Several days ago I posted a photo from Internet vigilante Charlie Flowers' Facebook page that i contended showed he had an English Defence League connnection. Richard Bartholomew looked at the same photo and thought I had made an 'imaginative leap.'
Flowers' or one of his 'Cheerleader' associates has resolved the issue themselves by posting new photos to Facebook of Flowers meeting with EDL youth division leader Joel Titus, an activist with a history of violence who was recently arrested for assaulting a photojournalist, and Matthew Kaplan, who Bartholomew reports is the paid EDL publications coordinator responsible for leaflets and press releases.
In comments to Bartholomew's earlier post, Flowers' or one of his supporters seems to have been most animated by the accusation that Flowers may be affiliated with or have affinity for racists or white supremacists. This latest photo seems a calculated response meant to subvert that conclusion. An anti-Fascist publication describes the mixed-race Titus as the figure the EDL "parades to the media as proof of their non-racist agenda." Kaplan is a Jewish American student from Seattle, which supposedly rebuts the EDL's reputation for Nazi affinities. Kaplan has appeared at several EDL demonstrations waving the Israeli flag. However the presence of minorities and Jews is hardly a defense. Racism and religious persecution are as much about who you exclude as who you let in.
Flowers and his Internet vigilante friends the 'Cheerleaders' claim to be opposed to Islamic extremism, but they are actually against Islam and target Muslims indiscriminately, just as their fellow travelers in the EDL do, and there is no better evidence of that than the intimidation tactics they engaged in the at Talk Islam blog, publishing several front page contributors' home addresses and sending mail to one blogger's home. They have also repeated threatened me (I also contribute at Talk Islam).
None of those targeted - Hussein Rashid, Aziz Poonawalla or myself - could be described as anything other than moderate or progressive Muslims who have wrtten against extremism and religious violence.
Richard Bartholomew reviews my post on Charlie Flowers EDL connection and concludes that I've made an "unsustainable imaginative leap."
However, I believe Bartholomew has gone too far in the other direction of being too restrained in appraising the photo I posted from Flowers' Facebook page showing him and several activists from different groups gathered around a St. George's Cross flag. Bartholomew writes:
The obvious problem here is that just because the EDL uses the St George's Flag, it hardly follows that anyone who makes use of a St George's Flag must be an EDL sympathizer.
Who else in the UK is marching in public with the flag except members of the EDL and their supporters?
But Bartholomew's objection raises a new possibility: It may be that there is now developing a loosely connected alliance of small political groups for whom the flag is a signifier, all of whom declare themselves to be in opposition to Muslim extremism and Shariah law.
For Muslims and Asians though, this is the flag of the mobs that have been engaged in a number of acts of violence and intimidation against their communities, and it would be hard for anyone in the UK who pays attention to this issue not to know that. The people who fly this flag must know that they are tapping into that history of intimidation when they display it in public.
I doubt you will find a UK organization that is sincerely trying to confront extremism among Muslims without impugning the larger Muslim community that is flying the St. George's Cross at their demonstrations.
So are Flowers and the 'Cheerleaders' supporters or members of the EDL, or just in solidarity with its history of intimidation against Muslims? I don't know, but it may be a distinction without a difference.
Flowers' group ('the Cheerleaders') vows to engage in vigilante intimidation campaigns against online Islamists, but of the actions we know of, he and the group have mostly harassed moderate and progressive Muslims (against me here at this site as well as several bloggers at Talk Islam), and UK leftists like Tim Ireland who has written against the BNP, an even more extreme right-wing, racist group than the EDL. Ireland was also the subject of a 'Cheerleaders' death threat, when Flowers or someone affiliated with the group threatened a "machete to your throat."
Flowers is the balding, middle-aged man at far left in the back. The date the photo was taken is unknown, but it was posted to Facebook on Dec. 2. The others in the photo are Darren Marsh, 'Shooter Kirpachi' and Bill Baker. Marsh, on his Facebook page, is a 'fan' of a number of British nationalist affinity sites such as "English and proud," "English Democrats - Putting England first!" and "England," the latter two being fan pages of the English Democrat Party. The London mayoral candidate for the EDP withdrew in 2008 after he found that the party had entered into an alliance with the "avowedly racist" (Wikipedia) England First Party not to stand against one another. The candidate, Matt O'Connor, described EDP members this way:
"They present themselves as respectable 'Middle England' with leading members being solicitors and housewives.
"But the reality is something far different.
"Social events run by the party brought out the real feelings of key members and it was very uncomfortable for me and the people I had innocently invited along, many of whom advised me to leave after what they had seen and heard."
The flag in the picture is the St. George's Cross, which EDL supporters fly at their rallies. The EDL is a right-wing political group with nativist/white supremacist leanings that appeared in England last year. See this Loonwatch article, "EDL hallmarks: Mosque vandilization, racism and intimidation."
Richard Bartholomew continues to cover the latest threats and harassment activities of 'The Cheerleaders' with this new article about the group.
'The Cheerleaders' have also engaged in identity theft against this site, listing progressiveislam.info as their blog page, when in fact they have no relationship whatsoever, and actually issued repeated threats to me after I posted a critical article about them last year.
The importance of discovering these new associates of 'the Cheerleaders' is in determining if they are involved in the bullying, threats of violence and cyber-stalking antics themselves, especially when reporting this behavior to the police, and in using the public forum of the Internet to shame these individuals and businesses by attaching their reprehensible actions to their names. Newly identified associates include:
• Jon Chappell aka 'Johnny Yeah' of Kooba Radio, which Richard Bartholomew describes as "an obscure Internet radio station."
• Alex Malloy aka 'The Boy Malloy' who cofounded Kooba Radio with Chappell.
• Angela Collins, another cofounder of Kooba Radio.
The link amongst these is that Chappell was cced on some of the threats sent to Ireland. An account at Twitter and on Youtube that are associated with Chappell and Kooba radio were also used in the campaign of harassment against Ireland.
The website of Kooba radio is hosted by a company called Redwire Design, and it just so happens that the person who answers the phones at Redwire is Alex Malloy, Chappell's partner. Ireland called Malloy and queried him about his involvement. Malloy's response was "Take the hint and f*** off."
I think it is safe to infer from that response that Malloy is aware of the threats of violence and the cyber-stalking ('take a hint') and he did not deny involvement or express disapproval of the illegal behavior. Here's a pic of Malloy taken from the Redwire site:
In the wake of my death I know you will make all the usual sanctimonious noises and call upon the police to hold a swift and thorough inquiry. But like all the inquiries you have ordered in the past, nothing will come of this one, too. For truth be told, we both know who will be behind my death, but dare not call his name. Not just my life, but yours too, depends on it.
Sadly, for all the dreams you had for our country in your younger days, in just three years you have reduced it to rubble. In the name of patriotism you have trampled on human rights, nurtured unbridled corruption and squandered public money like no other President before you. Indeed, your conduct has been like a small child suddenly let loose in a toyshop. That analogy is perhaps inapt because no child could have caused so much blood to be spilled on this land as you have, or trampled on the rights of its citizens as you do. Although you are now so drunk with power that you cannot see it, you will come to regret your sons having so rich an inheritance of blood. It can only bring tragedy. As for me, it is with a clear conscience that I go to meet my Maker. I wish, when your time finally comes, you could do the same. I wish.
Wickrematunge's prediction from the grave has come true as no one has been arrested or charged with his murder. A journalist with the Canberra Times reported that the person referenced at "dare not call his name" is Mahinda's brother, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the minister of defense.
See Gotabaya squirm - eyes bugging, hands flailing, voice pitch rising, changing the subject, casting suspicion on all the former presidents - when asked about Wickrematunge's death in a BBC interview last February. He derides Wickrematunge as a "tabloid writer" and said it was "just another murder."
He ends the interview by calling dissent and criticism of the government 'treason.' Nice guy.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled Monday that "Muslim Women and the Challenge of Islamic Extremism" did not pose any threat to national security, said Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, a lawyer for Sisters in Islam, the Malaysian women's advocacy group that published the book.
The Home Ministry had banned the compilation of essays in 2008, two years after it went into circulation, saying it could undermine people's faith and disrupt public order.
According to a 2008 ministry letter to Sisters in Islam, the book mainly went too far in questioning whether Islamic family laws discriminate against women in issues such as polygamy and divorce.
Torture-monger John Yoo's new book, 'Crisis and Command' is on Amazon now, and merry prankster General JC Christian and his supporters have managed to make his subversive review of the book the "most helpful" one among the reader reviews, and therefore the first one people read.
Here's a taste:
Cheney knew what had to be done. Saddam had to be tied to Al Qaeda. As a serious man, he understood that if evidence of such a tie was unavailable, it had to be created. Detainees would need to be coerced into making false confessions. It would require torture, an act that was considered unconstitutional at the time. Cheney turned to another serious man, Yoo--a man who would later tell Congress that the President can legally order a suspect to be burned alive or that his children be tortured--to write a justification for ignoring the Fifth and Eighth Amendments.
Yoo served the Dark Lord well by not only justifying torture but by destroying the Fourth Amendment to allow domestic spying as well.
I'm giving this book five stars--not because it is well argued or well written (it isn't) but because, like Yoo, I want to help shape our nation according to Lord Cheney's righteously Stalinesque vision.
Be sure to visit Amazon and give JC's review a 'very helpful' vote.
In 628 AD, a delegation from St. Catherine's Monastery came to Prophet Muhammed and requested his protection. He responded by granting them a charter of rights, which I reproduce below in its entirety. St. Catherine's Monastery is located at the foot of Mt. Sinai and is the world's oldest monastery. It possesses a huge collection of Christian manuscripts, second only to the Vatican, and is a world heritage site. It also boasts the oldest collection of Christian icons. It is a treasure house of Christian history that has remained safe for 1400 years under Muslim protection.
The Promise to St. Catherine:
"This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by God! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses.
Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.
No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.
No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world)."
On Monday, USA Today published a feature article on 'honor killings.' I won't bother to excerpt the article here, but it will suffice to know what the tone of the article was by naming the writer's three major sources of expertise on the subject: Robert Spencer, Phyllis Chesler and M Zudhi Jasser.
For those who are new to the debate and aren't familiar with these names, Robert Spencer was identified as one of the most prominent Islam-bashers in the US according to the website smearcasting.com; Phyllis Chesler has made a series of bizarre comments about Islam and Muslims (see here and here); and M Zudhi Jasser showed he was preposterously ignorant and misinformed about 'honor killings' when he told Fox News that slain Bridges TV cofounder Aasiya Hassan was a victim of one.
Zeba Khan has blown the competition out of the water in the next round of the Washington Post's 'America's Next Great Pundit Contest' beating the next nearest competitor by over a thousand votes. See Zeba's powerhouse performance here.
The competition now comes down to Zeba and one other contestant, who have been tasked to write one final column for the contest that will be published on Monday, which will be your opportunity to participate in the FINAL VOTE in the contest.
PESHAWAR: The display of anti-Taliban banners by unknown persons in various areas of Kabal was the topic of discussion in Swat on Monday and majority of people hailed the move as a sign of an end to the Taliban era.
Kabal residents said on Sunday that they saw anti-Taliban banners calling leader of the Swat militants Maulana Fazlullah a "shameless" person. "Where is the shameless Fazlullah?" was the slogan inscribed on one of the banners. One can infer from the writing on the banner that those having displayed the banners were criticising the Taliban leader for going underground.
Other slogans included, "Taliban's friend is the nation's foe," and "The Taliban movement is virtually the movement of oppressors."
One of the men, Tahawwur Hussain Rana, is being described as more of an enabler for the other - David Coleman Headley - formerly Daood Gilani.
Both men are now being described as operatives of Lashkar-e-Toiba/Lashkar-e-Taiba who have made a number of trips to India and where investigators say they suspect Headley may have helped with scouting and planning last year's Mumbai massacre.
"We have established that Headley and Tahawwur were in touch with the same Pakistani-based 'handlers' who gave directions to the 10 terrorists who attacked Mumbai on 26/11. We are now investigating how he had corresponded with Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah (presently in Pakistan's custody) and other masterminds who carried out the audacious Mumbai attacks," said an investigating officer.
Indian investigators are not looking for a woman Headley met with frequently on his trips to India and who they say may have been involved in setting up safehouse for militants in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz on Tuesday told voters that the call of the muezzin, or Muslim imam who calls people to prayer, would not sound in Switzerland, as he campaigned against a referendum motion seeking to ban the building of minarets.
"Muslims should be able to practice their religion and have access to minarets in Switzerland too. But the call of the muezzin will not sound here," said Merz in a video broadcast to the nation.
The Swiss are due to vote on Nov. 29 on the motion launched by right wing groups to ban the construction of minarets, which is backed by the country's biggest political party, the hard right Swiss People's Party (SVP).
This is one of those before and after 9/11/war-on-terror things, where 20 years ago the broader non-Muslim society might have responded to minarets as a charming architectural feature that added diversity to a city's skyline.
A Washington Post report examined tax records from as early as 1998, which showed that Awlaki served as vice president of a charity (CSSW) founded by his then patron Abdul Majeed al-Zindani, a Yemeni politician who is named as an associate of Al-Qaeda. The CSSW has been described a "front organization to funnel money to terrorists". The FBI also know that he was paid a visit in 2000 by an associate of Omar Abdel Rahman, known as the blind sheikh, who was convicted in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The report also states that in 1999, Awlaki was investigdated by the FBI "when it learnt that he may have been visited by a "procurement agent" for bin Laden".
Gazi sets out to prove that claims that al-Awlaki only recently left the moderate path are dissembling falsehoods meant to hide either embarrassing naivete, crass pandering, or secret support for radicalism.
He is chasing some Muslim politicians and prominent Islamic activists and groups in the UK who embraced al-Awlaki until recently such as Osama Saeed of the Scottish National Party and Azad Ali, the president of the Civil Service Islamic Society, as well as the East London Mosque and the Islamic Forum Europe and of course, Moazzam Begg's Cage Prisoners.
This blog primarily seeks to highlight the best reporting and blogging about contemporary issues as they relate to the 'progressive' or 'moderate' orientation in the practice of Islam. Most of what appears here is excerpts, and you should click on the "Story here" link to read the entirety of any report as I may have only chosen to highlight one or several points an author sought to make.
