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Pro-Ken Muslim group claims Boris 'would scrap the Koran' (London Mayoral elections)
The Evening Standard (U.K.) ^ | April 28, 2008 | Andrew Gilligan

Posted on 04/28/2008 3:12:09 PM PDT by Stoat

Mayoral Elections

 

.....   
Ken Livingstone
Campaigning: Ken Livingstone on the trail at Northolt mosque in Ealing over the weekend

Pro-Ken Muslim group claims Boris 'would scrap the Koran'

Andrew Gilligan
28.04.08

Ken Livingstone supporters are claiming that Boris Johnson would ban the Koran in adverts in the capital's Bengali-language press.

The claim is one of a number of last-minute tactics - condemned by Mr Johnson today as "poison" and "desperate" - being used by Mr Livingstone's backers to sway crucial votes. The "dirty tricks" were uncovered in a Standard investigation which also found that:

• Bengali-language leaflets are being handed out at mosques saying that Mr Johnson "hates Muslims" and it is a "moral duty" for Muslims to support Mr Livingstone.

• One of Mr Livingstone's key advisers has promised to give members of one ethnic community "well-paid jobs", with salaries of up to £80,000, if he is re-elected.

• TfL has embarked on a massive pre-election advertising blitz in parts of the ethnic press, which have then offered full support for Mr Livingstone's re-election.

The Bengali-language leaflet, a copy of which has been obtained by the Standard, was handed out at Friday prayers last week at mosques in Brick Lane and other Bengali parts of the East End. According to an independent translation, it says: "Boris has expressed his hatred against Islam, the Koran and the Muslims... It is Muslims' moral duty to support Ken." The other side of the leaflet is in English. It carries a less incendiary message and makes no attacks on Mr Johnson.

The leaflet was produced by the British Muslim Initiative, whose offshoot, Muslims 4 Ken, was recently exposed by the Standard as involving a declared supporter of suicide bombing. It carries no imprint for a printer as required by electoral law.

The BMI has also placed a large advert in the main London Bengali paper, Janomot, which misrepresents a quote of Johnson's to allege that he would ban the Koran. The advert quotes Mr Johnson as writing, on 21 July 2005: "The proposed ban on incitement to religious hatred makes no sense unless it involves a ban on the Koran itself." It fails to include the rest of Johnson's sentence, in which he describes such a ban as "absurd".

Mr Johnson said today: "This is more than sleazy. It is actually dangerous. It is misleading people about something of sacred importance."

Mr Livingstone's campaign refused to comment. It is also directly promising to appoint members of some ethnic communities to publiclyfunded jobs if he is re-elected. The current issue of Noticias Latin America, a Spanish-language newspaper serving London's South and Central American community, carries a large picture of the Mayor on its front page alongside the headline: "Well-paid jobs for London Latinos."

The story says that Redmond O'Neill, a senior mayoral adviser, has promised "labour benefits" to London Latinos if Mr Livingstone is re-elected. It says: "Ken Livingstone is to give the opportunity for many Latin American families in London to improve the quality of their lives by getting jobs driving black taxis and buses, with benefits, a pension and a future." Salaries are up to £80,000 a year - about three times that of an actual bus driver.

In the newspaper, otherwise totally devoted to events in Latin America, more than 50 per cent of the advertising space in the current issue has been paid for at public expense by City Hall, including two full-page adverts from TfL, a half-page from London Elects, the body running the election, urging Latinos to register to vote and another advert for an event funded by the LDA. There is also a full-page advert by the newspaper's own publisher, urging Latinos to back Mr Livingstone. In total, around three-quarters of the ad space in this month's issue is devoted to the mayoralty.

The same issue of Noticias includes a glowing endorsement of Mr Livingstone by the paper, which translates his pledge card into Spanish, and says: "There are some people, whether left or right, whose actions speak for themselves. You don't have to be an expert to know that. One of those people is Ken Livingstone."

TfL said: "It is simply not true to say that TfL resources have been used to 'buy' support in the ethnic press. TfL has a clear and perfectly legitimate policy of providing public information on transport issues to all of London's diverse communities."



TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: borisjohnson; britain; elections; greatbritain; islam; kenlivingstone; koran; london; londonelections; londonistan; londonmayor; mayor; muslim; redken; uk; ukmuslims; unitedkingdom
Related:

Ken's adviser is linked to terror group (Red Ken, Mayor of London)

FR threads with keyword "RedKen"

Keyword redken

Boris Johnson pages:

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson MP - Profile - Conservative Party

 Back Boris for Mayor of London#

1 posted on 04/28/2008 3:12:09 PM PDT by Stoat
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To: Stoat

Sounds like a good reason to vote for Boris!


2 posted on 04/28/2008 3:15:56 PM PDT by Red_Devil 232 (VietVet - USMC All Ready On The Right? All Ready On The Left? All Ready On The Firing Line!)
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To: Red_Devil 232
Sounds like a good reason to vote for Boris!

Among the seemingly endless reasons why sane people might want to vote against Red Ken is his enthusiastic support of the "Mega Mosque"

FR threads with keyword "megamosque"

Keyword megamosque

 

From the article:

The leaflet was produced by the British Muslim Initiative, whose offshoot, Muslims 4 Ken, was recently exposed by the Standard as involving a declared supporter of suicide bombing. It carries no imprint for a printer as required by electoral law.

3 posted on 04/28/2008 3:23:30 PM PDT by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2012: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: All
These are ALL of the posted comments to the Evening Standard article up to this time:

  <

Why is he wearing a shower curtain and a fruit basket? As if they really needed another reason to ditch this joker here it is.

- Graham Tanner, Chertsey UK

If this article is true then it is a sign of things to come with a particular race or religion deciding who will be in charge. A very dangerous precedent which hopefully sensible Londoners will nip in the bud. An obvious example the troubles just over the Irish sea. Very dangerous. Ken Livingstone and his cronies should be booted out pronto.

- R.Hart, Sutton Coldfield UK

Pro-Ken Muslim group claims Boris 'would scrap the Koran'

Now if anyone can tell me why that would NOT be a good thing I'll vote for Ken.

- Adam, Harrow, UK

As a Gay man I simply do not trust Ken or the company he likes to keep! He falls over backwards entertaining Islamic "scholars" who wish to see me and the Gay Community dead therefore I would rather vote BNP than Ken.

I know of many other Gay men who think exactly the same way so take nothing for granted Ken.

- Robert, Belsize Park

There is a stinkiness about this campaign, the people who and the groups which support Mr Livingstone.

- Helen, norwich

Surely Ken should be prosecuted for inciting racial hatred? Seriously this man must be tried - the BNP would be.

- Mike Bor, London

Being elected by Muslims doesn't make you the mayor of London but more the mayor of a Muslim London. The game that Livingstone is playing is dirty because he knows that most Londoners will not vote for him. So what does he do try get the votes of the Muslim population, smart move but very dirty and will cost him the election because its not the Londoners his winning over its the Islam population.

- Youssef Mathew Petros, London

This is another good reason not to vote for Livingstone.

- Bill, London

As always Ken is trying to divide London into little communities rather than bringing people together. Is is a desperate tactic from an increasingly desperate man. If the only way for Ken to win is stirring up racial hatred then I think, for the sake of London, it is time for him to go.

- Louise, Camberwell, London

"In the newspaper, otherwise totally devoted to events in Latin America, more than 50 per cent of the advertising space in the current issue has been paid for at public expense by City Hall, including two full-page adverts from TfL, a half-page from London Elects, the body running the election, urging Latinos to register to vote and another advert for an event funded by the LDA. There is also a full-page advert by the newspaper's own publisher, urging Latinos to back Mr Livingstone. In total, around three-quarters of the ad space in this month's issue is devoted to the mayoralty."

If this is true this surely has to be illegal?

- Colin Foster, London, UK

 

4 posted on 04/28/2008 3:28:51 PM PDT by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2012: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Stoat

5 posted on 04/28/2008 3:32:10 PM PDT by Vaquero (" an armed society is a polite society" Heinlein "MOLON LABE!" Leonidas of Sparta)
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To: Vaquero

best backdrop I’ve seen yet..ping!!!


6 posted on 04/28/2008 3:33:55 PM PDT by aeonspromise
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To: Vaquero

The Book of Hatred and Intolerance.


7 posted on 04/28/2008 4:04:21 PM PDT by 353FMG (Don't make the mistake to think that Government is a Friend of the People)
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To: Stoat
When's the election?

8 posted on 04/28/2008 4:17:50 PM PDT by El Cid (Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house...)
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To: El Cid
When's the election?

May 1.

This is an attempt at a last-minute smear by pro-Red-Ken muzzies, but it seems that it may work against them.

London Elects - Home

9 posted on 04/28/2008 4:26:43 PM PDT by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2012: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Stoat
Great - I'm glad to hear that.
Thanks for the update.
10 posted on 04/28/2008 4:45:26 PM PDT by El Cid (Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house...)
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To: El Cid

You’re quite welcome :-)

In retrospect, I should have said “hopefully it will work against them”....sometimes these last-minute smears are effective because the target doesn’t have the time to refute them effectively.


11 posted on 04/28/2008 5:07:11 PM PDT by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2012: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Stoat

All good now. Boris won. Common sense prevailed.


12 posted on 05/04/2008 10:20:32 AM PDT by Brit_Guy
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To: Brit_Guy
All good now. Boris won. Common sense prevailed.

I hope so.  Things do indeed look promising in many ways, but of course only  time will tell.  I've heard some Brits say that the Conservatives are that in name only and are not much better than Labour, but Red Ken has been so completely awful that most anyone would be an improvement.  I'm hoping that Boris will stop the MegaMosque and take tangible steps to reduce crime.  That would be a nice start.

13 posted on 05/04/2008 1:53:17 PM PDT by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2012: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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