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The recent controversy over some
caricatures of Mohammed gave the
Islamists an opportunity to wage a
hysterical protest internationally. In
many cases, this took a violent form and
was clearly aimed at silencing those who
dared to even portray Mohammed.
In these demonstrations - across the
world and in London, the very heart of
Europe - many of the banners on show
were emblazoned with shameful slogans.
These included - “Those who insult Islam
must be beheaded” and “Freedom go to
hell” plus various other fatwa’s and
threats against cartoonists and others
who have the temerity to “insult” Islam.
This is not the first time these forces
have attacked people’s rights in the
Middle East and Europe. Many writers,
singers, even barbers and doctors have
been targeted in the last 30 years let
alone the enslavement of women in the
Middle East under the pretext of the
defence of the ‘honour’ of Islam. The
furore over these caricatures is simply
an excuse to stage another worldwide
campaign to attack the right of freedom
of expression. They want to turn Europe
into yet another battlefield for their
foul ideas.
It is vital for all decent people to be
aware of the agenda behind these attacks
on the rights to expression, and belief
- the aim is to impose Islamic law all
over the world. Political Islam is
coordinating on an international level
to gain momentum in a campaign against
the achievements of progressive social
movements who, after centuries of
struggle, have won many advances for
secularism. They now want to gain a
privileged status under the umbrella of
‘multiculturalism’ to excuse their
crimes against Muslims, people of other
faiths as well as non-believers.
This reactionary campaign complements
and acts to provoke further racist
responses from people like Nick Griffin,
the leader of British National Party, a
fascist organisation that targets
non-indigenous people and non-whites in
the UK.
Western governments have nurtured
political Islam, helped the Iranian
regime come to power and then maintained
Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Their
hypocritical ‘tolerance’ and embrace of
regressions of “cultures” under the
auspices of “multiculturalism” has
promoted religious divisions and raised
a generation of brain-washed fanatics
with identity crises that adherence to
political Islam. These compromised
governments cannot stop such groups and
cannot silence them any further via
compromise.
The only forces that can successfully
stand against these attacks on human
achievements are those of civilised
humanity of the world. Our task is to
organise a front of progressives,
secularists and leftists to defend these
precious achievements of humanity -
including freedom of speech, expression
and freedom of choice, personal rights
and liberties. This must be
unconditional and universal and that
must also mean that Islam, like any
other religion or belief system, must be
prepared to be criticised, questioned
and critically evaluated.
We call upon all freedom loving people,
organisations and individuals to join us
in this struggle to defend civil
liberties and strengthen the progressive
camp against the two poles of racism and
Islamic fascism in Europe and worldwide.
Join our campaign.
There will be a series of activities in
London and elsewhere to publicise our
fight for the protection of freedom of
expression.
The details of these activities will be
announced soon.
-Organisation of
Women’s Freedom in Iraq-UK (OWFI)
-Middle East Centre
for Women’s Rights (MECWR)
-International
Federation of Iraqi Refugees (IFIR)
-International
Organisation for Iranian Refugees (IOIR)
-Iranian Civil Rights
Committee (Iran CRC)
-Organisation for
Emancipation of Women Iran (OEWI)
For further information please contact:
Houzan Mahmoud
Email: houzan73@yahoo.co.uk
Tel: 079 56 88
3001
Tel: 079 51 433386
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