A Muslim Microcosm in Britain

Four stories came in quick succession yesterday, all of them with something to say about the current place of Islam and Muslims in British society.

There is a disturbing note, however - when it comes to standing up to Muslim extremists, the only people who seem to have any fire are other Muslims.

1) The BBC have agreed to pay £30,000 in damages to the Muslim Council of Britain and apologise on air after a panellist on the programme 'Question Time' said the organisation did not do enough to condemn the killing of British troops.

From the Mail:

The Corporation caved in after a panellist on the Question Time TV programme accused the country's most influential Muslim organisation of failing to condemn attacks on soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The broadcaster was threatened with legal action over comments by former Daily Telegraph editor Charles Moore during a debate about Islamic protests which marred a soldiers' homecoming parade in Luton.

Mr Moore blamed the MCB's leadership for its apparent reluctance to condemn the killing and kidnapping of British soldiers overseas. He went on to claim that it thought it was a 'good thing' to kill troops.

Faced with the threat of a writ, the BBC made an offer of 'amends' and an apology on the Question Time website. But this has been rejected and the MCB is demanding an apology on air.

The Corporation's decision to pay out will raise eyebrows in Whitehall, where ministers have refused to settle a similar defamation claim over a letter written by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears.

Here is Mr Moore's comment compared to that of Hazel Blears, who refused to pay or apologise and has received no further correspondence:

Moore is absolutely correct, of course, and the BBC should be ashamed of this cowardly act funded by the taxpayer.

2) This story is very interesting. Yesterday in Luton, a large group of Muslims gathered to confront 12 or so extremists from the same sect which had denounced British troops returning from Iraq back in March.

The large group were described as 'moderates', and appeared to be ordinary Muslims who had just left a mosque after Friday prayers.

As the extremists set up their stall, a crowd surrounded them shouting 'out, out, out' and 'we don't want you here'.

Scuffles then broke out between the two groups as the extremists shouted 'get back to your synagogue'.

As police officers struggled to hold the two groups apart, a Muslim man was heard to say to officers: 'we came to drive them off the streets because you won't'.

Although on the surface this seems a very positive development, I'm not so sure. The only reason the moderates were angry is because they are bearing the brunt of the backlash for the message of the 'extremists'. Soon after the demo against the troops, an Islamic community centre was firebombed.

You rarely hear 'moderate' Muslims denounce the many negative actions carried out in the name of Islam. Therefore I must wonder, are the 'moderates' upset because of the message of the 'extremists', or the fact that it was causing some Britons to stir in their slumber?

3) A Muslim woman has been jailed for seven years for treating her three daughters-in-law like 'slaves' and 'dogs'.

From the Mail:

Naseebah Bibi, 63, would not let the women leave the family home in Blackburn, Lancashire, without her permission.

One of her victims told detectives she was forced to work on an industrial sewing machine day and night for 13 years.

Bibi, of Pringle Street, was convicted by a jury at Preston Crown Court last month of falsely imprisoning Nagina Akhtar between 1993 and 2006, Tazeem Akhtar from 2001 to 2003 and Nisbah Akhtar between 2005 and 2007.

All three women were brought to the UK following arranged marriages to Bibi's three sons but were subjected to beatings and abuse from her after they arrived.

Sentencing her, Judge Robert Brown said it was evident that her victims were 'traumatised by you both physically and psychologically and spent long periods living in fear'. The daughters-in-law had high expectations of a happy family life in England when they married their first cousins in Pakistan but instead they were cruelly abused and allowed no contact with the outside world.

One of the victims, Nagina, told the police that she was ordered to spend her time sewing as soon as she arrived in Blackburn in 1993 following her marriage to Bibi's son Fahim and was also told she could not have a higher education.

She carried on sewing up to a fortnight before the caesarean birth of one of her three children and was back on the machine within a month.

When the sewing work ran out she was made to do household chores, cooking and cleaning.

She said Bibi struck her with a brush handle and slapped her across the face whenever she disobeyed her.

Sisters Nisbah and Tazeem also gave evidence to the jury that their lives were 'made hell'. They too were slapped across the face, hit with a brush handle and struck with shoes when they answered back to Bibi.

4) A teacher has been sacked after allegedly giving two boys a detention because they would not kneel and pray to Allah during an RE lesson.

An investigation by the school found that there was absolutely no truth to the allegation. The teacher was suspended after outraged parents complained, and the investigation has just been concluded.

The school refuses to say why, if the allegation is untrue, the teacher was sacked:

The school suspended the teacher last July after receiving complaints and a lengthy disciplinary process was carried out.

A statement released on behalf of the school by Cheshire East Council said: 'It can be confirmed that following a long and rigorous disciplinary process, a member of staff at Alsager School has been dismissed from her post.

'The member of staff was suspended in July 2008 following parental complaints and newspaper reports relating to an RE lesson.

'In reaching this decision, the governing body wish to make very clear that they were completely satisfied that at no point did that member of staff make children pray to Allah or put boys in detention for refusing to do so.

'The RE lesson in question contains an element of role play which complies with acceptable practice.'