Centuries of statelessness

Rohingya, an ethnic minority community of Indo-Aryan origin from the state of Rakhine in Burma, has been living there since approximately 8^th century. They have been subjected to inhumane treatment at the hands of majority Buddhist community since Burmese independence in 1948 from Britain. 

In 1982 the Burmese government decided to derecognise them as citizens and treats them as illegal refugees. Since then they have been subjected to discrimination on the basis of their religion and ethnicity by Buddhist majority backed by Burmese government.

These human beings have been subjected to worse persecution by the Buddhist majority and Burmese government. So much so, that they have been described by the United Nations as “the most persecuted minorities in the world”. 

Their men, women, young and old are tortured, maimed, raped, killed, and burnt alive. Their properties destroyed, they are not only displaced but deprived of their basic human right of life. Since 1948, circa 1.5 million Rohingya have been forced to flee their homes to avoid persecution at the hands of majority Buddhists.

2012 saw the escalation of subhuman treatment of this community in the face of Rakhine state riots, where whole villages have been decimated. Hundreds of houses have been razed, thousands maimed, raped and killed; 80,000 people have been displaced and the situation is getting worse by the day.

The international community is unaware of their frightful situation due to neglect on the part of our mainstream media and governments, particularly Europe and America.  The very governments that go around propagating humanity, supporting “Arab springs” in the name of freedom from tyranny and dictatorships. They wage wars against oppression and terrorism.

Yet, they don't see the human suffering; “Buddhist terrorism” against Rohingya in Burma; the modern time “Holocaust”. The world and media are criminally silent in the face of blatant violations of human rights. 

I urge every responsible human being to lobby their MPs to force Britain, Europe, America and rest of the world to pressurise the Burmese government to stop the violence against Rohingya, because “It is not about religion, it is about humanity”. 

How Islamic are the Islamic Countries

A study conducted by Prof. Hussain Askari of George Washington University entitled “How Islamic are the Islamic Countries" showed that most of the countries that apply Islamic Principles in their daily lives are not ones that are traditionally Muslim.

New Zealand ranked 1st,
Luxembourg 2nd,
Ireland 3rd,
Iceland 4th,
Finland 5th,
Denmark 6th
Canada 7th.
Malaysia 38th,
Kuwait 48th,
Bahrain 64th
and to the surprise
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranked 131st.

What is Maturity

• Maturity is when you stop trying to change people, and instead focus on changing yourself.

• Maturity is when you accept people for who they are.  

• Maturity is when you understand that everyone is right in their own perspective.  

• Maturity is when you learn to "let go". 

• Maturity is when you are able to drop "expectations" from a relationship and give for the sake of giving. 

• Maturity is when you understand that whatever you do, you do for your own peace and to please Allah.

• Maturity is when you stop proving to the world how intelligent you are. 

• Maturity is when you focus on positives in people. Maturity is when you do not seek approval from others.  

• Maturity is when you stop comparing yourself with others.

• Maturity is when you seek and merit Allah's help and adopt the life of gratitude.

Who is Bombing European Civilians?

The last time a wave of bomb attacks were carried out against European civilian targets, 'leftist' or 'communist' groups were blamed. Eventually the truth came out that those groups were deliberately framed and the real perpetrators were 'commando' type groups working directly under the imperial aegis of NATO, which is to say, the USA, its agents and ideological sympathizers in Europe.

The point of this wave of bombings and shootings was to divide, manipulate, and control public opinion using fear, propaganda, disinformation, psychological warfare, agents provocateurs, and false flag terrorist acts to achieve the strategic aims of Western governments, in particular the US government. These strategic aims were embedded in the 'Cold War' ideology of preventing left wing, socialist or communist parties from reaching executive power in Europe, reducing US influence and thereby increasing that of the former Soviet Union.

Last year the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, stated that the US government and military was 'dusting off its Cold War playbook' in order to deal with Russia and the threat of it gaining influence over European countries. The Pentagon recently designated Russia as the number one threat facing the US today. One has to wonder then how closely the Pentagon's Cold War strategy is being followed today, and if it involves similar false-flag terror attacks against the civilian population of Europe in order to create a climate of insecurity under which more authoritarian policies can be imposed on the public. One also has to wonder about the strange coincidence of Turkish PM Erdogan warning just a few days ago that, "there is no reason why the bomb that exploded in Ankara [on March 12th] could not explode in Brussels."

An estimated 12.6 million deaths each year are attributable to unhealthy environments

An estimated 12.6 million people died as a result of living or working in an unhealthy environment in 2012 – nearly 1 in 4 of total global deaths, according to new estimates from WHO. Environmental risk factors, such as air, water and soil pollution, chemical exposures, climate change, and ultraviolet radiation, contribute to more than 100 diseases and injuries.

RESPECT TO CAMPAIGN TO LEAVE THE EU

George Galloway has announced that Respect will join the Grass roots Out campaign to leave the European Union.

The Respect leader appeared as a ‘special guest’ alongside speakers from a number of political parties on Friday at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster to put forward the ‘Lexit’ case for voting in favour of leaving in the June 23rd Referendum.

Evoking the memory of Tony Benn, Galloway pressed home the need for Britain to regain its democratic power. A full version of the speech can be found below,as well as Monday’s appearance on the Daily Politics:

Source: http://www.respectparty.org/

I will not apologise!

By: Khaled Almaeena - Editor-at-Large

The Paris attacks that killed 130 people and injured hundreds of others are still capturing headlines. They also occupy the top spot in social media the world over.

The attack came days after suicide bombers blew up about 40 people in a Beirut suburb and before that a Russian plane was blown up over Sinai killing more than 200 people. Daesh (the self-proclaimed IS) took responsibility for all of these murderous acts.

I received several phone calls from Western journalists asking for the Saudi point of view on these murderous attacks to which my reply was that all of us condemn these inhumane and ugly acts which do not serve any purpose, but on the contrary malign our society and our religion.

One caller asked if we will apologise. I almost screamed at him. Apologise for what?! Are we responsible for the actions of mysterious groups that destroy and kill? Are we responsible for all the evil acts being committed and falsely attributed to Islam?! I am not going to apologise, I said.

Let an international investigation be conducted and the findings made public. I am not a believer in conspiracy theories, but since the 9/11 attack until now many questions remain unanswered. How is it that after every major incident a passport is found intact? As if people walk the streets with their passports in their pockets and the passports are made of nonflammable material that is resistant to fires and bomb attacks.

In New York, it was a Saudi passport; in Paris it was a Syrian passport which later was found to be a fake and there were 11 passports with the same name and number!

We have had enough of preachers of hate and ignorant politicians inciting animosity against Muslims and ranting anti-Islamic rhetoric that is racist and full of hate. Enough of ignorant people going on the rampage uttering jingoistic chants forgetting the complicity of their own governments in creating Al-Qaeda and Daesh-like organisations and propping up dictatorships in the region, dismantling armies and social order and creating vacuum that led to strife.

I stand with the entire world in condemning the wanton, ruthless and mindless destruction of innocent human lives, but please do not ask me to apologise for something for which I am not responsible. Have the Jews apologised for Netanyahu’s daily massacre of Palestinians? Have the Dalai Lama and Aung San Suu Kyi apologised for the brutal holocaust inflicted on the Muslims of Myanmar? Has Indian Prime Minister Modi apologised for the massacre of Muslims in Gujarat or the lynching of people alleged to have eaten beef? Have Bush, Blair, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Wolfowitz and Bremer apologized for the death of a million Iraqis?

While the world rises up in arms against the cowardly murders of the innocent in Paris, no one protested when over a 100 Turks were blown to bits by Daesh in Ankara.

This selective grief is not palatable to me and to many around the world. These acts are carried out by people who are supposedly Muslims, but are mostly managed by shadowy groups operating under the umbrella of Western agencies. They do not represent us. I am not guilty, and therefore, I will not apologise!

Source: http://saudigazette.com.sa/saudi-arabia/i-will-not-apologize/

Muslim Groups say ‘Police State’ Powers will make Terror Problem Worse

Mainstream Muslim groups [1] are warning that the draconian new powers targeting the Muslim community, which the government is seeking through the Extremism Bill, will be counter-productive in the fight against ISIS recruiters and other extremists.

• The Extremism bill puts in place the architecture of a Police State, giving government ministers sweeping powers to restrict the rights and freedoms of citizens without due process and the right to a fair trial. With the vague definition of extremism being employed there is a real danger that these powers could be used to clamp down on legitimate political dissent.

• The new proposals continue the government’s approach of treating the whole Muslim community as potential terrorists, from 3 year-olds in nurseries through to political activists who oppose the government’s foreign policy.[2] This will only fuel alienation, driving some vulnerable young Muslims toward extremism.

• The government’s focus is almost entirely on extremism within the Muslim community, ignoring far-right extremism and violence despite the acts of terror committed by racist and Islamophobic extremists (for example the murder of a Muslim grandfather in Birmingham, nail bombs and arson attacks on mosques and Islamic centres, a machete attack in a supermarket on a Sikh man mistaken for a Muslim…)[3].

• These proposals are not based on empirical evidence about the factors causing terrorism, but instead rely on a refuted ‘conveyor belt’ theory of radicalisation promoted by neo-conservative think-tanks which falsely sees both religious conservatism and legitimate political grievances as leading almost inevitably toward violence.[4]

• An effective approach to countering violent extremism must acknowledge the proven link between foreign policy and terrorism, and empower young Muslims to channel their legitimate anger into democratic activism and engagement.

• Rather than wasting tax-payers money on groups such as ‘Inspire’ which have no credibility within the Muslim community the government should enter into dialogue with those Muslim groups who are already doing effective grassroots work against Isis and other extremists. The government’s approach to the mainstream Muslim community must change from one of exclusion to engagement.

[1] In addition to the Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK other mainstream groups such as Muslim Council of Britain and Islamic Human Rights Commission have raised similar concerns:

http://www.mcb.org.uk/one-nation-counter-extremism-strategy-risks-fight-against-terrorism-191015/

http://www.ihrc.org.uk/activities/press-releases/11544-press-release-uk-anti-terror-laws-are-a-war-on-muslims

[2] http://www.irr.org.uk/news/spooked-how-not-to-prevent-violent-extremism/

[3] http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/pavlo-lapshyn-jailed-40-years-6242978

http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/the-anti-muslim-backlash-that-followed-the-murder-of-lee-rigby/

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/zack-davies-machete-man-who-5948162

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-34218184

[4] http://www.claystone.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Claystone-rethinking-radicalisation.pdf 

Deradicalisation programme is demonising Muslims

Published by IHRC on 8th October 2015

Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) finds gravely disturbing today's revelations that referrals to a deradicalisation programme have risen exponentially since reporting people of suspected extremism became an official requirement for public bodies on July 1 this year.

The figures show that there were more referrals between June and August this year than for the whole of 2012/13 – the first year the scheme was rolled out across England and Wales. The number is also more than double the level of referrals recorded in the first three months of 2014/15. Approximately 40% of the referrals were of people under the age of 18.

Moreover during the same period, of the 796 individuals reported to the Channel programme for possible intervention, only about a fifth have required intervention in the form of deradicalisation sessions.

The figures suggest that the government dragnet cast over the Muslim community by the Islamophobic 'PREVENT' anti-extremism programme is having the effect of demonising and stigmatising innocent individuals and creating a pall of fear that prevents them from fully engaging in everyday life.

What is worrying is that these figures have been compiled over a period when schools and educational institutions are closed for the summer break. The likelihood is that referrals are only going to increase now they have reopened.

IHRC is opposed in principle to the whole PREVENT programme. It rests on racist and Islamophobic assumptions. By demonising Islam as innately violent the programme has contributed to the legitimisation of institutional discrimination against Muslims. Although the programme is presented as targeting all extremism including that of the far right in practice it is almost exclusively applied to Muslims.

Many Muslims have been caught up by PREVENT for nothing other than expressing conservative religious opinions or views that are critical of the government's policies in Muslim countries. Deradicalisation programmes are in themselves designed to disabuse people of these views and amount to political and social indoctrination. Moreover, the secretive nature of the referral process which is usually informed by Islamophobic prejudices means that there is rarely a paper trail by which officials can be held accountable.

In a case that arose last month, a 14-year-old Muslim schoolboy was questioned about ISIS after a classroom discussion about environmental activism. His parents are taking legal action after the boy said he was left "scared and nervous" by his experience with school officials in north London, and was left reluctant to join in class discussions for fear of being suspected of extremism. IHRC has been informed of a case in which a schoolboy was referred by teachers for objecting to a school concert on the grounds that he thought it was unIslamic.

IHRC is also alarmed by statements made yesterday by PM David Cameron that he intends to bring private madrasas under state scrutiny because he believes the allegedly conservative views they teach are helping fuel extremism. His views are based on the now officially accepted conveyor belt theory of terrorism in which illiberal Islamic education is the first step of a journey towards violent extremism. According to this view every Muslim is a potential terrorist who requires state intervention to keep them clear of extremism.

IHRC's head of advocacy Abed Choudhury said: "It is highly ironic that a programme that the government parades as vital for social cohesion is in fact having a divisive effect by obliging people to report others, mostly on the basis of their own prejudices. Subjecting Muslims to deradicalisation programmes for holding alternative views smacks of indoctrination meted out to dissidents by authoritarian regimes both present and past."

Source: http://us3.campaign-archive1.com/?u=4d0734a138da3bf708a64592d&id=a99f8856c8&e=b60f24c1af

We Need a Level-Headed Conversation About Muslim 'Others'

by: Muhammad Abdul Bari 

Poll after poll provides us with a consistent picture of Muslim loyalty to Britain, yet too many still seem to see the glass 'half full' when it comes to Muslims.

The narrative championed by these 'half fullers' is that Muslims are predisposed to all kinds of negative behaviour - grooming, crime, terrorism, mistreatment of women - and how incompatible Islam is in contemporary Britain. The problem arises when the positives of any community are lessened, and the negatives amplified, but not seriously scrutinised by those in government. When challenged by Muslims, accusations of hiding behind a charge of "Islamophobia" and "victim" mentality are thrown about.