sunni
18-08-2005, 11:16 PM
SOAS ISOC denounces yesterday_s vitriolic attack by Martin Bright in
the Observer on the Muslim Council of Britain and its affiliates
Jamiat-ahl-I-Hadith and the Islamic Foundation. We strongly urges
all students to contact the Observer to complain about its shocking
attack on both the MCB and on Islamic beliefs and values.
Recent attacks by both media and the government on Islamic beliefs
held by the Muslim Association of Britain, Hizb-ut-Tahrir and now
the Muslim Council of Britain have shown that it is not any
individual group under attack but Islam and Muslims.
In the article, _Radical links of UK_s _moderate_ group_, Islamic
teachings such as coming into contact with dogs, free-mixing and
shaking hands with members of the opposite sex are attacked
as "extremist". These views and values are equally held by the
Orthodox Jewish community who are not consequently labelled as
_extremists_. The article is written in a way which depicts leading
Islamic intellectuals such as Maulana Maududi and Sayyid Qutb, whose
teachings are followed by a substantial number of law-abiding
Muslims, as extreme and subversive.
The MCB's condition on supporting the upcoming Festival of Muslim
Cultures provided its activities do not contradict the teachings of
Islam is wholly reasonable and only to be expected of any Muslim
organisation. Yet the MCB Secretary General_s position on this is
viewed by the Observer as extreme and regressive.
MCB is also condemned in the Observer_s editorial for refusing to
attend the Holocaust Memorial Day and for allegedly differentiating
between suicide attacks in Britain and in Occupied Palestine.
Boycotting Holocaust Memorial Day is in line with the vast majority
of Muslim groups who have called for a Genocide Memorial Day which
will commemorate all victims of genocide both in the Holocaust and
in other parts of the world since World War II. As for
differentiating between attacks in London and in Occupied Palestine,
even the Pope has made this distinction condemning attacks in
London, New York, Madrid and Bali but explicitly leaving out
Palestine due to the specific circumstances of that situation. If
Muslims are to be condemned for this, then so must the Vatican and
indeed other activists and scholars from different faith and non-
faith backgrounds who make other, sometimes more controversial
claims.
The aims of this article seem to be to stigmatize Muslims and vilify
Islam and to force MCB to abandon these principles. IHRC calls upon
all campaigners to contact the Observer to express your outrage at
such demonisation of Muslims for values held by many other religious
and secular communities.
Read the MCB's rebuttal to Martin Bright's allegations
http://www.mcb.org.uk/
the Observer on the Muslim Council of Britain and its affiliates
Jamiat-ahl-I-Hadith and the Islamic Foundation. We strongly urges
all students to contact the Observer to complain about its shocking
attack on both the MCB and on Islamic beliefs and values.
Recent attacks by both media and the government on Islamic beliefs
held by the Muslim Association of Britain, Hizb-ut-Tahrir and now
the Muslim Council of Britain have shown that it is not any
individual group under attack but Islam and Muslims.
In the article, _Radical links of UK_s _moderate_ group_, Islamic
teachings such as coming into contact with dogs, free-mixing and
shaking hands with members of the opposite sex are attacked
as "extremist". These views and values are equally held by the
Orthodox Jewish community who are not consequently labelled as
_extremists_. The article is written in a way which depicts leading
Islamic intellectuals such as Maulana Maududi and Sayyid Qutb, whose
teachings are followed by a substantial number of law-abiding
Muslims, as extreme and subversive.
The MCB's condition on supporting the upcoming Festival of Muslim
Cultures provided its activities do not contradict the teachings of
Islam is wholly reasonable and only to be expected of any Muslim
organisation. Yet the MCB Secretary General_s position on this is
viewed by the Observer as extreme and regressive.
MCB is also condemned in the Observer_s editorial for refusing to
attend the Holocaust Memorial Day and for allegedly differentiating
between suicide attacks in Britain and in Occupied Palestine.
Boycotting Holocaust Memorial Day is in line with the vast majority
of Muslim groups who have called for a Genocide Memorial Day which
will commemorate all victims of genocide both in the Holocaust and
in other parts of the world since World War II. As for
differentiating between attacks in London and in Occupied Palestine,
even the Pope has made this distinction condemning attacks in
London, New York, Madrid and Bali but explicitly leaving out
Palestine due to the specific circumstances of that situation. If
Muslims are to be condemned for this, then so must the Vatican and
indeed other activists and scholars from different faith and non-
faith backgrounds who make other, sometimes more controversial
claims.
The aims of this article seem to be to stigmatize Muslims and vilify
Islam and to force MCB to abandon these principles. IHRC calls upon
all campaigners to contact the Observer to express your outrage at
such demonisation of Muslims for values held by many other religious
and secular communities.
Read the MCB's rebuttal to Martin Bright's allegations
http://www.mcb.org.uk/