Israel. It’ s incredible what such twerps say to glorify the “Putinization” of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the anti-Rohingya pogroms, anti-Muslim pogroms in India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, the oppression of the Uyghurs, Assad’s genocide against the Syrian people, etc., etc., etc. Their callous inhumanity boggles the mind.

  • Mehdi

    You already do a lot at your level, none of us can solve all of this, and when it comes to those islamophobes, remember that none of them is open to any debate, they just want to mess up your mind, and this is not a pleasure you’re going to give them

ACT! For America Continues Fight Against The Study of History in Alabama

By on January 22, 2014 in Loon People, Loon-at-large

Ancient-Civilizations

In December we covered the crusade by Islamophobes against the study of history in the South, one organization, Brigitte Gabriel‘s ACT! For America isn’t giving up.

The following story in “All Alabama” by Evan Belanger links to our coverage of Gabriel and her group though he writes she is critiqued for being “anti-Islam” which is incorrect. As the link to our article shows we expose her for her racist views on Arabs, “they have no soul,” “are barbarians,” and the fact that she is a “radical and hateful Islamophobe.”

Birmingham conservative group not giving up fight against alleged pro-Islamic textbooks

By Evan Belanger (All Alabama)

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — The Alabama State Board of Education dismissed last week allegations from conservative groups that 11 textbooks on the state’s new list for social studies material are pro-Islamic and diminish Christianity.

Now, the founder of one of those groups says he’ll continue to fighting to keep the textbooks out of Alabama classrooms, encouraging local school boards to reject textbooks.

“It’s not anti-Islamic as such. It’s the indoctrination and propaganda and false information about Islam — primarily its history on how their cultures interacted with others,” said Larry Houck, founder of the Birmingham chapter of ACT! for America.

The conservative organization, founded by journalist Brigitte Gabriel, calls for increased protection of freedom and security in America. However, it has been criticized as anti-Islamic based on Gabriel’s views that the religion promotes terrorism and hinders self-expression, self-improvement and empowerment.

In reviews provided to the state board last month, ACT! for America and the longtime conservative interest group Eagle Forum of Alabama, alleged authors had gone out of their way to present Islam in a positive the light.

They also called Islam a violent and intolerant religion and complained the books dedicated more space to the religion as compared to Christianity. Other allegations included that certain statements in the books were offensive to Christians.

The objections caused the state board to delay consideration of the new list during its meeting in December.

[See a list of the 11 books here.]

Houck, who began researching Islam after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, said his fight is not against Islam, but against its false portrayal in textbooks.

“These kids are getting a false picture of Islam and its history, and they’re going to grow up with wrong information,” Houck said following last week’s vote.

“One book said they mixed in a rich cultural stew. Well, they didn’t. They obliterated the cultures they defeated. I’m hugely disappointed.”

For the first time since the debate started, the school board heard last week from a member of Alabama’s Muslim community.

“I think we should focus on education, not make an issue about religion,” said Aya Zaied, a Montgomery resident and student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

“I feel like this opens the door to hate,” she said of the debate. “We should be teaching tolerance and diversity.”

Houck vowed to continue fighting the books’ use in Alabama classrooms, alleging they are part of a “civilizational jihad against America.”

“We’re going to keep at it,” he said. “To the best of our ability, we likely will go to the individual school boards and districts.”

Last week’s vote to include the 11 books in the more than 500 social studies books on the list drew dissenting votes from school board members Stephanie Bell of Montgomery and Betty Peters of Kinsey.

“It’s not that I have any problem whatsoever with comparative religion. …” Peters said. “I do have a problem when a textbook company presents in once section as fact and in the other as ‘it is said.’”

Bell argued the books did not need to be included because there were still plenty of books on the list that were not being questioned from which local school boards could choose.

“I think the point here is trying to ensure that we have quality and that we have good solid textbooks in the classroom,” she said.

“I think anyone in psychiatry will know that so many of our problems are a result of what children actually see and hear. Some things don’t need to be shared to the extent that they are shared at an age where it is inappropriate.”

State Superintendent of Education Tommy Bice, who recommended the state board keep the books on the list, said he reviewed the groups’ concerns and decided to trust the committee tasked with reviewing Alabama’s textbooks for quality and bias.

Local schools are not required to use textbooks from the approved list, but they will not receive state textbook funding for books not on the list.

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    • Tanveer Khan

      That wasn’t a rant. I found that super inspirational.

    • Mehdi

      Not much to tell you, I don’t know how I would feel and whether I would be able to endure such an environment. The one positive thing to point out is that your son is to be (very) proud of, and that kids often know better than (wrongly named) grown-ups, we tend to forget that racism is taught, your son shows the example of how to fight it and you have much to be proud of. Glad to see you posting on LW.

  • The greenmantle

    Watch the Film little Miss Sunshine about putting young girls in ” sexy ” outfits . Its a hoot and reveals the true motives . Did you know that most mobile phones have a record function bet your son knows how to use them

Rep. Trent Franks and Robert Spencer Indulge in “Obama is a Secret Muslim” Conspiracy Again

By on December 23, 2013 in Loon Politics, Loon Sites, Loon-at-large

Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona was one of the politicians  involved in promoting the book, “Muslims Mafia,” by the now retired and disgruntled racist Islamophobe, David Gaubatz.

Franks recently shared a panel with the former adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahoo, Caroline Glick and Rev. Deacon Robert Spencer who, not for the first time, indulged in the “Obama is a Muslim” conspiracy theory–Franks agreed with him.

Trent Frank Agrees That Obama Is Either A Secret Muslim Or Acting Just Like One

Right-Wing Watch

Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) appeared at a David Horowitz Freedom Center function last month where he agreed with a co-panelist who said Obama may be a secret Muslim, or is at least acting like one. Franks sat on the panel with anti-Muslim activists Robert Spencer, Erick Stakelbeck and Caroline Glick. A member of the audience asked Spencer — to laughter and applause — that if the Quran dictates that apostates must face execution, “If so, how does this apply to Obama? And if so, what should we do about it?”

Spencer replied that the president’s religion is “murky, probably intentionally so.” He went on to say that because you don’t hear Muslims “calling for Obama to be executed as an apostate” for leaving Islam for Christianity, then it is likely he is still a Muslim.

“With so many hotheads and firebrands and hardliners, you would think that somebody would say that, unless maybe they know something,” Spencer said.

He went on to argue that Obama’s Christian faith is further proof that he’s a Muslim, explaining that he can still be a Muslim while he identifies as a Christian. Spencer added: “Whatever his personal beliefs are, certainly if he were a secret Muslim, he wouldn’t be acting any differently from how he is anyway.”

“That’s exactly right,” Franks said. “He wouldn’t be any different.”

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    • Rights

      I don’t find this picture funny to the least extent. Instead I find it insulting to the Pakistani armed forces. Let me explain.

      1) I remember Brzezinski’s visit to Pakistan. This picture is one of several taken when he visited a Pakistani post at the Khyber Pass. The man in the picture is a member of the Pakistan Frontier Corps or Frontier Constabulary; I cannot tell which. He is certainly not OBL. A few minutes of Google search pulls up the other pictures too. I wonder if the soldier in the picture even survived the long conflict.

      2) Likening OBL to the soldier in the picture is offensive. The men of Pakistani Army and the Frontier Corps have been dying day in and day out for over a decade in this blasted “war on terror.” In fact Pakistan has lost more soldiers (~ 5000) in this war along the border than the US and all of NATO combined (~ 3400) in Afghanistan. The civilian deaths for Pakistan are 40K to 50K. That’s a lot of dead people. The loss to Pakistani economy is estimated at $70-90 billion. Pakistan has dearly, very dearly paid for joining America’s “war on terror.”

      3) Brzezinski visited Khyber Pass on February 3, 1980. The Soviets had invaded Afghanistan a mere 5 weeks earlier. So there is no way OBL was even around there at that time. There was no American materiel around either. The Mujahideen were not around either. No one knew exactly what to do. It was simply too early.

      4) This picture and some others with doctored captions and the like are usually passed around on the Internet to show that the US created Al-Qaeda, etc.

      I feel that I should demand removal of this doctored picture from the website. But then all of sudden I realize that I am in no position to make such a demand because I have no authority here. So, then, I take the fallback position: Please kindly remove this doctored picture because it dishonors Pakistani soldiers, and because the doctored picture embodies falsehood. Carlos, I am afraid there’s no Kodak moment here.

    • Reynardine

      They believe in the god they created in Their image.

    • Carlos Danger

      yes

    • Tanveer Khan

      Ah, I must wear it instead then. Its very useful. I’d list all its functions again but I cant remember them T_T

  • Yausari

    I don’t wear them

Le Pen to visit Wilders Tuesday, hold joint press conference

By on November 11, 2013 in Loon Politics

Wilders-and-Le-Pen

Deacon Robert Spencer‘s pal Geert Wilders is joining up with France’s Marine Le Pen.

Le Pen to visit Wilders Tuesday, hold joint press conference

The leader of France’s nationalist Front National is meeting Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch anti-Islam party PVV, on Tuesday and the two will hold a joint press conference about their plans for the European elections.

The aim of Marine le Pen and Wilders is to create a strong anti-EU block within the European parliament. Wilders has spoken several times of his efforts to form a pan-European grouping.

In order to form an official group within the European parliament, Wilders and Le Pen need to deliver 27 MEPs from seven different countries. The PVV and Front National are currently ahead in the opinion polls.

Wilders has already made approaches to the Vlaams Belang, Italy’s Lega Nord and the UK Independence Party, the Volkskrant said earlier this year. UKIP and Sweden’s Democrats have refused to join an alliance with the Front National.

The PVV and Front National have different views on both Israel and homosexuality. Wilders has made a point of supporting Israel and gay rights.

Dutch News, 10 November 2013

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    • Cengiz_K

      …Islam critic…

      I am sure You are aware of how all the “I dont hate muslims but Islamofascism”-“liberals are seeing themselves in the light of intellectualism but don’t have the slightest clue of the world they are living in, that’s one impression I get when having exchanged one or two words with this elite.. This might be true for many branches of intellectualism or those who enjoy to refer to themselves in that manner, but there is something about those former people what makes one flinch either in disgust or pity.. Or maybe it is just me..

    • Cengiz_K

      That’s a rather good summary of all the public players who are dividing europe as a primary target among themselves imho.. And they are gaining power.. Heads up..

    • Helfrink89

      They actually have quite a few differences, believe me. I used to be associated with the “Alternative-Right” before my conversion to Islam and I found myself caught up in arguments between European/Continental Nationalists, Atlantic/Anglo-Saxon Nationalists and Eurasianists . Marine LePenn’s nationalism favors the Continental European Identity, which derives inspiration from orthodox Fascism (of Mussolini, Primo de Rivera, Codreanu), as well as various non-fascist nationalists like De Gualle. The European Nationalists HATE the Atlanticists, Neoconservatives, are critical of Zionism, Americanism, are disdainful of Anglo-Saxon thought and would like to see NATO dissolved. Geert Wilders is more of an Atlantic Nationalist, whom share a lot in common with neoconservatives, have warmer, if not cordial attitudes towards Israel, the U.S., NATO, etc. The Continental Nationalists sometimes resent the Atlantic Nationalists as “Kosher Nationalists” because of their warm attitudes towards Zionism. Atlantic Nationalists resent the Continental Nationalists as “Nazis.”

      And then you have the Eurasianists, who are a whole different ball-game from the two. Eurasianists really hate Zionism and Americanism (to a much greater degree than the Continentalists), but unlike the Atlanticists and Continentalists, Eurasianists don’t harbor much disdain towards Muslims and even see Muslims as an important part of their Eurasian vision. Both Atlanticists and Continentalists resent Eurasianists as “Communists” and “Neo-Soviets” (Though Eurasianists will still turn a blind eye or even justify Russia’s mistreatment of Muslims)

    • LeRoy Williams

      It is true that Wilders has an inferiority complex about being from a Muslim-majority nation, so he tries to bleach it out & attacks Muslims & immigrants to compensate

    • sasboy

      Many of the apologists for Geert Wilders, some of them Dutch, whom I have interacted with, over the net seem to think the man is not a racist or a race baiter at all, but rather an Islam critic and little more.

      Some people may be scared that this political marriage from hell between these two far right wingers, may be bad, because it represents a coalescing of extreme political views.

      But Marine Le Pen, daughter of Holocaust denying Jean Marie Le Pen, who is well known in France as a racist, coming together with Wilders, makes it easier for the far right’s critics to depict the latter as a racist, also keeping in mind that he has now turned on the Eastern European community in his country as well.

      When extremists congregate, it may create a bigger menace, which may be easier to expose and depict as the threat to progressive values which it is.

    • bboy_blue

      His hair dying is a result of a self loathing & denial, which manifests itself in the form of a wannabe Aryan spouting anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim bigotry.

      Geert Wilders’ Indonesian roots define his politics, says anthropologist

      http://vorige.nrc.nl/international/article2350022.ece

  • The greenmantle

    No problem , great minds think alike

Génération Identitaire stages anti-Islam stunt in Lorraine

By on October 29, 2013 in Loon-at-large

The same group that stormed a French Mosque last year.

Génération Identitaire stages anti-Islam stunt in Lorraine

Des Dômes Et Des Minarets reports on the latest anti-Muslim initiative from the French far-right group Génération Identitaire, who were responsible for a widely publicised occupation of a mosque in Poitiers last year (and presumably also for the anti-Islam banner hung from the same building earlier this month).

Following the recent announcement that the mayor and municipal council have agreed to lease a plot of land to the city’s Muslim association for the construction of a new mosque, Génération Identitaire activists in the Lorraine capital of Metz have been changing street signs, by giving them new names intended to suggest that the city is undergoing a process of Islamification.

The new names include “Place de la mosquée”, “Rue de la lapidation”, “Rue de la charia”, “Rue du niqab” and “Place Allah Akbar”. The signs also feature the additional note “With the collaboration of the mayor of Metz”.

Génération Identitaire Lorraine has posted photos of the street signs on its Facebook page, along with a statement justifying the stunt as a “symbolic action”, the aim of which was to denounce “the increasing Islamisation of our city and the entire region”. By such actions the organisation hopes to “raise the awareness of the population about the growing expansion of the Muslim yoke over our daily lives”. It calls on the people of Metz to resist the building of the new mosque.

In the current issue of Searchlight Paul Jackson has an article that examines the ideology of Génération Identitaire and reports on attempts to set up a branch of the organisation in the UK.

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    • The greenmantle

      Not sure about your view of Russian colonialism there old chap nor that democracy leads to nationalism . Attaturk for instance was a nationalist but hardly democratic. I think as the colonial powers became more democratic they saw the inherant immorality of the colony system Sir David

    • George Carty

      My bad — I was only thinking of Metropolitan France.

      One of the ironic things about European colonialism is that Tsarist Russia was the most brutal of the powers at home, but one of the most enlightened in its Central Asian colonial territories. Perhaps it’s because democracy leads to nationalism, which in turn leads to greater brutality against colonials?

    • Laurent Weppe

      Oh no: there was this thing called the French Colonial Empire back in the day, with tens of millions of Muslims living and being mistreated within its borders.

    • George Carty

      Don’t you mean the days when it was illegal to be a Muslim within French borders?

    • Laurent Weppe

      They long for the “good old days” when white catholic upper-class frenchmen could treat the Muslims living within french borders like cattle and fucktoys.

    • mindy1

      Oh real mature -what is wrong with people

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