MUSLIM

Delegates from Islamic countries, including Pakistan and Egypt, told the United Nations Human Rights Council that treatment of Muslims in Western countries amounted to racism and discrimination and must be fought.

"People of Arab origin face new forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance and experience discrimination and marginalisation," an Egyptian delegate said, according to a U.N. summary.

And Pakistan, speaking for the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), said the council's special investigator into religious freedom should look into such racism "especially in Western societies".

Acting for the OIC, Pakistan has tabled a resolution at the council instructing its special investigator on religious freedom "to work closely with mass media organisations to ensure that they create and promote an atmosphere of respect and tolerance for religious and cultural diversity".

The OIC -- and its allies in the 47-nation council including Russia, China and Cuba -- dub criticism of Muslim practices and linking of terrorism waged under the proclaimed banner of Islamism as "islamophobia" that pillories all Muslims.

BOUND TO PASS

Diplomats say the resolution, which also tells the investigator to make recommendations to the Human Rights Council on how its strictures might be implemented, is bound to pass given the majority the OIC and its allies have in the body.

The countries of the majority group, which also include India and Brazil, ensure that its members and their friends outside the council -- such as Sri Lanka and Iran -- are shielded from any serious criticism of their rights record.

The group ensures that council fire is largely aimed at Israel over its occupation of Palestinian territories and treatment of people living there as well as on the Israeli blockade of Hamas-ruled Gaza.

On Tuesday, after hours of wrangling, the group allowed a statement to be read to the council by Norway on behalf of 56 U.N. member states strongly criticising Iran for its treatment of dissenters.

But although the statement was hailed by U.S. ambassdador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe as a victory for the Iranian people, diplomats noted that only just over a quarter of U.N. member states had backed it, of them only 14 countries in the council.

Human rights activists who are allowed to speak at the body if their organisations are accredited by the United Nations said the statement -- drafted largely by the United States -- was the best available substitute for a formal resolution.

"The Western group knows it could never get such a resolution passed in this council, and this is the only way they have of fighting back," said Roy Brown, long-time chief representative of the International Humanist and Ethical Union.

Brown said the loophole was likely to be closed in a coming review of the council's activity since it was launched in 2006 to replace a discredited predecessor.

----Agencies

'Fitna' is a 17-minute anti-Quran movie which features quotations from the Quran interspersed with footage of terrorist atrocities and speeches by Muslim scholars and preachers. This is the second time that the politician has been invited to the House of Lords to show the film.

Wilders was invited to screen Fitna in the House of Lords last February, but found himself at the centre of an international free speech row when he was held at London’s Heathrow airport before being sent back to Holland.

The then Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, was accused of undermining free speech and of ‘appeasing’ religious extremists by blocking the Dutch politician’s visit. But the ban on Wilders entering the UK was overturned on appeal last October by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal.

A British official said: “He’s free to travel and the Border Agency will not be alerted.”

The official added: “The ruling is pretty crucial here – if he did try to travel it would be very difficult for the Government to stop him entering as the tribunal made it very clear they do not support the Government’s position.”

This Satan Dutch MP has also been condemned for writing hate articles and letters against Islam which were later published in a mainstream Dutch newspaper.

Wilders is currently on trial for hate crimes in the Netherlands and could face up to two years in prison if he is found guilty. Wilders is the leader of the “Freedom Party” of Holland.

Wilders visit is expected to be greeted by protests from British Muslims. The Muslim Council of Great Britain has described Wilders as a 'relentless preacher of hate.'

I’M NOT sure if someone has given every village idiot my email or telephone number but it seems as though I’ve been inundated by fools who know nothing about Islam but think they do; those who should know better and don’t and various forms of pond life who attack Muslims with their every breath.

Sadly, the fashion for being Islamophobic is stronger than ever in the media and it doesn’t help when you have more self-confessed extremists and Islamists scuttling to kiss and tell their stories than a pack of WAGS^* passed their sell-by date. Don’t those folk from Panorama (so eager to broadcast confession from so-called extremists) realise that viewers are finding yet another so-called self-flagellating funds coming out rather boring. This unburdening of the soul from confused brothers (it’s always brothers isn’t it?) is about as interesting as counting deck chairs in London’s Hyde Park.

I’m not usually one for naming names, but I’ll make an exception in Ed Hussain’s case … after all he wrote a load of rubbish about me in his book without so much as picking up the phone for a well informed chat. He says I embraced Islamism and not Islam – bearing in mind I’ve never met him how can he make such an arrogant statement? I’m not sure about his credibility as a reliable source either … this is Ed the Confessor after all - a man who was in the thrall of Omar Bakri Muhammad for a few years before he finally realised that may be there was something fake about the sheikh!

The Ed Hussains of this world have, like any Kings Cross hooker, a short shelf life and I believe he will find out just how fickle is the media. Like yesterday’s fish and chip papers he will be consigned to the bin while another fantasist with a book to flog takes his place. I’m sure there will be more in 2008.

When his phone stops ringing and he’s no longer invited as the token Muslim to cocktail parties by the Notting Hill set or the even more fickle Islington crowd, maybe then he will have time to reflect on the damage he’s done to the Muslim community. And I’m not talking about Muslims like myself who can usually stand up for themselves. I’m talking about those quiet, timid brothers and sisters who are afraid as they turn every street corner for fear of being confronted by some Islamophobic thug with hate in his eyes … a hate inadvertently fuelled by the likes of Ed Hussain and his ilk. And that hatred is very real.

Sometimes the hatred is spawned from an irrational fear that every Muslim must be a terrorist in the making. Ah yes, I can hear the squeals of protest now. Look, I’m not the one burying my head in the sand. Yes, terrorism is real and people die through terrorism but let’s get it into perspective. The cause of terrorism is NOT Islam and here’s the proof.

There were 498 terrorist attacks across Europe in 2006 but the truth is Islamists carried out only ONE of them. The Basque Separatist group ETA topped the league table with 136 terrorist strikes resulting in the death of two in Madrid. Now given the perpetual warnings in our daily newspapers, radio bulletins and TV channels these statistics might come as a surprise but if you want to check out the full report, it is available on Europol’s website.

The reality is that had Islamists been behind 136 attacks we would have read it on the front pages of every daily newspaper across Europe and Ed Hussain would have been in every TV newsroom opining on the latest statistics while plugging his book. My late great Aunt Lizzie had a fantastic saying and it is something Ed Hussain should take on board. In fact, since the season of goodwill is in full swing take it free of charge, bro: “Say now't and people will just think you’re stupid. Open your mouth and they’ll know you’re stupid.”

Terrorism in Europe as these latest statistics show has no connection with Islam or Islamists. And as for what is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan – well it was the Americans who brought in the advent of suicide bombers as well as the new wave of al-Qaida recruits. It is a fact. Suicide bombing is a new phenomenon in those countries and came on the scene long after Uncle Sam set up camp. American and British foreign policy have done more to radicalise young people than any ranting cleric. Instead of feigning concern about the actions of those who are (legitimately under international law) defending Muslim lands abroad, perhaps Ed Hussain and the other Uncle Toms might like to take some responsibility next time a sister is attacked in the street because some yob sees her hijab and thinks she’s a Muslim extremist.

*WAGS – Wives and girlfriends of sporting celebrities.

(Yvonne Ridley is a senior, award winning journalist, peace activist and presenter for The Agenda show on Press TV.)