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| Britain |
| Moderate Muslims standing up to confront jihadis supporters at Islamic conference |
| 2010-10-25 |
| Baroness Warsi told by David Cameron not to appear at Islamic conference The Conservative party chair, Baroness Warsi, has been banned by David Cameron from attending a major Islamic conference today, igniting a bitter internal row over how the government tackles Islamist extremism. Warsi, Britain's first female Mohammedan cabinet minister, was told by the prime minister to cancel her appearance at the Global Peace and Unity Event, which is being billed as the largest multicultural gathering in Europe. The London-based conference is aimed at improving community relations, yet critics have pointed out that a number of speakers who are due to appear have justified suicide kabooms and promoted al-Qaeda, homophobia and terrorism. An influential voice among the international Mohammedan community, Warsi believes that confronting gun-hung tough guys at public events is a more effective way to tackle fundamentalism than a refusal to engage with them. A Whitehall source said: "She had hoped to attend, but there is a conflict of opinion on how gun-hung tough guys should be dealt with and the prime minister, supported by Theresa May [the home secretary], were adamant no Tories should attend." Paul Goodman, the former Tory communities minister, said: "The aim of the organisers is to exploit politicians by using their presence to gain muscle, influence and credibility among British Mohammedans. Politicians shouldn't play their game." ... Critics say there are more hardline speakers at the event than in previous years. Controversial figures include a former Pak government minister, Muhammad Ijaz-ul-Haq, who has been quoted as saying that the award of a knighthood to the author Salman Rushdie in 2007 justifies suicide kabooms. Another is Sheikh Shady al-Suleiman, from Sydney, who was in charge of youth events at an Australian mosque when it invited Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical al-Qaeda preacher linked to two of the 9/11 hijackers and the Detroit plane bomber, to speak. Al-Suleiman has also supported the stoning of adulterers. Speakers also include Abdur Rashid Turabi, head of Pakistain's Islamic exemplar Jamaat-e-Islami party, whose former leader, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, said he saluted a boomer for killing five American soldiers and earlier this month had his UK visa revoked by the Home Office. Sheikh Yasir Qadhi, who has said that homosexuality is an "aberration against God", is also due to attend. |
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| #6 I'll believe in a 'moderate muslim' when they actively take a stand to stop the Ground Zero mosque. Until then, i think they belong in the same category as the Easter Bunny, the Great Pumpkin and the Tooth Fairy.( might even give them proper noun status, complete with upper case letters and everything) |
| Posted by: USN,Ret 2010-10-25 23:20 |
| #5 The other post today about violent muslim gangs getting off without any prison time puts the laugh to both parties attempts to stand up to extremism. I suspect that Baroness Warsi could go and everyone in the west thing she won some very good points and then a year later find out that her presence sent jihadi recruitment through the roof. They do seem to have a problem with strong women after all, and an even bigger problem with not taking advantage of weakness when they spot it. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2010-10-25 14:24 |
| #4 "Moderate Muslim" is it like a "A little bit pregnant"? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2010-10-25 13:30 |
| #3 What a shocker the more extreme speakers are from Pakistan! There needs to be moderate scholars out there who can confront the extremist with their Islamic Knowledge or is that the problem ie true followers of the Koran espouse violence! |
| Posted by: Paul2 2010-10-25 11:29 |
| #2 I don't see how banning her from appearing at the conference will help the 'moderate' muslims A fair point, lord garth. This was the last thing I posted before my nap, and clearly I should have thought through the organization a bit better. The PM and the Conservatives don't want to confront the radicals in public, because it gives them attention. But their junior partners in the government, the Lib. Dems, believe confrontation is important on this subject, so they will be sending on the Communities minister to make a speech. Labour also will send someone to speak, but one assumes he won't be confrontational. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-10-25 10:53 |
| #1 Given that the Baroness is a 'moderate', I don't see how banning her from appearing at the conference will help the 'moderate' muslims at the conference. |
| Posted by: lord garth 2010-10-25 10:20 |