Is it ‘Islamophobic’ to draw attention to London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s links with extremists?

The Spectator ^ | 06/06/2017 | Toby Young

[SeekAndFind]

Zac Goldsmith came in for a fair amount of criticism yesterday after writing a piece in the Mail on Sunday that, among other things, pointed out that Sadiq Khan criticised Labour’s decision to suspend Ken Livingstone in 2006 when he compared a Jewish Evening Standard journalist to a Nazi concentration camp guard. Reviewing the papers on Marr, Owen Jones called it ‘another example’ of a ‘poisonous’ and ‘disgraceful’ campaign that had tried to brand Khan as an extremist simply because he’s a Muslim. He called it ‘an attempt to tap into anti-Muslim prejudice’ and urged Conservatives to tackle Islamophobia as vigorously as his own party is tackling anti-Semitism.

But is the Conservative mayoral candidate’s campaign, which is being run by Crosby Textor, guilty of Islamophobia? The accusation isn’t that Goldsmith or anyone linked to the campaign has said anything overtly Islamophobic. Rather, they’re been accused of ‘dog whistle’ politics – of trying to play on people’s anxieties about Islamism and terrorism by posing questions about Khan’s links to Islamist extremists.

I know from experience that it’s extremely difficult to defend yourself when accused of these things. You can point out that nothing you’ve said or done is, in your view, racist or Islamophobic, but your accuser will simply respond that it’s not for you, as a privileged white male, to define what is and isn’t an example of the sin in question. Indeed, any attempt to do so, with the implication that you are a better judge of the matter than a member of a victim group, will itself be denounced as an example of racism. What your accuser is effectively saying – and this applies to the critics of Goldsmith’s campaign – is that they can see into your heart and they know you’re guilty.

[SeekAndFind]

This article was published a year ago. It is relevant again in light of the feud London's Muslim Mayor has with President Trump.

[Texas Eagle]

How is an Islamist Extremist different from a regular Islamist?

[SeekAndFind]

In 2006, by which time he’d been elected to Parliament, Khan was one of the signatories of a letter to the Guardian that blamed terrorist incidents, such as 7/7, on British foreign policy, particularly Britain’s support for Israel. ‘It is our view that current British government policy risks putting civilians at increased risk both in the UK and abroad,’ it said.

So 10 years ago Khan held similar views about 7/7 to those of Ken Livingstone, who sparked outrage last November when he said on Question Time that Tony Blair’s foreign policy was to blame for the terrorist attack that left 52 Londoners dead.

[SeekAndFind]

in 2004 he appeared on a platform with five Islamic extremists at a conference in London organised by Al-Aqsa, a group that has published works by the notorious Holocaust denier Paul Eisen. He was billed not as a director of Liberty or human rights lawyer, but as a Labour parliamentary candidate.

In the same year, Khan was the chair of the Muslim Council of Britain’s legal affairs committee and was involved in defending the Muslim scholar Dr Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, whom the MCB described as ‘a voice of reason and understanding’. At the time, the MCB issued a press release blaming the ‘smear campaign’ against Qaradawi on ‘the Zionist lobby’. Khan himself gave evidence to the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee in which he said ‘there is a consensus among Islamic scholars that Mr Al-Qaradawi is not the extremist that he is painted as being’.

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[petercooper]

Reminder: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was a lawyer for a 9/11 terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui.

[miss marmelstein]

Thanks for posting! I’m no fan of Toby Young (who has been reduced to making snarky comments on Master Chef) but he’s right on this. Also, if Kreepy Khan supports gay marriage, it is only because he needed to become mayor. Tayquia.

[DoughtyOne]

I would not rule this guy out, somehow popping up as a terrorist in a very sensitive place at some point.

[William of Barsoom]

Yes, it is “Islamophobic.” However, that’s not a problem.

Bear in mind the purpose of Political Correctness is to blind one to obvious truths.

[Texas Eagle]

Khan himself gave evidence to the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee in which he said ‘there is a consensus among Islamic scholars that Mr Al-Qaradawi is not the extremist that he is painted as being’.

Okay. That's what I'm getting at. So, he and his five fellow Islamist Extremists are labelled as such but, what of the speakers and other attendees?

What do they want that the Islamist Extremists don't want? And vice versa.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Would suggest that people not be afraid of being “called names” and just keep on asking the questions that they believe really ought to be asked.

It does not matter whether Hizzoner is a green Martian — if there are questions about the intentions of the people of his affiliations, don’t let the name calling stop them from being asked. If there is fire behind the smoke, the name callers will appear the foolish ones in the end.

[BitWielder1]

It's Islamophobic not to.

[goodnesswins]

Oh...really?

[DonkeyBonker]

Captain Kirk taught us that you can’t trust Khan. nuff said.

[DonkeyBonker]

Captain Kirk taught us that you can’t trust Khan. nuff said.

[HiTech RedNeck]

This is a whole hornets nest of issues.

By the way, Islam isn’t the only belief system in the world that has the possibility of getting inflamed into mindless rages. WWI and WWII are witnesses that there are others. The story behind the Japanese uprising of WWII, for instance, is very interesting. And the fact that this happened around the same time as the Nazi uprising in Austria and embraced by Germany, seems to suggest some kind of larger malevolent spiritual force in the world. That force didn’t pick up Islam in WWII, but it appears to be trying to do that now. It can also dumb down Christian faith too, in kind of a one-two punch at the world.

[Honorary Serb]

....Is it ‘Islamophobic’ to draw attention to London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s links with extremists?....

NO!!!!

[HiTech RedNeck]

This isn’t the only kind of Catch 22 being proffered in the world. The “Fake News Alerting” thing is another one, and I heard it clearly articulated yesterday by a fellow I know. Oh, look at the “trusted news sources” but never at “the internet.” But when I pointed out that “trusted news sources” can serve up some of the worst lies, the fellow had nothing more to say.

Granted the internet has a mix of things of various veracity on it, but this is like saying never go to “the library” just because there are bad books as well as good.

[bassmaner]

‘Islamophobia’ is an oxymoron. A ‘phobia’ is an irrational fear of something. There’s nothing irrational about fearing something or someone that wants to kill you.

[John S Mosby]

Notice how the apparatchiks of islamofascism protect their protectors— the Communist Internationale (who protects and uses their “church” to organize world domination)? Khan stuck up for the communist Mayor of London— Red Ken Livingstone. Then goes after his office for his Muslim Brotherhood buddies.

Lenin wrote extensively of how the islamic religion provided an excellent template (beginning in the Ukraine, where KGB co-opted muslim farmers agains the “rich” Kulaks to take over their land (working with KGB to turn in Kulaks who held back their seed grain, who were then arrested/shot and had their lands put in the soviet co-operatives). Afterwards, the KGB rounded up all the islamic mullahs and shot them/sent them to Siberia- they having done their dirty work. See how this works? For the Comintern and NWO neo-socialist, socialist Leftists. “Don’t pick on the poor old devout religion of peace muslims-” Right. Total bollocks, Khan. The English Defence League has the right idea. Close the Chunnel and Calais, and close down the infiltration. We are warned.