Who Is Behind The Campaign To Silence The Debate on Islam- by Muslim Journalist Asra Q Nomani

A former Wall Street Journal reporter and American Muslim, Asra Q. Nomani, has written an interesting article on the "organized campaign" to silence criticism of Islam. She, herself, has been a target for her progressive views, including the bullying attempts to silence her, the ad hominem attacks: "Zionist media whore" and "House Muslim,"  and, of course, the obligatory death threats.

She writes about when and where it all began:

The campaign began, at least in its modern form, 10 years ago in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, when the Organization of Islamic Cooperation — a mini-United Nations comprising the world’s 56 countries with large Muslim populations, plus the Palestinian Authority — tasked then-Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu with combating Islamophobia and projecting the “true values of Islam.” During the past decade, a loose honor brigade has sprung up, in part funded and supported by the OIC through annual conferences, reports and communiques. It’s made up of politicians, diplomats, writers, academics, bloggers and activists.

In 2007, as part of this playbook, the OIC launched the Islamophobia Observatory, a watchdog group based in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, with the goal of documenting slights against the faith. Its first report, released the following year, complained that the artists and publishers of controversial Danish cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad were defiling “sacred symbols of Islam . . . in an insulting, offensive and contemptuous manner.” The honor brigade began calling out academics, writers and others, including former New York police commissioner Ray Kelly and administrators at a Catholic school in Britain that turned away a mother who wouldn’t remove her face veil.

“The OIC invented the anti-‘Islamophobia’ movement,” says Zuhdi Jasser, president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy and a frequent target of the honor brigade. “These countries . . . think they own the Muslim community and all interpretations of Islam.”

Alongside the honor brigade’s official channel, a community of self-styled blasphemy police — from anonymous blogs such as LoonWatch.com and Ikhras.com to a large and disparate cast of social-media activists — arose and began trying to control the debate on Islam. This wider corps throws the label of “Islamophobe” on pundits, journalists and others who dare to talk about extremist ideology in the religion. Their targets are as large as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and as small as me.

The official and unofficial channels work in tandem, harassing, threatening and battling introspective Muslims and non-Muslims everywhere. They bank on an important truth: Islam, as practiced from Malaysia to Morocco, is a shame-based, patriarchal culture that values honor and face-saving from the family to the public square. Which is why the bullying often works to silence critics of Islamic extremism.

It works for both Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

The rest here.  Well worth the read.  We need more voices like Asra's. There are some, but they are very few.

Gatestone Article On The Islamization Of France

At the end of last year, Soeren Kern of the Gatestone Institute wrote an article about the Islamization of France. It's a long and disturbing look at what's happening in France today- a country that now has the largest Muslim population in Europe.

According to a confidential French intelligence document leaked to Le Figaro, a form of Muslim ghettoization is gaining ground within the French school system. The report says that Muslim students are effectively establishing an Islamic parallel society completely cut off from non-Muslim students.

More than 1000 French supermarkets, including major chains such as Carrefour, have been selling Islamic books that openly call for jihad and the killing of non-Muslims.

A report estimates that 60% of the prison population in France, or 40,000 prisoners, are "culturally or originally" Muslim.

The Fresnes Penitentiary near Paris launched an experiment that involves isolating radical Muslim prisoners in a separate unit to prevent the radicalization of other prisoners. Muslim prisoners clashed with prison guards to protest the new measure.

An Ipsos survey found that 66% of French people believe there are too many foreigners in France, and 59% believe "immigrants do not try hard enough to integrate. According to the poll, 63% of French people think that Islam "is not compatible with French values."

Around 6.5 million Muslims are currently living in France. That's about 10% of the total population.

Kern lists the slew of Muslim-related headlines that occurred in 2014 starting with an annual event that happens on New Year's eve:

On January 1, Interior Minister Manuel Valls announced the most anticipated statistic of the year: a total of 1,067 cars and trucks were torched across France on New Year's Eve, a "significant reduction" from the 1,193 vehicles that were burned during the annual ritual on the same holiday in 2013.

Car burnings, commonplace across France, are often attributed to rival Muslim gangs that compete with each other for the media spotlight over who can cause the most destruction. An estimated 40,000 cars are burned in France every year.

The long list includes news about the flow of French jihadists to Syria and Iraq, some as young as 13, including a young 14-year-old female, and entire families. Around 800 or so have traveled to fight with ISIS. Burqa-clad women trying to buck the face veil ban. Charlie Hebdo was sued by Islamists for blasphemy. The thwarting of numerous terrorist attacks. Threats of terrorist attacks and  assassinating President Francois Hollande. Muslim gang rapists. Renaming a historic theatre in the Fontainebleau Palace- the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Theatre. The 400-seat theatre dates back to 1857 and Napoleon III.  It was named after the ruler of Abu Dhabi who spent millions restoring the space. A French jihadist killed three at the Jewish Museum in Brussels. A non-Muslim man is attacked for eating a ham sandwich on a train. Three police were stabbed by an ISIS supporter. Attempts to get halal meals for Muslim inmates. Over 1,000 French supermarkets were selling books that promoted jihad and the killing of infidels. Mother sues government for letting her son leave France to join ISIS. The Pearl of Hope, a pro-Palestinian Islamic charity is shut down for raising funds for jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria. 10 or more other charitable organizations are being monitored. "Lone wolf Muslim injured 11 people after he rammed his car into a crowd of people shouting "Allahu Akbar." There are more.

And this:

In August, a poll found that a staggering 15% of people in France support the Islamic State [IS]. Among those between the ages of 18 and 24, 27% said they had a positive view of the IS, while 22% of those between the ages of 25 and 34, and 20% of those between 35 and 44 supported the jihadist group. The largest share of IS opponents was composed of people aged 45 to 54.

For more detail, and other news headlines, read the full article here.

All Things Piggy To Be Banned By Oxford University Press To Avoid Offending Muslims and Jews

Oxford University Press (OUP) has taken political correctness to an absurd level. Apparently, the schoolbook publishers have decided to ban references to anything porcine in their children's books in order to avoid offending Muslims and Jews. That means no mention of piggies, bacon, sausage. Nothing porky. Authors are being asked to take into consideration any 'cultural differences and sensitivities" when writing kiddies' books.

The bizarre clampdown, apparently aimed at avoiding offence among Jews and Muslims, emerged yesterday during a discussion about free speech on Radio 4’s Today programme.

Presenter Jim Naughtie – whose writer wife Eleanor Updale is in talks with Oxford University Press (OUP) over an educational book series – said: ‘I've got a letter here that was sent out by OUP to an author doing something for young people.

‘Among the things prohibited in the text that was commissioned by OUP was the following: Pigs plus sausages, or anything else which could be perceived as pork.

‘Now, if a respectable publisher, tied to an academic institution, is saying you've got to write a book in which you cannot mention pigs because some people might be offended, it’s just ludicrous. It is just a joke.'

A spokesman for OUP said:

 ‘Many of the educational materials we publish in the UK are sold in more than 150 countries, and as such they need to consider a range of cultural differences and sensitivities.

'Our editorial guidelines are intended to help ensure that the resources that we produce can be disseminated to the widest possible audience.’

The decision has been ridiculed by many including Tory MP Philip Davies who responded:

 ‘How on earth can anyone find the word “pig” or “pork” offensive? 'No word is offensive. It is the context in which it is used that is offensive.’

‘On the one hand you have politicians and the great and the good falling over each other to say how much they believe in freedom of speech and on the other hand they are presiding over people being unable to use and write words that are completely inoffensive.

'We have got to get a grip on this nonsensical political correctness.

‘The political correctness brigade appear to have taken control of our schools.

'The Secretary of State needs to get a grip over this and make sure this ridiculous ban is stopped at once.’

And by both Jews and Muslims. Muslim Labour MP Khalid Mahmood said:

"... That’s absolute utter nonsense. And when people go too far, that brings the whole discussion into disrepute."

Spokesman for the Jewish Leadership Council added:

 ‘Jewish law prohibits eating pork, not the mention of the word, or the animal from which it derives.

I know the Jews are not offended by things like The Three Little Pigs, and photos of bacon, but was glad to see the Muslim measured response. That's not to say there aren't Anjem Choudary types who were probably thrilled to hear about the ban, and who are offended by anything to do with pigs.  In Germany last year, Muslims protested a butcher shop that had a decorative pig display because they were offended. Back in 2007, a school in Amsterdam stopped teaching about rural life because the Muslim refused to talk about the pigs.

This has to stop.

Source and video: Daily Mail

Walmart Caves- Removes Papa Pashtun Halloween Costume

Walmart caved to pressure and removed a Papa Pashtun Halloween costume, after a social media backlash. The costume was deemed racist.

“When it was brought to our attention on social media, we began working to pull this down. We are deeply sorry that this costume is on our website, and we are pulling it down as soon as possible. We are calling on all of the other retailers to pull it down as well,” Brooke Buchanan, senior director of Walmart Corporate Communications, told BuzzFeed News.

It was sold through a third-party vendor Costume Kingdom.

“We have strict policies with our third party vendors, and It’s very important to us that products on the site don’t offend groups of people, or minorities.”

This reminds me of when Sears pulled their Sexy Burka costume back in 2012.

Source: Al Arabiya

Texas Farmer Holds Pig Races After Muslim Neighbour Tells Him To Move Or Get Rid Of Pigs

Kamel Fotouh decided to purchase some 11 acres of land smack dab next to pig farmer Craig Baker in Katy, Texas. That farm has been his in his family for 200 years. Fotouh, who heads the Katy Islamic Association, wants to build a mosque on his portion of the land. But Muslims don't like pigs, so Fotouh told Baker he should move the farm, or get rid of the piggies. He also apparently called Baker a liar during a town meeting with 300 or 400  people, so Baker decided to hold pig races every Friday night, right around the time of evening prayers.

“That was the last straw for me … calling me a liar, especially in front of three or four hundred people at that meeting."“Mr. Fotouh said it would be a good idea if I considered packing up my stuff and moving out further to the country.”

Supposedly Fotouh knew he was buying land next to a pig farm, but more than likely felt he could intimidate Baker into compliance. Houston (a 25-mile jaunt from Katy) has 60 or so mosques, none of which are suitable, according to Fotouh.

“We feel that these mosques are not fulfilling the needs of the community as they should. So, our vision is to have an integrated facility."

Only 30 or so members will attend that mosque.

Baker offered Fotouh 1.2 million to buy his land from him, but he refused.

Bottom line, if you don't like the looks of a potential neighbour, then don't move there.

Fox News video report.

H/T: TruthandAction.

Australia Caves On Niqab Segregation In Parliament

Looks like Australia caved on a plan to segregate visiting Muslim women- donning burqas and niqabs- at Parliament House. It was proposed, citing obvious security concerns, but too many people balked, and so, boom, it's gone.  They were to be seated in glassed enclosures where rambunctious school kids usually sit during parliament visits.

One would think the women would be happy to be separated from potential contact with males, after all, they are segregated in their mosques, why should they care. This really isn't very different from the segregation they already encounter, but human rights and race discrimination activists thought differently.

Race discrimination commissioner Tim Soutphommasane told Fairfax Media the original ruling meant Muslim women were being treated differently to non-Muslim women.

"No-one should be treated like a second-class citizen, not least in the parliament,” he said.

“I have yet to see any expert opinion or analysis to date which indicates that the burqa or the niqab represents an additional or special security threat.”

What?  They want to be treated differently than non-Muslim women, that's why they wear burqas and niqabs in a Western society in the first place. And if they're wearing burqas, they're already being treated as second-class citizens, so what's the difference.  And burqas and niqabs are most definitely a security threat. Lot's of space under that garb to hide any manner of explosives or weapons.

But it wasn't just activists who were opposed.

..Labor opposition frontbencher Tony Burke welcomed the backdown but said the initial decision should never have been made.

“What possessed them to think that segregation was a good idea?” he said.

“Segregation was previously introduced, apparently, with no security advice attached to it and no security reason attached to it.”

Apparently, they have now changed the rules.

The Department of Parliamentary Services said in a statement that the rules had been changed and all visitors must now “temporarily remove any coverings” that prevent the recognition of facial features.

“This will enable security staff to identify anyone who may have been banned from entering the building or who may be known to be a security risk,” it said.

“Once this process has taken place visitors are free to move about the public spaces of the building, including all chamber galleries, with facial coverings in place”.

Fools.

Source: Al Arabiya

Pro-Israel Demonstrators Attacked In Canada

Canadian Michael Coren from Sun News talks about the violence against peaceful pro-Israeli demonstrators in Canada. Not all pro-Palestinians are into violence, but some are.  And not much help from the Canadian police.

Video here.

German Muslims Protest Butcher Shops With Decorative Pigs

Found the following info and link to the original German language article on Facebook. Apparently butcher shops in Cologne, Germany are being targeted by Muslims, mostly angry youth, who found the decorative cardboard pigs displayed in the shop windows offensive. The displays are used to advertise weekly deals.  The shop owners have been subjected to taunts, curses, threats, and their shops have been vandalized.  They have apparently removed the offending piggies.

Murat Kayman, board member of the DTIB (an organization representing over 800 German mosques) has criticized the young Muslim men, claiming they do not fully understand Islam. That even though Muslims are forbidden to eat pork, pigs are still God's creatures.

German language link here. You'll need a page translator.

ABC Family Caves To CAIR- Nixes "Alice In Arabia"

After a firestorm of negative social media postings and pressure from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and the Muslim Public Affairs Council, ABC Family network has nixed the pilot for the proposed TV series "Alice In Arabia." And it didn't take very long for that decision to be made.

CAIR, of course, is thrilled that ABC caved.  Without knowing much about the story, other than the fact that it was "about an American teenage girl kidnapped by her extended royal Saudi Arabian family and forced to live with them," it was immediately assumed there would be stereotyping.

Hussam Ayloush, executive director of CAIR said of ABC's decision:

 "We welcome ABC Family channel's decision to respond to community concerns by canceling plans for a program that had the potential to promote ethnic and religious stereotyping."  "We thank all those who voiced their concerns on this issue." 

Of course a lot of actors are now out of a potential gig because of that 'potential', including a slew of minority performers, mind you, but that means naught.

According to an article in The Hollywood Reporter, ABC had this to say about the controversy and its subsequent decision to not move forward:

“The current conversation surrounding our pilot was not what we had envisioned and is certainly not conducive to the creative process, so we’ve decided not to move forward with this project."

I realize that it was easier for them to just say forget it rather than deal with the likes of CAIR, but it's setting a terrible precedent. It's just adding more fuel to the Muslim censorship fire, and confirming that all they have to do is hit the social media sites to eventually get their way. Take a look at what people like Muslim convert Irish/Iranian/American Cyrus McGoldrick has to say. He posted this on his Facebook page:

Getting #AliceInArabia cancelled was a good move - I'm glad it got done so quickly, too. These skirmishes with Zionist Hollywood should be easy and decisive, and I'm so pleasantly surprised that this was. S/o to ADC, CAIR, and the many individuals who stormed the internet and handled this.

I have a question, though, based on what activists said in media: Is "representation" the issue? Do we really need film terrorists played by real Arabs as opposed to random brown people? Do we really want to spend time asking the US military (the greatest force of destruction in decades) to accommodate religious beliefs so we can join it?

Side note on Goldrick- he was affiliated with CAIR a while back as advocacy director of the New York office.

Zionist Hollywood?  Nice. But that first paragraph shows exactly their M.O. It's only going to get worse.

H/T: Creeping Shariah

ABC Family's 'Alice In Arabia' Outrages Arabs and Muslims

ABC Family has a TV show in the works titled Alice In Arabia, about a young American girl who is whisked away to Saudi Arabia by her Saudi grandfather after her parents die. ABC has this to say about the series:

“Alice in Arabia” is a high-stakes drama series about a rebellious American teenage girl who, after tragedy befalls her parents, is unknowingly kidnapped by her extended family, who are Saudi Arabian. Alice finds herself a stranger in a new world but is intrigued by its offerings and people, whom she finds surprisingly diverse in their views on the world and her situation. Now a virtual prisoner in her grandfather’s royal compound, Alice must count on her independent spirit and wit to find a way to return home while surviving life behind the veil. The pilot was written by Brooke Eikmeier, who previously served in the US Army as a Cryptologic Linguist in the Arabic language, trained to support NSA missions in the Middle East. She left service in September 2013 as a rank E-4 Specialist.

As expected, the Arab/Muslim community is crying foul, calling it offensive, racist, contributing to negative stereotypes. Mind you, no-one has seen an episode yet, but they've still hit the Twittersphere with the usual bitching and moaning.

Samia Shameem @SamIAm_NoHam (who wears a hijab) posted:

"…while surviving life behind the veil." The veil is not a set of prison bars. Stop. #AliceInArabia @ABCFamily

Maybe not for Samia, but to any Western non-Muslim woman, yes indeed they would be considered prison bars.

But since no-one has seen the show yet, they should reserve their outrage until they do.

ABC has chimed in on the uproar.

“We hope people will wait to judge this show on its actual merits once it is filmed. The writer is an incredible storyteller and we expect Alice to be a nuanced and character driven show,” a spokesperson for ABC Family wrote in an email to California radio station KPCC.

We won't know for sure whether the characters will be stereotypical or not until it airs, but if they are- that's Hollywood for you.

This is a TV series people, if you find something offensive don't watch it. Besides, it will give actors of Arab descent a heck of a lot of work.

A Society of Cowards- Pat Condell's Latest Video

British secular Muslim Maajid Nawaz, a would-be MP running as a Liberal Democrat, posted a cartoon of Mohammed and Jesus on his Twitter account.

His reason:

"My intention was to carve out a space to be heard without constantly fearing the blasphemy charge, on pain of death.I did it for Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Punjab who was assassinated by his bodyguard for calling for a review of Pakistan's colonial-era blasphemy laws; for Malala Yusufzai, the schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban for wanting an education; and for Muhammad Asghar, a mentally ill British man sentenced to death for 'blasphemy' last week in Pakistan."

The founder of the anti-extremist think tank Quilliam Foundation, apparently posted a "bland" image of Mohammed claiming that

"as a Muslim, I did not feel threatened by it. My God is greater than that."  

Beaucoup people did not feel the same way, and he has since received the obligatory death threats and calls to end his candidacy.

Pat Condell weighs in on the debate in his usual succinct way about "cultural terrorism."

CAIR Asks Walmart To Rehire Assistant Manager They Got Fired

So now the Council on American-Islamic Relations is asking Walmart to re-hire Terry Earsing- the assistant manager they effectively got fired for posting something they found offensive on his personal Facebook page, and everyone is lauding the organization, including Earsing himself, for being so kind.

"Boy they went out of their way for me to try and help me out, and boy that was so nice," Earsing said.

Wow.

Egyptian 6th Graders Allegedly Beaten For Not Wearing Hijab

Egypt. Once secular.  Now this, 11 and 12-year-old students beaten by their teacher for not wearing the hijab:

Four sixth-graders at a primary school in Bulaq al-Dakrur, Giza Governorate, were allegedly beaten by their religion teacher for not wearing the hijab, said the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights.

The rights group issued a statement harshly condemning the incident, and called for the state to apply the international convention on childrens’ rights, which stipulates that the government shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that educational facilities respect the dignity of all children.

Gawaher al-Zahery, an activist who works with the center, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the accused teacher reportedly told one of the alleged victims, “You will thus be a Christian among them [her veiled classmates].” The teacher, who also teaches Arabic language, reportedly insulted the four girls and beat them in front of their classmates.

And apparently not a peep from the families because they were afraid the teacher would fail the kids. Which is probably what would have happened.

Shameful.

Bangladeshi Protesters Want Blasphemy Laws For Bloggers- Protest In Streets

Muslim-majority Bangladesh is primarily a secular nation that adheres mostly to English laws. It's a parliamentary democracy and a unitary state, but thousands upon thousands of citizens want to change back to a caretaker government (which they had in 2007), and establish blasphemy laws, like their brothers in Pakistan. They want that because there's a bunch of 'atheist bloggers who insulted Islam' they would like punished. So, those thousands upon thousands took to the streets of Dhaka after Friday prayers to make their demands known.

Members of the Islami Andolan Bangladesh are demanding the arrest of 'atheist bloggers who insulted Islam' and to pass laws punishing those who 'insulted Islam in the parliament'. They have announced plans to 'lay siege' to the office of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on April 25 if their demands are not met.

They include the restoration of the phrase 'absolute trust and faith upon Almighty Allah' in basic principles of the constitution; passing laws to punish atheists; holding of national elections under an impartial government; ensuring good governance and justice, uprooting terrorism and corruption; and establishing Islamic rule for a prosperous and welfare state.

The rest on UK DailyMail

The uber-religious in that country have already taken matters into their own hands when they hacked to death in February anti-Islamist blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider. The same people torched a slew of Buddhist temples and destroyed about 15 Buddhist-owned houses over a photo of a desecrated Quran on the Facebook page of a local Buddhist boy, even though he claimed someone else posted it on his timeline. The same stupid people who went on strike in Bangladesh over the "Innocence of Muslims" film and the Charlie Hebdo cartoons, as though their country had anything to do with either.

But if you look at this photo- yes, those are hordes of people- it doesn't bode well for Bangladesh.

Pakistani Fanatics Vow To Kill Christians Who Protest Blasphemy Violence

On March 9, a pack of angry Pakistani Muslims (3,000 strong) torched hundreds of houses in a Christian area of Lahore after one of their own accused a Christian man of blasphemy. Christians took to the streets in protest asking for protection. As a result, extremists are now threatening Christians that if they don't stop protesting they will be killed. So, basically, take your beatings and don't complain.

Two hundred homes in the Joseph Colony were turned to ashes and poor Christians of the neighbourhood are now living in the streets, desperate for food and other needs.

Their children cannot attend school or college due to the destruction and fear. Many residents have expressed great dismay and sorrow, and depression is seeping through the entire community, the Daily Times reports.

Pastor Naeem Bhadhar, a Presbyterian missionary living in a village Kalaswala, district Sialkot, 140 kilometres away from Lahore city, said that he had arranged a protest rally in their city. But on March 14 when he was travelling back to his village a few radical Muslims from Jamaatud Dawa severely beat him with sticks and destroyed his motorcycle. He told the paper that he was warned by the extremist group that if any Christian organises further protests, he will be killed.

The paper also pointed out that Muslims of Jhelum city threatened to burn Christians home in response to the protests.

Now the community is living in fear of reprisals for their simple act of condemning violence and the blasphemy laws of Pakistan, the paper added. 

More Muslim bullying.