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Stunning and unexpected good news, a sign of some sanity in Britain (and that has been hard to come by lately; just scroll down this page, or go through the Dhimmi Watch archives for February and January, and see how many times some outlandish accommodation is being made in Britain). And of course, the predictable outrage is ensuing on behalf of this man who has validated suicide terror attacks -- and of course, it's the fault of...the Jews.
From the Times (thanks to all who sent this in):
Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a controversial Muslim cleric who defends suicide attacks, has been refused a visa to enter to the UK after a campaign by David Cameron.The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said that it deplored the decision and accused the government of caving in to “unreasonable demands spearheaded by the Tory leader”.
Muhammad Abdul Bari, the secretary-general of the MCB, said that Dr al-Qaradawi enjoyed respect as a scholar throughout the Muslim world.
“I am afraid this decision will send the wrong message to Muslims everywhere about the state of British society and culture,” he said.
“Britain has had a long and established tradition of free speech, debate and intellectual pursuit. These principles are worth defending, especially if we would like to see them spread throughout the world.”
If you're so concerned about free speech, debate and intellectual pursuit, why not spread them in the Islamic world?
The British Muslim Initiative (BMI) described the decision to bar al-Qaradawi, an “eminent scholar”, as “an unwarranted insult to British Muslims”.Muhammad Sawalha, the BMI president, said: “We would have to go as far back as the medieval age when scholars were hounded and vilified in order to find a similar retrograde decision.”
No we don't, Muhammad. Here are a couple of worse examples. How about Suliman Bashear, who according to the New York Times “argued that Islam developed as a religion gradually rather than emerging fully formed from the mouth of the Prophet.” For this his Muslim students in the University of Nablus in the West Bank threw him out of a second-story window. How about scholar Christoph Luxenberg, who wrote a scholarly book suggesting that the Qur’an has been mistranslated and misinterpreted by Muslims themselves? The Times notes that “Christoph Luxenberg is a pseudonym, and his scholarly tome ‘The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran’ had trouble finding a publisher, although it is considered a major new work by several leading scholars in the field.” Why must Luxenberg use a pseudonym, and why do publishers hesitate to take his work?
The 81-year-old Egyptian-born preacher is now based in Qatar and makes regular appearances on al-Jazeera television, clad in white robes, where he denounces anti-Muslim sentiment in the European media.Sources close to Dr al- Qaradawi said that his visa application had had support within the Home and Foreign Offices. "But the Zionist lobby placed huge pressures to block the visa application and Prime Minister Gordon Brown eventually backed that position," they added. [...]
In a fax from the British embassy in Doha, his application was refused, reportedly citing Article 41 of the United Nations charter, which relates to threats to peace and security.
The cleric last visited the UK in 2004, where he was welcomed by Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, and chaired the annual meeting of the European Council of Fatwa and Research at London's City Hall.
His visit prompted protests from Jewish groups and gay people, who regard him as anti-Semitic and homophobic. He has called for the death penalty for homosexuality and the destruction of the state of Israel.
In the same year, the cleric defended suicide attacks on Israelis during a BBC interview, saying: “It’s not suicide, it is martyrdom in the name of God." He added that it did not matter if women and children were the victims of such attacks.
The cleric is also said to preach that husbands should beat disobedient wives....
Those Zionists. How dare they stand against a man of such noble character?
Posted by Robert at February 7, 2008 8:29 AM
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Muslims in the UK are not happy with this decision to keep out a jihadist all dressed up as an islamic scholar and who is a proponent of mass murder? Really. Well that just goes to show who's living in the UK's midst already. Will anyone notice?
Posted by: Sounder![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/nav-commenters.gif)
at February 7, 2008 8:56 AM
Oy!
Posted by: Vee at February 7, 2008 9:05 AM
Yahoo! Great! This is as good news as the tapes of Joran van der Sloot!
Posted by: darcy at February 7, 2008 9:06 AM
A really big Dhimmi alert!The affable Archbishop of Canterbury says Shari'a law unavoidable in Britain.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/.stm
at February 7, 2008 9:06 AM
What a mistake. We should play this like in the koran. He should be invited and held hostage for bin laden.
Posted by: David England at February 7, 2008 9:55 AM
“I am afraid this decision will send the wrong message to Muslims everywhere about the state of British society and culture,” he said.
and yet the Head of the English church gives them sharia on a plate and they still complain.
at February 7, 2008 10:08 AM
The MCB had the balls to blame the "jews" for this decision.
http://www.mcb.org.uk/media/presstext.php?ann_id=286
"The MCB recognizes the Prime Minister has been under immense pressure from the pro-Zionist "
at February 7, 2008 10:10 AM
I never thought that David Cameron was a Zionist, I am really quite surprised!
But I am really surprised that Gordan Broon actually did something right for a change, but what now are the chances of this 1 step forward being balanced by 10 steps back to calm Muslim sensibilities for our community cohesion, what a laugh that is, NuLabour, they never fail to miss an opportunity to screw up...
Posted by: Daffersd at February 7, 2008 11:26 AM
One up.
But Tariq Ramadan is coming to Australia. Wanna help to keep him out?
Any suggestions?
http://sheikyermami.com/2008/02/04/frere-tariq-to-descend-on-oz/
at February 7, 2008 11:31 AM
If you live by the sword, you die by the visa refusal.
Well, it's not the same thing, but the UK has a right (as any dhimmi nation) to defend itself. This might be too little, but it's never too late.
If British Muslims are offended, they could always move back to an Islamic "republic" ruled by Sharia Law.
Posted by: tanstaafl at February 7, 2008 12:24 PM
“I am afraid this decision will send the wrong message to Muslims everywhere about the state of British society and culture,” he said.
One can only hope.
I knew there still had to be some of that English blood pumping that spent centuries fighting with the Scots and the French and colonizing parts of Africa, India and America, that had the best navy in the world. Shakespeare's herald in Henry V said, "That island of England breeds very valiant creatures." Yes, it does, and always has. Now we see there is a root from that stock that hasn't died and is pushing through the ground and working it's way towards the sun.
Posted by: Isabellathecrusader at February 7, 2008 1:20 PM
Muhammad Sawalha, the BMI president, said: “We would have to go as far back as the medieval age when scholars were hounded and vilified in order to find a similar retrograde decision.”
That's because we would have to go that far back to fit your definition of "scholars": some dunce in Star Wars costume babbling on about how great his long dead, psychopathic 'prophet' was.
Gee, hope you're not 'offended'.
at February 7, 2008 3:23 PM
Remove the petition to remove the illustrations of Muhammad from Wikipedia
petition overview | letter
Target:
To request wikipedia editors to respect other peoples freedom of speech
Sponsored by:
Free People in a Free World
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/removal-of-the-pics-of-muhammad-from-wikipedia
This is to protect anyones right to view images or any entity without influence or threats from religion or government. If said religion or government does not like the content, it is free to not view or to punish it's followers to do the same.
http://illustratedpig.blogspot.com/2008/02/sign-up.html
Posted by: shiva at February 7, 2008 3:55 PM
NOW HERE IS THE REAL LINK
Posted by: shiva at February 7, 2008 4:10 PM
David Cameron should be receiving approving letters from all over the world, after this decision.
I have an idea Robert has discussed Qaradawi's work and cited extensive - and very scary - passages from it. Perhaps copies of that material could be sent to Mr Cameron, to confirm him in the true and correct view that Qaradawi is a nasty piece of work and should not set one toe on British soil.
Jews, women and gays in Britain: send Mr Cameron boxes of chocolates and bunches of flowers and give him your most heartfelt thanks for this glimmer of sanity.
The more approval any churchman, politician, policeman, journalist, or other public figure gets for an act of anti-dhimmitude - especially when they are told precisely what they have got right, and why it matters so much - the greater the likelihood that they may repeat such acts in future.
Posted by: dumbledoresarmy at February 7, 2008 4:26 PM
I hear there are some top-quality doctors in Gaza, although it's difficult to get an appointment as they are quite busy scraping up body parts.
Posted by: awake at February 7, 2008 4:32 PM
Al-Qaradawi has a position on female mutilation that should also be borne in mind:
I personally support this under the current circumstances in the modern world. But whoever chooses not to do it is not considered to have committed a sin for it is mainly meant to dignify women as held by scholars.”Source: ADL (my emphasis).
at February 8, 2008 12:46 AM
dumbledoresarmy:
Perhaps copies of that material could be sent to Mr Cameron, to confirm him in the true and correct view that Qaradawi is a nasty piece of work and should not set one toe on British soil.
I wrote a letter to David Cameron last year, after I was left aghast by reading a news item on how a Muslim lobby group in his Conservative Party was demanding that the party recognise the legitimacy of al-Qaradawi as a "voice of of moderate Islam".
I sent him examples of Qaradawi's statements on, amongst other things, killing Israeli babies in their mothers' wombs and various other anti-Semitic slurs (ain't Google wonderful!), suicide bombing, killing homosexuals, beating wives and conquering Europe.
(one of the creepier British neo-Nazis visitors to this site claimed I was "a Conservative" LOL after he found my nick on a Conservative party message board, warning against recognising Qaradawi)
I am not claiming any credit in swaying Cameron - mwah-ha-ha I AM the Zionist Lobby! - but all of us have to be proactive. It's no good just coming here and posting. Write your politicians, your newspapers, your religious leaders, your family and your friends. LOBBY, INFORM, EDUCATE!
Posted by: Matamoros at February 8, 2008 4:07 AM
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