|
Muslim groups blast Blair
16/08/2005 20:39 - (SA)
London - Thirty-eight Muslim groups issued a joint complaint on Tuesday against anti-terrorist measures set out by Prime Minister Tony Blair in the wake of the London bombings, saying they risked demonising Islam.
The groups, including the Islamic Human Rights Commission and the Muslim Association of Britain, also condemned plans to ban the Islamist political organisation, Hizb ut-Tahrir, in Britain.
They said: "We fear that recent events are being exploited by some sections in society to demonise legitimate Islamic values and beliefs and hence consider it appropriate to make the following observations.
"If it is suggested that any laws have been broken by any individuals or groups then this must be proven by due legal process.
"Criminalising the mere possession of certain opinions is the hallmark of dictatorships, not democracies."
Deportation of foreign Islamic radicals
Blair, saying "the rules of the game are changing," announced a raft of measures earlier this month in a bid to rein in Islamic extremists in the wake of the London bombings last month.
They included the deportation of foreign Islamic radicals, and a ban on groups such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, which was among the 38 groups to sign Tuesday's statement.
The statement said banning Hizb ut-Tahrir was "unwarranted, unjust and unwise", adding that any disagreement with a political organisation should be dealt with through debate, not censorship.
Hizb ut-Tahrir, which was banned in some other European and Middle Eastern countries, opposed violence, but some observers claimed it was a gateway for young people towards more violent expressions of Islam.
Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, said: "The British Muslim community has always been a law-abiding community and all its endeavours to create a just society have been entirely peaceful.
"However, we will not allow the demonising, devaluing or targeting of Islamic values, which we hold very dear."
Fact-finding tour
In the north of England, Home Office Minister Hazel Blears continued a post-July 7 fact-finding tour of the nation's Muslim communities ON Tuesday in Leicester, where Muslim representatives were critical of the government's tack.
Suleman Nagdi of the Federation of Muslim Organisations in Leicester said: "We think the way forward is not for legislation, but to engage with the community.
"These particular laws are too draconian and they are uncalled for. There is existing legislation at present that can deal with this issue."
Manzoor Moghal, chairman of the Muslim Forum, an umbrella group for 35 mosques in Leicester, said: "We think that it looks like a knee-jerk reaction in the wake of the July 7 bombings.
"I have been saying for years that it's time we restrict these preachers coming from overseas who are conveying messages of hatred to our young people. They are indoctrinating them."
- AFP
|
News
