PrintMarch 2, 2007
They'll Never Stop Saying... Sharia
Rather than solving the problem, many have foolishly allowed Sharia's gradual unchecked spread in the names of diversity and tolerance. Unfortunately, as this dark-age jurisprudence is totally incompatible with any democratic society, those buying into this creeping multicultist folly are doing so at the peril of their own heritage and freedom. Of course, it comes as little surprise that anti-American countries like France have all but surrendered. Yet, ironically, it also appears that our best ally in the war against Islamic extremism may unwittingly be among our worst in the struggle against its fundamental objective - a world ruled by the strict Islamic Law of Sharia.
You'll recall that following last August's foiled Airline bombing plot, many of Great Britain's Islamic leaders attempted to exploit its residual anxieties. One in particular actually had the gall to suggest that the introduction of Sharia Law, together with special bank holidays for Muslim religious festivals, would help to 'combat terror' in Britain. Thankfully, while a previous February opinion poll had found that 40% of British Muslims more-or-less agreed, it appeared that wiser heads would, for the moment, prevail
The most direful word you've ever heard ... Sharia
Now, barely six months later, the very cultural stability of the Queen's country is at stake, as the cries for Sharia ring louder and broader than ever. Gone is much of the pretense that it's simply the nontoxic civil, family, and banking aspects of their ancient law that Muslims seek. Many are now singing a song of Sharia in its most raw and barbaric form to subjugate the evil devils of western culture. Worse still, their chants are reaching an increasing number of sympathetic non-Muslim ears.
January ended with news of another thwarted terror plot, also involving British Muslims and also, likely crafted in Pakistan. Nine "home-grown" assassins planned to kidnap a British Muslim soldier who had served in Afghanistan; then videotape his torture, pleas to Tony Blair to pull troops out of Iraq, and ultimate ghastly beheading. The gruesome video was to be posted online -- Baghdad style, to further teach Al Qaeda recruits how to carry out executions and to import "Ken Bigley-like" terror methods into Britain.
As before, the barbaric plan didn't require actual execution in order to spark feigned anger -- not among the brethren of the intended victims so much as those of the perpetrators. Indignant Muslims once again took the opportunity of other Muslims' transgressions to make marginally veiled threats and demands against would-be targets.
According to the Daily Mail, after the suspects were rounded up, the word on many British streets was of a government "plot" against Muslims and the immediate need for Sharia criminal law. This included relatively subdued words, such as those of Gous Miah. The 26-year-old shop worker believes that while the penalties for criminals under Sharia law might be harsh - some would say barbaric - they serve as a highly effective deterrent, adding:
"British law is not acceptable to Muslims - it is too soft. There are people committing horrendous crimes and getting away with it. Things would be better if we lived under Sharia law."
All the infidel hate in the world in a single word ... Sharia
But more threatening cries were heard from many of overtly subversive intention, including Khalid Kelly, who holds those responsible for the 7/7 bombings in London in high esteem, indeed. Said the radical Irish Muslim convert:
"The ultimate goal of every Muslim is to establish Sharia law over the whole Earth. It is a superior way of life and every Muslim living in the UK has an obligation to call for Sharia law to be implemented."
Like many British Muslim extremists, Kelly called for violent jihad to set things right and added that [emphasis mine]:
"Everything you have in the West is wrong. We should be in charge over you. We have to spread Sharia law and put fear into the head of the enemy."
Meanwhile, Muslim journalists the likes of Salma Yaqoob busily dismissed the fear that a "Sharia state" can ever be imposed by a tiny (3%) minority of society as paranoid fantasy. Likewise, Soumaya Ghannoushi, director of research at IslamExpo, dishonestly interpreted this genuine concern:
"The implication is that if you want to eat halal food, marry according to Islamic law, or get an interest-free mortgage - which is what most Muslims understand by Sharia - you are a threat to the social order, legal system and cultural identity of the land."
So the threat of penal Sharia in England is merely the obsession of "Islamophobes?" Wrong. In truth, according to the Telegraph, Sharia is already tacitly replacing English criminal law in some Muslim communities. A recent example was given:
"Aydarus Yusuf, 29, a youth worker from Somalia, recalled a stabbing case that was decided by an unofficial Somali ‘court' sitting in Woolwich, south-east London. Mr Yusuf said a group of Somali youths were arrested on suspicion of stabbing another Somali teenager. The victim's family told the police it would be settled out of court and the suspects were released on bail."
No, the intent of this cycle of terror-plot and subsequent demands for Sharia Law can no longer be denied.
Sharia ... Say it loud to the self betraying
Regrettably, pro-Sharia sentiments are not the sole propriety of those who follow the teachings of the Koran. For instance, anyone attending this year's London Fashion Week around Valentines Day was treated to the sight of a Louise Goldin model strolling down the catwalk wearing an outfit that obscured her body, her entire face (except her eyes), and covered her head entirely. No isolated incident, this -- Sharia-chic, the rage has appeared elsewhere, including in the December Marie Claire magazine. The spread featured three statuesque women, all decked out in hijabs and full-length black dresses, and sporting Ipods, designer handbags, and other testaments to their unquestionable sophistication and glamour. .
Also in December, the Bringing it Home report from the British Demos was applauded by multicultist surrenderers around the world. Small wonder -- the think tank concluded that the British government had failed to address the underlying causes of terrorism, chiefly social injustice and foreign policy, noting that [emphasis added]:
"In the meeting rooms of Whitehall, ministers were assuring Muslim leaders of the need for partnership, but in press briefings they were talking of the need for Muslims to 'get serious' about terrorism, spy on their children, and put up with inconveniences in the greater good of national security."
So, asking minority immigrants to abide inconveniences for the greater good of their adopted country is now classified as a "social injustice?" It seems the blame [insert your country name here] crowd has expanded its influence well beyond American borders. This apparently contagious mental illness was truly brought to light when the report suggested that behaviors problematic to a secular, liberal state such as the UK raise questions about the
"legitimacy or otherwise of certain forms of Sharia Law and an individual's right to behave in a private realm in ways that might me at odds with social norms or even laws."
Say it soft and they'd better start praying
Crazy, you say? I'll give you truly crazy. February's Towards Greater Understanding - Meeting The Needs of Muslim Pupils In State Schools, is an absolutely astounding report which must be read to be believed. The very fact that the Muslim Council of Britain's demand that "un-Islamic" activities be banned in all schools wasn't immediately tossed in the trash with its fellow rubbish bespoke trouble. But, the presence of the chief adviser to London schools at the report's release in the capital's largest mosque effectively doubled that trouble.
Here's just how troublingly crazy it was. According to the MCB, just some of the changes necessary to rectify "un-Islamic" (read that as contrary to Sharia) school activities must include:
- Sex education classes should be taught in single-sex groups, by a teacher of the same gender.
- Boys should be also allowed to grow beards for religious reasons and children should not be told to remove religious amulets, irrespective of current school rules.
- Certain activities should be limited during the entire month of Ramadan. They include science lessons dealing with sex, parents' evenings, exams and immunization programs.
- Schools with a significant number of Muslim pupils should try to avoid scheduling swimming lessons during Ramadan to prevent possibility of water being swallowed during fasting.
- When swimming is allowed, boys should wear clothing covering their bodies "from the navel to the neck", even during single-sex pool sessions, while girls must be covered up completely at all times, apart from the face and hands.
- Muslim girls should be allowed to wear the hijab instead of regulation uniforms.
- Schools should ensure contact sports, including football, basketball, and even dancing "are always in single-gender groups".
- School teachers should be considerate and mindful that fasting children avoid engaging in over-demanding exercises during physical education lessons that may result in dehydration.
- Arabic language classes should be available for Muslim pupils.
- The Koran should be recited in music classes.
- Arrangements should be made for Muslim pupils who wish to perform daily prayers in school.
- All schools should ensure they have prayer rooms with washing facilities attached.
- In art classes, Muslim children should not be allowed to draw people, as this is forbidden under some interpretations of Sharia.
But, perhaps the most telling was the demand that all British children be forced to learn about Islam, while Muslims must maintain the right to withdraw their children from Religion lessons dealing with Christianity and other faiths. In other words, the needs of the progeny of this minority outweigh those of the overwhelming majority. After all, the report states that religion,
"appears to be more important to young people [from Muslims communities] than for white British or mixed heritage young people."
Is it any wonder that a recent poll from Populus for the Policy Exchange found that extreme Islamist views are much more prevalent among younger British Muslims? In fact, 37% of 16-24 year olds said that they would prefer Sharia law, where non-believers (Dhimmis) are, by edict, treated as second-class citizens, compared to only 17% of those over 55. And 13% of the younger demo said they admired groups "prepared to fight the West," such as Al Qaeda, compared to just 3% of the older. As to the strictest Sharian belief that those converting to another faith should be executed, proponents ran close to a third and less than a fifth, respectively.
Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum and an expert on the subject believes that as many as 50% of British Muslims consistently suggest in polls that they'd like to see Sharia applied in Britain. Says Pipes:
"That to me says 50 percent of British Muslims are Islamist. That is a very high number."
Sharia ... We'll never stop saying ... Sharia!
Sharia warriors know that once the schools are compromised, the indoctrination of Islamic youth can continue full-time. After all, any doubts that Saudi Arabian trained Imams own their minds once outside of the classroom have been dispelled. Especially after the January 15th broadcast of the UK's Channel 4 Dispatches reported the findings of an undercover reporter's journey through various high-profile British Mosques. The journalist joined other worshippers in repeatedly hearing hatred for non-Muslims and for Muslims who do not follow their extreme beliefs - as well as predictions of a coming jihad. In "chilling sermons," Saudi-trained preachers condemned democracy and integration into British society while praising the Taliban for killing British soldiers. They then recruited fellow warriors of terror:
"An army of Muslims will arise," announces one preacher. Another preacher said British Muslims must "dismantle" British democracy - they must "live like a state within a state" until they are "strong enough to take over."
Now consider the expanding birth-rate among Muslim countries as opposed to the contracting, non-sustaining rates of those predominately "infidel," when interpreting the PPE poll and the Imams' words. Then reflect carefully on this: According to Omer Taspinar, writing for the Brookings Institution:
"[In 2003], the Muslim birth rate in Europe [was] three times higher than the non-Muslim one. If current trends continue, the Muslim population of Europe will nearly double by 2015, while the non-Muslim population will shrink by 3.5 percent."
In January, acclaimed Mideast expert Professor Bernard Lewis told the Jerusalem Post that due to their lack of respect for their own culture, soon the only pertinent question regarding Europe's future is:
"Will it be an Islamized Europe or Europeanized Islam?"
Sadly, that seems all too obvious. If as little as 3% of a population can further the cause of Sharia to the extent to which it already has, just imagine what a Muslim majority, which is all but certain this century for France, might achieve toward the coming Eurabia. Given collapsing Anglo birthrates, soaring Muslim ones, and the spine-weakening sickness that is multiculturalism, can the fate of an England which continues down this PC path be any cheerier?
And what chance has a 50% or more Politically Correct America should its only true European ally be absorbed into the Sharian caliphate?
Marc Sheppard is a technology consultant, software engineer, writer, and political and systems analyst. He is a regular contributor to American Thinker. He welcomes your feedback.
