Further to yesterday’s post on Salman Rushdie’s knighthood, this caught my eye. Here’s Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain:
“The granting of a knighthood to him can only do harm to the image of our country in the eyes of hundreds of millions of Muslims across the world.”
There’s something insanely funny about Muhammad Abdul Bari talking about image problems. Bari, like his predecessor and many of his colleagues, is an admirer of the totalitarian fantasist, Syed Abul A’ala Mawdudi. In April 1939, Mawdudi wrote: “Islam requires the Earth – not just a portion, but the whole planet… [Muslims are] under an obligation to do their utmost to dislodge [non-Muslims] from political power and to make them live in subservience to the Islamic way of life.” Lest we forget, Mawdudi’s writings influenced Sayyid Qutb, who in turn inspired bin Laden.
Some readers may recall Bari’s awkward evasions regarding the preaching of supremacist hatred during John Ware’s Panorama documentary, A Question of Leadership. Others may recall Dr Bari’s assertion, made last year, that while there are “a few bad apples in the Muslim community”, “negative attitudes” towards Muslims would result in Britain being faced with “two million Muslim terrorists — 700,000 of them in London.” Again, like his predecessor, Bari has the knack for undermining his own arguments and turning protestations of victimhood into barely-veiled threats. And this is the man who presumes to lecture others on the importance of how one seems.
For some reason, I’m reminded of this Cox & Forkum cartoon, published during the last bout of indignation on demand:
If you think that’s moronic wait for this.
Pakistan religious affairs minister Mohammed Ijaz ul-Haq offers calming words following Salman Rushdie’s knighthood:
“The West is accusing Muslims of extremism and terrorism. If someone exploded a bomb on his body, he would be right to do so unless the British government apologizes and withdraws the ‘sir’ title,” ul-Haq said.
HT: http://timblair.net/ee/index.php/weblog/muslims_accused/
I’m still too busy being offended by the knighthood given to Iqbal Sacranie (ex of the MCB). The granting of a knighthood to him can only do harm to the image of our country in the eyes of hundreds of millions of sensible people across the world.
Quite.
The cartoon lists a bunch of problems that it claims Muslim societies have. So will Western government and society mocking the most sensitive issues of Islam make those problems better or worse?
Politics Forum,
I suppose one might turn the question around. Given Muhammad’s role as mandate in so many of those problems, how will they be solved if Muhammad and his purported teachings remain beyond criticism?
This touches on issues raised in an earlier post. The example given concerns the treatment of women, but one might make a similar case regarding terrorism and intolerance, both of which are sanctioned by some of Muhammad’s purported ‘revelations’.
https://thompsonblog.co.uk/2007/06/empty_gestures.html
“‘Believing’ in the equality of women is very easy and conveniently vague, especially if one is unwilling to challenge the means by which cruelty and coercion are perpetuated, justified and enforced. Unless one is prepared to address the theological nuts and bolts of the matter, and prepared to risk offending some religious ‘sentiments’, it’s hard to see what kind of ‘firm stand’ has actually been taken.”
It isn’t clear to me how moderate believers can challenge the ‘divine’ sanction of such behaviour in an effective way without questioning Muhammad’s role in their own beliefs.
I do believe… yes, I am quite sure that, you have in fact, published… a MOTOON! You insensitive browbeater! Do please publish all threats and coercion you receive for your callousness so we may better understand the ‘religion of peace’.
I’ve been watching the Panorama documentary. Wow. I never realized how, uh, unhelpful the MCB and Sacranie have been. How did that guy ever get knighted? Rushdie had to get his own knighthood if only to attempt some kind of reparation.
Why did I hold back? Sacranie is despicable, hateful. It disgusts me to watch him dissemble. What a great piece.