February 13, 2006

FYI

By Sis Yvonne Ridley

Political editor

Dear Islam Channel viewers,
We, as Muslims, are living in difficult times and our strength over the coming months is going to be in our unity. Just about every day there is an anti-Muslim headline or article in the newspapers, or on television and radio.

We are being attacked from all sides for nothing more than simply being a
Muslim. Well, I have just written an open letter to my colleagues in the European media and I want to share it with my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, first.
*****


(from newsletter www.islamchannel.tv)
AS A JOURNALIST NOR ONE APPRECIATES FREEDOM OF SPEECH AS MUCH AS I DO AND WHEN IT COMES UNDER ATTACK I WILL DEFEND IT WITHOUT QUESTION.

BUT THIS CRISIS OVER THE VILE CARTOONS PUBLISHED IN THE DANISH MEDIA LAST YEAR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FREEDOM OF SPEECH. NO HAS THE REACTION OF THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY GOT ANYTHING TO DO WITH A CLASH OF CIVILISATIONS.

LET'S US TEAR AWAY THE FANCY WORDS OF THE DANISH JOURNALISTS, THEIR QUEEN AND THEIR POLITICIANS.

THIS IS PURE RACISM AND NOTHING MORE. ISLAMAPHOBIA HAS BECOME THE LAST REFUGE OF THE RACISTS. JYLLANDS-POSTEN IS A RIGHT-WING RACIST RAG WHICH PICKS AND CHOOSES ITS TARGETS VERY CAREFULLY. IN 1984 IT CAMPAIGNED AND PILLORIED AN ARTIST WHO PRODUCED AN EROTIC IMAGE OF JESUS.

THREE YEARS AGO IT REFUSED TO PUBLISH A CARTOON OF JESUS BECAUSE SENIOR EDITORS FELT THAT IT WOULD OFFEND CHRISTIANS. WE, AS MUSLIMS, WOULD ALSO HAVE CAMPAIGNED VIGOROUSLY TO PROTECT JESUS, OUR PROPHET ISA (PBUH) BECAUSE HE IS ALSO LOVED IN ISLAM.

BUT THOSE SAME EDITORS REVEALED THEMSELVES AS ISLAMAPHOBIC BIGOTS WHEN THEY REFUSED TO SHOW THE SAME SENSITIVITY WHEN DEALING WITH OUR PROPHET MOHAMMED (PBUH).

THEY OBVIOUSLY LIKED THE IDEA THAT THESE VILE CARTOONS WOULD GIVE OUT THE MESSAGE TO ITS RIGHT WING READERS THAT ALL MUSLIMS, ARE TERRORISTS.

THE MESSAGE WAS QUITE CLEAR. THERE IS ONE RULE FOR THE WHITE MAJORITY IN DENMARK FROM THE QUEEN DOWN TO HER FOOTMEN BUT THERE IS A DIFFERENT RULE IF YOU ARE A MUSLIM.

AND BEING A MUSLIM IN DENMARK USUALLY MEANS YOU COME FROM THE ARAB, ASIAN OR AFRICAN COMMUNITIES.

THERE IS ONLY ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENED IN DENMARK LAST SEPTEMBER “RACISM!"

OF COURSE NOW THAT THE DANES HAVE BEEN UNMASKED AS RACISTS THEY ARE DESPERATELY SCRAMBLING OVER THEIR SLIMY WORDS TO TALK ABOUT FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

AND THERE ARE OTHER RACISTS FROM ISLAMAPHOBIC COUNTRIES LIKE FRANCE AND ITALY WHICH HAVE JUMPED ON THE BANDWAGON TO ATTACK ISLAM AND THE MUSLIMS LIVING IN EUROPE.

THE FRENCH INSIST THAT THEY STAND FOR FREEDOM AND LIBERTY, BUT AGAIN THEY DO NOT WANT IT FOR THE FIVE MILLION MUSLIMS LIVING IN THEIR COUNTRY.

WHY ELSE WOULD THE NEWSPAPER FRANCE-SOIR PUBLISH THE SAME VILE CARICATURES OF OUR BELOVED PROPHET (PBUH). THIS FRENCH RAG IS A PURVEYOR OF RACISM AGAINST MUSLIMS. IT APPROVED OF CHIRAC'S DECISION TO RIP THE HIJAB OFF THE HEAD OF EVERY YOUNG MUSLIM SCHOOL GIRL. IS THAT FREEDOM AND LIBERTY?

IN THE 1930s EUROPEAN NEWSPAPERS ALSO PUBLISHED HATEFUL CARTOONS BUT THEN THE VICTIMS WERE THE JEWS AND I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU WHAT OUTRAGES AGAINST OUR ABRAHAMIC COUSINS FOLLOWED.

OF COURSE TODAY IF THESE SAME NEWSPAPERS DARED TO CHARACTERISE JEWISH PEOPLE IN THE SAME WAY THEY WOULD BE SLAMMED AS RACIST AND ANTI-SEMITIC AND THERE WOULD BE AN OUTCRY FROM THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE TRYING TO HANG ON TO A FIG LEAF OF AN EXCUSE THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BE RACIST AGAINST MUSLIMS BECAUSE ISLAM IS NOT A NATION, IT IS MERELY A RELIGION.

WELL I HAVE NEWS FOR YOU “ MY FAITH IS MY NATIONALITY AND WHEN YOU ATTACK MY FAITH YOU ARE A RACIST AND AN ISLAMAPHOBE."

THE JEWISH COMMUNITY, QUITE RIGHTLY, WOULD USE THE SAME ARGUMENT IF THEIR FAITH WAS PILLORIED IN THE SAME WAY AS ISLAM IS TODAY.

I CAN SEE VERY LITTLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE NAZI PROPAGANDA USED AGAINST THE JEWS IN THE 1930S TO THE PROPAGANDA BEING SPEWED OUT ATTACKING ISLAM ACROSS THE
PAGES OF THE EUROPEAN MEDIA.

THE ARROGANCE AND THE IGNORANCE OF THE WESTERN MEDIA IS NOTHING SHORT OF BREATH-TAKING “ AND BEFORE THE BRITISH MEDIA COMPLIMENTS ITSELF FOR NOT HAVING PUBLISHED THESE CARTOONS THINK AGAIN.

JUST LOOK BACK OVER THE WEEK AT THE HEADLINES OF HYSTERIA AND HATE WHICH HAVE BEEN CHURNED OUT ACROSS BRITAIN. THE POMPOUS INVECTIVE SPOUTED FROM SO-CALLED LIBERAL NEWSPAPERS TO THE RIGHT WING MEDIA HAS BEEN UNBELIEVABLE.

I READ IN SOME COLUMNS THAT WE MUSLIMS SIMPLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF FREE DEBATE, FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND DEMOCRACY.

HEY, YOU GUYS. I USED TO BE A FLEET STREET HACK. I USED TO BE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE. TRULY, I UNDERSTAND VERY WELL WHAT IS GOING ON HERE.

AND DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT YOUR FREEDOMS AND LIBERTIES. IF THE MEDIA IN THE UK IS SO FREE WHY DID YOU ALL AGREE NOT TO NAME THE MI6 AGENT IMPLICATED IN ARREST AND ABUSE OF 28 PAKISTANI IMMIGRANTS IN GREECE AFTER THE LONDON BOMBINGS.

SO MUCH FOR YOUR RIGHT TO EXERCISE FREEDOM OF SPEECH AFTER BOWING TO GOVERNMENT CENSORSHIP?

IN FACT, WILL YOU EVER REALLY STAND UP TO THIS LABOUR GOVERNMENT, A GOVERNMENT OBSESSED WITH CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS, DODGY DEALS AND DISGUSTING SECRETS THAT YOU
ARE TOO AFRAID TO EXPOSE? OR WILL YOU CONTINUE TO TURN YOUR BILE ONTO EASY TARGETS LIKE THE DEFENCELESS MEMBERS OF THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY?

ARE YOU GOING TO CONTINUE TO STAND SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH GEORGE W BUSH IN HIS NEVER-ENDING WAR ON TERROR AGAINST THE MUSLIMS?

ARE YOU GOING TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT HIS ISLAMAPHOBIC ATTACKS, OR ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE US THE SUPPORT AND UNDERSTANDING OUR PEOPLE NEED?

FROM AFGHANISTAN TO IRAQ, KASHMIR TO CHECHNYA, NOT TO MENTION PALESTINE, RIVERS OF MUSLIM BLOOD FLOW BUT NO ONE EVEN BOTHERS TO COUNT THE NUMBERS OF OUR DEAD.

ARE THOSE MUSLIM LIVES NOT WORTH THOSE OF THE INNOCENTS KILLED IN 9/11, MADRID, BALI OR LONDON. OUR DEAD, NOW IN THEIR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS, DON'T EVEN MERIT A MINUTE'S SILENCE?

DON'T YOU DARE LECTURE US ON FREEDOMS AND LIBERTIES.AND DO NOT TALK TO THE MUSLIMS ABOUT CIVILSATION AND CIVILISED BEHAVIOUR EITHER WHEN YOU DO LITTLE OR NOTHING ABOUT THE TORTURE AND ILLEGAL DETENTIONS OF OUR BROTHERS IN ABU GHRAIB, BAGRAM, DIEGO GARCIA, GUANTANAMO BAY AND EVEN BELMARSH.

IF THE EUROPEAN MEDIA WANTS TO SEE THE UGLY FACE OF RACISM “ JUST LOOK IN THE MIRROR AT YOUR OWN REFLECTIONS. NOW TRY LOOKING AT WE MUSLIMS “AND JUST SAY SORRY".

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