Posted on 08/15/2006 5:38:11 AM PDT by Marius3188
Muslim leaders summoned to talks with the Government on tackling extremism in their midst called for public holidays to mark their religious festivals.
The Whitehall meeting was set up in response to last week's airline bomb plot discovery.
Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly had prepared an uncompromising message on the need to tackle dangerous radicalism.
But, in what she admitted were 'sharp' exchanges, some senior Muslim figures turned the tables yesterday and made a series of demands which also included the introduction of Sharia law for family matters.
Dr Syed Aziz Pasha, secretary general of the Union of Muslim Organisations of the UK and Ireland, said: 'We told her if you give us religious rights, we will be in a better position to convince young people that they are being treated equally along with other citizens.'
Dr Pasha said Miss Kelly had agreed to look at the proposals, though her spokesman insisted later that she did not favour any legal change which would give 'special treatment' for the Muslim community.
Some of the 30 moderate Muslim leaders at the meeting told Miss Kelly that important days in their two main religious festivals - Ramadan and Eid-ul-Adha - should be made public holidays for followers of the faith.
Sharia law, which is practised in large parts of the Middle East, should also be introduced in Britain, they argued. While it specifies stonings and amputations as routine punishments for crimes, Dr Pasha said he wanted it only for family affairs.
Under the law, a husband pays his wife a dowry on marriage, and money and assets are shared out between family members in specified amounts after someone dies.
'We are willing to co-operate but there should be a partnership,' Dr Pasha said.
'They should understand our problems then we will understand their problems.'
A recent poll suggested that a third of British Muslims would rather live under Sharia law, while a similar number said they also hope Britain will one day become an Islamic state. But Dr Pasha claimed the legal changes he proposed would help convince young Muslims to integrate better into British society.
The Union of Muslim Organisations of the UK and Ireland claims to be a widely representative umbrella group. However, it does not include more influential and high-profile bodies such as the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB). Inayat Bunglawala, spokesman for the MCB, also attended the meeting but distanced his group from the calls for Sharia law.
He said: 'We believe one legal code should apply for all citizens of the UK. There is no place for multiple legal systems for people of different religious or ethnic backgrounds.
'If people object to a certain law they should campaign peacefully and democratically for a change - but only so that it applies to all people, not just Muslims.' The Government has accused Muslim leaders of a 'dreadful misjudgment' for claiming its foreign policy has fuelled the threat of extremism. An open letter, signed by three Muslim MPs, three peers and 38 community groups, said the 'debacle' of Iraq, combined with the recent failure to do more to bring about an immediate end to the Middle East conflict, had encouraged extremists who threaten Britain.
Three hours of talks
After more than three hours of talks with the senior Muslims, Miss Kelly insisted foreign policy in Iraq and the Middle East was not the 'root cause' of fundamentalism.
But she acknowledged there were 'different views' over aspects of Government policy and there had been a series of 'sharp and challenging exchanges'.
'There is a battle of hearts and minds to be won within the Muslim community, working with the Muslim community to take on the terrorist and extremist elements that are sometimes found within it, not just in the Muslim community, but elsewhere as well.'
Muslims must feel that if there was frustration on particular issue, there were ' democratic channels for that to be vented', she added. 'What I do accept is that there is a lot of anger and frustration out there in the community that needs to be properly expressed and vented through the democratic process.'
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and Communities Minister Meg Munn also attended the meeting. Moves being discussed include 'de-radicalisation forums' to help young Muslims engage with Government policy, improved spiritual guidance for Muslim university students and support for training of imams. Haras Rafiq, of the Sufi Muslim Council, said: 'The first thing that we need to do as a community is admit there is a problem.
'It is like being an alcoholic - we need to stand up and say these things and have an open and honest debate.'
Kharshid Ahmed, chairman of the British Muslim Forum, said: 'We believe that the threat is still external - it is people coming from outside and leading the radicalisation.
'We need to deal with that before people inside our communities are leading the radicalisation.'
There are currently eight permanent bank and public holidays in Britain. Three fall on religious days - Christmas Day, Good Friday and Easter Monday. The latter two are common law holidays - not specified by law as bank holidays as they were traditionally days of rest and to go to Church.
The other bank holidays were made law in 1871, to give their workers time off - causing other businesses dependent on the banks to follow suit.
"Blackmail. Either give us what we want or we'll attack you. Nice."
While they got nailed for the stopped attack, they are all pumped up over some perceived hizbollah "victory."
They might want to consider this: We now know just what y'all have, know how you will fight, and know Israel trashed most of the Iran-fed munitions and weapons and depleted them.
What a victory. unhunh....
Need more coffee.
They all need to back to a Muslim country so they can practice their religion of hate.
Off to Pakistan with you, Aziz.
That's right, and it's the only way. Makes me wonder, though why on earth they want to live under sharia law if that's exactly what some of them tried to get away from.
But the point is clear. If repatriation doesn't work, maybe deportation does.
I LOVE IT!
they are "concerned" about a backlash..= "We are victims" We are Peaceful" "Please don't be mad at us"
then when you have a meeting with them- to "hear" their concerns....blackmail!- "We want special rights or we will contuniue to preach and grow terrorism..."
all along- you give into this one demand- it won't stop there...
the world has lost her brain and her balls......
That's not blackmail. It's extortion.
THIS CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN! I'M THINKING ABOUT LEAVING THIS COUNTRY ALREADY!
So a third of British Muslims would prefer to live under Sharia law and a third would prefer Britain become a Muslim state. Well, I suggest they leave for an Arab country immediately where their wishes can be accommodated.
Let's just hope the Brits don't give in to them. A lot of the EU has already moved prison toilets so they don't face Mecca. At great cost.
They want to legalize honor killing.
FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel/Russian Jewry ping list.
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
It will happen here as well. As I've said many times before, they are using our freedoms against us. And with the court system the way it is, they will probably win.
Just tell them that anyday they want to stay away from the bank is fine with us.
I'll try this approach to see if I can get more comp leave at work. Get back to ya in a decade or so on how it went.
I haven't been inside a bank in years, what are the current bank holidays anyway?
France has banned Nude Sun Bathing and Thongs on beaches along the Seine to accomodate their Muslim Masters and Rome is
segregating beaches by having sections for Muslim women only.
Correct. It's called Extortion.
" Is mental deficiency a requirement of islam?"
It's the result of it anyway.
What, they want to designate August 22 as Jihad Day.
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