Incisive-View

M.Hussein
Friday 16th February, 2007
The M.I.A.H Project

With the constant vilification of Muslims by the media and the government, it’s difficult to comprehend how one community can be singled out over and over again, but yet the community as a whole fails to react in large numbers.

The situation is becoming one where, as time progresses, these fears are further heightened, and the attacks and spins become more frequent, consequently leading to a state of hate and suspicion against Muslims.

We in the UK must do everything possible to stop this hysteria reaching epic proportions. Already, with the ban of religious symbols in state schools in France (legislation which infringe on Muslims more than any other religious group) and the niqab ban in Holland; these “anti-Muslim” policies being implemented in the UK are more real now than any other time in recent history. If we are to counter this, we must counter this climate of fear, we must counter what is now the racism which is almost blatantly accepted by society, we must ensure people who make such false claims and accusations are not gone unchallenged and do not continue to preach their messages of hate.

In the past we have had a number of mosques firebombed; Muslims have been attacked for no reason other than that of being a Muslim; Muslim women have had their headscarves ripped off their heads. This ignorance is why the constant violations of civil and human rights by our government where individuals are held over unwarranted periods (sometimes indefinitely) without charge, people are kept under house arrest and tagged without any conclusive evidence of any terrorist links and so fourth, are left unhindered without outcry from the mass British public.

One instance in the past where this hate was spurred and the response resulted to a change is when Robert Kilroy-Silk in an article in the Sunday Express referred to Arabs (and implicitly to Muslims) as ‘suicide bombers’, ‘limb-amputators’, and ‘women repressors’ among many other things. The wide scale reaction from many Muslims around the country through writing to the media and openly showing their disgust at this man sent a clear message, not only to Robert Kilroy-Silk, but The Sunday Times, the BBC (who were employers of Kilroy-Silk at the time), and also to all the other islamaphobes of the country. The same reasons if these racist statements and accusations were targeted towards other minority communities would have not been tolerated, apply to Muslims, and we, and society as a whole need to recognise that.

Opposition must also continue against other islamaphobic hate-preachers such as Melanie Phillips, Nick Cohen, Mark Steyn and Julie Birchill whose constant tirade against the Muslim religion creates further segregation within society. Drivel from individuals such as these, unchallenged; seep in to public opinion creating a greater aura of abhorrence and as a result, any potentially impending niqab ban, hijab ban or any other possible Muslim specific legislation, with public opinion so greatly against our religion, will surely be enforced.

We have already seen quite starkly how the public jumped on the bandwagon of anti-niqab resentment in 2006. All it needs is a public figure to start pointing fingers at Muslims for some spurious reason and the wave of attacks begin.

As well as showing our opposition to hate preachers, we must show our support for the converse - the likes of Madeline Bunting and John Pilger who, at the receiving end of smear campaigns by the Zionist lobbies, choose still to speak out in favour of justice and Muslim causes such as Palestine and Iraq. The attempts by these groups to quieten anyone who opposes the Israeli state must not be taken lightly. Without people speaking against the propaganda and lies, it will surely become a one sided endeavour.

Britain’s foreign policy has major implications in Muslim countries such as Kashmir, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Palestine and Iraq. It is our government who has sent thousands of troops to Iraq and Afghanistan to partake in an illegal war resulting in the deaths of over 600,000 Muslims. It is our government who seems to continually condone the oppression and killing of the Palestinian people in their own land. As citizens of this country, we can utilise the democratic system and show our sheer opposition to such policies; with enough pressure we can make a difference to the lives of our Muslim brothers and sisters which these policies directly affect.

So next time you see lies and baseless accusations being handed by the media, or an alert to act is sent out by the countless Muslim organisations (such as MPACUK), realise how big an outcome being a politically active Muslim can achieve - and achieve it.

Source: The M.I.A.H Project