பல்லின மக்கள் மத்தியில் முஸ்லிம்கள்

Racism in Multicultural Britain

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Successful Conference against racism and Islamophobia - London UK

The 'Speak out against racism and Islamophobia' conference – held by One Society Many Cultures in London on 11^th December – struck a blow against the rising tide of Islamophobia.

Parliamentarians, trade unionists, students, academics, Muslims, other faith communities and around 200 participants discussed the causes of the growing climate of Islamophobia and racism, and how to respond.

Labour front-bencher, Shabana Mahmood MP and Green MEP Jean Lambertopened the conference arguing that the core responsibility for challenging the rise of racism lay with the mainstream political parties and process. Kay Carberry, on behalf of the TUC, outlined the strategy of the TUC in delivering on its commitment to diversity and multiculturalism, and the impact of racism in the workplace. Anas Altikiriti of the British Muslim Initiative spoke of the urgent need to challenge the rise of Islamophobia.  Bruce Kent, Vice President of Pax Christi put the case for the framework of One Society Many Cultures, that defending the rights of all to freedom of faith, conscience and culture demands a defence of all those under attack.

A session entitled Muslims Under Siege refuted some of the pernicious myths that are being spread about the Muslim community. Jonathan Githens-Mazer (European Muslim Research Centre) outlined how sections of the media set a hostile agenda regarding Islam and belittle the real impact of hatred against Muslims, which ranges from physical violence against people through to attacks on buildings associated with Islam. David Smith from London Citizens outlined the need for the engagement of all sections of civil society in the political process including the Muslim community and challenged the media furore that has been whipped up against the Muslim community in Tower Hamlets. Dilowar Hussain Khan of the East London Mosque debunked many of the myths that have been propagated against the Mosque and outlined how it is a centre of community interaction in Tower Hamlets that is considered exemplary within the Muslim community.

All sessions at the conference included a lively discussion from the floor. One delegate questioned if the term ‘Islamophobia’, just means ‘an irrational fear of Islam’, then it does not adequately characterise the direct hatred which Muslims are facing.

No racist concessions to the EDL and BNP – a session focusing on the need to oppose the rise of fascist and neo-Nazi organisations – saw Martin Smith (Love Music Hate Racism) spell out the threat from the BNP and EDL to our communities and lay out the different types of responses needed from the anti-fascist movement. He discussed the need for a broad community response to the EDL, along the themes of One Society Many Cultures, of the type that have been organised by Unite Against Fascism and Love Music Hate Racism. He described the success of the campaign against the BNP in Barking. Muslim artist Nabilla G has been stalked by the EDL, who even masquerading as a recording company in an attempt to intimidate her. Her account was a graphic example of the impact that fascist hatred is having on the Muslim community. NUS Black Students Officer Kanja Sesay outlined the need for young people and students to be active in the fight against fascism, as fascists are targeting campuses, and the role that students have played in effectively challenging them both on campus and in the local community.

This floor discussion in this session was disrupted by the intervention of an EDL supporter. The person, and their friends, who had got into the conference clearly intended to be disruptive. They were asked to leave and then removed from the conference when they refused to do so. Although the incident only lasted a few minutes, and did not pose any physical threat to anyone attending, it is a mark of the growing confidence of the EDL that they seek to attend this conference and anti-fascist meetings around the country.

In the afternoon, Ken Livingstone spoke to the conference in a session highlighting the need to oppose bans like those introduced in Europe on the Burqa and on Minarets. In the session No to Religious Bans he discussed how polls showed that far from being a threat, the Muslim community felt more loyal to Britain, had a higher support for the rule of law and were more opposed to extremism than other ethnic groups, including the white communities. He described how emphasizing the strengths of the diversity of London ensured it stood united after the 7th July 2005 bombings. Lisa Nandy MPoutlined how racism and Islamophobia impacted on her campaign to become an MP in the general election. Salma Yaqoob (leader of the Respect party) spoke eloquently of how to take up the challenge of Islamophobia, refuting myths, arguing about foreign policy, and the need for the mainstream parties to totally reject racism and Islamophobia. She expressed support for the Labour leadership’s position distancing Labour from the type of campaign that Phil Woolas had run in Oldham. Sir Geoffrey Bindman explained how the right to wear religious clothing and other personal rights were embedded in the fundamental approach of British law, and that the attempt to introduce bans of this type challenged its entire framework of individual rights. Billy Hayes (General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union) laid out the important role of the unions in anti-racist solidarity and the support of his union for campaigns against Islamophobia and racism.

The floor discussion centred on a lively debate as to whether there is anything positive in the idea of trying to develop a new ‘English national identity’ – based on the radical traditions of the Levellers for example – as a response to the rise in support for the EDL. Most speakers challenged the notion that this is a helpful area to explore. Contributions argued that responding on the EDL’s own defined ground simply conceded the argument to them. Others argued that the basis of this seemed to be the creation of an exclusive identity that only embraced the white population; that it was a fool’s errand in any case as there is no uniting features of being ‘English’, especially as a defining feature of British society is its' diversity, which includes the contribution of people from many different cultures.

The final session saw Doreen Lawrence OBE's presentation on the continued impact of institutional racism on black communities. Diana Holland (Unite Assistant General Secretary) celebrated the diversity of the work force as a positive attribute and the need for continued anti-racist campaigning as a fundamental part of the equalities agenda.Talha Jamil Ahmed brought support and solidarity from the Muslim Council of Britain. In an uplifting show of inter-faith solidariy, Rabbi Lee Wax  (Jewish Council for Racial Equality) drew comparisons between the treatment of Jewish people in the early part of the 20^th Century and contemporary racism directed at Muslim communities.Mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman, the first ethnic minority, and first Muslim, directly elected Mayor in Britain, spoke of the need for politicians to represent all communities and he described some of the racist campaigning he had faced during the elections. He stressed the importance of celebrating and encouraging the cultural expression of all communities while challenging racism and prejudice. Pav Akhtar (UK Black Pride) gave the perspective of LGBT Muslims challenging racism and homophobia.

The conference saw a very diverse audience discussing with a broad and representative set of speakers and panels at a timely event against the rise of racism and Islamophobia.

One Society Many Cultures challenges racism and Islamophobia and will continue to do so. The daily media campaigns whipping up fear and prejudice against Muslims are continuing and demand vigilance and constant refutation.  The violent EDL are still active on our streets, whilst US Pastor Terry Jones, who threatened to publicly burn the Qur'an, is planning to come to Britain with the clear intention of whipping up fear and hatred of Muslims.

The need for a campaign that challenges racism and Islamophobia, and celebrates strengths and positive contribution of the diversity of our society was never more pressing. If you share our aims we urge you to support our work by becoming a member today. (OSMC)

Event Photos;

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Mr. M. R. Mohamed of Sri Lanka Think Tank-UK & Dr. Jonathan Githens-Mazer (European Muslim Research Centre-UK) 

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Mr. M. R. Mohamed of Sri Lanka Think Tank-UK & Salma Yaqoob (Leader of the Respect Party-UK)

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Mr. M. R. Mohamed of Sri Lanka Think Tank-UK & Lisa Nandy M.P.

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NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Saturday 11 December
10am–6pm
Mary Ward House
5/7 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9SN, UK

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Can Hindu & Muslim live in amity

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Black Panthers, Obama & White Civil Rights!

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This video from Dr. David Duke (http://www.davidduke.com%29/ shows how the New Black Panthers preach death to White people. A court found them guilty of threatening and violating the civil rights of White voters and poll watchers. Yet, Obama and his A.G. Holder won't prosecute. One more bit of evidence that European Americans have lost their civil rights in America!

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The very real threat to the continued existence of the European people.
Not only do Europeans have the near prospect of living in nations where they are a small minority and thus must live as strangers in their own land, but their very existence as a heritage is threatened.

There is a word for the wiping away of a race or people.  It is called genocide.

But, people of European descent are awakening all over the world.
As soon as they invest themselves in the struggle for their heritage and freedom, no power on earth can stop them from restoring their homelands and securing the existence and freedom of their children.

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Case Study; Crawley UK Borough Council

Community Development Community Cohesion Grants; Everyone can contribute to making Crawley a Cohesive town. For more information on funding that supports community cohesion initiatives please view the Community Cohesion Grants page

The Community Development Team at Crawley Borough Council works with residents and local agencies and organisations to address the needs of the community. Our work programme is a combination of grass roots development emerging from work with local communities and strategic partnerships with local agencies to benefit Crawley residents.

We work on projects and programmes that span a wide range of issues. Our three main areas of work are Community Engagement, Community Cohesion and Support to the Voluntary and Community Sector. The work we do in these three areas is guided by the priorities agreed in The Sustainable Community Strategy for Crawley. In addition, we underpin our work with a commitment to effective facilitation and partnership working.

• Please follow this link to view the Sustainable Community Strategy pages

What is Community Engagement?

Community engagement at Crawley Borough Council is about encouraging communities to actively participate by listening to them, asking about and involving them in matters that affect where they live. In Community Development we look to facilitate this. We work with residents, councillors and representatives from partner agencies and organisations to develop a number of different opportunities for people to get involved within their community and enhance community spirit.

This involves empowering residents to make a difference through providing training and support to develop projects, identifying mechanisms that enable residents to get involved and most importantly supporting people to have their voices heard.

It is about encouraging people to participate in decision making and identify the issues that are most important to them - whether that is through their local councillor, or through groups in their neighbourhood, or town-wide.

The council has recently published its Community Engagement Framework, which details how as a council we will effectively engage with the community.

• Please follow this link to view the Community Engagement Framework

What is Community Cohesion?

In a nutshell, Crawley is cohesive if people from different backgrounds get on well together; if people are aware of, appreciate and accept diversity.

It can be about people from different faiths and cultures getting along, or young and older people’s ability to speak to each other and communicate effectively. It’s also about people feeling safe and confident about where they live. It can be about making sure that all people feel they can access services provided in the town, but also about people coming together no matter what their background to work together over common interests, to celebrate, to solve problems and to develop their community.

Find out more about community cohesion grants

What support do we provide to the Voluntary and Community Sector?

Firstly, we operate a Community Grants Programme that provides funding for local voluntary and community services, for example with annual or small grants. We also jointly fund voluntary organisations to provide services such as the Volunteer Centre and Citizens Advice Bureau.

Community development promotes capacity building and partnership working with local voluntary and community sector infrastructure organisations such as Crawley Council for Voluntary Service (CCVS) and Crawley Ethnic Minority Partnership. In general, capacity building is about developing people in organisations.

It can include helping groups to establish or re-visit their aims and objectives and also ways of supporting new projects or service improvement.

Crawley CVS can provide information and advice on effective charity management including setting up a charity or voluntary organisation, writing a business plan or fundraising strategy and also help with meeting organisational training needs.

If you would like more information about what the Community Development team is working on currently, you can check out the list of some of the projects below. Alternatively, you can contact the Community Development team on community.development@crawley.gov.uk  

Community Cohesion Grants

Community groups are invited to apply for grants of up to £2,500 to help

create a more cohesive Crawley. The grant funding – £50,000 over three years – is part of an area-based grant for cohesion of £195,200 from the Government Office for the South East (GOSE). The funding was awarded to support activities that help improve relationships between people from different backgrounds. Community cohesion is one of eight themes in Crawley’s Sustainable Community Strategy. It includes the vision: “A town where people from different communities interact across a range of cultural, leisure and social activities, are mutually supportive of each other, and feel part of a wider community.”

Councillor Nigel Boxall, Cabinet member for Community Engagement, said: “The council and its many partners in Crawley Together, the Local Strategic Partnership for the town, recognise that no one group or agency can achieve this vision alone. But if we work in partnership with other agencies and groups, we can together make a larger impact. “I’d urge all the groups in Crawley who do such sterling work creating more cohesive communities to get in touch and apply for a grant.”

Community and voluntary groups who have a constitution and a bank account will be able to apply to the council for a share of the funding, up to a maximum of £2,500.

To be successful they will need to meet at least one of these key priorities:

• Build confidence and a sense of belonging about living in Crawley
• Celebrate the diversity of Crawley
• Break down barriers between different groups and effectively challenge myths and assumptions
• Encourage residents to participate in and influence decision making in Crawley

All applications must also demonstrate that they promote equal opportunities.

Please follow the links to download the application form and to view the guidance notes and terms and conditions.

For more information visit www.crawley.gov.uk/communitydevelopment, call Fatima Mirza, Community Development Officer, on 01293 438658 or email fatima.mirza@crawley.gov.uk . (Crawley UK)

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