Thursday, July 14, 2005

Religious Hate Law Aimed At Protecting Muslims Passes UK Vote

In a victory for British Muslim campaigners, the House of Commons Monday passed a bill aimed at curbing religious hatred, despite critics' warnings that it could worsen relations between religious communities. The Racial and Religious Hatred Bill passed its third reading by a 301-229 vote, just hours after Prime Minister Tony Blair's press secretary declined to rule out using the measure, if it becomes law, against Muslim figures who may incite violence against Christians and Jews. Spokesman Tom Kelly told a Downing Street press conference he would not get into hypothetical speculation about individuals, but the law would be there and it would be applied correctly.

Last Thursday's terrorist bombings in London have focused renewed attention on controversial Muslim figures based in the capital who have long advocated jihad against the West. Islamic organizations have lobbied hardest for the legislation, saying their community needed protection, given an increase in anti-Muslim sentiment after 9/11. They argued that while Jews and Sikhs were already protected by race-hate laws -- because they are seen as ethnic groups as well as religious ones -- Muslims were not covered in this way, hence the need for a specific religious hatred law.

Two previous attempts by the Labor government to get the law passed since 2002 failed, the first running into strong opposition in the upper House of Lords, and the second running out of time earlier this year when parliament was dissolved ahead of elections. After Monday's Commons vote, the bill now goes to the House of Lords where it is again expected to face tough objections. If passed, the legislation will create a new offense, applying to written material and public verbal comments "that are threatening, abusive or insulting [and] likely to stir up racial or religious hatred." Anyone convicted under the law could be jailed for up to seven years.

Opposition parties -- and some Labor MPs -- oppose the bill for various reasons, including concerns that it could stifle free speech or infringe the right of the adherents of one faith to question the claims of another. Opposition lawmakers proposed an amendment that would outlaw religious hatred in specific cases where it is used as a pretext for stirring up hatred against an ethnic group. But the proposal was defeated Monday by 291 votes to 233.

Senior Conservative lawmaker Dominic Grieve said in the Commons that the bill was "catastrophically flawed" and would not improve race relations. "If the government really wants to tackle this issue, it is going to have to get away from the promises made to various people of some equal playing field, accept that religion and race are different, start to look at the real nature of the problem and try to come up with some constructive solutions," he said.

In an earlier Commons debate, a Conservative MP raised the possibility that the law, if passed, could outlaw the reading of passages of the Koran that called for harsh treatment against Christians and Jews. Following those assertions, a delegation of prominent Muslims held talks last week with the government minister responsible for the bill, Paul Goggins, to check whether the legislation could affect reading and quoting from the Koran and other Islamic texts such as the Hadith -- the traditional sayings of Mohammed and other early Muslim figures. There were concerns in the Muslim community "that dawah [proselytizing] and propagatory practices may be curtailed under the new legislation," the Muslim Weekly reported. The delegation suggested that it may be preferable to "totally exempt" Islamic texts from the bill. "The minister assured the Muslim community that there was nothing in the bill that would prevent scholars from delivering their sermons or from reciting from the Koran," the Muslim publication said.

Also lobbying in parliament was Australian evangelical pastor Danny Nalliah, who together with a colleague has been found guilty of vilifying Islam under a similar law in the Australian state of Victoria. The two pastors face the possibility of going to prison if they defy -- as they intend to do -- a judge's order to apologize publicly.

Some critics have accused the British government of pushing the bill as a sop to Muslims who traditionally support Labor but were angered by the government's policies on Iraq. "In essence Labor aims to reward the MCB with a piece of legislation in return for the Muslim vote during the election," says Sunny Hundal, editor of Asians in Media, a media industry magazine. In an article published last week, Hundal criticized the bill, saying that while "Islamophobia is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with" the legislation would likely affect voices within the Asian community that go against "politically correct stances."

More here



Stop Being Politically Correct about Radical Islam

According to Arutz-7, British Prime Minister Tony Blair attributed the recent bombings in London "to the Arab-Israeli dispute and the lack of democracy in the Middle East."

The NY Daily News reported that British Member of Parliament George Galloway said it was due to "the daily destruction of Palestinian homes."

Now it's my turn to place the blame. The reason for the terror has nothing to do with Israel and everything to do with being politically correct. Thousands around the world have been killed and this trend will unfortunately continue as George beats around the bush and Tony blares out lies.

If these world leaders would be honest, they would give the exact reason for the bloodshed. They would put political correctness on the side and tell it like it is; Radical Islam has declared war against the Christian and Jewish world and will stop at nothing until all infidels (non-Moslems) have been destroyed.

It has nothing to do with the Palestinians.

It has nothing to do with democracy.

It even has nothing to do with the Middle East.

These beasts are not interested in the plight of their "brothers" in Gaza. If they did, they would have taken their oil billions and helped them long ago. They do not want land since this is a holy war (jihad) that has nothing to do with land. They want blood. Jewish blood (terror in Israel), American blood (World Trade Center), Spanish blood (Madrid) and now British blood.

Still, nobody dares say the truth. No world leader or even acknowledged journalist tells it like it is. They skirt the issue, blame the terror on "extremists" and invent enemies halfway across the world who might not even exist.

Until the truth is told, the terror will continue. All of Bush's horses and all of Blair's men will never put safety in our lives back again. Soldiers can -- and will -- patrol the LIRR, Metro North, Amtrak and London Tube but they will not succeed.

Here is what must be done: While talking about global warming and African poverty is nice and helpful, the leaders of the G-8 must stand firm and declare an all-out war on Radical Islam. Not Taliban cavemen, Al-Qaeda freedom fighters or Iraqi insurgents but radical Moslems worldwide. Mosques where violence is encouraged and Islamic schools where hatred is taught must be immediately closed down. Moslem leaders -- and their followers -- who applaud murder and suicide bombers must be evicted from our countries and returned to their own lands. These people are potential dangers to our free world and we cannot live by their side. They follow a religion of hate and bloodshed. If you don't believe me, spend five minutes listening to them and how they interpret the Koran, and then tell me if you want them as your neighbors.

This, of course, will never be done since it sounds horrible and unfair. The fact that it will solve the problem is not important. In today's world, things must not only be good... they must also look good and declaring an international war against radical Islam does not foot that bill.

So, get used to the terror. Get used to riding the busses and trains in fear. Get used to gory headlines and blood filled news reports and hope and pray it doesn't include anybody you know. The only way to solve this problem is to remove the word "politically" from "politically correct". Only then will we finally win the war on terror.

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