Anti-Islam influencer Valentina Gomez has been blocked from entering the UK by the Home Secretary.

She was due to speak at the Unite the Kingdom rally next month organised by Tommy Robinson, and had been given permission to enter via a UK electronic travel authorisation (ETA), according to her X account.

But after a backlash from MPs and campaign groups, the Government has intervened because her presence would not be conducive to the public good, it is understood.

Shabana Mahmood used the same justification for blocking rapper Kanye West from entering earlier this month.

The Gold Digger rapper, now known as Ye, has used Nazi imagery and faced accusations of antisemitism.

Ms Gomez was excluded from the UK on the grounds that the democratic right to expression does not extend to promoting hatred and extremism, it understood.

The Home Secretary has the power to cancel a person’s permission to enter or stay in the UK.

US-based Ms Gomez reportedly gained notoriety through a series of anti-Islam stunts including burning a copy of the Koran and vowing to rid Texas of the religion if she was in power.

Last week, Homelessness charity Centrepoint said it had cut ties with Sharon Osbourne after she expressed support for the Unite the Kingdom rally on May 16.

Its previous protest in September, which Ms Gomez is said to have spoken at, was attended by between 110,000 and 150,000 people.

After much fanfare, What British Muslims Really Think, aired on Channel 4 last night, hosted by Trevor Phillips.

It promised “an extensive and rigorous survey to get a better understanding of British Muslims’ attitudes to living in Britain and British institutions”; but did it deliver on its promise?

One major problem was the arguments put forward by Trevor Phillips. On several occasions he misrepresented polling data. The first example concerns how social Muslims are with non-Muslims. He led with the stat that 56 per cent mix with non-Muslims outside of their home on a daily basis. Yes, it’s true that 21 per cent visit non-Muslims once a year, and the same figure never visit non-Muslim homes.  Audiences were not told, however, that 17 per cent of Muslims have social visits from non-Muslims in their homes on a daily basis. That figure rises to 19 per cent on a weekly basis and a fifth on a monthly basis. Muslims polled by ICM make a similar effort to visit the homes of their non-Muslims friends on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

Nor did Trevor Phillips seek to interrogate this question. He did not consider why some Muslims would not visit the homes of non-Muslims. Did he not consider the health of individuals? Disability or long-term health issues may limit social activities and visits. What of economic factors like the cost of bus fares in deprived areas limiting social mobility and activities?

Young Muslims were also more likely to have non-Muslim friends visit their homes on a daily basis. And social mixing also exists on social media platforms. These factors were simply ignored.

The ICM poll has its flaws but it remains a comprehensive look at the views of 51 per cent of self-identified Muslims in England and Wales. Nor did the poll explore the diversity of Islamic belief – were individuals Sunni, Shia, Deobandi?

Just over a fifth of Muslims polled make no effort to visit a mosque, and 17 per cent only attend on special occasions. This is not a measure of religiosity; but it speaks to how individuals interpret their own faith. The documentary failed to show the diversity of belief outside of liberal and conservative binaries.

Trevor Phillips drew a comparison between how Christians and Muslims understand their faiths.  This matters in the context of freedom of expression. ICM’s data did show a clear divide between Muslims and the control group sample on blasphemy.

Responses in the control group were more in favour of publishing cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. A fifth of non-Muslims who rejected this position were Christian.

Opinions in the control group sample were even more divided on the question of publishing cartoons that mock the prophet Muhammad. Almost half said that publications should not have this right. And that included 32 per cent of non-religious people and 50 per cent of Christians.

His own analysis of the polling data allowed him to argue that  policy makers had misjudged the aspirations of Muslim integration when compared to Hindu and Sikhs.

Difficult questions around women about obeying their husbands may owe to cultural conservatism given the over-representation of South Asians in the poll data. Phillips did at least seek some understanding of this question. One woman suggested that obedience in the context of pleasing God would suffice. How representative these positions are of course, are open to interpretation and insinuation.

It’s true that 35 per cent of 18-24 year olds also found polygamy acceptable. He did not inform the audience that 34 per cent of Muslims aged 18-24 did not find it acceptable. Disagreement on this issue grew with each age category until we arrive at the over 65s.

This pattern continued into the question of integration. Trevor Phillips gave weight to the small majority of Muslims who wish to lead a separate Islamic life. Yet he did not reveal that 49 per cent of Muslims want to integrate with non-Muslims in all aspects of life. And that is broadly true among British Muslims young and old.

Phillips goes on to speculate that 500,000 Muslims in Britain want to live parallel, separate lives. He does not afford the same level of speculation for the greater number of Muslims seeking total integration. This type of speculation appeared earlier in relation to sympathy for suicide bombings among four per cent of Muslims; but not for the one per cent of the control sample who also expressed sympathy.

A proclivity towards antisemitic tropes is a troubling finding. Yet British Muslims also expressed tolerance towards Jewish communities.

Phillips also made a confusing statement about the caliphate and ISIS. Just 7 per cent endorsed the principal of a caliphate. That figure drops to 3 per cent when asked if they support how ISIS established their violent version of a caliphate.

ICM also justified the use of the word ‘sympathy’ in relation to violence and support for terrorism because it had appeared in other surveys. Yet again, our understanding of this vague term remains open to interpretation. Putting aside social desirability bias, a small minority of Muslims still expressed any sympathy for terrorism or violence.

Muslims (34 per cent) were also more likely than the control group survey (30 per cent) to report individuals to police if they suspected their involvement in terrorism in Syria. Yet this was not reflected in the documentary.

Other points missing from the documentary included that non-Muslims had also expressed similar levels of sympathy for violence against unjust governments. That also extended to use of violence against police injustice.

Muslims were also more likely to condemn the use of violence to protect their family. This is also true for non-violent radical groups. Nor were the desires or sympathies for violence among non-Muslims explored.

The poll does highlight some troubling and positive views among British Muslims. At times Phillips did highlight some nuances in the poll data – like the generational divide on LGBT issues.

Misrepresenting ICM’s poll data does not improve debate.

The post How Trevor Phillips misrepresented ICM’s poll on British Muslims appeared first on TELL MAMA.

A far-right chapter of the anti-Islam group Soldiers of Odin has called for volunteers to join its street patrols.

The Facebook page Soldiers of Odin UK South Division wants to extend patrols this weekend. Cities earmarked for patrols include Bristol, Plymouth and South London.

Online posts promote community and loyalty. The group denies holding racist or white supremacist views. But these statements erode under scrutiny. Photos from the violent neo-Nazi protest in Dover appeared in their mobile uploads folder on January 30. One photo featured the flag of the national socialist group British Movement. They shared Channel 4’s coverage of the violence and the page admins had ‘liked‘ some of the violent comments.

On February 13 the group promoted the homophobic and racist propaganda of YouTube user whiteMedia4. In 2012, whiteMedia4 uploaded a video that attempted to expunge Hitler’s deep-rooted antisemitism. The idea that Hitler’s antisemitism was a response to ‘Jewish-led’ revolutions in 1919 is a dangerous falsehood. Hitler recalled buying his first antisemitic pamphlets in Vienna – a city he lived in until 1913. He credited Vienna’s mayor and leader of the Christian Social Party Karl Lueger with helping him develop his antisemitic views.  Viewpoints popular among middle-class German nationalists.

A photo of a crude banner that read ‘Islam is the cancer. Patriotism is the answer’ appeared on their timeline on January 29. Their caption “Soldiers of odin active members doing what we do best. More to come very soon ns” invokes the language of the English Defence League and their mantra of ‘no surrender’.

Away from rhetoric and ideology, there is a heavy focus on body image and exercise. Vetted members have free access to a gym.

Other national socialist movements like National Action promote a similar message. National Action asks members to dress in a professional manner as ‘personal image is group image’. Nietzche’s Übermensch, the Superman underpins this drive for perfectibility and will to power. Members must improve their social skills, body confidence, and fitness or defence skills. National Action offers MMA classes and have sent members to Legion MMA camps.

The UK chapters of the Soldiers of Odin are less than forthcoming with their identities. Photos of street activities are stage-managed to promote group identity and protect individual identity.

pic.twitter.com/J0jmuJqJa8

— S.O.O. UK SOUTH (@SOOSDUK1) February 21, 2016

An online echo chamber promotes group identity as the solution to existential threats. Examples of this rhetoric include “Get back the British bulldog spirit and contact us to join up now!”

Merchandise remains a key component of group image. The broad appeal of this movement has resulted in chapters appearing in Canada, Ireland and Portugal. Social media allows members to remain interconnected and motivated beyond traditional borders. Pegida and the Misanthropic Division are other far-right groups which have inspired chapters abroad.

The Irish chapter of Soldiers of Odin also promotes white supremacist materials. Supporters of the far-right Ulster Awake have expressed support, according to the Irish Times.

The post Soldiers of Odin UK seek new recruits for its street patrols appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Morpeth Town Councillor, David Clark, has refused to resign after making a number of Facebook comments that were reported into us by members of the public. Speaking to the Morpeth Herald yesterday, he stated:

“I abhor extremism of any kind and I was referring to extremists and not Islam as a whole.”

Cllr David Clark went onto state that:

“This is my personal opinion and therefore it does not represent the views of any council I am a member of. I will not dignify the questioners with any further response.”

The problem with these responses is that an elected member is liable to be scrutinised for public and private comments they make particularly when those comments relate to issues that may be sensitive to local residents. In this instance, abusing the faith of some local residents, we believe, falls into this category.

The question has to be asked as to whether someone with views about Islam which Cllr Clark holds can honestly and objectively represent, advocate and act on behalf of local residents who happens to be Muslim and followers of Islam? This is the crux of the issue.

Furthermore, when you look at the Facebook statements made by Cllr Clark, they are directly against Islam and, it can be said, against the followers of Islam – Muslims. The statement below illustrates his statement:

“Paul, Islam isn’t a race, it is a cult religion. I still maintain it is the biggest single threat to world peace…..they (one can only assume the followers of Islam – Muslims), are an absolute bunch of nut pots…..just my personal opinion.“

A further comment by Cllr Clark highlights ISIS but then goes onto state that “Islam is the biggest threat to world peace.“

Judging by these documented comments, the response from Cllr Clark simply does not wash. His statements are clear and he could have contextualised them which he did not do.

The question still stands for Cllr Clark. Can he truly represent people who happen to be Muslim in his ward given his views about their faith and could it be said – about them? If his answer is yes, the next question would be, will a local resident who happens to be Muslim feel comfortable being represented by a local councillor with these views?

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