Nasheman

India's largest selling Urdu weekly, now also in English

You are here: Home / Archives for Islam

Will finish Christianity and Islam in India by 2021: Dharma Jagran Manch leader Rajeshwar Singh

by

Rajeshwar Singh

by Mariam Shaheen, ABP

New Delhi: Dharm Jagran Manch leader Rajeshwar Singh, of the Aligarh Christmas conversion programme fame, has raked up a new controversy with a fresh dose of vitriol.

Rajeshwar Singh has said that they plan to root out Christianity and Islam from India by December 31, 2021, adding that Christians and Muslims essentially have no right to live in the country.

“India’s inner voice has spoken. Just wait and watch. 31 December 2021 is the last for Christianity and Islam in this country. We will finish Christianity and Islam in this country by 31 December 2021. This is our aim,” Rajeshwar said.

Such comments are not new to the saffron leader, and he has been in the news for voicing similar views earlier as well.

His organisation had planned a mass conversion programme in Aligarh on Christmas. After widespread outrage over it, the future of the plan remains undecided.

China bans public practice of Islam in Xinjiang province

by

Xinjiang province

by CII Broadcasting

China‘s Xinjiang region (East Turkestan) has banned the practise of religion in government buildings and will fine those who use the Internet to ‘undermine national unity’, in a package of new regulations.

The rules, passed by the standing committee of Xinjiang’s parliament on Friday, stipulate penalties of between 5,000 and 30,000 yuan ($4,884) for individuals who use the Internet, mobile phones or digital publishing to undermine national unity, social stability or incite ethnic hatred.

Equipment used in the offences also can be confiscated, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.

The regulations, which come into effect Jan. 1, also prohibit people from distributing and viewing videos about ‘radical’ religious subjects in or outside religious venues, and requires religious leaders to report such activities to the local authorities and police, the China Daily reported at the weekend.

“An increasing number of problems involving religious affairs have emerged in Xinjiang,” said Ma Mingcheng, deputy director of the Xinjiang People’s Congress and director of its legislative affairs committee, according to the Chinese newspaper.

People will not be allowed to practice religion in government offices, public schools, businesses or institutions. Religious activities will have to take place in registered venues, the report said.

They also are prohibited from wearing or forcing others to wear clothes or logos associated with religion, although the types of clothes and logos aren’t specified, the newspaper said.

Xinjiang, home to the Muslim Uighur people, has been beset by violence for years, blamed by the government on “extremists who want an independent state called East Turkestan.”

Rights groups and exiles say the problem is more to do with Beijing‘s harsh restrictions on the Uighur people’s religious and cultural customs and doubt the existence of a cohesive group fighting the government.

Last week, 15 people were killed in the latest bout of unrest in Xinjiang.

The energy-rich region sits strategically on the borders of Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Central Asia.

You’ve got hate mail: how Islamophobia takes root online

by

The internet has become a safe haven for racial and religious abuse. Shutterstock

The internet has become a safe haven for racial and religious abuse. Shutterstock

by Imran Awan, The Conversation

In late 2013 I was invited to present evidence, as part of my submission regarding online anti-Muslim hate, at the House of Commons. I attempted to show how hate groups on the internet were using this space to intimidate, cause fear and make direct threats against Muslim communities – particularly after the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich last year.

The majority of incidents of Muslim hate crime (74%) reported to the organisation Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) are online. In London alone, hate crimes against Muslims rose by 65% over the past 12 months, according to the Metropolitan Police and anti-Islam hate crimes have also increased from 344 to 570 in the past year.

Before the Woolwich incident there was an average of 28 anti-Muslim hate crimes per month (in April 2013, there were 22 anti-Muslim hate crimes in London alone) but in May, when Rigby was murdered, that number soared to 109. Between May 2013 and February 2014, there were 734 reported cases of anti-Islamic abuse – and of these, 599 were incidents of online abuse and threats, while the others were “offline” attacks such as violence, threats and assaults.

A breakdown of the statistics shows these tend to be mainly from male perpetrators and are marginally more likely to be directed at women.

After I made my presentation I, too, became a target in numerous online forums and anti-Muslim hate blogs which attempted to demonise what I had to say and, in some cases, threaten me with violence. Most of those forums were taken down as soon as I reported them.

Digital hate-speak

It’s become easy to indulge in racist hate-crimes online and many people take advantage of the anonymity to do so. I examined anti-Muslim hate on social media sites such as Twitter and found that the demonisation and dehumanisation of Muslim communities is becoming increasingly commonplace.

My study involved the use of three separate hashtags, namely #Muslim, #Islam and #Woolwich – which allowed me to examine how Muslims were being viewed before and after Woolwich. The most common reappearing words were: “Muslim pigs” (in 9% of posts), “Muzrats” (14%), “Muslim Paedos” (30%), “Muslim terrorists” (22%), “Muslim scum” (15%) and “Pisslam” (10%).

These messages are then taken up by virtual communities who are quick to amplify their actions by creating webpages, blogs and forums of hate. Online anti-Muslim hate therefore intensifies, as has been shown after the Rotherham abuse scandal in the UK, the beheading of journalists James Foley, Steven Sotloff and the humanitarian workers David Haines and Alan Henning by the Islamic State and the Woolwich attacks in 2013.

The organisation Faith Matters has also conducted research, following the Rotherham abuse scandal, analysing Facebook conversations from Britain First posts on August 26 2014 using the Facebook Graph API.

They found some common reappearing words which included: Scum (207 times); Asian (97); deport (48); Paki (58); gangs (27) and paedo/pedo (25). A number of the comments and posts were from people with direct links to organisations such as Britain First, the English Brotherhood and the English Defence League.

Key Islamophobic words used online as compiled by Faith Matters. Faith Matters, Author provided

Abuse is not a human right

Clearly, hate on the internet can have direct and indirect effect for victims and communities being targeted. In one sense, it can be used to harass and intimidate victims and on the other hand, it can also be used for opportunistic crimes.

Few of us will forget the moment when Salma Yaqoob appeared on BBC Question Time and tweeted the following comments to her followers: “Apart from this threat to cut my throat by #EDL supporter (!) overwhelmed by warm response to what I said on #bbcqt.”

The internet is a powerful tool by which people can be influenced to act in a certain way and manner. This is particularly strong when considering hate speech that aims to threaten and incite violence.

This also links into the convergence of emotional distress caused by hate online, the nature of intimidation and harassment and the prejudice that seeks to defame groups through speech intending to injure and intimidate. Some sites who have been relatively successful here include BareNakedIslam and IslamExposed which has a daily forum and chatroom about issues to do with Muslims and Islam and has a strong anti-Muslim tone which begins with initial discussion about a particular issue – such as banning Halal meat – and then turns into strong and provocative language.

Most of this anti-Muslim hate speech hides behind a fake banner of English patriotism, but is instead used to demonise and dehumanise Muslim communities. It goes without saying that the internet is just a digital realisation of the world itself – all shades of opinion are represented, including those Muslims whose hatred of the West prompts them to preach jihad and contempt for “dirty kuffar”.

Clearly, freedom of speech is a fundamental right that everyone should enjoy, but when that converges with incitement, harassment, threats of violence and cyber-bullying then we as a society must act before it’s too late. There is an urgent need to provide advice for those who are suffering online abuse.

It is also important to keep monitoring sites where this sort of thing regularly crops up; this can help inform not only policy but also help us get a better understanding of the relationships forming online. This would require in detail an examination of the various websites, blogs and social networking sites by monitoring the various URLs of those sites regarded as having links to anti-Muslim hate.

It is also important that we begin a process of consultation with victims of online anti-Muslim abuse – and reformed offenders – who could work together highlighting the issues they think are important when examining online Islamophobia.

The internet offers an easy and accessible way of reporting online abuse, but an often difficult relationship between the police and Muslim communities in some areas means much more could be done. This could have a positive impact on the overall reporting of online abuse. The improved rate of prosecutions which might culminate as a result could also help identify the issues around online anti-Muslim abuse.

Imran Awan is a Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director of the Centre for Applied Criminology at Birmingham City University.

The Conversation

Muslims condemn Imam Bukhari

by

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif waves as he walks with Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid, during his visit to in New Delhi on May 27, 2014. -AFP/File Photo

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif waves as he walks with Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid, during his visit to in New Delhi on May 27, 2014. AFP/File Photo

First things first, Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari, who goes by his hereditary title of “Shahi Imam” is not a representative of Muslims in this country. In fact, no individual, organisation or seminary is.

Muslims, who speak different languages, and live in different regions of this vast country have a very syncretic identity, and contrary to popular belief are not monolithic.

Secondly, Delhi’s Jama Masjid is not Makkah, Madina, or Al Aqsa (Jerusalem) for Muslims, it’s, as it has always been – a mosque, just like any other mosque. So, this ceremony of anointment of Imam Bukhari’s son to the title of ‘Nayab Shahi Imam’ (Vice Imam) has nothing to do with the faith of Islam or its followers. Without grinding words, it’s merely a personal event, given that its appointment has become a genealogical bequeathment than one based on competence, which anyways is frowned upon in Islam.

Having said that, this author is well aware that, when this “Shahi Imam” of Jama Masjid invited Nawaz Sharif and “ignored” Narendra Modi for his personal ceremony, it is, as a matter of course, has been taken by the media, political establishment and a great number from the masses, as a case of Muslims embracing the “enemy” and snubbing the “great leader”.

Nothing could be further from the partial truth.

Muslim organisations from various parts of the country have expressed their annoyance over Imam Bukhari and his act in the name of Muslims.

Shia Personal Law Board and All India Ulema Council Secretary (Mumbai) Maulana Zahir Abbas said: “The relations between India and Pakistan is critical at the moment and at this time such an act by the Imam may spread a wrong message among Indians.”

“I think, inviting Nawaz Sharif and not inviting our own PM Narendra Modi is unacceptable; if he invitied Nawaz than he should have invited our PM too,” Abbas added.

All India Ulema Council General Secretary Maulana Mehmood said: “I dont want to give this a political colour. If Bukhari has invited Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif and not invited Narendra Modi, it is his personal choice, I don’t want to comment on it”.

All Indian Muslim Personal Law Board member Kamal Farooqi reportedly said Bukhari’s act will give the entire Muslim community a bad name.

Aligarh based, Forum for Muslim Studies and Analysis (FMSA) asked the Indian government to end by an act of parliament the “un-Islamic Imamat” that allows the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid to designate his successor from his own family.

“We do not support the BJP but once the electorate has made its choice, Modi is the prime minister of all citizens including Muslims,” said Rozaullah Khan, chairing a meeting at the Media Centre.

By inviting Sharif and ignoring Modi, Bukhari has greatly insulted Indian Muslims, he said, and urged Indian Muslims to boycott Bukhari.

FMSA Secretary Jasim Mohammad said the mentality of the Shahi Imam was not positive for Muslims and the nation. He said that while Bukhari was at liberty not to invite Modi, he should not have invited Sharif.

Another speaker, Farhat Ali Khan, said the Imamat in Jama Masjid should be run on Islamic principles. “This undemocratic Imamat must end.”

Humayun Murad, a professor, said religious heads had a duty to bring about communal harmony.

“Ahmad Bukhari has turned the Jama Masjid into a political platform. We will not allow it to go unchallenged.”

The FMSA passed a resolution condemning the Shahi Imam’s invitation to Sharif and asked the Indian government to end “this un-Islamic Imamat through an act of parliament”.

Congress MP Husain Dalwai was critical of the Shahi Imam over the ceremony, saying there is no succession act in Islam and that it was not necessary that the son of the king should succeed him.

He wondered why he should have called Pakistani Prime Minister.

“Why he did not call prime ministers of other Muslim countries?” he asked.

For the ceremony, Imam Bukhari has sent out invitations to several Indian and foreign political leaders, nearly 1,000 religious leaders from across the world, and others. Congress President Sonia Gandhi will not attend the ceremony.

We are not sure, what’s on platter for dinner, but if you are interested in going, please check it with the Imam yourselves. The grand event is on November 22.

Truth always triumphs

by

by Dr. S. Mazhar Nawaz

Muharram, the first in the Islamic calendar, is an especially auspicious month on many levels. The 10th day of Muharram, known as ‘Yawm Al-Ashura’ is the most significant day of this month. “Ashura” is an Arabic word that literally means ‘Tenth’. In the Arabic Society, Ashura was esteemed even before Islam; since the time of Prophet Abraham.

The Day of Ashura, which is the common date of various events concerning the history, is significant not only for Muslims, but also for Judaism & Christianity. It is significant for the Jews, as Prophet Moses was saved from the tyranny of Pharaoh on the Day of Ashura.

On the 10th day of Muharram (Yawn Al-Ashura) Almighty Allah created heaven & earth. Prophet Adam (Alayhi Asalam) was born and his repentance was accepted on this day. The ship of Prophet Noah (Alayhi Asalam) came to rest on Mount Al-Judi. Prophet Ayyub (Alayhi Asallam) was delivered from distress. Prophet Yunus (Alayhi Asallam) was cast onto the shore after being swallowed by a fish for 40 days. Prophet Yusuf (Alayhi Asallam) was released from prison after being slandered by Zuleikha. Prophet Sulaiman (Alayhi Asallam) was given his vast empire, Prophet Abraham (Alayhi Asallam) was saved from the Fire.

Prophet Muhammed’s (pbuh) younger grandson Hazrat Imam Hussain(RA) was tragically martyred on 10th Muharram. As a result, Muslims all over the world commemorate Hazrat Imam Hussain’s martyrdom and give prominence to this day. It must be remembered that ‘Ashura’ was given significance by the Prophet himself – hence it is pointless to claim that this day is significant due to Hazrat Imam Hussain’s martyrdom which happened three decades after the Prophet Muhammed’s (pbuh) death.

10th of Muharram, ‘Ashura’ this is the day when Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA), the Holy Prophet’s grandson, took on the forces of falsehood for the glory of Islam. On this very day, the battle was fought between the forces of truth and falsehood, which would continue to impart not only to Muslims but also to the entire mankind a lesson of sustained struggle against oppression and tyranny till the Day of Judgment.

The incident of Karbala proved to the world that it is the truth which holds sway in fight against the evil forces. Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) decided to live life as a lasting symbol of truthfulness to make the followers of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) realize that they should have the basic values of good character, including tolerance, endurance, sacrifice, equality, justice and fairness.

The Karbala incident teaches us that right can never be subdued by might. Might vanishes but the right survives. Imam Hussain taught by example on how to stand up and decry whenever a despot rules over us with force and barbarity, even if our power is inadequate. Whatever it takes, the movement must live on. And we should remember that Hazrat Imam Hussain is not just Imam of Muslims, he is the Imam of entire humanity.

Imam Hussain is a role model that all human beings can aspire to, his spirit lives on forever in the human conscience. The way he lived and the way he died show us the value he placed on morality and honour. He taught us the true purpose of our existence, the perfection of our morals and ethics. In his own words he sums it up beautifully: “Death with dignity is better than a life of humiliation”

From centuries Muslims around the world commemorate the tragedy of Karbala. They attend mourning meetings and processions in which the story of Karbala is retold. All these commemorative meetings not only serve to convey the events and message of Karbala but also provide opportunities to learn about Islam in general. But the honest way to pay tribute to Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA), the leader of martyrs is to follow his values wholeheartedly. The sacrifice of Hussein and his colleagues is not only more relevant today than any other time in the history. This immortal story also reflects the Islamic principles in true form. Remembrance of goodness and sacrifice is the true meaning of Muharram. Let us emulate the spirit of Muharram which embodies humanism which is central to Islam.

The famous Indian poet Kunwar Mahendra Singh Bedi, admirer of Hazrat Hussein says:

Zinda Islam ko kiya toone, hakk-o-batil dikha diya toone.
Ji ke marna to sabko aata hai, mar ke jeena sikha diya tune.

(Hazrat Imam Hussain, You made the Islam alive, you shown, justice & injustice. Every body knows how to die after live. But you taught how to live after death)

Sahih al Bukhari, Fadhaail A’maal, Fortress of a Muslim among books shortlisted for banning in Russia

by

bukhari

by Cii News

A region of the world laden with a rich Islamic legacy and that gave rise to giants of Islamic scholarship appears to be on a witch-hunt to censor works of Islamic thought and reading material.

In a supreme irony, the Sahih al Bukhari compilation of Ahadeeth, considered the most authentic book in Islam after the Qur’aan, which was curated by Imam Muhammad ibn Isma`il al-Bukhari RA, one of the wider ‘Russian’ Empire’s greatest sons, has now been earmarked by some within the country for banning due to its apparent “extremist” nature.

Russian Muslims are incensed by the development and have now reportedly formed a commission against the proposed ban.

“It is nonsensical to ban the books of hadith, Sahih Al-Bukhari, which is particularly important for the Muslims,” Russia Ulyanovsk Region’s Mufti Muhammed Baibikov commented.

The proposed measure is the latest manifestation of a censorship trend spearheaded by the Russian authorities which began almost 7 years ago.

Since Russia’s Federal List of Extremist Materials came into effect, a number of both contemporary and classic Islamic religious texts have been tentatively outlawed.

The list was enacted in July 2007 and as of December 2011 contained 1,058 items.

As per law, producing, storing or distributing any of the materials on the list within Russia shall be considered a criminal offense when the law is enacted next year.

Reports say the Islamic books that have been banned include the works of popular 20th century Turkish scholar Said Nursi, the famous “Fortress of the Muslim” book of Duas, parts of the Fadhaail e A’maal and certain biographies of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

The list considers the Islamic works to equally problematic as books such as Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and certain Jehovah’s Witness publications.

Particularly affected are Muslims in Russia’s recently annexed Crimea region who have been asked to destroy Islamic books and materials included on the blacklist, including copies of the Noble Qur’an and volumes of Sirah.

“The Religious Administration of Muslims of Crimea informs Muslim religious organizations, and society that Russia’s federal list of banned extremist materials extends over Crimea,” the Religious Administration of Muslims of Crimea said in a statement cited by the Qirim News Agency in August.

“Therefore distribution, production or storage of materials mentioned in the list is forbidden and will entail responsibility,” said a statement released on the Religious Administration’s website.

“Please study the list and take measures to eliminate prohibited materials if they exist,” the statement advised.

Among the literary items deemed extremist by the list are:

“The Book of Tawheed”, the author – Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Tamimi

“Through the prism of Islam,” the author – ‘Abd al-Hadi ibn Ali

Book of collected works of Said Nursi “Risale-i Nur” “Faith and man,”

“Fundamentals of Islam (Usul al-Aqeedah)”

“The Islamic Aqeedah (creed, belief, outlook) in the Holy Quran and the authentic sayings of the Prophet Muhammad”

“The Life of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam”

“The establishment of the laws of Allah”

“Personality of a Muslim”

“The Book of Monotheism”

The Life of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab”

“The need to comply” Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah “(sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam)

“Recreating the Caliphate – the responsibility of the Muslims”

A number of publications by Hizb ut Tahrir

“Muhammad Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam” by Saifur Rahmaan Mubarakpuri

“Snapshots from the life of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam)

The Book of Al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salah Ibn Uthaymeen “The Explanation of the Fundamentals of faith”

Collection of the Works of Ahmed Deedat

Biggest sins in Islam by Muhammad Salih Al Munajjid

“Zakat. His place in Islam. Fasting in Ramadan, its importance for Muslims”

“Economic System in Islam”

“Fadhail A’maal” Shaykh al Hadith Maulana Muhammad Zakaria Kandehlevi

Muhammad Ali Al-Hashimi “Personality of a Muslim”

“Democracy. The system of disbelief” by Abdul Kadim Zallum

Sheikh Ali Al-Tantawi “Understanding Islam”

“Tafseer of Surah Al-Ahzab, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah”

“The Miracles of the Qur’an”

“The Life of the Prophet PBUH” by al-Mubarakpuri Safi al-Rahman

“Light of the Holy Quran (explanations and interpretations)” Volume 4

Popular science magazine “Caliphate”

“100 Tips for Islamic youth”

“On the question of clothing” (by Maulana Abul Ala Maududi)

Osman Nuri Topbas book series “In the light of the Holy Qur’an,” “The History of the Prophets”

“The Best of Women Khadija RA”

Ibn Hisham’s “Life of the Prophet Muhammad”

“40 Hadith of Imam al-Nawawi”

“Stories biographies of the Messenger of Allah”

“Fortress of the Muslim.“

Sayyid Qutb’s book “The future belongs to Islam”

“The Protocols of the Elders of Zion”

“Muhammad (peace be upon him) the natural successor to Christ“

Israel to vote on partitioning Al-Aqsa Mosque between Muslims and Jews

by

It is important to note that both Rabbinical and Israeli law currently bans Jews from prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque because of the sanctity of the site for the Jewish religion.

It is important to note that both Rabbinical and Israeli law currently bans Jews from prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque because of the sanctity of the site for the Jewish religion.

An Arab Knesset member has revealed that there will be a vote in the next month on a law drafted by an Israeli committee regarding the partition of Al-Aqsa Mosque between Muslims and Jews.

Arab MK Masoud Ghanayim was quoted on Monday by Palestinian newspaper Felesteen as saying that “the draft law, which has been prepared by the interior parliamentary committee in the Knesset, stipulates that Jews can perform prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

He continued: “This is based on a proposal that gives Muslims and Jews equal rights in their access and use of the holy site. It also specifies certain locations where Jews can perform their prayers.”

It is important to note that both Rabbinical and Israeli law currently bans Jews from prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque because of the sanctity of the site for the Jewish religion. Most Jews who lobby to pray there are illegal settlers with a right wing agenda.

The Old City in Jerusalem where Al-Aqsa is located is internationally recognised as occupied land. The Israeli occupation authorities frequently prevent Muslims from praying there.

According to Ghanayim, the same draft law also bans organising civil protests and demonstrations in Al-Aqsa compound, and sets out punishment for any violations.

Ghanayim said that putting such a law for any vote is a “flagrant aggression on the religious rights of Muslims around the world.” He also called it part of the Judaisation plan for the city of Jerusalem.

Commenting on the basis of this law, Ghanayim said it “is solely based on a legitimacy built on historical and religious myths bolstered with the power of the oppressive occupation.”

He stressed that Al-Aqsa Mosque is part of the Islamic and Arabic world and cannot be partitioned at any time or place. He reiterated: “It is part of Arab and Palestinian lands, which is occupied by the Zionists and the [illegal] occupation does not have the right to impose its laws.”

At the same time, he insisted that the Israeli government is behind all the attempts by the extremist right wing settlers to extend Israeli sovereignty over Al-Aqsa Mosque and warned that the Israeli government would pay the price for this aggression on the rights of Arabs and Muslims.

Bill Maher isn't a 'politically incorrect' liberal, he's just a bigot

by

bill-maher

– by Murtaza Hussain, The Intercept

Like many others, of late I’ve been sharing in the surreal experience of watching Bill Maher transform from a mildly interesting, “edgy,” talk show host into a crude, overbearing demagogue. It hasn’t been pleasant viewing, but Maher really does appear to be in rare form these days. Between him sharing his fears about the terrifying number of babies today being named Muhammad, to complaining about Muslims in America who “bring that desert stuff into our world” — the first question that comes to mind is: this guy is a liberal?

Watching his increasingly outlandish public performances, one gets the sincere impression that Maher believes that since he smokes weed and supports gay marriage it’s impossible for him to be a bigot. Needless to say, it’s become glaringly obvious that self-awareness is not really his strong suit.

Maher last week got into a rather heated argument on his show with Ben Affleck over the broadly defined subject of Islam and Muslims. Maher, who became visibly scandalized by Affleck’s suggestion that most Muslims are normal people, launched into an indignant tirade about the Muslim world, alleging, among other things, that Islam “acts like the Mafia” comprised of people who will “fucking kill you” for trying to leave.

Fox’s New Favorite Racist

The fact that this is both impossible and false was apparently no deterrent. Maher and his utterly hapless sidekick Sam Harris defended their position against allegations of racism by basically just repeating it over and over. At one point Harris simply stated that “Islam is the motherlode of bad ideas,” in response to which Maher blurted “that’s just a fact”.

Maher’s primary defense against Affleck’s charges was that “Islam is not a race” but an idea, a claim Harris has repeated. Strictly speaking of course this is true. Islam is certainly not a “race”, at least not in the way in which the term is popularly understood in America. But because many people buy into the myth that theocratic governments or even groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS speak for all Muslims, Muslims have become — undeniably — a racialized group after 9/11.

Aside from the near-daily instances of assault and harassment against Muslims as a result of anti-Islamic prejudice, there are countless Sikh and Hindu-Americans in America today being beaten up and even killed for the crime of “looking Muslim.” These acts aren’t being committed by people who have interrogated their victims innermost existential beliefs, they’re basic racism.

While it’s depressing that this apparently needs be repeated anew every generation, making incendiary and ignorant generalizations about vast groups of people is never a good idea. Moreover, anyone with a modicum of familiarity with the Muslim world that goes beyond American pop culture can also tell you that the characterizations Maher makes are broadly incorrect.

Insisting on framing problems like apostasy laws in certain Muslim countries simply as issues with “Muslims” — thus implicating ordinary people who in the majority of cases are largely aloof from said laws — is not activism but pure bigotry. Despite this, that’s exactly what Maher does, night after night. Incredibly enough, he also seems to think that his rhetoric in this context represents some kind of act of personal bravery.

If that’s true, then Fox News must be the bravest news organization in the country. Maher, for all his supposed liberalism, has in fact become the new poster-boy of the right-wing network. He’s even won the enthusiastic support of luminaries like Robert Spencer thanks to his zealous “liberal” chauvinism.

Maher’s Weird Unraveling

To anyone who has followed Maher’s career over the long-run, his bizarre unraveling over the past several years has been at times agonizing to watch. Maher’s favorite rhetorical targets now — women and minorities — are people who simply don’t have access to the same resources that he does to make their voices heard in society. This is how, improbably enough, Ben Affleck became an overnight hero to many Muslim people in America and around the world for using his voice to speak on their behalf during another one of Maher’s tirades. It was both a touching gesture and a sad reflection of what things have come to.

In a revealing interview a few weeks earlier on Charlie Rose, Maher had complained:

“In this country, if you just use the wrong word about women, they go nuts …in all these other countries…They’re doing things like making them wear burkas. They’ve been brainwashed.”

Here, if I may, is liberal celebrity Bill Maher in a nutshell. Talking down to people who don’t have the power or apparently even the agency to talk back, while shamelessly seeking more latitude to engage in his own preferred prejudices at home. Neither Muslims nor women have any say in his characterizations of them – and Muslim women in particular who may disagree with him are blithely written off as a brainwashed zombies. It’s pretty gross, and over time it’s just getting grosser.

Needless to say, I don’t really have high expectations for the “civil dialogue about Islam” Maher is planning on holding along with fellow Islamic scholar Glenn Beck.

Liking violence: A study of hate speech on Facebook in Sri Lanka

by

Bodu Bala Sena

The Centre for Policy Alternatives, one of Sri-Lanka’s prominent research and advocacy group has released a report today on online hate speech, looking at Facebook in particular.

The report is said to be the first in the country to focus on hate and dangerous speech in online fora, “contextualising the growth of this disturbing digital content with increasing violence against Muslims and other groups in Sri Lanka.”

According to report authors Sanjana Hattotuwa and Shilpa Samaratunge, “the growth of online hate speech in Sri Lanka does not guarantee another pogrom. It does however pose a range of other challenges to government and governance around social, ethnic, cultural and religious co-existence, diversity and, ultimately, to the very core of debates around how we see and organise ourselves post-war.

Hattotuwa writes that, “the report looks at 20 Facebook groups in Sri Lanka over a couple of months, focussing on content generated just before, during and immediately after violence against the Muslim community. Detailed translations into English of the original material posted to these groups (including photographic and visual content) and the responses they generated are provided. It is the first time a study has translated into English the qualitative nature of commentary and content published on these Facebook groups, indicative of a larger and growing malaise in post-war Sri Lanka.”

Their study aims to focus on challenges around the significant growth of hate speech in post-war Sri Lanka, primarily directly against the Muslim community and Islam.

Download the full report here or read it below on Nasheman.

Anti-Islam ad campaign to run on New York City buses and subways

by

Blogger paid $100,000 to place ads, one of which was rejected by MTA on grounds it could ‘incite or provoke violence.’

Geller’s posters will appear on a hundred MTA buses across New York.

Geller’s posters will appear on a hundred MTA buses across New York.

– by Nicky Woolf

Controversial blogger and activist Pamela Geller has paid $100,000 to place advertisements on New York City buses and in subway stations that feature anti-Islamic messages and images including one of James Foley, the American journalist beheaded by Isis in August.

The campaign, which is being funded by Geller’s advocacy group, the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AMDI), features six posters including the one that features Foley. All the posters carry messages critical of Islam. One features a picture of Adolf Hitler.

This is not the first time Geller’s organisation has used posters on New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority’s ad space to court controversy. In 2012, her organisation paid for posters to appear in ten New York subway stations.

This time around the posters, which include some Geller used in 2012 and some new designs, will be only in two subway stations, but will also appear on a hundred MTA buses. They are scheduled to appear on 29 September.

In 2012, after the MTA at first did not allow Geller to buy advertising space, a court ruled that the posters were “political” in nature, and therefore covered by the First Amendment. “We review every viewpoint ad,” said Kevin Ortiz, deputy director of external communications at the MTA “but a series of court rulings have made clear that our hands are largely tied.”

Mona Eltahawy, the Egyptian-American activist and writer, was charged with “criminal mischief” after spray-painting over the posters. Four other people were also reportedly arrested for defacing the posters with stickers.

Linda Sarsour, the executive director of the Arab-American Association of New York said that she fully respected Geller’s right to exercise her free speech, but pointed to the fact that anti-Muslim hate crimes are up 143% since last year, according to figures released on Thursday by the NYPD’s hate crimes task force. Sarsour was herself the target of a hate crime this September, after a man chased and threatened to behead her in New York.

“The question here is what could be the consequences of these ads going up at a time like this,” Sarsour said. “We have ignorant people walking around who are waiting to act on their hatred for Muslims. We don’t need ads across New York City that try to link Islam and Isis.”

Since the controversy surrounding Geller’s last poster campaign, the MTA has revised its standards regarding advertising. Now, any ad that contains a political viewpoint must display the words “this is a paid advertisement sponsored by [sponsor]. The display of this advertisement does not imply MTA’s endorsement of any views expressed.”

Evan Bernstein, the regional director of the ADL in New York said: “Pamela Geller frequently crosses the line into racism when she criticizes Islam. In this particular case with the ads on New York City buses, it does not appear that she has done so.”

The MTA announced on Friday that a fifth poster, also submitted by Geller’s organisation, was rejected by their safety and security director because they feared it had the potential to “imminently incite or provoke violence,” according to a statement. Under the new rules put in place after Geller’s 2012 campaign, that is sufficient grounds for the MTA to refuse to run an ad.

Adam Lisberg, the head spokesperson for the MTA, denied that any value judgments were involved. “We make these decisions in a content-neutral way,” he told the Guardian. “We have narrowly drafted our advertising standards because of the First Amendment considerations involved.

He said the MTA was not yet aware of a legal challenge from Geller.

Source

KNOW US

GET INVOLVED

PROMOTE

Archives