The Last Straw - An article by Yvonne Ridley

[Ayubi]

I found it almost impossible to forgive those craven little individuals who held Jack Straw aloft after he was swept back into power at the last General Election on a tidal wave of Muslim blood.

There's something so unmanly and cowardly about a man who grovels, and the Uriah Heap characters who bow and scrape in front of Straw make me want to retch.

In fact I find it almost inconceivable they come from the same gene pool as the great, the magnificent Khalid bin Al-Walid. Now there's a man for you. And, were he alive today, he would be the first to tell those knaves and fools in La-La land 'for that is what Blackburn has become' that we Muslims are slaves to no one bar Allah Almighty.

As one of the world's greatest fighters, he would also advise that you never ever kneel before those who are attacking you. Well I'm beginning to wonder if they wear shinpads on their knees in Blackburn because not content with rewarding the war criminal Jack Straw by voting for him, the fools are now rolling out the welcome mat for another war criminal, Condoleezza Rice. In fact I wonder if the carpet will be crimson red to match the rivers of innocent blood now flowing through Iraq, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan.

I tell you I have never felt so deeply ashamed of my Muslim family as I feel today. It is just as well I was inspired to Islam through the Qur'aan. I thought everyone feared no one but Allah (swt).

And as a revert to Islam, I can tell you that the actions of those hypocrites in Blackburn could even drive would-be brothers and sisters away from this Ummah.

As I write the American Secret Service are swarming over Blackburn and I have no doubt that the sniffer dogs will soon be sent in to the mosque where the US Secretary of State has been invited. Of course it will all be done under cover of darkness ... only the mosque committee will know ... astaghfirul'Allah!

In some homes there are young children who are being rehearsed and groomed to bow and scrape in front of Rice as they present her with posies of flowers! These parents should be reported for child abuse. What sort of lesson are you teaching your young?

Don't you know the Establishment despises you and will never like you no matter how much you suck up to them? Yes, it's true, Jack has his fair share of House Muslims, but they will never be treated as an equal by him.

Why can't these foolish Muslims face reality? They will never become part of the Establishment. As Muslims we will never be really liked by the Establishment. All we can hope for is that they will respect us. But will someone tell those lick-spittling toadies in Blackburn that you have to earn respect and you don't get it by grovelling and tow towing to the boss class.

I remember learning all about the Crusades 'from a Christian perspective' at school and was quite curious about the famous Muslim leader Salahud-Deen. British history treated him as a hero and even today he stands out as a giant among men

Let me tell you why. He had courage, wisdom and knowledge. And he would be the first to spit at those fools in Blackburn and order them to stand up and start respecting themselves.

At least there's hope for our brothers and sisters on Merseyside who also have to endure a visit from the war-mongering duo. "The most unwelcome visit to Liverpool since Oswald Mosley came here in the1930s", is how the mass circulation Liverpool Echo newspaper describes Rice's visit to the city on Friday, organised for her by UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.

Oswald Mosley was the leader of the British fascist party, the BUF. Condoleezza Rice, George Bush's Secretary of State, is one of the architects of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and directly implicated in the horrific levels of death and destruction inflicted on those countries. Anti-war activists in Liverpool and in Blackburn are outraged by her visit and have organised demonstrations to give her the sort of welcome she will never forget.

Convoys of angry Muslims and anti-war protestors have already booked their  transport from London, Manchester, Bradford, Leeds and Sheffield. Rice was due to be entertained on Friday by the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra but following protests famous poet Roger McGough, has withdrawn and orchestra members are considering a boycott.

The utterly shameless Jack Straw plans to take Rice to a mosque in Blackburn on Saturday, no doubt for a nauseating photo opportunity aimed at countering the widespread revulsion and outrage expressed throughout the Islamic world over the war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, which Rice has been so instrumental in perpetrating.

Rice and Straw must be left in no doubt that this cynical media stunt is an affront to the vast majority of British people who have consistently opposed the war in Iraq. And it is a particular affront to the Muslim community, following Tony Blair's latest speech on foreign policy, in which he sought to justify the "war on terror" by claiming that the enemies of "civilisation" were to be found in Islam.

A special website called CondiWatch has been set up for the Liverpool and Blackburn protests.

TO KEEP UP TO DATE GO TO:

http://www.condiwatch.co.uk/

Information also available at:

http://www.stopwar.org.uk

And if you haven't yet booked a ticket get one at

http://www.stopwar.org.uk/new/Ricevisit2.htm


To all Muslims, I tell you now. You are either with us or you are with the terrorists Rice and Straw.

Now I would like to ask brother Ibrahim Master and Lord Patel if they are going to stand shoulder to shoulder with us or are they going to get down on their knees and bow before the deadly duo?

These twins of evil supported the illegal war on Iraq that has resulted in the deaths of more than 100,000 innocent brothers and sisters. Both love Israel and were almost moved to tears when the revolting Ariel Sharon lapsed into a coma.

Now they are proposing a war on another Muslim nation: Iran. Just what kind of traitors to the Ummah would host such a person?

According to one website Blackburn community leader Ibrahim Master does not care what we mere mortals think. He even went as far as to respond: 'What has happened in Iraq was going to happen anyway'!� when asked about Jack Straw's illegal war on Iraq in the Channel 4 documentary on MPACUK called 'Operation Muslim Vote'�.

You know if I wasn't a Muslim I'd probably be having a bloody, good laugh at the antics of the Blackburn House Slaves. Instead I am ashamed, deeply ashamed at the disgrace they are collectively bringing on all of us.

Shame, shame, shame on you.

[Jive Jive Pakistan]

im from near blackburn, my dad works in blackburn

lord adam patel and ibrahim masters are jack straws right hand men so no chance they are goin to protest

i am in favour of peaceful protests but i dont want it to get blown out of hands, so i ask some restraint in the sitaution and protest sensibly

but i dont agree with turning a visitor away no matter whjo they are, that make us as bad as them,

[Sultan Yusuf]

Great article, and very interesting that she mentioned "house muslims" and "house slaves"! Reading some of the comments on this forum, it seems these people are not just limited to blackburn.....

[MIG]

Yaar Naved - just because people can see their own faults and find it difficult to go around chest beating about US and Israel at every opportunity doesnt make them this or that ! Everything is not black and white.

As for Ridley - She told us in a lecture in Bahrain how she admired the lives led by the Talibaan! Told us that how a civilization should be judged by its jails and talked about Guantamo bay prisoners - conveniently forgetting the way people ( forget the treatment of women ) are treated in jails in Afghanistan and our own beloved Pakistan! She also ignored the fact that she was treated special since they knew she was a BBC reporter.

Frankly, I put little faith in what she has to say.

[Sultan Yusuf]

Originally Posted by MenInGreen Yaar Naved - just because people can see their own faults and find it difficult to go around chest beating about US and Israel at every opportunity doesnt make them this or that ! Everything is not black and white. As for Ridley - She told us in a lecture in Bahrain how she admired the lives led by the Talibaan! Told us that how a civilization should be judged by its jails and talked about Guantamo bay prisoners - conveniently forgetting the way people ( forget the treatment of women ) are treated in jails in Afghanistan and our own beloved Pakistan! She also ignored the fact that she was treated special since they knew she was a BBC reporter. Frankly, I put little faith in what she has to say.

Miggy yaar, why do you feel the need to justify everything, I'm not pointing the finger at anyone specific, but there is this house slave mentality amongst a lot of people.....

As for Yvonne, she experienced the treatment first hand and it made her a Muslim Alhamdulillah....take that whichever way you like.....

[MIG]

okey dokey - sorry !

[Ayubi]

Originally Posted by MenInGreen Yaar Naved - just because people can see their own faults and find it difficult to go around chest beating about US and Israel at every opportunity doesnt make them this or that ! Everything is not black and white. As for Ridley - She told us in a lecture in Bahrain how she admired the lives led by the Talibaan! Told us that how a civilization should be judged by its jails and talked about Guantamo bay prisoners - conveniently forgetting the way people ( forget the treatment of women ) are treated in jails in Afghanistan and our own beloved Pakistan! She also ignored the fact that she was treated special since they knew she was a BBC reporter. Frankly, I put little faith in what she has to say.

Come on MIG Bhai, I expected better from a man of your calibre! I've read loads of stuff written by Yvonne & it's clear she meant that she admired certain aspects of the way the Talebaan lived their lives, not the whole thing!

There's a huge difference when comparing the civility of Afghanistan, Pakistan & the US. Pak is well known for it's high level of corruption, it's dictatorship, lack of democracy, the list is endless. What is there is left to expose about Afghanistan & Pak??

Can you say the same for the US? Are Pakistan on a God sent mission to liberate the world & impose it's values on them?

[Ace Base]

Originally Posted by MenInGreen Yaar Naved - just because people can see their own faults and find it difficult to go around chest beating about US and Israel at every opportunity doesnt make them this or that ! Everything is not black and white. As for Ridley - She told us in a lecture in Bahrain how she admired the lives led by the Talibaan! Told us that how a civilization should be judged by its jails and talked about Guantamo bay prisoners - conveniently forgetting the way people ( forget the treatment of women ) are treated in jails in Afghanistan and our own beloved Pakistan! She also ignored the fact that she was treated special since they knew she was a BBC reporter. Frankly, I put little faith in what she has to say.

Akhi, MIG

Much of what you read in the press about the Talibaan is utter tosh, so I'm sure you won't judge them by that nonsense. Infact, I'm sure you won't judge them at all because as the Quraan says"....and verily Judgement is for Allah."

Inshallah, when you meet me in Dubai we'll talk about my experiences and how it changed my perception of the Talibaan. I just don't think this is the most appropriate place to be discussing this issue.

[MIG]

Originally Posted by Ayubi Come on MIG Bhai, I expected better from a man of your calibre!

Your first mistake !

[MIG]

Okay - I only listened to one lecture from Yvonne in Bahrain and both my wife and I, came back with an impression that Yvonne listened to what she wanted to listen or see in Afghanistan. Her description of how the prison guards treated her (a woman) with respect seems to ignore the fact that she was white and in the same jail, there may well have been prisoners being ill treated !

If the US is on a mission to reform the world then the Muslims can also be accused of the same thing - just like the US, we have to reform our house as well. Infact, as followers of the perfect religion, the responsibilities that rest on our head to put our own house in order are much more than ever.


BTW, I apologize for doubting Yvonnes reasons for becoming Muslim - they are are her own ( and between her and ALLAH ).

As for the Taliban, all I have to say ( with a lot of respect for Akh AB) that not many of those who support there values would like to live in a place controlled by them. Maybe the leadership was good but at the grassroots, the whole thing was a disaster.

[Ace Base]

Originally Posted by MenInGreen Okay - I only listened to one lecture from Yvonne in Bahrain and both my wife and I, came back with an impression that Yvonne listened to what she wanted to listen or see in Afghanistan. Her description of how the prison guards treated her (a woman) with respect seems to ignore the fact that she was white and in the same jail, there may well have been prisoners being ill treated ! If the US is on a mission to reform the world then the Muslims can also be accused of the same thing - just like the US, we have to reform our house as well. Infact, as followers of the perfect religion, the responsibilities that rest on our head to put our own house in order are much more than ever. BTW, I apologize for doubting Yvonnes reasons for becoming Muslim - they are are her own ( and between her and ALLAH ). As for the Taliban, all I have to say ( with a lot of respect for Akh AB) that not many of those who support there values would like to live in a place controlled by them. Maybe the leadership was good but at the grassroots, the whole thing was a disaster.

Like I said, this is probably not the best place to explain this.

I was and still am of the opinion that the Talebaan caused more harm to the image of Islaam, than good.

However, lets not forget that, by and large, they are still our brothers in Islaam and we can not absolve ourselves of responsibility by claiming they are not from us.

If they harmed the image of Islaam, its because we, collectively as an Ummah, let them. We postured and posed and posed some more, but the tragic reality is that Muslims always leave it upto somebody else to set examples, to give Da'wah, to educate. We are the first to criticise our fellow Muslims or the Kuffar but very seldom look at the faults within us.

Our fellow Muslims are merely a reflection of us. This is what I've always believed and when I see crimes perpetauted in the name of Islaam I cannot help but feel that I too am in some way responsible. It is I who must step up my efforts to become a better Muslim, to show people the true face of Islaam. Simple things like not dropping litter in the street, waiting patiently in queues, gentle, truthful speech, fair dealings- these little things go a long way in presenting Islaam in all its beauty.

Very few of us do this. As Jesus Alahis Salaam was reported to have said in the Bible (and Allah knows best): "Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone".

The Talebaan's biggest mistake is not educating the people they were ruling. Not educating them in the Islamic sense. People simply weren't ready for these "radical" changes their government was proposing. The Afghan culture has always been quite conservative, with or without Islaam. What the Talebaan were attempting to do, though, is impose a strict religious code of conduct based on their "Hanafi/Deobandi" doctrine of Islaam.

I remember being beaten with a piece of hose-pipe in the Masjid in Kandehaar by some of the Talebaan because I prayed with my hands across my chest and uttered the "Aameen" loudly! It hurt at the time, but I now find the incident amusing and a reflection of the very narrow-minded vision of the Talebaan government.

There are numerous other examples I can offer, but the bottom line is that there were some sincere people in the mix and unfortunately the good never gets mentioned.

Perhaps our sister Yvonne wishes to mention the oft-forgotten good points of the Talebaan. They weren't the ogres many people will have you believe.

[Team Slayer]

AB, do you think the Talibans were like the Khwarijs in terms of their rigidity in their practice of Islam? The incident you mentioned certainly reminded me of them.

[MIG]

AB:

Some excellent points about the Talibaan experience - I think that about sums all I feel for those guys - Well meaning in their intentions but with no idea of execution( pardon the pun) of their strategy - which in turn points to the paucity of education and understanding of some basic concepts of todays world etc

[nafajafam]

I don't see why Muslims should roll the red carpet for Rice and Straw. Secondly, we make a big deal of famous people, they should be treated as any other individual and given what they deserve.

Btw, Ace Base you point on Muslims are a reflection of ourselves is just brilliant. I too share the same sentiments. I have always believed that when someone takes advantage of us, its mostly our fault for allowing that to have happened.

[Ace Base]

Originally Posted by Team Slayer AB, do you think the Talibans were like the Khwarijs in terms of their rigidity in their practice of Islam? The incident you mentioned certainly reminded me of them.

Actually, Team Slayer, Masha Allah! Well picked up!

The problem with the Talibaan was that they closed their minds to ijtehaad. As Ibn Hazm said, "The death knell for the Ummah is sounded when independent thought is surpressed...''.

Furthermore, with the abscence of genuine ulema amongst them, they were susceptible to the disease of Takfeer imported into their country by the Afghan Arabs.