Original Message
Forum	Muslim Children
Topic	An Open Letter to Ruth Kelly
Author	Iftikhar Ahmad
Date Created	24/05/2007 12:42:39
Message	An Open Letter to Ruth Kelly According to Ruth Kelly, approved citizenship lessons may be introduced in Muslim schools and supplementary schools to eradicate extremism and violence in Muslim communities. Muslim schools help to strengthen community cohesion, not undermine it. This is the reason why all Teachers Unions do not like to see the rapid growth of Muslim schools after 9/11 and 7/7. According to a world wide survey, Islam was found to have little to do with radicalization or antipathy towards western culture. The war on terror has radicalized Muslims around the world to unprecedented levels of anti-American feeling. The wealthier and better –educated were more likely to be radicalized. This is a climate of growing mistrust between Islam and the West. Muslims are a group causing very little terrorism in Europe, while at the same time; Muslims are much more likely to be arrested on suspicion of terrorism. There were 498 incidents in eleven EU countries in 2006. The truth is that only one out of 498 terrorist attacks was carried out by Muslims. But the Western and especially British media are not interested on reporting such incidents. More than half of Muslims were arrested on suspicion of terrorism. The native children need citizenship education as well as Islamic education because they have no respect and are reluctant to tolerate those who are different. Government figures revealed that the number of pupils suspended from schools for racist abuse rose nearly one-third in a year. The schools are reluctant to report racist bullying because they do not want their schools to gain a reputation for having racist problems. Blackburn and Burnley were identified as being among the country’s most divided areas, where racial tension is very high. The wholly negative attitudes towards Islam in the West have a very long history and have a palpable feel more than ever at the moment. Islamophobia is alive and well. The mass media, popular culture and the leading forces in world politics are all mostly hostile to and in their representations of Islam, and Muslims. British right-wing target Muslims as the new “enemy other”. Muslims in Britain are disempowered, disenfranchised, disenchanted, disaffected groups at the margins of economy, society and polity. Identification with Islam is strengthening among young generations of Muslims, both as a reaction to racist hostility as well as a desire to understand Islam. The brutal colonial history, combined with racism which endemic in the host country, this creates an atmosphere of mistrust. It is the state schools as well as British media and politicians, creating a sense of intolerance in all walks of British life. There is a tendency in the Western media to portray Islam in a negative way. The media stirs up fear and prejudice towards Islam and reinforce the image of Islam as the enemy. The Western media is stoking up fear of Islam and rely on “simplistic notion of the battle between cultures.” Lord Falconer’s speech to the National Association of Head teachers’ has many contradictions. He talks about freedom yet he wants to take this freedom from Muslim students. He talks about tolerance yet he encourages intolerance towards Muslims. Jack Straw, Phil Woolas, Bill Rammell, David Davis and the list is endless of the politicians that have created an atmosphere of fear and demonisation towards innocent Muslims. The speech reinforces the discrimination towards Muslims legitimised by the Government and the Lord Chancellor. The number of racist statements has increased dramatically in Europe. The number of racist statements reportedly grew by between 25 and 45 Percent in France, Netherlands, Britain, Italy and Belgium. In one EU country, racism increased by as much as 70%. According to EUMC, the increase can partly be attributed to easier procedures for reporting racism and more publicity on the problem. A leader of the Freedom Party said, if Muslims want to stay in the Netherlands, they should tear out half of the Koran and throw it away and they should not listen to the Imams. Islam is a violent religion. Third World War has begun. In the past he voiced his fear of a “tsunami of Islamisation in the Netherlands”. Islam is depicted as a threat to Christian identity. It has produced an advertisement showing an Islamic Crescent above an ancient church with these words: ‘This is the true hidden desire of Muslims’. The interior minister of Austria called for the banning of hijab-clad teachers and asserting that 45% of Muslims defy assimilation. In Belgium, the editor of Het Velb insulted the local Muslim community by referring to it as a breeding ground for thousands of Jihad candidates. Deep in the European subconscious is the memory of a war with the Muslims. How Sicily was lost, how half of Spain was conquered and finally how Constantinople was conquered on Tuesday, May29, 1453, a date that lives in infamy. It was the end of Christianity in Turkey and that was to become Istanbul. Brussels launches sermons about gender equality, though it should be remembered that Turkey gave women the vote before Belgium. The British Government has continued to create an atmosphere of hatred and fear since 7/7 towards Muslims. Ant-terror laws, indiscriminate arrests of innocent Muslim youths and demonising Muslims that dresses in certain way. It is the mainstream Britain which needs to integrate more with the Muslim way of life, not the other way round. One can learn hospitality, tolerance and generosity from Muslims. Islam isn’t the sickness. It is the cure. It is one of liberty and equality. Secularists and followers of other religions regard Islam with something approaching panic. It is wrong to say that Islam has turned Osama bin Laden into a devil. It is the Secularist Western policies have turned Osama and others against the West. The world needs Islam to address the moral issues. America and Europe are wealthy, but they are morally impoverished. Broken families, drugs, booze, youth gangs, crime, neglect of children and the old, the sheer boredom of shopaholicism, terrorism, the inner-cities slums, materialism itself, are all the marks of a global society in decline. Children need to be taught to distinguish between right and wrong. Iftikhar Ahmad www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

Responses
Topic	Re: An Open Letter to Ruth Kelly
Author	milly
Date Created	28/05/2007 18:48:13
Message	Here we go again victims of the mythycal islamophobia. we can read history you know, we don't all watch TV nor live for the radio speaking of which most of us look at the BBC as an arm of islamo/fascism. Muslims are the quiet army while waiting for their brothers to make the way possible, you are a bunch of liars even last nights radio 5 live mohammed the stooge with the mention of 1.6 million muslims 2001 stats. more like 20% of uk population perpetuating a lie does not make it true! Our freedom comes first and that icludes freedom of speech all muslims have done is to ruin this nation. You should all do one! get out of europe go back to the filth of pakistan or wherever you came from, stop bleating like sheep. NAZI - MUSLIMS HITLERS LITTLE HELPERS....
Topic	Re: An Open Letter to Ruth Kelly
Author	jack maclean
Date Created	28/05/2007 20:05:17
Message	It is a pity that those of the english governances generally preferred to caper after the fleeing fox than read a telling book or two, but,if they had had a whit of their totem's wit,they might hve come across these, et al, et al. (And I'll relativise if you wish to abrogate). - "Surely, the vilest of animals in Allah's sight are those who reject Him. They will not believe". - "And fight them until Allah alone is worshipped; religion should be only for Allah; but if they desist,then surely Allah sees what they do". (Koran 008./30;008/39)
Topic	Re: An Open Letter to Ruth Kelly
Author	guy leven-torres
Date Created	29/05/2007 06:09:06
Message	I am a Christian academic that does indeed view radical Islam with concern: great concern. I have studied Islam as a postgraduate and was engaged to a Moslem covert in Spain in Seville, a region well known to the Moors. I am more than familiar with its history of course. I even nearly converted to Islam but could not betray Christ. He died for me upon the cross, an horrendous form of death. And yes I know what the Holy Koran says about it. My main concern is however the behaviour and appalling attitude of the current elites that govern Europe, that are trying impose an atheist/amoral agenda on the rest of us. Like many Moslems I am horrified by the filth and pornography I see on television: the abuse of women and children, the debasement of the creatures and creations of the loving God. We will not dispute here the name to call Him, either Jaweh or Allah.I love Him with all my heart and all my soul! Neither do I like people trying to tell me what to say and think. That is soemthing my parents and grandparents fought two nasty brutal wars for in the last century. Even now my aged father refuses to discuss it. Like many older Europeans I was raised in an older tradition of free speech and good manners. I am also of the opinion that the West has lost something in its dealings with Islam, something my forebears understood and practised in former imperial times. Politically I am to the right but the real liberal right, not the amoral libertarian Marxist Left that believes anything goes and utilises any individul or group, it sees fit for purpose. First it was workers in Russia, then blacks in America, then workers in Britain and Europe, then homosexuals, the disabled and now unfortunately Moslems. And to me this is the saddest tragedy of all! The Left are power freaks, simply interested in power and control for power's sake and as you know absolute power, corrupts absolutely! It is a heady drug that unsteadies those that drink too much of its cup. I believe also that Islam would not be anything like the problem it has become, if it were not for the assistance of the demonic Left. To put it simply, you are far too few in number but you are being exploited by some very dark souls, believe me. There are dark souls in Islam as there are in any religion, even mine, or rather especially mine. I see them all the time and why they call themselves Christians escapes me. I wear my faith quietly and with dignity. It is not to be paraded or perverted for my own glorification. I do not seek to convert because God will choose His own. I am merely human and by what right have I or any other to force my faith upon another that belives differently? Every human is a seperate state of being created by a loving Father.My spirit is immortal and very old. However I and millions like me will not tolerate any attempt by the Left or militants in any religion, to undermine our civilisation. That goes for all faiths and the old principle of 'I may not like what you say but by God Sir I will defend your right to say it to the death!' is soemthing I hold dear. In fact it is my very guiding principle in life. However I do not think it means allowing people to abuse women and children or others as sexual objects, or to allow one group to dominate another. I am not even going to recount again, like so many others the atrocities in New York, Iraq, or Europe and elsewhere to you but would, rather ask you to consider the things I have said above. My daughter in Law is the sister of a Moslem convert from Roman Catholiocism, my best friend has also converted as did my deceased fiancee, a Sevillana and the love of my life. She would be very sad to see what has come about. And it is sad! Like you, I and millions of other Christians are appalled at the amoral decline and decadence in Europe but that is not for Moslems to change but the People of Europe themselves, as it was the right of the Iraquis to overthrow Saddam. people after all get the government they deserve and must live with the consequences. Most humans are well intentioned but it is so easily debased by reality when these fail to materialise. I do not wish death on any Moslems and in fact rather respect them but not their activities so recently brought to mind. The Jihadists must realise that millions disagree with them and a little good old fashioned chivalry and noblesse oblige might be a good start. Respect for an enemy in war is the mark of a true warrior. One of my heroes is Saladdin the Saracen general. That is my kind of man. Those that fly airliners into buildings are most ceratinly not! And never will be. And we shall resist them with everything we have if necessary. May God guide you! Inshallah! Guy Leven-Torres
Topic	Re: An Open Letter to Ruth Kelly
Author	Iftikhar Ahmad
Date Created	30/05/2007 16:24:30
Message	Salaam Thanks for your thought provoking response. London School of Islamics is interested in the education of Muslim children. Majority of them leave school with low grades because monolingual teachers do not teach English language to Bilingual Muslim children. They do not learn Arabic, Urdu and other community languages, the result is that find themselves cut off from their cultural roots. They are unable to enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry. Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models. They need to learn Standard English to follow the National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity. There are hundreds of state schools where Muslim children are in majority, in my opinion, all such schools may be designated as Muslim community schools. Is there any thing wrong with my proposal?
Topic	Re: An Open Letter to Ruth Kelly
Author	jack
Date Created	30/05/2007 16:53:39
Message	'Islamophobia'? Whatever the phobia may be surely the best way to help the victims out of their distress is to provide them with caring therapeutic support:just think of those who have overcome their fears of flying, for example. To hector them on account of their affliction can only make matters worse. Moreover, the situation is sorely aggravated by the misconception that because someone may be taken by a fear of something that it does not follow that the target of the fear must therefore be something that has the power to cause fear; an effect doesn't always need to have a bona fide cause.
Topic	Re: An Open Letter to Ruth Kelly
Author	naqshbandi
Date Created	09/06/2007 00:04:18
Message	I am a Muslim Brit and I have to say that is pathetic Iftikhar. The majority of Muslims in Britain go to state schools and those who do not do so well in school do so because they are lazy and dont want to study. Otherwise how do you explain the c.50% who do do well. They do not not do well because the teachers are 'not capable of teaching bilingual Muslim children' -that the biggest load of tosh I've heard. How come all the Muslim I know went to state schools and are now professionals with degrees? How about bilingual Chinese and bilingual Hindu children? Teachers don't seem to have any problem teaching them! Or is it perhaps that some of our brothers and sisters don't want to learn? They'd rather listen to Tupac and sell drugs so they can get their bling bling! The majority of teachers in British school are excellent teachers and not racist; it is easy for a lazy kid to blame the teacher. And the schools do not make you do drugs, drink, have illicit sex etc. That is a personal choice and it is up to parents to teach morals to children not the schools business. I don't see people like you having problems with 'this barbarity' when they all go to the DSS offices to collect their social security cheques (many whilst having jobs as well. How Islamic is that?) I agree with the second half of your post that Muslims do need to be educated in their traditional languages too such as Arabic and Urdu--if they are desi--but that is NOT the Government's job. I think we are actually lucky that the govt funds some islamic schools. If you want to send your kid to an islamic school that is fine, do it but dont expect the govt to fund it! You have a low opinion of your fellow Brits my friend. And why is being monolingual a crime? The reason most Brits are monolingual is that they speak the language the rest of the world is desperate to learn anyway! English is the world's lingua franca. Fact. Having said that, a large number of middle class brits do speak other languages such as french, german etc. my colleague speaks 6 languages which puts my 4 to shame. so don't generalise and dont blame others for our own shortcomings. i am a teacher. how many pakistani parents come to parents' evening? hardly any. how many indian hindus come? loads! if we don't value education don't blame the society for our own bad habits. btw you'll find many muslims alreadys into drugs, binge drinking and anti-social behaviour. as for teenage pregnancies the list is headed by british girls of bangladeshi origins. more muslims are in prison as a percentage of their population than anyone else. and it is this attitude of people like you which is partly to blame. just like the afro americans in the USA who always blame the 'white man' for their own laziness. (Not all of them do but a substantial amount.) Man, your post has incensed me. You are the worst enemy of Muslims even though your intentions are good!
Topic	Re: An Open Letter to Ruth Kelly
Author	Iftikhar Ahmad
Date Created	09/06/2007 12:14:34
Message	Sal;aam Thanks for your thought provokinjg response. Very soon you will get the title of Sir or MBE from the Queen. You will also soon be promoted. I give you advanced Mubarakbad. In the 70s, I raised such issues in a conference. A Hindu teacher stood up and said that I should go back to Pakistan. During lunch time, he sat next to me. He told that he criticised me just to please other native teachers.
Topic	Re: An Open Letter to Ruth Kelly
Author	He is up his own arse!!!
Date Created	21/01/2008 12:38:24
Message	Even when one of your fellow brothers breaks it down for you as to what is wrong within your community (which by the way also affects many others) you are still unable to grasp his point of view and logic. It is that single minded pursuit of stupidity that is to be your undoing!!!

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