Does issuing a commemerative stamp count as recognition?
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.
Accept this, and it's all over but the crying! Minarest at Oxford and Jesus College becomes Mohammed's Madrassa!
So go live if frickin' Saudi Arabia! They want their cake and to eat it too, as well as to be able to murder the baker!
For now.
It certainly seems to a requirement for politicians and public servants. Why do they even listen to these people? I would have said No three times, then got up and walked out of the room.
Because they didn't leave to get away from it, they left to establish it elsewhere. Through immigration and childbirth, Islam is growing fast. What they can't take by force they're taking by demography.
NEVIL CHAMBERLIN:
Mr Hitler only wants peaceful coexistance.
Mr. Hitler only wants a little room to grow.
(/s)
Islam has only three rules, convert OR submit OR die.
Here's how the talk should have gone.
"You'll either root out these people from your midst, or the occupation of the warsaw ghettos is going to look like a lovefest compared to what we're going to do to your community.
There will be more cops, more soldiers, more infidels and more bomb sniffing dogs than you can imagine in your wildest nightmares."
I know I am!
How about Deportation instead?
When they did stop teaching logic? The more you have accommodating the practitioners of hate and jihad, the worse it gets for you. Just say no. Not every ethnic group gets its holidayIn that they are equal.. There are hundreds of groups in Britain. If each was represented by a bank holiday, the banks would never be open. No one forces anyone to bank on his own religious holiday.
Islam has only three rules, convert OR submit OR die.
Since I'll never bow my knee to islamic fascist scum, it will be die for me. However, I don't intend to go out quietly. The islamic idiots had better carefully consider the consequences before they try it here.
islam is a filthy death cult that needs to be eradicated.
The problem is that fact that the MSM refuses to report the truth about islam (in inslam's own words)
Look at the Green Helmet Guy faking pictures. IT TOOK DAYS FOR FNC to get around to doing a MICROSCOPIC LITTLE MENTION of the story.
DAYS!!!! We have been disecting his deception for DAYS!
The MSM refuses to report the fact that Islam is a form of dessert tribe government system. It is 100% incompatable with democracy or republics because it is a competing government system.
These people aren't in the position to demand any rights. If you don't like where you live, go back to where you came from!
I'm so sick of their whining about rights! I wonder what king George would have said to a whiny muslim demanding his rights.
If you don't give us what we want we'll bomb you some more, torture and terrorize your young, cut off your heads while singing religious ditties and making "sing along and watch the knife" videos to play at religious gatherings.
If you do give us what we want, we'll have sharia law and cut off all your infidel heads while singing religious ditties and making "sing along and watch the knife" videos to play at religious gatherings.
< begin lies>We are really very tolerant people. We promise we'll only stone and amputate and honor-kill our own, really.< /end lies>
This one is filled full with gems
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.'
This part was interesting, but buried in the article. Who do these groups claim to represent?
Agreed.
Does issuing a commemerative stamp count as recognition?
Why can't they just take a vacation day to observe their religous festivals, like so many do, including Jews.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.