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Friday, October 16, 2009

The battle against Sharia is against both the Islamists and the far-right

Here is today's comment on Sharia.

Anwar Rizvi writes: I am a muslim and and i remain fundamentally opposed to shari’a law anywhere in the world. My big worry is that your campaign is being hijacked by the extreme right in this country who are planning not only to attend your demonstration but use it as an “add on” to their violent anti-muslim campaign that is already under way in many parts of britain. I have already seem several messages on facebook where extreme right wingers are urging people to attend your event. I myself wont be there because of work commitments but i just urge you to be on the guard against these racists.

Thanks for your comment Anwar. First off, if racists and fascists come they will be kicked out. Full stop. The few who tried to join our last March 7 rally were made to leave by organisers and they will be told to do so again. You can see video footage of our March 7 2009 rally and seminar here to see how well it all went off: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/one-law-for-all-campaign-against-sharia-law-in-britains-international-womens-day/

You are right in saying that the extreme right has hijacked this issue but NOT our campaign and there is a big difference between the two. The BNP, English Defence League, Stop Islamisation of Europe and all the other big and small racist and fascist groups are using Sharia in order to promote their racist, anti-immigrant and inhumane agenda. But that is doubly why we must take centre stage. We have to come to the fore because Sharia is unjust and because we need to make sure that in the ensuing battle human rights, dignity, and humanity are upheld. All demands for change involve social movements pushing for them. That is why the world today is better in many ways than that of the Middle Ages the Islamists are trying to drag us back into. But if we stay silent because of the far-right, we shirk our responsibilities and duties. And we leave the stage open for them and the Islamists. I am sorry but I just won’t allow that.

Let me put it this way, just because the pope is opposed to the death penalty, doesn’t mean I will stop opposing it because he is regressive. Just because Iran is against the US, doesn’t mean I will start supporting the brutal US militarism. We have to start by doing what is right and we have to make sure that we show the world that we are the majority. A society in which the far-right has the upper hand is not that different than the one in which the Islamists do. So I would hope you would take off from work on November 21, that you’d encourage people to come and that in any forum where you see the far-right encouraging people to come, you would send us the links so we can go there and tell them not to bother.

This rally is just as much against them as it is against the Islamists. It is just as much about a better society for us here in Britain as in the rest of the world.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

The andswerd to fondamentalisme in europe is the higest fear of extrem rigth : Europan citizen fully civilizaded and able to figth for modernity in islam by there opposition to homophobia, apostat jugement etc... In or out islam we have to show that barbarisme is not a question of religion or race for me only male domination who pervert evry thing politique and religion

Karim bey smail

Adrian said...

First of all, let me wish you a good and sucessfull rally.

There is a thing I wonder about though - and that is that other groups (BNP, EDL and SIOE) are not welcome to join.
Everybody have different opinions and agendas, but isn't the most important to make a demonstration against sharia, and to have a demonstration with a loudest possible voice?
I don't know much about those 3 groups since I'm not english, but I have to admit that they reminds me a bit of hooligans and I do understand that you are not excited to be associated with them, but it really saddens me that people cannot join in one common voice when it comes to such a demonstration.

Wouldn't it be better to accept everyone in the demonstration, but with clearly defined limits for what can be voiced, WHILE being part of the demo?

All the best
Adrian

Stephen Gash said...

Condemned by you (the left) as racist and condemned by nazis for supporting minority groups, SIOE will keep on following the correct course, regardless.

SIOE will certainly not knowingly allow Muslims onto its events, even if they say they oppose sharia law.

Islam without sharia is like nazism without its manifesto.

Islam without the hadith is like nazism without Mein Kampf.

BTW the left has killed more people than all other regimes put together with perhaps the exception of Islam.

Is stoning women to death for being raped, left wing or right wing? Women are just dying for us to know.

Despite your innaccurate, indeed untruthful, accusations against us, we wish you luck for your events against Islam. However, we reserve the right to wish you to fail in your attempts to impose communism on us.

Adrian said...

Maryam
Forget my previous question - I understand now!

Stephen Gash said...

We have not criticised Maryam or one law for all, but we are fed up with being called racist by her.

We have have support from persecuted people from around the world and we are attacked by nazis as well as the UAF thugs.

Maryam's intransigence and obssession with race holds the anti-sharia movement back. Calling people racist all the time is not helpful. I've stood against the BNP in elections which is probably more than my accusers have done.

I've answered Maryam's accusations several times, but I'm afraid she is like a stuck record.