Commission for Countering Extremism Needs to Tackle Extremist Rhetoric at Its Core

January 25, 2018 Article

The announcement of Sara Khan as the Head of the Commission for Countering Extremism, has already created a public debate on how extremism should be countered. Sadly, it has also led to the usual ‘trial’ by Twitter, with little regard to the fact that the Commissioner’s role was contested between applicants and a rigorous process of selection undertaken. It is as though, today, if groups do not like someone who ‘fits’ their world view, it is open season to malign, abuse and demean them with little regard to the damage it does to the agenda itself, in this case – countering extremism.

Furthermore, the British public need to know that they are safe in a world where far right and Islamist extremists and terrorists have murdered young children, men and women. Let us not forget the hundreds of British lives, (and the hundreds of thousands overseas), who have been lost because of terrorism.

People do not become terrorists overnight in a vacuum. Multiple factors influence them, including extremist rhetoric which is based on a ‘them and us’ set of beliefs. It is these set of beliefs which the Commission will seek to challenge, as well as other elements. Let us also be clear that there are groups operating here in the UK who foment group-think around ‘them and us’. They need to be challenged and challenged hard, if we are to develop inter-connected communities that see value in each other.

In light of this, countering extremism, its rhetoric and its violent manifestations are not just a ‘Muslim issue’. They are an issue for us all, at a time when there are multiple threats against communities and against our nation. We therefore welcome the start of this process and whether people agree or not with the appointment of Sara Khan, her track record on defending core social values of women’s rights, challenging extremism and pluralism speaks for itself. Let us also not forget the fact that it is not just a handful of groups who shout the loudest who speak for Muslims. Muslims can speak for themselves and we hope that they engage with Khan on her work going forward. The world of ‘community leaders’ is over and that is why this role is even more essential in reaching out beyond those who shout the loudest.

 

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Categories: Commission for Countering Extremism, Islamist, Opinions, Sarah Khan, Tzar

Driver who targeted London mosque was angered by Islamist attacks, TV show-prosecutor

January 22, 2018 Article

A man who drove a van into Muslim worshippers outside a mosque last June was motivated by deadly Islamist attacks in Britain and an obsession with a television account of Muslim men who targeted white girls, a London court heard on Monday.

Darren Osborne, 48, also lambasted politicians, calling London Mayor Sadiq Khan a disgrace and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn a “terrorist sympathiser”, prosecutor Jonathan Rees said, quoting from a note he said Osborne left in the van.

The note described Muslim men as rapists, “feral” and “in-bred” and when he was detained after the attack, Osborne said: “At least I had a go”, Rees told Woolwich Crown Court.

Osborne is accused of murdering Makram Ali, 51, a father of six who came to Britain from Bangladesh aged 10, and the attempted murder of other worshippers as they left a mosque in Finsbury Park in north London after late-night Ramadan prayers.

Osborne has denied the accusations.

“The evidence establishes that the defendant was trying to kill as many of the group as possible,” Rees told jurors. “The prosecution say that the note and the comments he made after his detention establish that this act of extreme violence was, indeed, an act of terrorism, designed to influence government and intimidate the Muslim community.”

The incident occurred just weeks after three Islamists drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before going on a knife rampage, killing eight.

That attack came the month after a suicide bombing at a pop concert in Manchester killed 22 people. In March another Islamic State-inspired attacker killed five people by driving a car into passers-by on London’s Westminster Bridge and then stabbing to death a police officer in the grounds of parliament.

Rees said Osborne hired a van and drove to London from his home in Cardiff. After a plan to attack an anti-Israel march failed, Osborne drove around seeking alternative targets.

He is accused of ramming the crowd at Finsbury Park as worshippers helped Ali who he had earlier become unwell.

The court was told Osborne, who had never previously openly expressed racist opinions, had become obsessed with Muslims in the weeks before the attack after watching a BBC television drama “Three Girls”, based on true stories of victims of child sex gangs comprised mainly of British Pakistani men.

Rees said Osborne searched online for material related to the show, some of which was connected to far-right groups and Jayda Fransen, deputy leader of Britain First.

One of Fransen’s messages was re-tweeted by U.S. President Donald Trump in November.

Two days before the attack, Osborne told a serving soldier in a pub in Cardiff: “I’m going to kill all the Muslims”, the jurors were told.

Rees said Osborne’s former partner Sarah Andrews described the father of four as a loner and a functioning alcoholic with an unpredictable temperament who took medication for depression.

“With the benefit of hindsight, she describes him as a ticking time-bomb,” the prosecutor said.

The trial, which is expected to last two weeks, continues.

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Categories: Darren Osborne, Far Right groups, Finsbury Park, Grooming Cases, Jayda Fransen, mosque, News, Rotherham, Sadiq Khan, Tommy Robinson

Germany to Step Up Efforts to Combat Anti-Semitism

January 21, 2018 Article

Germany’s lower house of parliament on Thursday voted to step up efforts to combat anti-Semitism and called for the creation of a new government post to oversee the issue, backed by an independent panel of experts.

The proposal was jointly introduced and backed by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), the pro-business Free Democrats and the Greens.

The far-right Alternative for Germany party also voted for the measure, while the radical Left party voted against, citing what it called substantive deficiencies in the proposal.

The voice vote, which lays the groundwork for a spate of legislative initiatives during this session of parliament, was welcomed widely by Jewish groups.

Volker Kauder, head of the conservatives in parliament, spoke in favour of the proposal given Germany’s Nazi past and the murder of 6 million Jews during the Third Reich.

“We have a particular responsibility to ensure that anti-Semitism does not continue to grow in our country,” he said during the parliamentary debate.

Kauder also vowed to examine whether Germany could ban the burning of Israeli flags, following incidents in December during protests against a U.S. decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Anti-Semitism remains a hugely sensitive issue in Germany more than 70 years after the end of the Nazi-era Holocaust.

Jewish and civil rights groups have long called for the appointment of a special commissioner to address growing anti-Semitism, which they say has been fuelled by right-wing populism and the arrival of many migrants from mostly Muslim countries.

The Central Council of Jews welcomed the vote, calling it an important signal that their concerns were being addressed.

“The fight against anti-Semitism is all of our responsibility,” the group said in a statement. “The respectful treatment of minorities is part of the core values of our democracy.”

Josef Schuster, the group’s president, called for increased efforts to include anti-bias training in integration courses for migrants, but explicitly rejected any effort to instrumentalise the issue to discriminate against Muslims or others.

Jewish groups last month called for legal changes and increased enforcement to crack down on anti-Semitic acts following the burning of Jewish symbols and Israeli flags.

The proposal calls for the creation of a new commissioner post to coordinate efforts to tackle anti-Semitism by the federal government, states and civil society.

It foresees the creation of an independent advisory panel with Jewish and non-Jewish experts from academic, education and other sectors, as well as a federal-state commission.

The proposal also calls for improved gathering of statistics on anti-Semitic incidents, tighter laws banning Holocaust denial on the internet and consequences for the immigration status of foreign citizens who incite hatred.

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Categories: anti-Semitism, Conservatives, Far Right groups, Germany, Jews, Merkel, Nazi-era, News

Extremism is Consolidated Without Due Diligence by UK Groups and Individuals

January 18, 2018 Article

We are increasingly concerned about the lack of due diligence by some faith leaders in the UK in meeting with preachers coming from Pakistan. In particular, there is a growing Islamist movement in Pakistan which supports violent extremism against ‘blasphemers’, Ahmadi Muslims, Shias, Christians and other minorities. These groups are not just the ones involved in direct terrorism in Pakistan, they are groups who also provide social services and who are able to rally tens of thousands of people on the basis of continuing the marginalisation of minorities. 

Here in the UK, we are concerned as to the legitimisation of such groups and preachers who have previously supported murderers such as Mumtaz Qadri, who murdered the Punjab governor Salman Taseer. There is evidence that a handful of these preachers who are on video praising the extremist, have been met with and promoted as ‘moderates’ by Imams in the UK. Pictures and social media posts of Imams in the UK standing next to such individuals, do nothing to delineate Islam and Muslims from the extremist messaging that such preachers pour out when they lionise people like Qadri, for murdering someone whose views they disagreed with. Frankly, Muslims deserve better and especially when Muslim communities are so under the spotlight at the moment and when headlines in some media sources do nothing but further marginalise them in the eyes of the wider public.

We will keep a watching brief on this situation and urge faith leaders in the UK to conduct checks and some due diligence on the groups and individuals they meet with and who visit the UK. 

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Categories: imams, Mumtaz Qadri, Opinions, Pakistan, Salman Taseer, UK

Attacks on Christians – Be They in Pakistan or Cairo is an Affront to Humanity

December 29, 2017 Article

We have been highlighting the attacks and incitement against minority communities form some time. Just within the last 2 months, we highlighted Islamist extremism targeting members of Ahmaddiya communities in Pakistan. A few days ago, the small Christian community in Quetta, who were celebrating mass in the coming days to Christmas, were attacked and 9 people were killed in an Islamic State inspired attack. 

A few days ago, Iraq’s Christian communities in Telesqaf could celebrate mass for the first time after the Islamic State’s defeat. Then today, a devastating attack, once again, on the Coptic Christian community on the outskirts of Cairo. 

The attack at the church in Mar Mina, on the outskirts of Cairo, has left 9 people dead and with 2 gunmen opening fire on the church. Egyptian security forces are stepping up their patrols and visibility as Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7th 2018. 

This is not the first time that such attacks have been targeted at Egypt’s Coptic community and sadly, it may not be the last. There is a connection with all of these attacks since Islamist extremism has been the driving force. In Pakistan, Iraq and Egypt, groups inspired by it have attacked churches and congregations at prayer. Yet, Islamist extremism does not only attack other faiths, it attacks minorities within – such as Shia and Ahmaddiya communities. In fact, anyone beyond what Islamist extremists regard as being ‘true Muslims’ is in their eyes, liable to be attacked. 

As we move into 2018, it is essential that civil society groups who value human rights, challenge not only the causes of all forms of extremism, but also the ideology that drives them. The latter is essential given that extremism turns on the most vulnerable communities in society.

 

The post Attacks on Christians – Be They in Pakistan or Cairo is an Affront to Humanity appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: Attack, Christians, Egypt, Iraq, News, Pakistan, terrorism

For Iraq’s Christians, a bittersweet first Christmas home after Islamic State

December 26, 2017 Article

Christians in the Iraqi town of Teleskof celebrated their Christmas traditions for the first time in three years, since Islamic State militants overran their town and forcibly displaced their community of 12,000.

A hymn not heard in three years echoed throughout the Church of Saint George in Telesqaf, Iraq, on Monday… as Christians returned home to celebrate Christmas for the first time since Islamic State overran their town.

Many of the 12,000 Chaldean Christians fled, with some 7,000 estimated to be scattered across Iraq and abroad.

The few who returned after Islamic State’s defeat praise God.

A Christian woman in the video, Raniq Kiryaqos, says:

“We have gotten through oppression and suppression over the past three years,” this woman says. “We went to places that were unlike our village. But thanks to God, we celebrate this year in our own village.”

Islamic State ravaged Christian areas across the region, looting and burning down homes and churches, while forcing Christians to convert, pay a tax or face death.

Despite the pain caused by their violent displacement, those who returned celebrated as best they could… even without many of their town’s residents.

One of the celebrants, Ristam Shamoon, says: 

“We hoped that all people of Telesqaf would be with us. But regrettably, about 50 percent of the population were not here, our relatives and friends. We wish that they were with us.”

A wish that could take time as the town returns to normal in life after Islamic State.

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Categories: Chaldean Christians, Daesh, Iraq, Islamic State, News, Telesqaf

Far Right ‘Identitarian Movement’ Stickers are Seen in Multiple Locations

December 24, 2017 Article

A far right group called the ‘Identitarian Movement’ has been posting stickers and boards up in the last few days in areas in the United Kingdom which include Preston in Lancashire and in Dublin Ireland. One of the stickers states,

“This barrier is to prevent Islamic lorry attacks”.

The sticker on a lamp-post in Preston, (see second picture below), also highlighted the view of ‘defending Europe’ with the reader left to think about who Europe needed defending from – however, given the background of the group – refugees, Muslims and those not deemed to be ‘white or Christian or from Europe’ would be the groups this far right movement would be implying. 

The ‘Identitarian movement’ originated from France and is based on nationalist lines with the ‘preservation’ of a ‘white ethnic identity and culture’ at the heart of its extremist ideology. However, previous supporters have included former Klu Klux Klan leader David Duke. 

If you come across any such stickers, do contact us in Tell MAMA and you can report material through THIS FORM in confidence.

 

The post Far Right ‘Identitarian Movement’ Stickers are Seen in Multiple Locations appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: Christian, David Duke, Defend Europe, Far Right groups, France, Identitarian Movement, Ireland stickers, News, Preston

CCTV footage shows gunmen attacking Pakistan church

December 18, 2017 Article

Two suicide bombers attacked a packed Christian church in Quetta, capital of Baluchistan province, in south-western Pakistan on Sunday (December 17), killing at least nine people and wounding up to 56, officials said.

CCTV footage released by the police showed the attackers, both carrying guns, at the church gates. One climbed over the gate and let the other one into the compound. The footage showed people sitting at tables outside the church running from the scene.

Police guards stationed at the church entrance and on its roof killed one of the bombers but the second attacker detonated his explosives-filled vest outside the prayer hall just after Sunday services began, said Sarfraz Bugti, the provincial home minister.

Baluchistan police chief Moazzam Jah said there were nearly 400 worshippers in the church for the pre-Christmas service. The death toll could have been much higher if the gunmen had forced their way into the sanctuary, he said.

Jah said the venue – Bethel Memorial Methodist Church – was on high alert as Christian places of worship are often targeted by Islamist extremists over the Christmas season.

Islamic State claimed the attack, the group’s Amaq news agency said in an online statement, without providing any evidence for its claim.

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Categories: Amaq, Baluchistan, Bethel Memorial Methodist Church, News, Pakistan Church, Quetta

We Urge Politicians to Rethink the Invitation to Trump

December 1, 2017 Article

We have not taken a position on the invitation to Trump before, though recent events have brought to the forefront, how much anger there is within communities here in the UK, because of Trump’s recirculation of Britain First tweets.

Whilst there is the real possibility of demonstrations and community tensions, the fact that the President of the United States has circulated far right material, means that it makes a mockery of the country’s counter-extremism strategy which has become one of the bedrocks of Government policy in the fight against extremism and terrorism. If we are hold people to account and standards, then the President of the United States, should also be held to account since in the end, no-one is above the law in this country.

We urge politicians to seriously rethink the invitation to Trump and we understand that the relationship with the United States is much wider than one President at a specific moment in time. Yet, the fact remains that the ‘special relationship’ with the United States will remain and that has lasted for many decades. It will last beyond Trump and irrespective of whether the invitation is withdrawn. At the very least, withdrawing that invitation will mean that we maintain the standards and the framework by which we protect our core values. One of these is that intolerance towards other faiths is not acceptable. By retweeting Britain First, the President has brought into question his adherence to this core value.

The post We Urge Politicians to Rethink the Invitation to Trump appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: Britain First, invitation, Opinions, Special Relationship, Trump, UK

Expect more war, hunger and extremism in 2018 – report

November 30, 2017 Article

Humanitarian crises around the world will worsen next year, with no let-up in civil wars in Africa, near-famines in war-torn regions and the threat of extremist Islamist violence, a Geneva-based think-tank predicted in a report published on Thursday.
The report by ACAPS, a non-profit venture that supports humanitarian aid workers with daily monitoring and analysis of 150 countries, examined the anticipated needs of 18 countries in 2018 and found little to cheer.
“If 2017 did not look good, predictions for 2018 are no better: violence and insecurity are likely to deteriorate in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, Ethiopia, Mali, Somalia, and Syria next year,” ACAPS director Lars Peter Nissen wrote in the report.
Next year Ethiopia will join northeast Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen as places at risk of famine, said the report, entitled “Humanitarian Overview: An analysis of key crises into 2018”.
Rather than bringing stability, the prospect of elections in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, South Sudan and Venezuela is expected to exacerbate tensions and fuel violence.
Death and conflict
Islamic extremism will also continue to cause death and conflict, the report said.
Despite the defeat of Islamic State in its main strongholds in Iraq, the group is expected to continue improvised attacks throughout the country to destabilise the government, as well as gaining strength and resources in southern Libya.
Islamic State is also likely to increase its small position in the Puntland region of Somalia, impacting the civilian population and clashing with its bigger regional rival Al Shabaab, which will increase the lethality of its own attacks.
Islamist armed groups are also expected to take advantage of the withdrawal of government troops from central Mali, gaining local recruits and further influence, while in Afghanistan the Taliban will consolidate their rural strongholds and increased opium production will boost funding for armed groups.
The fragmentation of armed groups in Central African Republic is expected to worsen the violence there, sending more refugees into Cameroon and Democratic Republic of Congo, where President Joseph Kabila is unlikely to leave power until 2019, fuelling frustration and violent protest, the report said.
“Militia groups previously focused on local grievances will likely become increasingly frustrated by the national, political, and socioeconomic situation and are likely to increase violence, particularly against government forces and institutions,” the report said.

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Categories: Africa, conflict, Middle East, News, poverty, terrorism, War