Yaqoob’s article, “Abuse of Muslims is now mainstream. I never thought my children would see this,” is a perfect exhibit of the victimology subterfuge that underscores “Islamophobia” propaganda. Yaqoob presents an argument drawing a comparison between blacks and Muslims, which seems convincing on the surface.
Indeed, blacks were shamefully taken as slaves historically and are further hated to this day for the colour of their skin by racists, which is abhorrent. Although it is true that blacks are often looked upon with suspicion — as Yaqoob states — such suspicion is due to statistically high violent crime rates. Seeking to protect oneself based on statistical reality is not racism, although stereotypes can prove to be racist, depending on the level of those stereotypes; but Yaqoob merely offers sweeping statements to argue her case against the whole being tainted by the few.
Another sweeping statement Yaqoob makes:
We are faced with the “hijab/niqab/veil” debate, where the wardrobe choices of a tiny minority of women is invested with the power to undermine western culture and civilisation itself. Never has this debate taken into account nuns or Orthodox Jewish women, who also choose to cover themselves.
The Islamophobia agenda carefully omits crucial information inexpedient for the advance of that agenda; lying by omission is an effective tool.
Muslims are in a very different category of suspicion from Jews, nuns and blacks, although there may be ramifications for many blacks in the growing alliance between the Black Lives Matter revolutionary movement and jihadists, which includes a rally call by a Muslim leader for Black Lives Matter to declare jihad on America.
In the case of Muslims, news is pouring in daily that is side-stepped by Yaqoob, and it is not just “a few” incidents that taint the whole, as she argues. Some examples:
Thousands of assaults across the Western world, including rapes and sex assaults on children; widespread Muslim migrant crime, the threat of jihad attacks on large gatherings; calls by Muslim leaders for the expansion of sharia (sharia in courts, sharia financing, acceptance of sharia child marriages); murder for blasphemy (Charlie Hebdo); religious mandates to wage war against infidels and strike terror into them; calls by radical mosques for violence and hate against the West and against Jews, the call by Muslim clerics to kill gays; widespread Al Quds Day rallies inciting violence against Jews; the Muslim Brotherhood Plan for North America; the list of unindicted co-conspirators that emerged from the Holy Land Foundation terrorist financing case, in which virtually every mainstream Muslim organization was deemed to have ties to terrorism. Internationally, there is still stoning of women for being raped, rampant persecution in Islamic states against Christians, charters to obliterate Israel, the training up of children in the Palestinian Authority to wage violent jihad. The silence on all this from Muslims such as Salma Yaqoob is troubling.
If the mission of Yaqoob is to gain public empathy for backlash against the Muslim community in the face of jihad terror, if such backlashes ever actually occur, then she needs to show a little empathy for the victims of the crimes inflicted upon infidels (including children). Yaqoob also points out that the Catholic Church had the biggest grooming scandal. It is because of people like her that the mainstream leftist media covers up the size of the atrocities globally committed by Muslim men against children, including boys.
The sizeable crisis that the West — in fact, the world — is confronting because of Islamic supremacism cannot be ignored. Muslims have to stop alienating themselves from Western society, start promoting honest discourse, and allying themselves with non-Muslims in a united fight for human rights, freedoms and pluralism. They must, in word and deed, publicly oppose the human rights abuses and atrocities being committed by Muslims against other Muslims and infidels. But there are few Muslims doing this, and that should raise some serious questions.
“Abuse of Muslims is now mainstream. I never thought my children would see this”, by Salma Yaqoob, UK Guardian, August 16, 2016:
Nadiya Hussain’s account on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs of the everyday anti-Muslim prejudice she encounters may have come as a surprise to some people. It won’t shock anyone in the Muslim community.
It wasn’t so long ago that black people were viewed with suspicion and labelled as “muggers”. Today, Muslims are associated with “grooming” when the biggest grooming scandal has been in the Catholic church. To blame a whole race, ethnic or religious group for the actions of a few is racism – and this is what the Muslim community now faces. The Chilcot inquiry may have vindicated the millions of people, including Robin Cook, who opposed the Iraq war, but Muslims like myself who expressed concern about government policy will no doubt continue to be vilified as unpatriotic or even as extremist sympathisers.
The most chilling aspect of all this is that a whole industry has been created to promote Islamophobia and anti-Muslim prejudice. I was shocked to see a report showing that $206m (£159m) was spent on promoting hatred of American Muslims, and now wonder how many British Islamophobes are being funded by political groups or organisations?
Both the Brexit and London mayoral campaigns contained some ugly dog-whistles to Muslims – and some foghorns too, including from the prime minister. It seems there is a race to the bottom on who can be seen to be “toughest” on Muslims. Lynton Crosby has made a career out of it.
It is not only those engaged in politics like myself, London mayor Sadiq Khan or Baroness Sayeeda Warsi who receive abuse. The promotion of hatred and fear has been mainstreamed to the extent that there is now little outcry when a mosque is attacked, or when kids come home crying after being taunted for their faith, or when an elderly man like Mohammed Saleem is murdered. One recent survey suggested a 326% rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes in 2015.
Every Muslim I know has a story to tell. We are resigned to being blamed and vilified for the actions of any Muslim anywhere in the world. No matter how often we denounce the horrible atrocities carried out by some fanatics, we are still associated with them. No matter that this is as unfair and ridiculous as associating all white Christian men with Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik because he claimed to act as a Christian, or blaming Christianity itself for the genocidal actions of Radovan Karadzic because he described his war against Bosnian Muslims as “holy”.
As a child growing up in the 1980s, the racism and rejection faced by my parents’ generation were fables from the past. I could not then have imagined a world where hate crime against Muslims in the west would be increasing, not decreasing. Western Muslims have been portrayed as the enemy within for most of my children’s lives. Let me be clear – I still feel Britain is the best place to live. I have faith in its people, if not always in its leaders. I take hope from the great anti-war movement and the Equality Act, and comfort in the self-deprecating humour, the general agreement that queuing is the polite and decent thing to do, and of course, Marmite.
But yet again, we are faced with the “hijab/niqab/veil” debate, where the wardrobe choices of a tiny minority of women is invested with the power to undermine western culture and civilisation itself. Never has this debate taken into account nuns or Orthodox Jewish women, who also choose to cover themselves.
This summer the burkini has been banned in Corsica, Cannes and Villeneuve-Loubet. My sister-in-law returned from a family holiday in Alicante in Spain and related how local residents tried to prevent her swimming in the pool, even going to the trouble of organising a public meeting because her costume was “too covering”. Police had to intervene, proving that even on holiday there is no respite from the hysteria. Our very own Ukip has now also called for a ban on the veil.
Theresa May began her premiership with a promise of making Britain a country “that works for everyone”. A recent House of Commons women and equalities committee report highlighting the discrimination that Muslim women face in the workplace is welcome. It shines a spotlight on a reality that up until now has too often been ignored.
So let’s hope May’s pledge will lead to a rethink of the government’s Prevent strategy, which is helping to promote suspicion of all Muslims and cause prejudice within communities….