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| Europe |
| Subsidizing the Enemy |
| 2006-04-28 |
| By Daniel Pipes An Islamic school in London is teaching that non-Muslims are akin to pigs and dogs, and it is doing so with subventions from the British taxpayer. More alarmingly, when notified of this problem, the British authorities indicate they intend to do nothing about it. The Times (London) reported on April 20 in “Muslim students ‘being taught to despise unbelievers as ‘filth’,” that the Hawza Ilmiyya, a Shi‘i institution, teaches from the writings of Muhaqqiq al-Hilli. This scholar lived from 1240 to 1326 and wrote the authoritative work on Shi‘i law (Shara’i‘ al-Islam). About non-believers, called kafirs, he taught:
In addition, a chapter on jihad specifies conditions under which Muslims should fight Jews and Christians. Although Hilli’s attitudes were standard for a pre-modern Shi‘i, they are shocking for 2006 London. Indeed, several students in the Hawza Ilmiyya found them “disturbing” and “very worrying.” Their spokesman told the Times that students “are being exposed to very literalist interpretations of the Koran. These are interpretations that would not be recognised by 80 or 90 per cent of Muslims, but they are being taught in this school. A lot of people in the Muslim community are very concerned about this.” The spokesman concluded with an appeal urgently to re-examine “the kind of material that is being taught here and in other [Islamic] colleges in Britain.” The Tehran regime of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sponsors the Hawza Ilmiyya; for example, three of the eight years in the curriculum are spent at institutions in the Iranian city of Qom. Indeed, the school’s 1996 founding memorandum states that “At all times at least one of the trustees shall be a representative of the Supreme Spiritual Leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” The institution that funds this school, the Irshad Trust, is a “registered charity” at the Charity Commission (see the trust’s page at the commission website), a privilege that qualifies it for various tax concessions; in other words, the British taxpayer is effectively subsidizing the school. In particular, the school benefits from a program called “Gift Aid,” under which the government refunds the income tax paid by the donor. Gifts made to registered charities can claim and receive a 28 percent tax refund. A gift of £100 to the Irshad Trust, for example, earns it £128. Rest at link. |
| Posted by:ed |
| #2 Surely the UK's own anti-discrimination and race hate laws should come into play here (though of course, a disbeliever is not a race any more than a muslim is, but 'racism' is used as the umbrella for litigation) |
| Posted by: anon1 2006-04-28 10:20 |
#1 I liked the e-mail the fellow got back when he complained to the govt.:Thank you for your e-mail, the contents of which are noted. However, as per booklet CC47, the Commission will not become involved in this particular matter. You may wish to peruse the booklet in further detail, as this outlines our role quite clearly in this respect. The Commission will not look into this particular complaint. I hope this clarifies the position. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-04-28 09:23 |