In times of increasing polarization and inequality the search for common bonds to build that sense of solidarity and communion can be fleeting and sometimes completely abandoned. The fragmentation of society into atomised groups facilitates an environment of distrust, suspicion and resentment.

The academic Matthew Goodwin intelligently articulated this in his book National Populism: The revolt against liberal democracy where he lays out how some can find it hard to conceptualise any possibility of coming together again. We only have to look at Brexit and the divide between chiefly blue-collar communities and the more liberal professional class.

At the heart of this divide is the sense of social, cultural and economic anxiety and insecurity gripping different groups regarding globalisation and terrorism. It has generated a culture of mistrust with both the elitist institutions for opening British borders to immigrants and unaccountable market forces, and with groups coming from Muslim-majority countries, regarding them as unable to integrate or fundamentally incompatible with British values.

Bridging this gap that now exists between different groups is not easy and it remains to be seen whether there is enough political will to foster both cultural cohesion and a mutual yearning for it between different groups. But the role of faith communities in filling this space will be important. When we talk about the politics of community and belonging, we often ignore the sense of attachment people have to a place which they share with others, and the sense of obligation, duty, reciprocity and care for it that it brings with them. People are connected to their communities but in ones made up of different identities, need something which can create that sense of cultural solidarity and common bond. Attachment to our local communities go beyond class, race, gender and other identities. It is a basic human impulse, to be somewhere and belong somewhere as part of something bigger than ourselves.

Take the story of a local EDL group that once planned a protest few years ago only to be completely disarmed by the local mosque residents offering tea and biscuits when they arrived. It diffused the tension, completely stunned the EDL protesters and resulted in amicable discussions and some of the EDL emerging with better views. In times of growing religious tensions, stories of mosques and synagogues working together to combat racist or provide for food banks illustrates both the value of community in religion but also value of religion in our communities. A most heart-warming news was after Press TV pressured a mosque in Golders Green to stop an exhibition on Muslims who saved Jews during the Holocaust, it was picked up by another mosque. Stories of Muslims and Jews standing together is precisely what extremists on all sides fear: the Islamists wish to divide and lure Muslims into feeling besieged, isolated and surrounded whereas the far-right wish to depict Muslims as the threat to western values. Yet when local stories emerge of mosques participating in helping food banks or synagogues and churches collaborating with Muslims, it provides the perfect riposte to those who believe that some form of communal attachment to each other is impossible.

Churches were central to community organising once, and it’s arguable that the decline in churchgoers has contributed to the erosion of a sense of community. Today they stand as critics of inequality, corporate greed and poverty, and remain a quiet staple of community life in many areas, working with other faith groups to try and revitalise that sense of unity. The Blue Labour founder Maurice Glasman often expressed the importance of churches in reviving grassroots communitarian socialist politics and hailed the importance of interfaith collaborations on making people put aside their differences and focus on the common bonds they shared with each other.

This is more important than ever today. We live in times of asphyxiating tribalism in which labels do more to alienate and isolate than bring together. Extremists would like it that way. A polarised society that does not care for each other does not care about what happens to each other either. But the countless stories of interfaith initiatives involved in rebuilding that sense of community life and belonging demonstrate there is another way forward to push back against the populists and extremists. Some political action at the top directly protecting liberal values will always be necessary but at the bottom, on the ground, it is trying to nurture that sense of the communal life which is vital. And mosques, churches, synagogues and others have an important role to play in that.

Letters have been sent by West Yorkshire Police to mosques and community centres highlighting the march of the far right extremist group, the English Defence League, in Bradford on Saturday the 14th of November 2015. As the extremist group plan to march in West Yorkshire, we highlight the impacts of their sympathisers and their activists on members of the public who happen to be Muslim. Remember, such groups couch their hatred by suggesting that they are marching against ‘Muslim extremists’, though their actions show a different picture with Muslims going about their everyday business, targeted, vilified and abused.

This is the story of Khadija. Whilst we have altered her name and identifying details, the rest of her testimony to Tell MAMA is outlined below. This is the real impact of the activities of these extremist groups who are a burden and nuisance to all of our communities and to the safety of our country.

Khadija’s Story

Khadija is in her 30’s and does not wear the Hijab (a religious headscarf), the Niqab (a face veil) or the Abaya (the body covering which is usually in black).

Khadija was verbally and physically assaulted in April 2015 by individuals sympathetic to the English Defence League and who were carrying EDL flags and identifying material. The perpetrators were white males.

Khadija was at an arcade at a seaside resort and she was with her children and her husband. They had come out for a family day and wanting to smoke, she exited the arcade and noticed that there were men and women holding flags which she could not initially make out, though they were chanting in support of the English Defence League.

Individuals in the EDL demonstration noticed Khadija as she stood by the entrance to the arcade and in a few seconds, she had a group of males around her saying, “we will burn your f****** Qur’an” and “we will pi** on Mohammed”. Scared and shaken she started to move away though at some point as she walked backwards, she felt that she was punched given the sudden pain she felt in her head. In a daze, she glanced and caught site of a female joining in on the assault and at some point, a male pulled off the female perpetrator and in doing so, said the following to Khadija; “you know why the lady was hitting you, because she got raped by a Paki, that’s why”. Completing the sentence, the male perpetrator spat in the face of Khadija.

Khadija eventually was taken to a police station where she made a statement. The actions of the English Defence League’s sympathisers show the brutal reality of its sympathisers who peddle nothing but hate and who use demonstrations in order to target citizens. They continue to be a menace to all of us and our collective safety and security.

This incident also shows how the EDL target anyone who is non-white. They could not have known that Khadija was Muslim – she wore no clothes that were attributable to being a Muslim. They picked on her simply because she was Asian and the attack also was anti-Muslim in nature.

So, next time you hear an EDL sympathiser saying that the EDL are not racist, take a few deep breaths and notice the pig flying behind them. No doubt, they will be telling porkies!

The post As the EDL Plan to March in Bradford, We Provide Testimony About Their Hatred appeared first on TELL MAMA.

This October marks two years since Tommy Robinson departed from the English Defence League (EDL). The Quilliam Foundation had called it “a huge success for community relations in the United Kingdom” and urged others, within far-right and Islamist circles to follow suit. Their staff “facilitated” both Robinson’s departure, and that of the EDL’s co-founder, Kevin Carroll. Quilliam had also offered both men education on Islam and training in lobbying.

Robinson aimed to tackle Islamist ideologies “not with violence but with better, democratic ideas”. He later told BBC Radio 5’s Nicky Campbell “I want to lead the revolution against Islamist ideology, I don’t want to lead the revolution against Muslims“.

When asked if he had regrets, he replied “I apologise if what I have said and represented has not resonated individually with Muslims”.

Beyond these pristine, mineralised and rehearsed statements, the cracks sat in plain sight.

Days before the announcement, Robinson’s Twitter feed continued to pump out anti-Islam content. Two days before Quilliam’s press conference Robinson had tweeted “Muslims created Islamophobia themselves… Go figure!!! They don’t challenge the extremists so we will!!!” Days earlier he tweeted that “Global war/holocaust on Christians… We all know it’s #Islam fueling it…“

Robinson retweeted an EDL endorsement on October 7 2013. Before that, Robinson had failed to intimidate the editor of the anti-far-right website EDL News by posting photos of an unconnected individual’s house on Twitter.

In the subsequent media fallout he remained coy about whether his views had changed. He reiterated to Jeremy Paxman that mosques in the UK must curb the influence of “preachers of hate” and “an end to Islamic immigration until the problem is solved“.

Robinson continued in his refusal to denounce past statements that included opposition to the construction of new mosques “because they preach homophobia and antisemitism“.

He often positioned himself as the authentic and marginalised working-class voice. Robinson exploited social marginalisation and alienation to push negative ideas about Islam and Muslims. Yet, the most active counter-voices to the EDL came from working-class, multicultural communities. Nor did Robinson apologise for the financial strain EDL marches brought upon the very communities he claimed to represent.

Two key Islamophobic ideologues Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller disowned Robinson. Then had a change of heart after “Tommy Robinson has written to us emphasizing that he has not changed his positions”. Both individuals are still banned from entering the UK. Geller later broke off links with Robinson in December 2013.

Jonathan Russell, political liaison officer at the Quilliam Foundation, wrote on October 28 2013: “It might sound surprising, but Tommy Robinson and the senior members of the Quilliam Foundation have something in common: they decided to walk away from extremism“. The comment was made in good faith with some trust in Robinson. That trust was to be trampled upon.

Robinson has always refuted the position that he has turned away from his past. His departure was contingent on ‘infiltration’ from extreme far-right elements and a rejection of street protests. He has never considered himself a ‘former extremist’. A position he reinforced last month when he tweeted to journalist Mehdi Hasan “I didn’t need de radicalising, I’ve been right all along“.

For Robinson, the EDL represented the best and worst of people he had met. Deep down though, even if he will not admit it, the EDL had hit a glass ceiling. Only once had the movement attracted more than 2,000 people to a single protest – that happened in Robinson’s hometown of Luton and it brought together Defence League and other far-right factions from across Europe in 2011.

In 2012, a YouGov poll found that 53 per cent of the British public considered the EDL a racist organisation. A vast majority (77 per cent) of the 1,282 sample would never join the organisation.

In response to Drummer Lee Rigby’s murder in Woolwich, the EDL tweeted “EDL leader Tommy Robinson on way to Woolwich now, Take to the streets peeps ENOUGH IS ENOUGH“. That call to arms created a groundswell of social media interest. And brought thousands of new Facebook likes. On a street level, around 1,000 supporters attended their Downing Street protest on May 27 2013. Two days earlier, between 1,500 and 2,000 supporters attended the EDL’s rally in Newcastle. A month later and the march in Tower Hamlets only attracted around 500 supporters. In spite of their exploitation of a national tragedy, the EDL could not replicate its rising online support on the streets. This does not, however, seek to downplay how the EDL fosters hostility and hatred online or at protests.

Academics like Elisabeth Ivarsflaten theorised that some far-right groups are unable to fight off accusations of racism because ‘their history provides no evidence to support such a contention’. The EDL failed to offer a positive legacy to attract better educated and middle-class members of society who otherwise are put off by the EDL’s history of hooliganism and violence. Anxieties towards Muslims are mainstream yet it was beyond Robinson’s reach in the EDL. A point confirmed by an admin on Robinson’s Facebook page who replied to a comment about Pegida in February “why walk with the EDL? you wont get majority of UK with you. You need to be like Germany and get middle class with you. Admin 2”.

As Robinson mused on October 2 2013: “The biggest decision I have to make is how to evolve , how to use this voice we have created so it is taken more seriously“.

Speculation grew that this evolution would come in the form of a think tank. In January 2014, Robinson started his 18 month sentence for mortgage fraud.

Before entering prison, it emerged that a Northumberland school had cancelled Tommy Robinson’s visit. He was due to visit GCSE and A-level religious education classes with Dr Usama Hasan of the Quilliam Foundation.

A month later and it emerged that Maajid Nawaz, the Quilliam Foundation’s founding chairman, had written to a senior Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) official in October 2013, requesting government money to ween Robinson away from dependence on EDL donors. That funding did not materialise as Nawaz would later tweet to journalist Sunny Hundal “we applied for programme to support his personal change,distinct from leaving the group. If approved, may have yielded results”.

Robinson was released in June under licence but in October 2014 he was recalled to prison. He spoke at the Oxford Union a month later.

In a December 2014 interview, Robinson hinted at a possible return to the EDL. He also explained why he was voting Ukip, and warned of an impending civil war between Muslims and non-Muslims.

When asked if saw a future with the EDL last March, Robinson responded “I see EDL doing well and I am certainly open to it“.

The Dudley election scandal raised further questions about Robinson’s EDL links. Afzal Amin had allegedly plotted to win votes by stopping a fake EDL protest. Present in the meeting was Tommy Robinson and current EDL chairman Steve Eddowes.

In exchange for their support, Amin promised to be an “unshakeable” ally for the EDL in parliament if elected. The Conservative Party later suspended Amin.

One of the terms of Robinson’s early release from prison included no contact with the EDL until the end of his original sentence. If that meeting had any influence on the decision to recall Robinson to prison remains unclear. Robinson then found himself under arrest again in August.

Free from prison and it seems that Robinson’s focus is now with Pegida. But this is nothing new as Robinson endorsed the movement last January. He confirmed that an associate and former member of the EDL had flown to Germany to meet with the group. In September his Facebook page promoted a Pegida rally in London.

Earlier this month, Robinson travelled to the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands to speak at a Pegida rally. He was unapologetic about forming the EDL and told the crowd: “I am proud of forming a resistance movement in my own country to the Islamisation of my town and country”.

Robinson continued “Do I think we should go back to the street demonstrations that we had with the EDL? No. But I think the time has come to unite across Europe because we have to save our culture.”

A week later and Robinson spoke at Pegida’s anniversary rally in Dresden – where an estimated 40,000 people attended. Robinson again justified the necessity of Defence Leagues:

“Though I am no longer involved with the English Defence League I know that since almost the beginning of its existence many in Germany have supported our efforts to speak the truth about Islam.  Even last week members of the German Defence League travelled 10 hours to Aylesbury to join the shout out against Muslim rape gangs that have proliferated in our beautiful country.  I salute those determined GDL members!

Defence Leagues throughout Europe are necessary because Governments and Bureaucracies refuse to listen to the fears and concerns of the vast majority of the people.  These Governments and Bureaucracies need help in getting their priorities right!”

Robinson had shared a platform with a man who joked about placing Muslims in concentration camps.

His social media feeds continue to endorse the UK branch of the Pegida movement. A movement not plagued with the legacy of street thuggery.

Other tweets continue to push Islamophobic conspiracies. Or mythologise Muslims as rapists and paedophiles. On Facebook he posted “Real refugees would be happy to be SAFE in any European country. These Muslims are taking the piss making demands & rioting over it”.

Amid unproductive university bans Robinson also found time to speak at Harrow School on October 13.

Quitting the EDL helped Tommy Robinson find new and greater platforms to spread his unrepentant views. Some individuals are sincere in their efforts to change their views; but from the start Robinson has not.

The post Why did Tommy Robison move from the EDL to Pegida? appeared first on Religious Reader.

People have been discussing whether the English Defence League are really a threat to the security of the United Kingdom, whilst others have taken the position that they are not so bad as ”those Jihadis across the ocean’. Senior commentators have also suggested that the English Defence League are nothing of significance in relation to threat assessments and levels in this country regarding terrorism and extremism.

These apologists for extreme fascists groups have based their assumptions on nothing else but the fact that the English Defence League and such groups are largely non-violent, an untruth that in some way, justifies their flippancy and tacit acceptance of such extreme groups.

It is in this context that the following tweet shows that the English Defence League, are nothing more than malicious anti-Muslim haters and bigots. Masquerading as ‘counter-Jihadists’ these bigoted haters stated the following on the back of the horrific accident in the holy city of Mecca. 

These cheerleaders for the death of Muslims stated:

“This will cheer you up,” as they link to the story of the collapsed crane in the holy City of Mecca that has killed over 100 pilgrims who were on the annual pilgrimage to Mecca on the Haj. Furthermore, to add insult to injury, the following comment was placed on the EDL extremist web-site by a Dan Dickens. This is his heartless and bigoted comment against Muslims:

“Awkward moment when a crane does more for Britain than our prime Minister.”

This comment elicited over 375 ‘Facebook Likes’ on-line and we will be writing to his employer on whether his employer is satisfied about the bigotry of hate of Dan Dickens? Only time will tell.

The post Unmasked for the Thugs That They Are – The #EDL Fascists appeared first on TELL MAMA.

What Draws People of Faith to Right Wing Organisations & What Effects Does the EDL Have on Interfaith Relations?

Key findings of the report include:

• EDL attempts to recruit among faith communities
• Christian leaders should publicly stand up to EDL
• UK government should examine group’s international funding
• Jewish Defence League should be banned

Christian organisations should be doing far more to combat the appeal of far-right groups such as the English Defence League (EDL), according to counter-extremism organisation, Faith Matters.

The comments from Faith Matters coincides with the launch of research into the appeal of the EDL among faith communities, particularly among a small element of Christian, Jewish, Sikh and Hindu figures.

“Christian institutions on a national level have not been robust in condemning the EDL,” said Faith Matters’ director, Fiyaz Mughal OBE. “There is no national voice from the Church of England for example, universally condemning the actions of the EDL despite the fact the EDL disrupts and attempts to divide Christian and Muslim communities. Why?”

Mughal also said that the UK authorities need to examine how hate groups such as the EDL, which have the capacity to cause huge disruption on our streets, receive international funding.

“Links with Pamella Geller’s Stop the Islamization of America campaign and the ability to raise funds from the US need to be put under the spotlight,” he said. “People in the US promoting street-based social unrest in the UK by donating to the EDL is simply not on.”

Main Findings

• The EDL uses mainly Christian symbolism in its promotion and publicity material,
• Some within faith communities believe that by allying with the EDL they can marginalise and stigmatise Muslims,
• Building community resilience against such hate is vital – anti-hate groups in other faith communities, such as the Luton Faiths Forum, Community Security Trust, the Turban Campaign and Sikhs Against the EDL, should be more fully supported,
• The UK government needs to look at how groups such as the EDL are financed internationally, via a network of supporters in the ‘counter jihadist’ network (particularly the USA),
• The Jewish Defence League needs to be effectively outlawed in the UK for inciting extreme hatred against Muslims.

The English Defence League: Challenging Our Country and Our Values of Social Inclusion, Fairness and Equality. A detailed report on key leaders within the English Defence League, their funders and those that formulate its strategy. This report is a damning insight into a group that promotes a non-racist image, yet those aligned and linked to it hold views that are openly discriminatory against all Muslims and some speak the same language of the British National Party – the language of exclusionism, of non-equal human rights and of the need to ‘send people back.’ These values go contrary to what our country stands for and what we as a nation are about. We are about Fairness, Freedom, Hard Work, Equality and Social Inclusion. We are a modern Britain and a modern nation born from hard work and fairness!

Please Note:
We would like to clarify that Mark Israel, described in paragraph 4.9. of our report on the English Defence League as “a former volunteer with the Board of Deputies’ Community Security Trust (CST)”, has not been a CST volunteer for many years; and that CST (a separate organisation from the Board of Deputies) has repeatedly condemned the EDL, for example in the following posts on the CST Blog:

• https://thecst.org.uk/blog/?p=555
• https://thecst.org.uk/blog/?p=686
• https://thecst.org.uk/blog/?p=963
• https://thecst.org.uk/blog/?p=1602
• https://thecst.org.uk/blog/?p=1956

More than 300 protestors convened outside the Israeli embassy in Kensington last Sunday for the far-right EDL’s demonstration against “Islamic extremism”, which saw the Israeli flag waved alongside the cross of St George.

Fiyaz Mughal of interfaith group Faith Matters said: ” Its strategy is to reach out to floating groups such as ethnic communities that share historical angst against Muslims such as Sikhs and Jews. These communities need to be vigilant against the EDL’s attempts at cynical manipulation.”

Rabbi Nachum Shifren, known as the “surfing rabbi” from California, is among the organisation’s most prominent Jewish supporters. Speaking at the demonstration, he said: “To all my Jewish brothers who have called me a Nazi I say to them they don’t have the guts to stand up here and take care of business.”
After a few minutes of jostling between EDL protesters and anti fascist protesters, Rabbi Shifren, who is standing for the California state senate, added:

“Patriots of England, we shall be prepared. We shall not let them take over this country. We will never surrender to the sword of Islam.”

Mark Gardner of the Community Security Trust, said: “Rabbi Shifren’s speech shows why he is shunned by the rest of American Jewry.”

He also warned that: “The EDL may well replace the BNP as the new nationalist force in British politics. It is already taking over in terms of street activism, and in time may also develop political ambitions.”

A counter demonstration of around 30 people from organisations including Unite Against Fascism, Jewdas, and Jews for Justice for Palestinians, took place nearby the EDL demonstration.

Source: Totally Jewish By James Martin – Thursday 28th October 2010

A PERSPECTIVE OF SIKH & MUSLIM RELATIONS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM & CAUSES OF TENSIONS & MISTRUST BETWEEN THE TWO COMMUNITIES

Click to view report

The Adab (Respect) research report builds on the work that Faith Matters undertook in Corrymeela in 2008 where a group of Sikhs and Muslims took part in facilitated discussions sessions looking at issues affecting both communities in England. That report (the Cohesive Communities report) is listed on this site.

This report builds on and raises some of the narratives that are leading to tensions in localized areas between Sikhs and Muslims. It also describes the deep cultural, religious and historical links that have bound together Punjabi speaking Muslims and Sikhs for generations whilst today there are some young people from both communities who have a ‘collective amnesia’ towards this rich shared heritage. Without this understanding, communal tensions can took root and some of these tensions are being manipulated by the British National Party. For the British National Party their decisive intervention is based on the age old premise of ‘my enemy’s enemy is my friend.’

This report is the first detailed study of its kind into this area and we hope that you find the resource useful.

Press Releases:

Party accused of exploiting Sikh-Muslim tensions – Asian Image (https://www.asianimage.co.uk)
BNP ‘exploited religious tensions’ – Google News

Faith Matters investigated tensions amongst young Sikh and Muslim men which threatened to create local and national hotspots of tension. Conducted in 2008, it took Sikhs and Muslims to Corrymeela in Northern Ireland to explore some of the issues causing tension in some parts of the East and West Midlands and to look at commonalities between the two communities. Faith Matters was aware of rising tensions and even in 2008, it was clear that a handful of Sikhs were looking to join groups like the British National Party (and later the English Defence League), groups that were attempting to woo young Sikhs on the premise that they supposedly had historical angsts against Muslims.

What was clear was that issues of identity were affecting both Sikhs and Muslims and whilst both communities had been active in the ati-racist movements of the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s, young Sikhs felt that their identity had to be defined against Muslims, rather than through any ‘organic’ movement within the community. Therefore, Muslims who were historically defined as the other, were further caricatured post 9/11 and 7/7 on the basis that Sikhs were being attacked since ‘Muslims’ were the real problem. This twisted narrative did not take into account the fact that those who had attacked and killed Sikhs, thought that they were Muslims and that Muslims had also stood in solidarity with Sikh communities against these anti-Muslim attacks which also had strong undertones of prejudice attached to them. Furthermore, leaflets distributed in Derby and Leicester and attributed by some Sikhs to Al Muhajiroun were then used to support the narrative that Muslims (in general) were looking to convert Sikhs. Allied to this, strong residual feelings that Muslims want to convert Sikh women, has led to small groups of morality police within some Sikh groups breaking up interfaith relationships and suggesting that the Sikh women have been brainwashed. Evidence on such cases to the Police have not been provided.

A summary of the work of Faith Matters on these narratives can be found through the following reports:

Cohesive Communities Report: https://faith-matters.org/images/stories/cohesive_community_report090908.pdf 

The Adab Report: https://faith-matters.org/images/stories/publications/The_Adab_Respect_Research_Programme.pdf 

Our primary reason for this work is to try and improve relations between both faith communities at a time when the Far Right, including the English Defence League, are trying to play on differences. The EDL are no friends of Sikh communities. Nor are they friends of other faiths, nor of Christianity, which they have tried to hijack. The EDL remain a threat to our country, our values and our freedoms. They are a national threat to our futures!

The Sikh and Muslim Media Monitoring group regularly meets in Ealing and has been looking at key themes that have included (i) the EDL and its attempts to drive a wedge between Muslim and Sikh communities in England (ii) Outreach by the EDL towards Black and Minority Ethnic communities in order to promote the false image that they are not racist (iii) the need to counter stereotypical statements within Sikh and Muslim press sources against each community (iv) the need to find ways of coming together and working on social projects against those who seek to divide.

The project has also scanned for blogs that incite hatred between both communities and has actively fed this information into a group of Muslim and Sikh social activists who have ensured that such material is countered with facts rather than innuendos and stereotypes that such blogs make.

This site contains numerous newsletters of the work of the Sikh and Muslim Media Monitoring Group and this work has been developed and led by the Organisation for over 4 years now. If you are interested in playing a role in the work, please do contact Hasina@faith-matters.co.uk.