Posted on 12/16/2006 6:42:33 PM PST by blam
Ministers compared to Nazis over Islam stigma
By Tom Harper, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 1:33am GMT 17/12/2006
A senior Muslim invoked Hitler's 1930s Nazi regime while attacking the Government over its treatment of British Muslims.
Mr Bari drew compared the Government's treatment of Muslims with the Nazis' persecution of Jews
Muhammed Abdul Bari accused ministers of stigmatising Britain's Islamic community and fuelling xenophobia.
Mr Bari, the head of the Muslim Council of Britain, criticised the Government for "unfairly targeting" Muslims, and said that it was undermining their status as "equal citizens".
He warned that blaming extremism on "a small, largely deprived community" leads to a "deterioration of community cohesion and fuels xenophobia".
In a presentation to MPs, Mr Bari went so far as to ask: "What is the degree of xenophobia that tipped Germany in the 1930s towards a murderous ethnic and cultural racism?"
His comments have drawn criticism from Jewish leaders, angry at what they believe is a "crass" comparison.
Jon Benjamin, the chief executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: "To try to recast modern Britain as equivalent to Nazi Germany is equally offensive and disingenuous, but also dangerous in that it will fuel alienation and anger, particularly at a time when conciliation is vital."
Addressing the MPs, Mr Bari acknowledged that "very real progress has taken place for British Muslims under this Labour Government. . . good work has been done and must not be forgotten".
But he added: "Neither should it be invoked to merely paper over the cracks. For if genuine change is to be achieved, the Government needs to address key domestic and foreign policy concerns. These include poverty and social exclusion, Islamaphobia and discrimination, and the misuse of counter-terrorism powers.
"In recent months there has been a veritable drip-feed of ministerial statements stigmatising an entire community. We have seen ministers' tours and even legislation being proposed on the premise that 'mosques are a problem'.
"We have been told to accept that greater numbers of Muslims will be stopped and searched and also to 'inform on our children'. You will understand our worry about where all this is leading. Some Muslims have even sought the MCB's advice on whether they should change their names in order to avoid remarks.
"This is what happens when a community is singled out by those at the helm of affairs."
Mr Bari also rejected Tony Blair's call for Muslims to do more to fight terrorism. He put the responsibility squarely at the door of the Government.
He said: "The attempt to place the problem on one doorstep is unfair and counter-productive." He blamed the "relentless barrage" of anti-terrrorism laws, labelling them "hastily formulated responses masquerading as policy".
Mr Bari later said: "Politicians have failed to consider underlying causes of Muslim disaffection and have reacted hastily by over-legislating.
"By appealing direct to the Right-wing voter, the Government has polarised much of the [Muslim] community." He also defended the council's controversial decision to boycott Holocaust Memorial Day.
In October, the council was criticised by Ruth Kelly, the Communities Secretary, for that decision. She threatened to withhold the council's funding, about £50,000 a year, if it did not back down.
But in his presentation to MPs on the All Party Group on Race and Community last month, which included Labour's Diane Abbott and Harry Cohen, Mr Bari defended the decision.
"The MCB would be honoured to participate in such a commemoration provided it gave equal respect to the innocent victims of all genocides around the world. But we cannot accept that some people are more worthy of remembrance than others purely on the basis of their religion."
Mr Bari ended his speech by calling for a "social contract", officially defining the "rights and obligations" of every British citizen. He hoped this would help Muslims who are unsure of what the Government means when it asks them to "integrate" into society.
Yesterday, Mr Bari said that he did not recall the exact phrases he had used during the speech. But he said: "We know what happened in Nazi Germany and we have to be on guard against entire communities being demonised due to the actions of a minority."
I think I'll be ready to take the Nazi comparison a little more seriously when the Brits start constructing concentration camps, gas chambers and crematoriums.
Does this mean all Muslims are not haters?
I'm the wrong one to ask about that as I don't know any Muslims. We don't have them where I live.
i don't know
lets go ask Irans state spokesperson who coincidently is hosting the halocaust investigation....
he says its all a hoax
compared to what he is about to do, i mean would love to do
Not to get personal, but I am interested where you live! (I am looking into relocating).
You mean like Here?
http://www.tellthechildrenthetruth.com/
If I tell everybody it will ruin the neighborhood. It took us more than a year to run those crackheads off. LOL Anywhere on the Texas side of Toledo Bend should be about the same. Come on down, there's plenty of room. Let me know when you arrive and I'll acquaint you with our local customs. They are important if you want anybody to speak to you. It took me several years to learn them on my own.
If you have a Yankee accent I wouldn't be able to help you anyway. I moved here from Dallas and they were suspicious of me. Great people, the salt of the earth, but not real friendly to strangers. I'm not trying to demean the locals in any way, but it's true. Still, I like it here and wouldn't return to the city for any number of dollars. It grows on you.
What is the word on the book? I can't make out the first letter _ udentum Do you know what that means?
Most likely not. Glad you found a good place to settle down. I lived in the South 1/2 my life.. I prefer the cooler climate and the change of seasons.
Since you posted that to me I'll respond. I don't approve of blind hatred. There is a Jew I don't like, but his ethnicity has nothing to do with it. I don't know any Nazis or Muslims.
we have to be on guard against entire communities being demonised due to the actions of a minority
I do agree with that statement, attributed to Mr. Bari, but I prefer to err on the side of caution and recognize that a considerable threat is posed to all by the practitioners of 'The Religion of Peace'.
On the other hand my firearms are very deadly and I would not entrust them to the control of my government.
There is black. There is white. But there is also grey, and it comes in many shades.
If this post makes sense to you I'd suggest cutting back on the dissassociative tranquilizers, as I intend to do next month.
MEMRI: Special Dispatch - Egypt, April 27, 2001, No. 212 "
Thanks to Hitler" Again! Al-Akhbar (Egypt), April 25, 2001.
In his short daily column in the Egyptian government daily Al-Akhbar, entitled "Half a Word," columnist Ahmad Ragab reiterates his thanks to Hitler. MEMRI first reported this sentiment in Special Dispatch No. 208, "Thanks to Hitler," April 20, 2001. Now, in a defiant manner, Al-Akhbar publishes:
"[Insistently] for the second time, thanks to Hitler, of blessed memory, who on behalf of the Palestinians, revenged in advance, against the most vile criminals on the face of the earth. Although we do have a complaint against him for his revenge on them was not enough."
Lots of other good info in The Mufti and the Fuhrer and at Tell The Children the Truth, which posits and provides evidence that the intolerance of the Muslims for Jews, and the West, was almost nonexistent before the Mufti and Herr Schicklegrueber got together.
Your seasons change? What's that like? LOL Just kidding. But it does stay pretty warm here much of the time. Our variations are usually limited to warm or hot and breezy or tie stuff down. I tell folks that it was a good thing Hurricane Rita came through when it did because with the electricity out it would have been awfully hot but for the breeze.
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