"We have made significant progress working with communities to build an alliance against violent extremists," Ms Blears says.

Talking of this "Alliance", in Rochdale meeting after meeting which debated the "Violent Extremism" pathfinder fund which was proposed by the then Communities secretary, Ruth Kelly, was unanimously rejected by Influential Community Leaders in Rochdale. So who exactly is Ms Blears referring to when she mentions she has been "working with communities to build an alliance against violent extremists"?

The initiative also includes a new independent board of academic and theological experts and a group of community leaders to advise on local responses to tackling extremism. Who exactly are the personalities in Rochdale doing this and where was their presence in the community meetings that took place in this town amongst major decision makers?

The Citizenships program is supposed "to show youngsters there is no conflict between their religion and being British". this comes in stark contrast to the findings of the report commissioned by Peter Oborne, "Muslims under siege" from the Dispatches Program where it actively proved that Muslims are singled out for discrimination and abuse and are used as game by politicians for Political objectives.

Report commissioners Peter Oborne and James Jones in their Report Introduction write "The seed for this pamphlet was planted in October 2006 when Jack Straw and other cabinet ministers raised the issue of Muslim women wearing the veil. It soon became clear that this was more than a random rumination from a member of the government. Rather Labour appeared to have made the extraordinary decision to try to identify with a general mood of resentment and anxiety about the presence of Muslim communities in this country and to intervene in the politics of religious identity".

So where is the real sense of belonging for Muslim Communities who peacefully live here but are actively maligned? Do we need Islamic theology to explain to us how we should be good citizens or do attitudes in British Society need to be changed to make Muslims feel more accommodated?

So where are these "fringe elements" in Rochdale who are towing this narrow and intellectually bankrupt agenda who are having closed door meetings with Politicians and deciding the destiny of Rochdale Muslims before even consulting the community?

I also organised a community event titled "Extremism, Islam and the Muslim community" in February this year in Rochdale in the heart of the Muslim community which was attended by over 200 people including non-Muslims. The event challenged the government agenda and questioned why it was so hell bent on throwing millions of pounds at the Muslim Community as part of its effort to drive the campaign on the "War on Terror" or as i say, the "War on ERROR"?

Everybody was in agreement that the Government indeed had an agenda to make the Muslim Community silent on Foreign Policy issues related to Iraq and Afghanistan and blame a bogey man instead, "Extremism" for the causes of Terrorism.

This arguement comes based on numerous detailed evidences provided as far back as April 2005 when a report drawn up by the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) entitled "International Terrorism: Impact of Iraq" was explicit, stating: "We judge that the conflict in Iraq has exacerbated the threat from international terrorism and will continue to have an impact in the long term.

So are Ministers doing there usual strut of having closed meetings with "personalities" in the Muslim community who either are politically naive to the bone or are willing to work for a false agenda which is damaging for the Muslim Community?

Burqa-clad women gather at the Lal Masjid during a conference on Wednesday. Addressing the gathering, they vowed to avenge the deaths of the ‘martyrs’ of the military operation against the mosque in July 2007. afp

by P. Parameswaran 

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States is facing a major dilemma as ally Pakistan grapples with surging militant violence fueled by groups who may also have a hand in Afghanistan's worsening security crisis, experts say.

After Monday's deadly suicide bombing in Pakistan's capital Islamabad and alleged Pakistani involvement in another such attack in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, one intelligence report said Pakistan lacked "willingness and ability" to take on the rapidly rising threat posed by Islamist extremism and militancy.

"The fact is that the civilian government and the country's military establishment appear to be losing control of the situation," warned private US intelligence firm Stratfor in a report to clients after the twin attacks.
 
Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani speaks during a joint press conference of the D-8 Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, July 8, 2008.(AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin)

In Pakistan, it said, there was a "national lack of acknowledgement that the country is being torn apart by religious extremism."

Stratfor predicted "it is only a matter of time before Washington escalates its unilateral military operations deeper into Pakistani territory" -- a move experts warned could worsen "collateral" damage and fuel anti-Americanism.

US airstrikes in Pakistan's tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan, where Washington believes Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants are hiding, is now regarded as almost a daily affair.

As the new government of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani struggles to adopt appropriate policies to a series of political, economic and security crises, US President George W. Bush is concerned the next major terrorist strike on the United States may be planned in Pakistan.

"Washington finds itself in a difficult position," said Robert Hathaway of the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

The latest US strategy of launching unilateral air strikes on suspected militant hideouts inside Pakistan is causing casualties on innocent civilians and fueling anti-American feelings, he said.

It also does not promote the objective of convincing the Pakistanis that the fight against militancy and radicalism is their fight, he said.

Most people believe a long term campaign to provide education, jobs and establishing a functioning set of governmental institutions in the tribal lands could help improve people's lives and eventually ease the security crisis.

"That's a long term strategy but the problem is here and now, and it's not yet apparent that anyone either in Washington or in Islamabad really knows how to connect the two -- the long term solution with immediate problems," Hathaway said.

He blamed the Bush administration for failing to adopt a coherent policy towards Pakistan since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States.

"Seven years after 9/11, the United States is worse off in Pakistan than it was, American interests in the region were worse off than they were, and Pakistan is worse off than it was," he said.

The United States is only now considering a new aid strategy for Pakistan that could triple unconditional non-security aid to 1.5 billion dollars annually for a 10-year period and tie security funding to counter-terrorism performance.

Read the rest:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080709/wl_sthasia_afp/
uspakistanattacks_080709022644

Doi elevi din Marea Britanie au fost tinuti peste program la scoala drept pedeapsa pentru ca au refuzat sa ingenuncheze si sa se roage lui Allah in timpul orei de religie. Alarmant este faptul ca cei doi baieti, de 11 si 12 ani, de la Liceul Alsager, din apropierea orasului britanic Stoke-on-Trent, nu sunt de confesiune islamica, relateaza „Daily Mail“. Era vorba despre un “exercitiu” de religie, care presupunea si rugaciunile specific musulmane. Parintii copiilor au spus ca drepturile lor au fost incalcate prin aceasta pedeapsa absurda, iar scoala respectiva a primit plangeri si de la alti parinti nemultumiti. De asemenea, britanicii s-au declarat uimiti si de un nou regulament al politiei, care prevede ca, atunci cand se fac perchezitii cu caini in casele locuite de musulmani, animalele sa poarte un fel de “botosei”, pentru a nu murdari incaperile. In religia musulmana, cainii sunt considerati “animale murdare”, fiind recomandata evitarea contactului cu acestia. Initial, regulamentul urma sa fie aplicat numai la moschei, dar el a fost extins si la apartamentele de locuit.

The restrictions and sacred causes, or lines in the sand, are many. And, the distinction is all about politics. If you support the popular political views of the Arab American activists, you can say and get anything published in their circles. If you challenge their views, you will be ostracized, criticized and viciously attacked, and blacklisted.

That is especially tough for the moderate voices in the Arab American community who criticize based on "principle." In other words, principle, not politics, should determine your position. If you denounce an Israeli soldier killing an innocent Palestinian civilian, you should also denounce the Palestinian militants and extremists who murder Israeli civilians.

Here is a list of things Arab Americans are not allowed to do in their own community. If they do, the first response is to shut them out of community activities and no longer invited to be a speaker, no longer celebrated in their publications as a leader, no longer acknowledged as a community leader. If it continues, and you don't learn your lesson, the censorship takes on an activism that equates your voice with the voice of those the activists attack. Suddenly, you are no longer a "real Palestinian." Instead, you are a "Jew-lover" or a "Zionist sympathizer." And when you still persist, the attacks increase in the form of personal attacks, slander and libel.

I know this happens on the pro-Israeli side, too. But the fact is that it happens and it needs to be addressed and groups that engage in this practice, pro-Arab or pro-Israeli, are not principled. They are not moral. And they do not serve justice. It's all about selfish politics, and a political hate industry that feeds the growing Arab-Israeli conflict and prevents peace.

They don't just want to shut you out. They want to shut you up.

Arab Americans are not allowed to denounce Hamas or call Hamas a "terrorist organization." If you do, you will be ostracized and blacklisted from Arab American organizations and activities.

Arab Americans are not allowed to denounce suicide bombings, without adding the caveat that it is the result of oppression and that the suicide bombers are forced to blow themselves up and take innocent civilians with them because of the brutality of the Israeli occupation.

Arab Americans are not allowed to be honest about their own history. Yes, in 1948, Palestine was wrongly partitioned. Hajj Amin al-Husseini, a religious extremist, imposed himself as the leader of the popular resistance and, when things didn't go his way, he embraced the Nazis using the Biblical strategy that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." The Israelis also embraced this hypocrisy.

Arab Americans are not allowed to point out that there is an increasing tension between Muslims and the dwindling Christian Arab community. It is one of the most sacred no-no’s that challenges the Arab World claim that if only we could return to 1948 and create "one state" where "Christians, Muslims and Jews" could live together in peace, everything would be great.

Arab Americans are not allowed to acknowledge that we have committed heinous crimes against not only Jews, but also anyone who opposed our thinking.

Arab Americans are not allowed to criticize their leaders, even when their leaders are wrong. In a truly free society, leadership is defined not by who holds the microphone and has the most friends, but by the ability to tolerate criticism and divergent voices. Criticism makes leaders accountable. In the Arab American community, the leadership is not accountable to the public and the organizations rule in much the same way as the Middle East dictatorships from which most of them have emerged and coddle.

Arab Americans who are pushed out of the Palestinian circle of "freedom" are denied their rights to free speech. The extremists insist that they are the true voice of justice, and yet they embrace injustice as their cause by attacking not only all Jews but any Arabs who dare to challenge their leadership.

Arab Americans are not allowed to ask their leaders: What are your real achievements besides pandering to the emotion of the frustrated masses? What have you done in your endless term of office? What are your achievements, besides organizing an event to raise money? How have you spent that money and on what?

Arab Americans are not allowed to force their leaders to be accountable.

Arabs live in American physically. But mentally, many of us still live back home. We think and act like the dictatorships have taught us to act. Don't "air the dirty laundry." It's better to pretend the dirty laundry does not exist. The phrase "dirty laundry" is a euphemism for "failures."

Pretend you support peace based on compromise, but the real goal is peace based on conquest. Many Palestinians and their Arab leaders want to destroy Israel, not compromise with Israel. They talk the talk of peace, but have no intentions of embracing peace based on compromise.

They criticize the "corruption" of the regime of the late President Yasir Arafat, but are silent on the moral corruption of Hamas and the Islamicist fanatics who dominate our causes today.

Palestine is no longer a secular cause based on justice. It is today a religious mantra that is little more than a stepping stone to world domination by the religious extremists.

Yet, despite these challenges, many moderates like myself, refuse to surrender to the extremism on both sides. One day, the silent majority of moderate Arab Americans and Arabs in the Middle East will stand up and be counted. They will bring down the fanatics who champion and distort and destroy their causes.

Until Arab Americans and Arabs in the Middle East overcome the cultural inhibition against challenging the extremism, airing the "dirty laundry" and demanding that their leaders be accountable, the "Question of Palestine" will always be a question and little more than a fading dream.

Timotheos

I watched a short film today, by Dutch politician Geert Wilders, called Fitna. It's a film that depicts Islamofascism at its worst. First I'd like to caution anyone who clicks on the link that there are some very disturbing images in the short film. If you are easily disturbed, as am I, do not click on it. Some will be quick to brand the film as nothing more than racist propaganda. I'm not here to argue if that labeling is justified or not. As far as I'm concerned, Wilders just might be another Eurofascist who doesn't want nonwhites in his country. But does that take away from the fact that there may be some truth in the film? What's disturbing to me is that racists are high jacking legitimate concerns about Islamic extremism. Why are we allowing this? It is because we are afraid of being called racist. There is nothing racist about wanting to stop the spread of a potentially dangerous worldview. We must stop viewing Islamic radicals as nonwhites who are victims of western imperialism. They've got their own oppressive agenda and we must confront it.

It is crucial that we take back the fight against radical Islam from the far right extremists of Europe. They include the British National Party, the Freedom Party (Austria), Vlaams Belang (Belgium), and the French National Front to name a few.

So what is the biggest threat to our world today? It's not radical Islam or Euro fascism. It's paranoia plain and simple. We are too darn paranoid to be called racist or culturally insensitive so we allow third world extremism to flourish. It's time to stop handling Islamic radicalism with kid gloves and call it what it is...another form of fascism.

ஃபார்க் கிளர்ச்சிக்காரர்களால் 6 வருடங்கள் பிடித்து வைக்கப்பட்ட நிலையில் புதன்கிழமை மீட்கப்பட்ட கொலம்பிய அதிபர் தேர்தலுக்கான முன்னாள் வேட்பாளரான இன்கிரிட் பெத்தான்கூர் அவர்கள், தான் வளர்ந்த பிரான்ஸ் நாட்டுக்கு சென்றுள்ளார்.

இந்த தருணத்துக்காக தான் 7 வருடங்கள் காத்திருந்ததாகவும், பிரான்ஸுக்கு தான் நன்றிக்கடன் பட்டிருப்பதாகவும் அவர் அங்கு தெரிவித்தார்.

அவரது மீட்புக்கான இராணுவ நடவடிக்கையில் பங்கேற்காத போதிலும், அவரை விடுவிக்க வேண்டும் என்று ஊக்கத்துடன் பிரச்சாரம் செய்துவந்த, பிரான்ஸ் அதிபர் சர்கோஸி அவர்களையும் பெட்டன்கூட் அவர்கள் சந்தித்தார்.

தேர்தலில் சர்கோஸிக்கு கிடைக்கவிருந்த மோசமான வாக்குவீதத்தை மாற்றி அதனை ஊக்குவிப்பதற்காகவே, உண்மையில்பெத்தான்கூரை விடுவிக்க வேண்டும் என்று சர்கோஸி பிரச்சாரம் செய்துவந்தார் என்று அவரது விமர்சகர்கள் கூறிவந்தனர்.

ALOHA AND MAHALO TO EVERYONE WHO EXPRESSED THEIR CONCERNS OVER OUR RECENT OUTAGE. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE ARE BACK UP AND RUNNING DESPITE THE BEST EFFORTS OF THOSE WHO THINK GOD HAS GIVEN THEM OWNERSHIP OF THE INTERNET!

(Ben Heine © Cartoons)
Hackers have been busy attacking the servers of What Really Happened non stop for the past two weeks...

Statement from Michael Rivero...

Obviously, we are back up and running (and already the hack attacks are resuming).

I want to make a point here.

All this crap the US Government is saying about how it needs to read our emails to find the terrorists is nonsense. Real terrorists (not the Mossad phonies running around playing at being Al Qaeda) may safely be presumed to use the same methods hackers use. So, if the US Government cannot find and stop the hackers, they cannot find and stop real terrorists. If the US Government cannot read the hackers' emails in order to arrest then, then the US Government cannot read the terrorists' emails to find and arrest them.

The continuing presence of the hacker problem is proof that the US Government is totally impotent to deal with a real terror threat on the internet. They can't do it. Their cyber-dicks are limp.

So, all this monitoring of the emails of ordinary citizens is a total waste of time and tax money.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are those Israelis 'citizens' or plain terrorists and criminals? (Warning: Disturbing Photos)

By Cherifa Sirry

Citizens or terrorists and militias?? Why aren't they on the US "terror" list?? Don't they qualify? Home-made Israeli settler rockets Israeli settlers are not content that they are living on illegally occupied territory and in illegally-built settlements. They are not content that they are allowed to roam the streets of Israel armed to the teeth… killing, mutilating and torturing Palestinian citizens and children without accountability while the IDF, mainstream media and the 'civilized’ world pretend not to notice. Israeli settlers now are building their own home-made rockets and are firing them at Palestinian refugees because they do not agree that Israel should withdraw from any of the occupied territories or make any concessions to the Palestinians in order to achieve a state of peace. As far as they are concerned, anyone living between the Nile and the Euphrates should vacate so that the 'holy’ settlers can loot their lands, homes and properties as they’ve always done throughout history and suck every drop of blood from their victims until they explode. Yesterday Israeli settlers fired 2 home-made rockets near a school in the village of Burin which is located between 2 illegal settlements. The rockets were named 'Sharon 1’ and 'Sharon 2’. How appropriate indeed. The entire IDF is not enough for the settlers. The land which was allocated to Israel by the UN as well as the land which Israel annexed illegally in the various wars it launched against its neighbors is also not enough for those settlers. These vicious, extremist, nasty and greedy blood-suckers are now developing their own rockets in order to keep and expand their illegal settlements against International Law and against every international agreement, resolution or convention that govern or apply to the Arab/Israeli conflict. Will the UN condemn the Israeli settlers’ actions? I hardly think so. It never condemned them for any of their previous horrific crimes so why would it condemn them for starting to make their own rockets. The UN might even justify the settlers’ actions as "self defense" just as it justified practically all of Israel’s actions as "self defense" for the past 60 years. It seems that Israel and its settlers need to blow up the entire Middle East and beyond in their quest for 'peace’ and pursuit of "self defense". Along the past years, Israeli settlers have consistently and regularly attacked Palestinian civilians, kidnapped them, tortured them, killed and mutilated them, burned their olive fields or sawed their trees off. Settlers simply kicked Palestinians out of their lands and homes by using extremely violent means, stoned them, stabbed them and stole whatever was left of their money and gold jewelry. This is criminal behavior galore. This is TERRORISM. Those settlers however are never held accountable. Their actions are never even mentioned in the news. Palestinian boy tortured to death by settlers Last month settlers booed Ehud Olmert off a stage while he was giving a speech in which he suggested that Israel should return to Syria the occupied Golan in exchange for peace. Olmert who is no less than the Israeli Prime Minister, wasn’t even allowed to finish his speech. Settlers shouted at him and came out with signs saying that the Golan was "sovereign Israeli land (imagine that!) and the Israeli Prime Minister couldn’t stand up to them and had to shut up and change the subject. The Israeli government made a huge mistake by allowing those settlers to get so out of control because the IDF now simply has the additional duty of protecting Israel from its own people… the Israeli settlers. The more fronts the IDF has to face, the better news for the Arab world… and let’s also not forget that Israel 's refuseniks’ movement is growing steadily with Ehud Olmert’s son as one of its prime members! More fronts to fight.. More refuseniks.. More emigration and less immigration... More Palestinians... Stronger neighbors... And… Bye bye Israel More Photos of Settler-Terrorists This is the education Israeli children get.. This is how Israelis aim to achieve "peace" with their neighbors. This is the "Island of democracy" in the Middle East. http://www.wakeupfromyourslumber.com/node/7330 Cherifa Sirry is a writer and regular correspondent with Axis of Logic with a keen interest in the defense of Palestine and Lebanon. She lives in Egypt.

Timotheos

This is a clear case of community profiling which is considered to be a very harmful way of working towards community cohesion, in fact as stated above, will do the exact opposite.

After experiencing first hand some of the things mentioned in the document and other similar documents in a local university earlier this year when supporting the Islamic society in organising events and helping them establish themselves as an independant body, to be integrated into the Students union and be an active part f the university, many obstacles and 'trials' were put in our way under the guise of 'community cohesion' and preventing violent extremism. Basically they were putting into practise the aforementioned document. basically it doesnt work. It can cause more harm than good, ask the guys at the university Islamic society!

http://www.dius.gov.uk/publications/extremismfe.pdf

http://www.dius.gov.uk/publications/extremismhe.pdf

The Role of Further Education Providers in Promoting Community Cohesion, Fostering Shared Values and Preventing Extremism

(Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills)

BECON (Black Ethnic Minority Community Organisations Network) is the regional infrastructure organisation for the BME voluntary and community sector in the North East of England. BECON is a membership based organisation and primarily works with Black and Minority Ethnic voluntary and community sector in the region. BECON has been successful in establishing a network of over 144 BME groups. Currently BECON continues to support 90 front line groups and three locality-based networks through training, information dissemination, networking opportunities and support on local and regional policy development. BECON is also working nationally with other regional and national partners through Voice4Change England.

Over the last seven years, the rhetoric of community cohesion has become central to the government’s thinking on ‘managing race relations’ and race equality in Britain. This approach, however, gives an impression of fundamental problems with minority communities incapable of living in Britain as ‘citizens’. It is not surprising therefore that the first mention of the concept appears in Ted Cantle’s report on the disturbances in Northern cities. As an organisation working with the BME voluntary and community sector and on race equality in the North East of England, BECON is developing its general position on ‘community cohesion’. This work is currently being undertaken as part of a working group organised by Voice4Change England, the national BME VCS partnership of 19 BME regional and national organisations.

This paper, therefore, is not a consultation response to The Role of Further Education Providers in Promoting Community Cohesion, Fostering Shared Values and Preventing Extremism. This paper needs to be read as a working position paper for BECON, while on a journey to develop a more coherent position on issues raised by ‘community cohesion’ rhetoric in general and the consultation document in particular.

The document The Role of Further Education Providers in Promoting Community Cohesion, Fostering Shared Values and Preventing Extremism makes a direct and clear connection between ‘extreme violence’ and influence of Al Qaida. Although, the document stops short of equating such violence with Islam and the Muslim community in Britain and therefore take away the focus from one community in the document, in practice it will be difficult to develop a sophisticated discourse that continues to make this distinction between the threat of Al Qaida and Islam and the Muslim community in Britain. In this context, the document remains silent on developing a clear distinction between terrorism and the Muslim community. While the document does seem to suggest dealing with ‘all kind’ of violent extremism, it does not clarify what other kind of threats the government perceives as damaging to the society and its cohesiveness and what impact they may have on the well being of community relations.

BECON is concerned that the rhetoric of community cohesion may brush aside any discussion on structurally entrenched inequalities of race and racism as unimportant or of not immediate importance. This seems to emerge from the language and conceptualisation of the document. Similarly, the document has no focus on the media, print and visual, that is replete with stories on Islamophobia and racism creating an environment of mistrust and hatred between communities. In dealing with issues that can be emotive, the government’s focus in the document, and generally with the rhetoric of community cohesion, is to develop heavy handed practices than address fundamental issues.

The language used in the document, and other policy documents on community cohesion, allows the government to develop a national narrative of unity. This process in turn develops as a ‘meta-narrative’ of Britishness. Any other narrative, therefore, that challenges the ‘meta-narrative’ of Britishness, for example, race inequality, institutional racism and multiculturalism, are consigned as anti-British. One particular example in recent times has been the vitriolic response to the Archbishop’s comment on possible incorporation of elements of Sharia law within the British legal system. While the Archbishop was exercising his right to speech, a value enshrined in the document as a ‘British value’, the nature of Islamophobic material in the print and visual media does demonstrated the fragility and hollowness of the values heralded by the government of ‘free speech’ and ‘campaigning by citizens for change’. In this context it is important to remind that all political parties summarily dismissed suggestions by the Archbishop without taking the trouble of going into a discussion and debate on what he suggested. This is another value enshrined in the document as ‘British’.

Therefore, to not focus on the wider social environment within which communities are living is completely forgotten and neglected in the document. It is not our intention to argue that the document itself does not speak of ‘tolerance’ of different views and developing spaces for discussions and debates. However, as a set of principles, the document does not make any efforts to explore causal links with some of the pressing problems it sees facing the country and developing an effective, comprehensive and collective mechanism to deal with such complex issues. Instead, institutions of further education are considered as another mechanism to spy on pupils and their behaviour from the Muslim community.

In this context, it is interesting that while the document claims to address issues of ‘violent extremism’, five out of six examples directly link activities with Al Qada influenced terrorism. In fact some examples used may highlight scenario that may be appropriate for describing how to spy on others. In one such example (Example 1), leaflets left on a table in Arabic should be looked at suspiciously as some other papers in English had inflammatory titles. Quite clearly, racism that emerges from encountering the unknown is clearly expressed by this example. It is our contention, therefore, that the document, despite claiming to open up healthy debate on identity and cohesion etc, does exactly the opposite by making a community an object of constant vigilance and control.

BECON’s current position is therefore informed by the following:

(a) The community cohesion agenda as public policy is based on Ted Cantle’s report which has been criticized for being simplistic in its understanding of persisting inequalities, discrimination and ‘parallel lives’ in Northern Cities

(b) Empirical and theoretical work on issues of identity, language, self and community. BECON’s position is also informed by the process advocated by Lord Bikhu Parekh in his important contribution to the future of multi-ethnic Britain

(c) Discussions on equality, especially race equality and links between equality and community cohesion.

(d) Public policy around community cohesion is being developed vis-à-vis multiculturalism and therefore takes little or no cognisance of multiculturalism as a social reality.

(e) Emphasis on ‘cohesion’ is leading to a public rhetoric where racism, institutional racism and Islamophobia are becoming respectful. We believe that such a scenario is a regressive step from a situation where UK led on development and implementation of race equality law. This process will increase the political space available to the far right in Britain.

(f) This position does not defend or condone in any way criminal activities in which people may be involved. However, this position does raise certain questions where while the State demands certain outcomes from institutions of society of good community relations, it is less reflective and transparent on impact of its national and international policies on community relations.

(g) The single national narrative of Britishness is considered to comprise of a set of values that may transcend ethnicity or race. However several accounts of the rhetoric of Britishness have clearly pointed to the links between the values and ‘whiteness’ as identity.

(h) While the ideal of ‘free speech’ is considered as a cornerstone in Further Education and Higher Educational institutions, the limits of free speech in Archbishop’s situation, as discussed above, are clearly apparent.

(i) While free speech and debate is considered central to Britishness, we also need to be open to the possibility that Britishness as a coherent and time tested value system can also be questioned and debated.

Especially when it comes to racial extremists. We are all aware of the white supremacists and the idiots who march around in sheets. But there exist extremists on the other side of the aisle too. First, let's talk about the anti-everyone-who-does-not-share-my-inbred-genes groups.

Many people do not realize that white extremists still exist. They still march, still shout, still spew hatred, still try to intimidate. This news story tells of these bigots trying to stage a "rally" in Athens, Alabama last year. According to this news account, the people of the city made a stand against them. I hope that is accurate.

Most of these groups have been rightfully marginalized, and no longer have political clout or the grass roots sympathies they once did. That does not mean we can drop our vigilance of them - it just means that their effectiveness has been muted.

Which brings us to our second group - the black extremist.

In my area, the "International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement", or Uhurus, has a significant presence. You may never have heard of them. However, they are often quoted in news stories relating to race issues in my area. The politicians here try to appease them, although such efforts are generally rebuffed. And this is why I consider the black extremists more dangerous than the white extremists: these groups are not marginalized, and have the ear of the media and politicians.

In the Uhuru's own words, they believe every black person in prison is a "prisoner of war" and must be freed. They call the police an "occupying army", who are stealing resources from African Americans. They state public education amounts to "criminalization of African children" and call for an "end to the white nationalists anti-African curriculum that is being used." They also call special education "a system of mind control, tracking African children into failure and prisons." They accuse the public health care system of genocide against African Americans. They call Barack Obama "WHITE POWER IN BLACK FACE". The list goes on.

The Uhuru followers have been implicated in two riots in the City of St. Petersburg, Florida. And yet, instead of being treated like the terrorists they are, they are quoted by the media, and coddled by politicians who have no spine. In fact, my own work site restricts access to the white supremacist sites, yet allows access to the Uhuru sites.

You will gain nothing trying to appease terrorists.

We need to get past worrying about being called a "racist", when in fact we are pointing out terrorists. Whether those terrorists are white, black or brown does not matter. Whether they call themselves Ku Klux Klan, Uhuru or Al Queda does not matter. We need to treat them all the same.

How's that for equality for you?

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Hundreds of people paid their respects in King's Cross station this morning to remember the 52 people killed in the 7/7 bombings in London three years ago.

Survivors and friends also attended low-key services at the sites of the other three blasts.

Four bombers detonated bombs on three Tube trains and a bus in 2005.  Mohammad Sidique Khan, 30, Shehzad Tanweer, 22, and Hasib Mir Hussain, 18, all lived in West Yorkshire while Germaine Lindsay, 19, was from Buckinghamshire.

Devices were detonated near Russell Square, Aldgate and Edgware Road tube stations and on a bus in Tavistock Square.

Meanwhile, the Evening Standard reports that a party is being held in Pakistan in honour of one of the terrorists.  The family of Shehzad Tanweer and 400 guests will "celebrate his life" and "remember him as a martyr" at his grave in a Pakistani village.

The celebration is being described as an insult to the 52 London commuters that were murdered in the attack. 

Shehzad Tanweer's uncle, 42-year-old property developer Tahir Pervez, who is organising the party, said he has "fond feelings" for his nephew.  He added that Tanweer's mother was "still devastated" at the loss of her son. 

Seven people were killed and 171 injured when Tanweer detonated his rucksack bomb on a westbound Circle line train near Aldgate station.

Relatives of those murdered in the London bombings have spoken about how they feel stuck "in limbo" as they wait for an inquest.  Three years since the suicide bombings, the families have yet to receive death certificates or a public hearing.

The coroner has warned the families that no hearing can take place until a current trial of three men accused of helping the 7/7 bombers is complete.

Two of my friends are quite controlled freak but even though the romanticism in the air was forcing them to sing and act like teenagers. Good weather always has deep impact on me and in that wonderful environment enabled me to transform my mood as well.  To add to our 'trouble' of being romantic, we suddenly find a pack of "chicks" around us enjoying the bliss of nature. The gals were ultra-modern, stylish and to boot appealing enough that it was getting hard for guys to refrain from some ogling. Luckily or unluckily, the chicks were in lively mood and soon we were having some nice chit chat with them. Finally, the gals gotta go and saying adieu to them became hardest thing to do for us but yes there was no other choice. So a long wave of hands and than even longer silence prevailed after that.

After wandering in the woods for another hour or so, we left Murree and stopped at a small hilly restaurant for cola and Pakoras (Pakistani traditional snacks). At that moment, I just heard some noise around and out of curiosity; I went straight to the side from where the noise was coming. Oh my god…I witnessed countless chicks there. But these chicks were confined in big coops. Yes, you got, here I mean there were so many hens and at that particular moment they were making hue and cry as the restraint-guy was attempting to snatch one of the chicks, which was destined to get into pieces very soon of course.

I find the scene ugly to watch and decided to move myself from the sight but an intriguing idea came in my mind and that was to observe the reaction of the chicks who survived this time but one of their co-habitant and friend was being cut into pieces before their eyes. As I was feeling the pain of these chicks, the next thing happened there was most surprising for me. As the restaurant-guy was engaged in cutting the ill-fated chick into pieces, the chicks in the coop were again busy in eating grain. They were doing it as fast as they could as the most important work on the earth is eating grain and they were doing so by totally ignoring what had happened to their friend just a few moments ago.

During rest of the journey to Islamabad, I could not speak a word and was totally lost and aloof. My friends inquired the reason of this sadness and started advising me that don't think too much about those ladies whom we had met at Murree. I could not tell them that normally saying adieu to people whom I like is of course always a saddening thing for me. But at that particular time, I was not thinking of those beautiful and elegant chicks. Even I was not thinking about the disgusting behavior of the chicks in the coops as their behavior was guided by instinct. In fact I was thinking about the cuckoos. Yes, the cuckoos, but not those beautiful singing birds,  those were the cuckoos (stupid politically corrects) who are denying that there is a real threats to humanity by the forces of darkness and even they are defending these barbarians with their naïve ideas e.g. cultural pluralism etc.,  while the barbarians are on rampage and cutting the humanity into pieces before their eyes everyday.

I was lost in so many questions. Yes, chicks are just chicks but what happened to these cuckoos who represent themselves as politicians, writer, intellectuals, thinkers etc. and yet they are not able to see the danger to humanity. Barbarians are inroading into Europe with a clear agenda of curbing civil liberties and impose 7^th century’s dark and primitive desert code of life on others. They are ready to kill genocide and eliminate whomever they feel may hinder their evil agenda. The mad mullas in Iran are hunting down every voice of dissent and everyday freethinkers and women are either being hanged or subject to other harsh and inhumane punishments. In Pakistan, apostates, freethinkers and members of minorities are being terrorized by draconian laws of state are getting stabbed to death on roads by frenzy mobs.

I was lost in the thoughts that how some apologists are busy in repeating the mantra "Islam is peaceful religion" while thousand of innocent people around the world is being killed everyday by those who are inspired by  the teachings of "glorious" Quran. The persuasion for violence and hate speeches against the humanity in allegedly divine book can be noted on almost every page of it. The people are victim of this philosophy from last so many centuries at right at this moment, barbarians are busy in killing, maiming and plotting against entire humanity. But at other hand, the cuckoos are busy in the business of appeasement and making it an easier task for barbarians to work on their evil agenda further while their brethren in faith and so-called "moderate" are paving roads for them by applying deceptive tools.

My mind was recalling various cuckoos with those I had interacted and talked about this growing threat.  A friend from Brazil said, "Oh common friend, we are pretty safe here". I could not make him realize that 1400 years ago Iranians uttered the same comment when the terrorized people of Mecca approached them for help. But what happened to Iranians later, it's an appalling and dreadful history. A lady friend of mine who was 100 PC agreed with me about the threat suddenly got a high profile job in a Canadian NGO. She moved to an elite place and then she was so happy with his newly find life style that she considered the issue worthless to discuss anymore. She forgot the fate of once highly honorable Indian ladies who were captured as war-booty and turned into sex slaves by faith-driven barbarian invaders. So being safe and secure time being doesn't mean you are safe and what about those whom you left behind amidst the crocodiles. Pity on this selfishness….   

A "Dhimi" (member of minorities living in Islamic state) also came in my mind. The naïve Christian guy was talking about peace by interfaith dialogue with those who are divinely mandated to eradicate all others from the face of earth to make the religion "pure" for Allah. He was so much into act of appeasement and had turned into brain-dead zombie that he avoided inclusion of a Jewish symbol in his so-called "peace-museum" just not to offend Muslims who hate Jews at most. The guy get so frightened that he stopped interaction with me when find that I don't believe in cosmetic actions but to call a spade a spade and aware of real threat. I wanted to share with him our common concerns but he gets evaporated all in sudden.

The journey was over finally, but the list of cuckoos remained endless, the naïve western donors investing in "peaceful Islam", the coward dhimis, the elite fashionable ladies and rich but loose guys sponsoring Jehadis to overcome their guilt of living a westernize life.   The western politicians that are not aware of the suffering of humanity and still not able to see that barbarians are about to knock at their doors. I feel the pain of every individual who is victim of disgusting philosophy of hate and while I'm quite aware of the fact that I may be the next victim and the so-called global community would not move this time either. The caged chicks were guided by instinct while being busy in eating grain. But what’s wrong with these cuckoos? Are they born to grab few votes, some cheap popularity and some Dollars only?