| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
GUARDIAN Sun, 17 Oct 2010 17:41:30 GMT
European countries need immigrants – but they have yet to come up with a satisfactory way of organising immigration
The obituary from Angela Merkel for multiculturalism in Germany is at one with the temper of the times in Europe. From Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, the last few months have seen an increase in anti-immigrant, specifically anti-Muslim, policies and a backlash against ethnic minorities reflected in electoral breakthroughs for the far-right in the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, France, and Italy.
Listening to the Zeitgeist, mainstream governments of the centre-right have been trying to curb the live-and-let-live approach by, for example, banning the burqa or minarets.
Last week in the Netherlands, a rightwing minority government took office pledging to curb immigration, restricting Islamic headgear, and deporting immigrants with criminal records. The coalition depends for its survival on the parliamentary support of Geert Wilders, the anti-immigrant firebrand and..
| | | | |
THEGLOBEANDMAIL 28 Sep 2010
Judge Mosley closely examined the conduct of political staffers in Mr. Kenney's office, particularly his director of communications, Alykhan Velshi, and the response by bureaucrats.
The judge said he agreed with Mr. Galloway's Canadian supporters that “that the main reason why the respondents sought to prevent Mr. Galloway from entering Canada was that they disagreed with his political views.”
The judge concluded the government fell short of the standard required to label someone a terrorist.
“It is clear that the efforts to keep Mr. Galloway out of the country had more to do with antipathy to his political views than with any real concern that he had engaged in terrorism or was a member of a terrorist organization,” the judge stated.
Opponents of Mr. Galloway's visit said they felt vindicated by the dismissal.
“We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the application for judicial review,” Mr. Velshi said Monday in a e-mailed statement.
James Clarke, of the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War, said Judge Mosley's deeper dissection of government conduct vindicates Mr. Galloway's supporters.
“There was political interference at the highest levels of government, which represents an attack on the free speech rights of Canadians,” said Mr. Clarke, who along with his group, were among the unsuccessful applicants in the case.
The Harper government has faced repeated accusations that it has unfairly tilted Canada's Middle East policy towards Israel while turning a blind eye to the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.
Mr. Galloway had planned a speaking tour to discuss topics such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In his ruling, Judge Mosley outlined a chain of events that started on March 16, 2009 with Mr. Velshi doing some online research of open sources about Mr. Galloway's activities. Mr. Velshi “expressed the view that Mr. Galloway was inadmissable” in e-mails that circulated through the Immigration Department in the next few hours.
“Apart from the open sources cited by Mr. Velshi in his e-mails, it does not appear from the record what, if any, additional research was conducted. When consulted, CSIS advised CBSA that they had no concerns with Mr. Galloway's visit from a security perspective,” Judge Mosley said in the ruling.
Government officials reached a decision that was not reasonable and erred in its application of the law, but the judge noted the “novel” circumstances they faced with their political masters.
“Moreover, they were being asked to provide a rapid assessment in circumstances where Ministers' offices were actively engaged and where political staff and senior officials had already staked out a position . . . the assessment was written after political staff and senior officials had prematurely reached the conclusion that Galloway was inadmissable.”
The judge said it was not surprising that bureaucrats reached the same conclusion “albeit in more cautious language.”
Mr. Galloway's supporters are already making plans to try to bring him to Canada in the coming weeks, Mr. Clarke said.
| | | | |
VINDY 28 May 2010
A letter, considered suspicious by police, sent to Sarah Brown-Clark, the city’s clerk of courts, caused the evacuation of city hall Tuesday.
It turned out to be a false alarm, said Lt. Doug Bobovnik, commander of the city’s bomb squad.
Brown-Clark received the letter from Damascus, Syria, with what appeared to be Arabic lettering on the outside envelope, about 3:15 p.m., Bobovnik said. She was concerned and called police, who then called in the bomb squad.
The letter led to the evacuation of city hall, which was to close at 4 p.m.
The envelope contained a letter to Brown-Clark, Bobovnik said.
“It was a legitimate letter, but we had no way of knowing until we examined it,” he said. “The letter’s origin, the Arabic writing and that [Brown-Clark] was not familiar with the sender’s name made it appear suspicious. We treated it as a serious threat. It was [just] a letter.”
| | | | | | | |
BOSTON Thu, 04 Mar 2010
‘TO CUT down on gang-related crimes, policies could be put in place to curb the African-American population growth in places like Harlem and Compton. The government could consider cutting off welfare benefits for families in these urban areas to discourage births of blacks and cut down the supply of ‘superfluous young men’ who have nothing else to do in their lives but be preyed on by criminal gang leaders who give them a sense of belonging. Ultimately these policies are an effective way to limit gang related crimes.’’
The absurdity and lack of logic in the above fictitious paragraph is overshadowed only by its offensive nature. Few would welcome such a view in 2010, but this kind of argument was made recently to an audience that received it with applause instead of disgust.
Martin Kramer, a fellow at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, made this argument at a conference in Israel last month. The only difference was that the population he sought to limit was Palestinians in Gaza to prevent “economically superfluous young men’’ from joining radical groups. He said that “if society cannot offer dignified pursuits for the fourth and fifth and sixth sons, then someone else will.’’
He also supported lowering the fertility rate for Palestinians in Gaza and argued that this “will happen faster if the West stops providing pro-natal subsidies for Palestinians with refugee status.’’
Society? In Kramer’s version of reality, it is Palestinian society that cannot offer dignified pursuits for their children. He seems to think Gaza exists in a vacuum. He seems to be ignorant of the events and actors that have created the current situation.
The children of Gaza are not “economically superfluous’’ because they were born into large families. Their inability to be productive members of society is not the fault of society itself, but the fault of the occupying and devastating force of the state of Israel. The occupation of Gaza and the subsequent siege and attacks by Israel have destroyed lives, industry and infrastructure. With the percentage of the population relying directly on food aid increasing from 60 percent to 80 percent in the past three years and unemployment at an all-time high, it is obvious that the children of Gaza are “superfluous’’ not simply because they are born, but because of what they are born into: a hell in a prison controlled from the outside by Israel.
|
VOTEGEORGEGALLOWAY Wed, 03 Mar 2010
George Galloway has written to Labour's General Secretary Ray Collins, MP Jim Fitzpatrick and Labour candidate Rushanara Ali, demanding Tower Hamlets Labour Party election agent and council candidate Graham Taylor should be sacked and disciplinary action taken against him and other members. This follows Islamophobic and racist comments appearing on Taylor's Facebook.
Taylor attended a meeting on election arrangements at Tower Hamlets Town Hall with the chief executive Kevan Collins, chief legal officer Isabella Freeman and chief elections officer Louise Stamp, on Monday evening.
Before going to the meeting he put out the following message on his Facebook group - "Graham Taylor is off to that centre of Islamic fundamentalism - Tower Hamlets Town Hall". A number of his Facebook friends then responded, including former councillor and Labour's council candidate for Stepney ward Judith Gardner. Gardner wrote "Give em hell!". Another friend wrote the disgusting racist comment: "Bring some pork scratchings" and another "Pork!".
"This is a disgraceful example of the Islamophobia and racism now infecting parts of Tower Hamlets Labour Party," said an outraged George Galloway. "The comments were made just before the Dispatches programme on Monday, which a number of Labour members co-operated with and in some cases inspired. These comments should have no place anywhere, never mind in a party claiming its commitment to opposing racism and respect for people of faith.
"I am demanding that Taylor is sacked as Rushanara Ali's election agent and his nomination for council candidate withdrawn. He is clearly not a fit and proper person to hold office in the Labour Party. And former councillor Judith Gardner should also be stood down. I don't know if the other contributors are Labour Party members but, if they are, they also should be subject to action by the Labour Party, up to and including their expulsion."
|
WORLDPRESSNETWORK 9 Feb 2010
By cartoonist Leon Kuhn whose work can also be seen on his own website http://www.leonkuhn.org.uk where postcards of some of his cartoons can be ordered.
See Leon Kuhn's page on "SpideredNews | Politics" at http://www.spiderednews.com/LeonKuhn.htm
|
WORLDPRESSNETWORK 2 Feb 2010
By cartoonist Leon Kuhn whose work can also be seen on his own website http://www.leonkuhn.org.uk where postcards of some of his cartoons can be ordered.
See Leon Kuhn's page on "SpideredNews | Politics" at http://www.spiderednews.com/LeonKuhn.htm
| | | | | | | | | | | |
GOOGLE Tue, 01 Dec 2009
The United Nations called Switzerland's ban on new minarets "clearly discriminatory" and deeply divisive, and the Swiss foreign minister acknowledged Tuesday the government was very concerned about how the vote would affect the country's image. U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said Sunday's referendum to outlaw the construction of minarets in Switzerland was the product of "anti-foreigner scare-mongering." The criticism from Pillay, whose office is based in the Swiss city of Geneva, comes after an outcry from Muslim countries, Switzerland's European neighbors and human rights watchdogs since 57.5 percent of the Swiss population ratified the ban. "These are extraordinary claims when the symbol of one religion is targeted," Pillay said in a statement. She said she was saddened to see xenophobic arguments gain such traction with Swiss voters despite their "long-standing support of fundamental human rights." In Athens on Tuesday, Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said the government was worried about the ban. "We are very concerned with this referendum. The reality of our societies in Europe and throughout the world is that each limitation on the coexistence of different cultures and religions also endangers our security," Calmy-Rey said during a meeting of foreign ministers of the 56-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. "Provocation risks triggering other provocation and risks inflaming extremism," she added. Sunday's referendum, which was backed by nationalist parties, forced the government to declare illegal the building of any new minarets.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
WORLDPRESSNETWORK 28 October 2009
(You can get this image as a card by going to http://www.uaf.org.uk)
By cartoonist Leon Kuhn whose work can also be seen on his own website http://www.leonkuhn.org.uk where postcards of some of his cartoons can be ordered.
See Leon Kuhn's page on "SpideredNews | Politics" at http://www.spiderednews.com/LeonKuhn.htm
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
BBC Tue, 08 Sep 2009
Israel's army is changing. Once proudly secular, its combat units are now filling with those who believe Israel's wars are "God's wars".Military rabbis are becoming more powerful. Trained in warfare as well as religion, new army regulations mean they are now part of a military elite. They graduate from officer's school and operate closely with military commanders. One of their main duties is to boost soldiers' morale and drive, even on the front line.
This has caused quite some controversy in Israel. Should military motivation come from men of God, or from a belief in the state of Israel and keeping it safe? The military rabbis rose to prominence during Israel's invasion of Gaza earlier this year. Some of their activities raised troubling questions about political-religious influence in the military. Gal Einav, a non-religious soldier said there was wall-to-wall religious rhetoric in the base, the barracks and on the battlefield. As soon as soldiers signed for their rifles, he said, they were given a book of psalms. And, as his company headed in to Gaza, he told me, they were flanked by a civilian rabbi on one side and a military rabbi on the other: "It felt like a religious war. Like a crusade. It disturbed me. Religion and the army should be completely separate," he said.
| | | | |
THEHINDU 1 Sep 2009
It would be foolish to conflate a few isolated incidents but to dismiss them as aberrations would be to deny the prejudice Muslims face across Europe.
A British Minister walks out of a Muslim constituent’s wedding protesting against segregation of male and female guests; a prominent moderate Muslim scholar, Tariq Ramadan, is hounded out of not one but two separate jobs for hosting a show on an Iranian television channel; aggressive right-wing campaigners in Switzerland demand removal of minarets from all mosques; and French President Nicolas Sarkozy calls for a ban on wearing burqa in public.
These incidents, occurring within days of each other in recent weeks in different parts of Europe, have coincided with a rash of new books portraying European Muslims in the darkest possible colour. Their alarmist tone has reminded many of the sort of things once written about European Jews.
Are these simply isolated events? Or is Europe in the grip of a new wave of Islamophobia?
Meanwhile, in Britain, Jim Fitzpatrick, the Minister who stormed out of a Muslim wedding protesting against the “segregation” of men and women, has been accused of “cultural insensitivity” and, worse, playing the “race card” to appease white working class voters in the run-up to next year’s general election. The latter accusation came not from the local Muslim community but from a prospective Tory candidate Tim Archer, who said: “I can’t help but feel he’s playing a certain race card to save his skin at the next election. I think it’s a desperate strategy.”
|
WORLDPRESSNETWORK 1 Sep 2009
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00m9z39You can find the Fitz item at 14minutes 30seconds. This is the event he staged on Friday, flanked by Lutfa Begum and Shiria Khatun. He likens separation to apartheid! He does not want to force mosques to integrate apparently, but wants legislation to stop community centres allowing separation at weddings! Such requirements will not only affects Muslims but also Orthodox Jews Apparently the rights of the bride and groom and their families are to be over-ridden by legislation if he can persuade his New Labour colleagues to agree to it. Please leave your comments on the group wall and we will make sure they are relayed to Fitz!
| | |
WORDPRESS 16 Aug 2009
“Jim Fitzpatrick has lost all credibility. He should resign as a government minister.” So demanded George Galloway this morning as it emerged that Fitzpatrick’s account of events at the Muslim wedding he snubbed omitted some crucial facts.
Galloway continued: “If the account given by the groom in the Telegraph is to be believed, it now emerges that Fitzpatrick’s wife was not told by anyone in authority at the wedding that she should go to the women only section, that Fitzpatrick did not take the issue up with the wedding organisers, and that the family of the groom contacted Fitzpatrick as soon as they became aware of the misunderstanding and invited him and his wife back to the wedding to join an unsegregated table.
“This makes it abundantly clear that Fitzpatrick was simply using this wedding to pursue a political vendetta against the Islamic Forum of Europe, entirely misdirected as it turned out, and to pander to those who have prejudices against Muslims and Muslim traditions.
“Fitzpatrick chose to do this over an event that should have been the happiest day of this young couple’s life, which the families will have spent thousands of pounds organising and which Fitzpatrick was privileged to have been invited to.
“He has been an MP for a constituency with a large Muslim minority long enough and he will have attended enough Muslim weddings in that time to know that these weddings are traditionally segregated for Muslim men and women but that exceptions are almost invariably made for non-Muslim men and women on the basis that offence should not be given to those with different traditions and expectations.
“I note Fitzpatrick now says he will apologise for offending the couple and that he left the wedding discreetly. But this must be a bad joke. He went straight to the press and made a statement about his outrageous treatment at the wedding. This is unacceptable behaviour by a government minister and MP. More than that, this behaviour has discredited him as a representative of this government. If he does not do the decent thing and resign, Brown should sack him.”
ENDS
STOP PRESS
Councillor Abjol Miah has made the following statement about Fitzpatrick’s comments: “This is a cynical move from a desperate man looking to benefit from prejudice. His constituents deserve to know if this move was approved by Labour Party HQ and if Rushanara Ali, Labour’s candidate for Bethnal Green and Bow, will denounce these divisive comments.”
|
POLITICS Fri, 14 Aug 2009
Jim Fitzpatrick, a Government minister, has publicly condemned the Muslim tradition of separating men and women at weddings.
Muslim leaders insist the custom is traditional at Islamic weddings as well as in mosques, and expressed surprise that Mr Fitzpatrick, a third of whose east London constituents are Muslims, was unaware of the fact.
It was suggested that the Labour MP was trying to appeal to white voters who may fear divided communities.
His comments echo the row triggered three years ago when Jack Straw, now the justice secretary, called Muslim face veils a “visible statement of separation and difference” and called for women to remove them during surgeries in his Blackburn constituency.
Sir Iqbal Sacranie, a founding member of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: “I think in the interest of cohesion it would be better if Mr Fitzpatrick established more contact with the Muslim community.
“It shows a lack of interest on the part of the MP to engage with people with different backgrounds and sadly it reflects badly on him.
“If he had a little bit of knowledge he would have found it was quite normal and nothing unusual for them to enjoy the celebration in this way.
“There are some who prefer segregated events and some where they are joined together. We live in a society where we need to respect all traditions.”
George Galloway, the Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow who will contest the new Poplar and Limehouse constituency against Mr Fitzgerald at the election, said: “If he doesn’t wish to attend an Islamic wedding and observe the religious customs preferred by the bride and groom, he should not go rather than insult them for perceived political gain.
“I am absolutely amazed and astonished that a Government minister with a substantial Muslim minority in his constituency should have decided to give such a gratuitous insult to so many Muslims.”
Tim Archer, who will stand for the Conservatives locally, said: “I can’t help but feel he’s playing a certain race card to save his skin at the next election. I think it’s a desperate strategy.”
Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, a director of the Muslim Institute, a leading think tank, added: “He shouldn’t have been surprised, or perhaps he didn’t read the invitation card properly.
“But he’s going to annoy a number of people in his constituency.”
|
AMAZON Thu, 13 Aug 2009
Review
This book provides one of the best introductions to the Israel/Palestine conflict. It reveals what mainstream media in the West seeks to conceal from the public: that Israel has an apartheid regime which has been obsessed with demographic racism and ethnic cleansing for six decades. The book provides an indispensable context for understanding the origins and consequences of the conflict. It also makes by far the most compelling case for peace with justice - not apartheid. --Nur Masalha, Reader in Religion and Politics, St Mary's University College (UK), and author of The Bible and Zionism (2007)
Product Description
Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner's Guide distills the work of academics and experts into a highly readable introduction. This is the book to read if you want to understand the root of the conflict and how apartheid applies to the situation in Palestine. Ben White begins by succinctly explaining the origins of Zionist theory and colonization and details what happened in 1948 during the creation of Israel, as Palestinians were killed, driven from their homes and deprived of their land and livelihoods. White goes on to examine current examples of Israeli apartheid. Packed with information, quotations and resources, the book is rooted in the author's extensive on-the-ground experience in the region. It also includes short testimonies by Palestinians who describe how Israeli apartheid affects their daily lives. Indispensable for the Palestinian solidarity movement, Israeli Apartheid aims to inform and mobilize, and is a vital resource for anyone who wants to help work towards peace.
|
WORLDPRESSNETWORK 12 August 2009
By cartoonist Leon Kuhn whose work can also be seen on his own website http://www.leonkuhn.org.uk where postcards of some of his cartoons can be ordered.
See Leon Kuhn's page on "SpideredNews | Politics" at http://www.spiderednews.com/LeonKuhn.htm
|
WORLDPRESSNETWORK 5 August 2009
By cartoonist Leon Kuhn whose work can also be seen on his own website http://www.leonkuhn.org.uk where postcards of some of his cartoons can be ordered.
See Leon Kuhn's page on "SpideredNews | Politics" at http://www.spiderednews.com/LeonKuhn.htm
| | |
www.thenational.ae Mon, 20 Jul 2009
“We have come here, in the name of the British people, to apologise for the promise of Balfour the Briton to Weizmann the Zionist,” was the message of the British humanitarian convoy known as Viva Palestina, which was led by the MP George Galloway and included other parliamentarians and human rights activists who defied the blockade on the Gaza Strip, wrote Mamdoh Taha in the UAE-based daily Al Bayane.
Now an American convoy made it into Gaza last Wednesday, led by Mr Galloway, with a similar slogan: “We have come here, in the name of the American people, to apologise for the promise of Bush the American to Sharon the Zionist.”
The American convoy includes artists, politicians, peace activists, anti-Zionist rabbis and veterans of the Vietnam War.
This global trend of solidarity mirrors the growing resolve among free peoples to champion justice and liberty in the international arena, even against the policies of their own governments, the writer commented.
|
WORLDPRESSNETWORK 15 July 2009
By cartoonist Leon Kuhn whose work can also be seen on his own website http://www.leonkuhn.org.uk where postcards of some of his cartoons can be ordered.
See Leon Kuhn's page on "SpideredNews | Politics" at http://www.spiderednews.com/LeonKuhn.htm
|
GULFNEWS Tue, 14 Jul 2009
As if we needed any more proof that the international media deliberately avoids exposing anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian injustices, its suspect behaviour during recent days has sealed the case.
A number of McKinney's supporters say the reason for the media blackout was the fact that she is a black American. But, in fact, it's her cause that's the problem rather than her colour.
My analysis is based on the lack of media coverage given to the Viva Palestina aid convoy of trucks and ambulances from London to Gaza, led by British Parliamentarian George Galloway.
The Herculean efforts of hundreds of ordinary Britons to deliver much-needed humanitarian supplies to war-torn Gaza earlier this year was a non-event as far as the media was concerned until Galloway was barred from entering Canada as a result.
Unless you're a person who relentlessly digs on the internet, you probably are not aware that during McKinney's ordeal, Galloway, along with Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic, were meeting up with over 200 Americans in Cairo armed with $2 million (Dh7.35 million) that was raised in the US to buy trucks and medical aid destined for Gaza.
The Egyptian English-language paper Ahram Weekly dubs this "the largest grassroots medical relief effort for Gaza in US history" but once again, this doesn't merit column inches in either US or European mainstream papers.
In a similar vein, is the way that the horrendous courtroom stabbing of 32-year-old Marwa Al Sherbini was considered inconsequential by the German media until it elicited angry protests in her hometown of Alexandria.
There are so many aspects to this story, which should have been emblazoned across front pages.
First of all it was a blatant race crime, which Germany is normally sensitive about. Second, it begs questions concerning court security.
What were armed officers doing when Marwa was stabbed 18 times and why was her husband shot when he attempted to protect his pregnant wife?
| | |
TIMESONLINE Sun, 05 Jul 2009
Names are powerful signals. They conjure up images. Fareeda Khan. Thandi Zuma.
Henrietta Cavendish. Leroy Smith. Read them and, in an instant, a shadowy
impression forms in your mind. Before you know anything else about an
individual, you start making assumptions about them based on what you know
or have read about Fareedas, Henriettas, Leroys or Zumas.
In Britain in 2009, having a name that doesn’t sound white can lose you a
chance of a job. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has just sent
out bogus CVs in response to a thousand job vacancies. In every case it sent
one application with a name that sounded British and white and one
application with a name that sounded as if it was from an ethnic minority.
The fake applicants had near-identical qualifications and experience. Yet, 44
years after the Race Relations Act outlawed discrimination on the grounds of
race, the imaginary white applicants were significantly more likely to be
given interviews than the imaginary nonwhite ones. Although the DWP has not
finished analysing the data, Vera Baird, the solicitor-general, said the
evidence suggested “there was quite a strong sense that there is race
discrimination going on”.
The DWP conducted the experiment because there is a real problem with finding
a job in Britain if you are not white: 73% of the general population are
employed, but only 60% of ethnic minorities are. For some, part of the
explanation is they leave school without many qualifications, but that is
certainly not the whole story.
Overall, people from ethnic minorities don’t even get the jobs their
qualifications make them fit for. In 2003, No 10’s Strategy Unit concluded
that all minority groups – “even those enjoying relative success, like the
Indians and Chinese, are not doing as well as they could be, given their
education and other characteristics”. That year the Institute for Employment
Studies found that while employers were not short of ethnic minority
applicants, they “failed to progress through the recruitment system compared
to whites”.
|
WORLDPRESSNETWORK 25 Jun 2009
Time to say 'ENOUGH' ----------- please forward
Friday 26 June, 6.30pm, Bishopsgate Institute, 230 Bisopsgate, London
EC2M 4QH
Opposite Liverpool Street tube.
Today's front page of the
Daily Express calls for a ban on the burka in Britain, following the calls by
President Sarkozy in France for a ban there.The Express has been a major
player in helping to stoke prejudice against Muslims. But it is far from alone.
The unlamented communities minister Hazel Blears tried to demand the removal of
Daud Abdullah from the MCB leadership. Gordon Brown's government has continued
its bidding war to introduce draconian terror laws. Many Muslims in Britain are
increasingly anxious at these developments, and fed up with being on the sharp
end of police stop and search, terror legislation, and a high level of anti
Muslim prejudice and racism. The recent BNP election victories benefited from
that climate of Islamophobia.
This Friday sees the launch of a new
campaign to stop attacks on the Muslim community. Stop the War has been part,
along with many other organisations and individuals, in bringing this campaign
together. At a meeting on Friday night in London Muslim and non Muslim
speakers will join together to oppose these attacks and argue that we have
to campaign against them.
Speakers include George Galloway MP, Daud
Abdullah, Anas Altikriti, Seumas Milne, Lowkey, Ismail Patel, Lindsey German,
Abdurahman Jafar. Please do everything you can to publicise and
attend.
| | | | | | | | | |
BBC Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:48:08 GMT
Commentators, campaigners and politicians condemn a newspaper cartoon they say is a racist depiction of President Obama.
Campaigner Rev Al Sharpton vowed to picket the newspaper's headquarters.
Cartoonist Sean Delonas drew police shooting dead a chimp, while remarking "they'll have to find someone else to write the stimulus bill".
The paper has defended the cartoon as a "parody of a current news event".
On Tuesday President Obama signed into law a massive, $787bn (£548bn) economic stimulus package.
Andrew Rojecki, co-author of the book The Black Image in the White Mind said "The cops are saying, 'Someone's going to have to write the next stimulus bill.' Well, who wrote the last stimulus bill? It's Obama and the Democratic Party, but really it's associated with one person - and that's Obama," Mr Rojecki told the Chicago Tribune.
"It's a crude joke... It's pretty transparent to me."
"How could The Post let this cartoon pass as satire?" asked Barbara Ciara, president of the National Association of Black Journalists, in a statement.
"To compare the nation's first African-American commander-in-chief to a dead chimpanzee is nothing short of racist drivel."
She joined politicians in demanding an explanation from the publishers of the New York Post, a tabloid owned by Rupert Murdoch's international media conglomerate, News Corp.
There was also a furious public response. Blog posts on the topic attracted hundreds of angry comments, while complainants reportedly jammed the newspaper switchboard and protested outside its headquarters.
Some said it belittled the suffering endured by the woman who was attacked by the chimp, while others went as far as to accuse the cartoon of calling for President Obama's assassination.
| | | | |
GUARDIAN Wed, 28 Jan 2009
War is teaching the children of Israel and Gaza that the other side is a bloodthirsty monster, and destroying any desire for peace
Israeli soccer matches were suspended during the assault on Gaza. When the games resumed last week, the fans had come up with a new chant: "Why have the schools in Gaza been shut down?" sang the crowd. "Because all the children were gunned down!" came the answer. Aside from its sheer barbarism, this chant reflects the widespread belief among Israeli Jews that Israel scored an impressive victory in Gaza – a victory measured, not least, by the death toll. Israeli pilots and tank commanders could not really discriminate between the adults and the children who hid in their homes or huddled in the UNRWA shelters, and yet they chose to press the trigger. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that the lethal onslaught left 1,314 Palestinians dead, of which 412 – or nearly one third of all of the casualties – were children. This latest assault underscores that Israel, not unlike Hamas, readily resorts to violence and does not distinguish between civilians and combatants (only the weapons at Israel's disposal are much more lethal). No matter how many times the Israeli government tries to blame Hamas for the latest Palestinian civilian deaths it simply cannot explain away the body count, especially that of the children. In addition to the dead, 1,855 Palestinian children were wounded, and tens of thousands of others have likely been traumatised, many of them for life. Every child has a story. A Bedouin friend recently called to tell us about his relatives in Gaza. One cousin allowed her five-year-old daughter to walk to the adjacent house to see whether the neighbours had something left to eat. The girl had been crying from hunger. The moment she began crossing the street a missile exploded nearby and the flying shrapnel killed her. The mother has since been bedridden, weeping and screaming, "I have let my girl die hungry". As if the bloody incursion was not enough, the Israeli security forces seem to be keen on spreading the flames of hatred among the Arab population within Israel. Hundreds of Palestinian citizens of Israel have been arrested for protesting at the Israeli assault and more than 200 of them are still in custody. One incident is enough to illustrate the psychological effect these arrests will likely have on hundreds more children. A few days after the ceasefire, several men wearing black ski masks stormed the home of Muhammad Abu Humus. They came to arrest him for protesting against the killings in Gaza. It was four in the morning and the whole family was asleep when the men banged on the door. After entering the house, they made Abu Humus's wife Wafa and their four children Erfat (12), Shahd (9), Anas (6) and Majd (3) stand in a corner as they searched the house, throwing all the clothes, sheets, toys, and kitchenware on the floor. With tears in their eyes, the children watched as the armed men then took their father away and left.
| |
NEWS.YAHOO Tue, 27 Jan 2009
The Israeli military is investigating racist, war-mongering graffiti left by soldiers in Gaza, near the scene of alleged atrocities carried out by its troops.
A series of disturbing slogans were daubed on the walls of a house occupied during Operation Cast Lead by soldiers in the town of Zeitoun.
One reads "Arabs need 2 die", another says "make war not peace".
Elsewhere a soldier appears to crow about killing a Palestinian, writing in bad English: "1 is down, 999,999 to go."
On another wall in Hebrew, is written: "The Only Good Arab is a Dead Arab."
Others are too offensive to be reprinted here.
The graffiti is all the more disturbing because of what is alleged to have happened during the offensive in Zeitoun.
The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs quotes eye witnesses as saying a hundred Palestinians were rounded up and moved to a house which was repeatedly shelled 24 hours later.
Around thirty people are thought to have died.
Nearby, another 20 members of the same extended Samouni family claim they were sheltering when Israeli soldiers burst in and shot a father and his four year old son, deliberately and in cold blood, according to eye witnesses.
The Red Cross said it was delayed access to the area following the incidents.
Medics found children clinging to the bodies of their dead parents two days after the killings.
Major Avital Leibovich, a spokesman for the Israeli Defence Forces told Sky News the incidents in Zeitoun are under investigation.
Asked about the graffiti, she told Sky News Online, "This is not the way soldiers are educated and trained. It is against our moral values. They will be investigated and those responsible will be punished."
Israel launched the offensive in response to rocket attacks launched by Palestinian militants in Gaza against civilian population centres in the south of the country for the last eight years.
Britain and other governments have condemned Israel for its disproportionate use of force during the three week operation.
| | | | | | |
ABC 11 January 2008
This is a transcript from AM. The program is broadcast around Australia at 08:00 on ABC Local Radio.
BRENDAN TREMBATH: In Britain, Prince Harry is facing an army inquiry over a video diary in which he makes racist remarks about fellow soldiers. The video was obtained by a newspaper.
St James Palace has issued a formal apology but the Prince's comments have been widely condemned in the UK by politicians and the Muslim community.
Europe correspondent, Emma Alberici.
EMMA ALBERICI: Prince Harry is behind the lens as the camera pans across an airport lounge. His fellow servicemen are sleeping while waiting for a flight to Cyprus.
He zooms in on the face of a Pakistani soldier and whispers this commentary.
PRINCE HARRY: Ah, our little Paki friend, Ahmed.
EMMA ALBERICI: The officer is Ahmed Raza Khan who served with the Prince for a year before returning to Pakistan. His uncle Iftikhar Raja lives in London and was deeply offended by the Prince's video.
IFTIKHAR RAJA: I am a British-Pakistani. I am proud to be British, I'm proud to be Pakistani. I come from Pakistan, so, the proper word for that is Pakistan not "Paki".
EMMA ALBERICI: Prince Harry, who is third in line to the throne, made the comments in footage shot while he was training as an officer at the Sandhurst Military Academy in 2006. It was released by the newspaper, News of the World.
In another excerpt, he approaches a fellow officer wearing a camouflage veil over his helmet and tells him he looks like a "raghead".
PRINCE HARRY: That **** looks like a raghead. (chuckles). Look at me.. look at me.
EMMA ALBERICI: George Galloway is a member of the British Parliament representing Respect, the anti-war party.
GEORGE GALLOWAY: Soldiers from the Indian subcontinent, 2 million of them fought in our army in the Second World War. And an officer, like Harry, if he was a gentleman, should remember that.
EMMA ALBERICI: An apology issued by St James's Palace said the Prince was sorry for any offence caused and that he had used the term Paki as a nickname for a friend. It said "raghead" was used to mean Taliban or Iraqi insurgent.
Former commandant of the Royal British Military Academy at Sandhurst, General Sir Jack Deverell defends Prince Harry for what he calls nothing more than an error of judgment.
JACK DEVERELL: The nickname if both inclusive and exclusive. It can be used to say, "We don't want you to be part of our group" or the same nickname can be used to say, "We do want you to be part of our group." And I guess, by my experience at Sandhurst, because there's a very close relationship within, between the officer cadets of all types, backgrounds, all colours and creeds. And I guess that's the way it was used.
EMMA ALBERICI: The Equality and Human Rights Commission has demanded a formal inquiry into the prince's behaviour. The Ministry of Defence said it took all allegations of inappropriate behaviour very seriously, but that it was so far not aware of any complaint by the individual concerned.
The video ends with prince Harry mocking his grandmother the Queen and Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, "I've got to go, got to go,'' he says while being filmed pretending to finish a telephone call to her.
PRINCE HARRY: I've got to go. Send my love to the corgi. Okay bye, God save you, yeah that's good. Right see you, bye.. Sorry.
EMMA ALBERICI: The film was made a year after Prince Harry was forced to apologise for wearing a Nazi swastika to a fancy dress party.
This is Emma Alberici in London for AM.
|
BBC Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:51:33 GMT
An air passenger forced to cover his T-shirt because it displayed Arabic script has been awarded a payout of $240,000 (£163,000), his lawyers say.
Two Transportation Security Authority officials and JetBlue Airways will be forced to make the payout.
Raed Jarrar, a US resident, had accused them of illegally discriminating against him based on his ethnicity and the Arabic writing on his T-shirt.
The payout is the largest of its kind since the 9/11 terror attacks.
Lawyers representing Mr Jarrar say the settlement is a victory for free speech and a blow to the practice of racial profiling.
Uncomfortable
Back in 2006, Mr Jarrar was waiting to board a flight at New York's JFK airport wearing a T-shirt that read "We Will Not Be Silent" in English and Arabic.
His lawyers say he was ordered to remove the item of clothing by staff who said other passengers felt uncomfortable with the Arabic slogan.
He eventually agreed to cover the shirt and boarded the plane, but says he was made to sit at the back of the plane.
The Transport Security Authority and JetBlue airlines agreed to settle the case, paying out a total of $240,000 in compensation.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which represented Mr Jarrar, argues this case is not an isolated one.
Last week, a Muslim family was ordered off a domestic US flight operated by AirTran airlines after passengers claimed they were making suspicious remarks about security.
The family members were later cleared by the FBI, but were not permitted to fly with the airline to continue their journey.
| |
INDIANEXPRESS Fri, 02 Jan 2009
Washington: Nine Muslims, most of them of South Asian descent, were ordered off a domestic US flight after co-passengers overheard what they thought was a “suspicious remark,” a media report said on Friday.
The nine, all but one of them US-born citizens, were taken off off an AirTran flight headed to Orlando from Reagan National Airport on Thursday after two other passengers overheard what they thought was a remark about security.
The group, which was headed to a religious retreat in Florida, was subsequently cleared for travel by FBI agents who characterised the incident as a “misunderstanding,” Washington Post quoted an airport official as saying.
Kashif Irfan, one of the removed passengers, said the incident began after his brother Atif and his brother's wife wondered aloud about the safest place to sit on an airplane.
“My brother and his wife were discussing some aspect of airport security,” Irfan said. “The only thing my brother said was, 'Wow, the jets are right next to my window.' I think they were remarking about safety.” Irfan, 34, said he and the others think they were profiled because of their appearance. He said five of the six adults in the party are of South Asian descent, and all six are traditionally Muslim in appearance, with the men wearing beards and the women in headscarves.
| | |
CAIR Wed, 17 Dec 2008
(NEW YORK, NY, 12/12/08) - The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today called on leaders of the Jewish community in that state to repudiate a columnist for a Jewish newspaper who called for the killing of “innocent” Muslims.
In a commentary in the December 12 issue of the 5 Towns Jewish Times, titled, “The Appropriate Response to Islamic Terror,” Lawrence Kulak wrote:
“Moreover, the only way to deal with Islamic terrorists is the same way in which they deal with their victims. Muslims believe in the literal interpretation of the Biblical doctrine of an eye for an eye, and they do not have respect for anything perceived as a lesser standard of justice. They killed our innocents, and unless we kill theirs, they will go on killing ours.”
SEE: The Appropriate Response to Islamic Terror (Pages 59-61)
“Such inflammatory comments have no place in reasoned public discourse,” said CAIR-NY Community Affairs Director Faiza N. Ali. “Calls for violence against innocent civilians of any faith should face universal rejection and repudiation by religious leaders.”
|
BLOGSPOT Fri, 05 Dec 2008
Hate is a terrible thing but it is all the more terrible when directed at a person or people who in no way deserve to be recipients of it.
In this news report from Harris County, Texas we see how hatred of Islam lead to Police officers unfairly targeting a family of Sikhs.
"The story begins on Thanksgiving weekend when the Tagore family realised that they had been burgled. They called the local police only to be accused of being Muslims and some how connected to "the bombings in Bombay":
"At the beginning of the Thanksgiving weekend, the Tagore family came home to find a window broken and their master bedroom ransacked. When they called 911 to report the crime, Harris County police officers were dispatched to investigate. But instead of pursuing the thieves, the
police officers began grilling a family member. Officers ordered Ms. Kawaljeet Kaur to hand over her kirpan -- a religious article mandated by the Sikh faith -- which she wore over her shoulder. Ms. Kaur offered to leave the room if her kirpan made the officers uncomfortable, but to no avail.
Instead, she, along with her brother, mother and cousin, were handcuffed and led into the street. Officers verbally abused them as they were searched. An officer applied pressure to Ms. Kaur's back as she sat on the ground. One officer asked the family whether they had "heard about the bombings in Bombay" while another told them that he "knew about Muslims."
Hours later, the entire family was released without being arrested or charged.
"How can the police stop us from practicing our religion in our own home?" asked Ms. Kaur. "We called the police to help us. Instead, they humiliated and harassed us. They handcuffed my 60-year-old mother in front of my 8-year-old niece. They think they can get away with it because we look different."
| | | | | | | | | | |
|
|
Lion Air launches Surabaya – Singapore route
Youth and Sports Minister secretary gets 3 years in prison
Dangdut singer Annisa loses Rp 1.5b
Raditya Rondi: First Asian surfing Champion
Bibit Waluyo: Leading Central Java in military style
Egyptian troops, protesters clash for 3rd day
Flash floods kill at least 450 in Philippines
Lampung cops punished over Mesuji incident
Indonesia Sand Sculpture Festival
