Author: Mick Hartley

Amir Taheri writes about some confused British reactions to the London bombings:

The daily The Independent (which opposed the wars to liberate Afghanistan and Iraq) reminded its readers the day after the London attack of what Osama bin Laden had said a year ago: “If you bomb our cities, we shall bomb your cities.” The writer added: There you go!

Was the confused writer referring to Afghanistan and Iraq?

If yes, did he not know that bin Laden could under no circumstances claim ownership of either Afghanistan or Iraq? No one in either nation, including those who might hate the West for whatever reason, would regard the Saudi-born fugitive as a compatriot, let alone a spokesman.

Twenty-four hours later, Ayatollah Imami Kashani used the Independent article in his Friday prayer sermon in Tehran to support the claim that the British deserved to die in large numbers….

Afghanistan and Iraq now have elected leaders who can, and do, speak on behalf of their peoples with authority. In both Kabul and Baghdad, the attack in London has been condemned in no uncertain terms. But would the Independent quote Presidents Hamid Karzai and Jalal Talabani rather than bin Laden? Not a chance.

Zahid Hussain looks at the ‘University of Jihad’ in the town of Akora Khatak, near Peshawar:

Most of the pupils come from the poorest section of society and receive free religious education, lodgings and meals. Most of the madrassas have been isolated from the outside world for centuries. Students are brainwashed and the textbooks provide a one-dimensional world view that restricts their thought process.

Conditions in the schools are regularly condemned by human rights groups as crowded and inhuman. The day begins at dawn with morning prayer. A simple breakfast of bread and tea is served, followed by lessons, which continue until evening.

The students are subjected to a regime as harsh as any jail and physical abuse is commonplace. In many schools students are put in chains and heavy iron fetters for the slightest violation of rules. There are almost no extracurricular activities. Television and radio are banned. Teaching is very rudimentary and students are taught religion from a highly traditional perspective.

At the primary stage, pupils learn how to read, memorise and recite the Koran. Though the focus is on religious learning, some institutions also teach elementary mathematics, science and English.

The most dangerous consequence of the schools is that students emerge ill-prepared for any work except guiding the faithful in rituals that do not require great expertise. Job opportunities for graduates are few and far between. They can only work in mosques, madrassas or religious parties and their business affiliates.

The education imparted by traditional madrassas spawns factional, religious and cultural conflicts. It creates barriers to modern knowledge and breeds bigotry, laying the foundation on which fundamentalism is based. Divided along sectarian lines, these institutions are driven by the zeal to outnumber and dominate rival sects.

The rise of a jihad culture since the 1980s has given them a new sense of purpose. The number of madrassas multiplied and clergy emerged as a powerful political and social force. At independence in 1947 there were only 137 madrassas in Pakistan. Government sources put today’s figure at 13,000 with total enrolment close to 1.7 million.

Japundit translates an article from the Japanese Nishinippon Shimbun which reports that North Korean authorities are concerned that the Internet is allowing the popular culture of South Korea to seep into the country and pervert the right thinking of the country’s elites:

A joint investigation by Japanese and South Korean NGOs has discovered that affluent North Koreans are enthralled by South Korean television dramas and music they access through the Internet, and have begun imitating the hair styles and fashions of Southern show business personalities. The North Korean Workers’ Party is adamantly opposed to this influx of culture and customs, and is attempting to crack down on these practices as it conducts a citizens’ education campaign.

During the course of their investigation in the city of Chongjin in May, the groups acquired a 16-page guidance manual published by the Workers’ Party titled “Completely Foiling the Enemies’ Schemes to Spread Different Lifestyle Customs”. The groups report that some North Korean citizens are patronizing Internet cafes operated by companies or individuals and paying 20,000 won—10 times the monthly salary of the average worker—to learn how to use PCs. They then use the PCs to enjoy South Korean television programs, movies, and music. (The photo shows an Internet cafe in Pyongyang.)

The Workers’ Party has begun to take such steps as cutting off power supplies to these users, and party leaders are giving lectures to citizens’ organizations based on the manual. According to the manual, Chairman Kim Jong-il has declared that “Imperialists and reactionary elements are using falsehoods of every kind to paralyze the ability of the masses to think and to disseminate bourgeois reactionary ideas and rotten lifestyle trends.”

The manual enumerates the practices considered unacceptable: viewing decadent video recordings, banquets, cohabitation, self-indulgent divorce, long hair, bizarre and unusual clothing, and pointless and sybaritic lifestyle practices in imitation of other countries. It says that becoming accustomed to these practices will paralyze revolutionary and class consciousness. The result will be the disappearance of the spirit of absolute worship of Chairman Kim Jong-il.

The Chinese are combatting the threat of increased internet use with the help of sophisticated filtering software. The North Koreans just cut off the power.

and Arab civilians they were never labeled terrorists, and when insurgents are killed they become ‘martyrs’. This created a major dilemma for the regime when Amb. Sherif was executed, requiring them to make a one hundred eighty degree turn. Freedom fighters now became terrorists.

They can’t count:

French teachers in Japan yesterday launched a legal action against the governor of Tokyo after he called French a “failed language”.

In a suit filed at the Tokyo District Court, the 21 complainants, many of whom run language schools or teach French, said Shintaro Ishihara’s remarks had disgraced them.

According to the suit, Mr Ishihara said last October: “It is no surprise that French is disqualified as an international language because French is a language which cannot count numbers.”

But they know how to sue:

[A] group of French cleaning ladies who organised a car-sharing scheme to get to work are being taken to court by a coach company which accuses them of “an act of unfair and parasitical competition”.

The women, who live in Moselle and work five days a week at EU offices in Luxembourg, are being taken to court by Transports Schiocchet Excursions, which runs a service along the route. It wants the women to be fined and their cars confiscated.

I didn’t even know there was a Welsh Premier League. And I’ve certainly never heard of Total Network Solutions. So where is Total Network?

Anyway, Liverpool beat them 3-0, so after the second leg I won’t have to think about it any more.

Some reactions on the BBC website, from a couple of British Muslims:

I was appalled at the bombings in London. Even more so by the fact the bombers were living so close to here. We as a community must not tolerate these people. I am a British Muslim, I value my freedom, I value this country. I would fight for my country if called upon no matter what. If you don’t feel as I do, by all means leave. That is the honourable thing to do.
Vik, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire

I am absolutely disgusted. Both as a British citizen and also as a Muslim. No matter what people have said, I believed that the bombers were non-British, so it came as a great shock once it was revealed that they were actually British. Where did they get all their hate from? This is the one chance we all have no matter what we are, to come together as one. As a nation. As the British people we are and should be proud of being.
Anita Hussain, Leeds, UK

From an idiot:

We must understand the root causes: discrimination, injustice and prejudice towards Muslims in UK and other so-called enlightened societies. We must eliminate the root causes, instead of fighting the symptoms.
Leon Rosgarten, London, UK

And to top it off, this masterpiece (spotted by Zacht Ei):

I am surprised. If they are UK born, surely they must have seen the thousands of Londoners marching in protest against the War in Iraq back in 2002 and 2003. Why would they kill those same people?
Helen, Oxford, UK

1) Karl Marx has won the BBC’s Greatest Philosopher poll, with over twice the votes of the second placed David Hume (via DTPs for W).

2) Followers of Karl Marx have been responsible for the deaths of over 100 million people over the past century.

Discuss.

This has sneaked by pretty well unmentioned:

Government attempts to clamp down on expressions of religious hatred have cleared the Commons, but are set for a rocky ride in the House of Lords.

MPs gave the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill a third reading by 301 votes to 229, a majority of 72….

Liberal Democrat spokesman Alistair Carmichael said he was “embarrassed” that elected representatives were sending a bill to the Lords “that is so bad at this stage” when so much time had been spent on it.

“It is a bill that’s ill-conceived in its thinking, it will be dangerous in its execution and I’m confident we have not seen the last of it,” he said.

But Labour ex-Cabinet minister Frank Dobson said it was incumbent on MPs to protect their constituents from those who incited fear and hatred.

An attempt by the Lib Dems, backed by the Tories, that would have outlawed religious hatred as a pretext for stirring up hatred against a racial group was defeated by 291 votes to 233, a government majority of 58.

Labour MP Ann Cryer, who backed the amendment, said she was concerned that restrictions contained in the bill would stifle debate.

Well exactly – and what we need now is open debate about Islam, from within and from outside, which isn’t afraid to be critical. The idea which this bill effectively promotes, that any attack on Islam is an attack on Muslims, needs to be strongly opposed.

Tony Blair’s comments are all very well:

“This is not an isolated criminal act we are dealing with,” he said.

“It is an extreme and evil ideology whose roots lie in a perverted and poisonous misinterpretation of the religion of Islam.”

Mr Blair met Muslim MPs on Wednesday morning to discuss how to tackle “this evil within the Muslim community”.

“In the end, this can only be taken on and defeated by the community itself,” he said.

But the followers of this extreme and evil ideology are quite clear that they are the true followers of the Islamic faith. And there’s a lot of them.

From MEMRI, an interview with Dr. Hani Al-Siba’i, the director of the Al-Maqreze Centre for Historical Studies in London, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV the day after the bombings:

Al-Siba’i: “The term ‘civilians’ does not exist in Islamic religious law. Dr. Karmi is sitting here, and I am sitting here, and I’m familiar with religious law. There is no such term as ‘civilians’ in the modern Western sense. People are either of Dar Al-Harb [the house of war] or not.

“These institutes, like the Islamic Association [of Britain], represent white-collar people, the effendis, people with ‘prestige.’ They only represent their own interests and do not mix in society. They don’t know… Ask other Muslims… People see them only on their TV screens. They don’t participate in the demonstrations for the poor. They are not interested in people’s problems. We invite them, and they don’t show up.”

Host: “The Muslim Association of Britain represents 400 Islamic organizations…”

Al-Siba’i: “These are all interest groups. With all due respect, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Sheik Moududi group do business with one another.”

Host: “Are you claiming they are not Muslims?”

Al-Siba’i: “They are behind all these movements. They promote some people nobody has heard of. Then they promote some journalists.”

Host: “Excuse me, who do you want to promote? Those who want the banner of ‘There is no god but Allah’ over the Queen of England and Buckingham Palace? Those who want to establish a caliphate and turn the Queen of England into a captive? Those who say [England] is Dar Al-Harb and property there can be plundered? Are those the kind of people you want?”

Al-Siba’i: “These associations do not represent the Muslim public. They collaborate with the British police for certain interests. They want an ‘English Islam,’ and not the Islam that was sent to the Prophet Muhammad. If Al-Qa’ida indeed carried out this act, it is a great victory for it. It rubbed the noses of the world’s eight most powerful countries in the mud. This victory is a blow to the economy…”