Monday, January 3, 2011

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-islamification-of-britain-record-numbers-embrace-muslim-faith-2175178.html





The Islamification of Britain: record numbers embrace Muslim faith

The number of Britons converting to Islam has doubled in 10 years. Why? Jerome Taylor and Sarah Morrison investigate

Tuesday, 4 January 2011

Susannah Ireland

Hana Tajima, 23, fashion designer: "I became friends with a few Muslims in college, and was slightly affronted and curious at their lack of wanting to go out to clubs or socialise."

The number of Britons choosing to become Muslims has nearly doubled in the past decade, according to one of the most comprehensive attempts to estimate how many people have embraced Islam.

Following the global spread of violent Islamism, British Muslims have faced more scrutiny, criticism and analysis than any other religious community. Yet, despite the often negative portrayal of Islam, thousands of Britons are adopting the religion every year.

Estimating the number of converts living in Britain has always been difficult because census data does not differentiate between whether a religious person has adopted a new faith or was born into it. Previous estimates have placed the number of Muslim converts in the UK at between 14,000 and 25,000.

But a new study by the inter-faith think-tank Faith Matters suggests the real figure could be as high as 100,000, with as many as 5,000 new conversions nationwide each year.

By using data from the Scottish 2001 census – the only survey to ask respondents what their religion was at birth as well as at the time of the survey – researchers broke down what proportion of Muslim converts there were and then extrapolated the figures for Britain as a whole.

In all they estimated that there were 60,699 converts living in Britain in 2001. With no new census planned until next year, researchers polled mosques in London to try to calculate how many conversions take place a year. The results gave a figure of 1,400 conversions in the capital in the past 12 months which, when extrapolated nationwide, would mean approximately 5,200 people adopting Islam every year. The figures are comparable with studies in Germany and France which found that there were around 4,000 conversions a year.

Fiyaz Mughal, director of Faith Matters, admitted that coming up with a reliable estimate of the number of converts to Islam was notoriously difficult. "This report is the best intellectual 'guestimate' using census numbers, local authority data and polling from mosques," he said. "Either way few people doubt that the number adopting Islam in the UK has risen dramatically in the past 10 years."

Asked why people were converting in such large numbers he replied: "I think there is definitely a relationship between conversions being on the increase and the prominence of Islam in the public domain. People are interested in finding out what Islam is all about and when they do that they go in different directions. Most shrug their shoulders and return to their lives but some will inevitably end up liking what they discover and will convert."

Batool al-Toma, an Irish born convert to Islam of 25 years who works at the Islamic Foundation and runs the New Muslims Project, one of the earliest groups set up specifically to help converts, said she believed the new figures were "a little on the high side".

"My guess would be the real figure is somewhere in between previous estimates, which were too low, and this latest one," she said. "I definitely think there has been a noticeable increase in the number of converts in recent years. The media often tries to pinpoint specifics but the reasons are as varied as the converts themselves."
Inayat Bunglawala, founder of Muslims4UK, which promotes active Muslim engagement in British society, said the figures were "not implausible".

"It would mean that around one in 600 Britons is a convert to the faith," he said. "Islam is a missionary religion and many Muslim organisations and particularly university students' Islamic societies have active outreach programmes designed to remove popular misconceptions about the faith."

The report by Faith Matters also studied the way converts were portrayed by the media and found that while 32 per cent of articles on Islam published since 2001 were linked to terrorism or extremism, the figure jumped to 62 per cent with converts.

Earlier this month, for example, it was reported that two converts to Islam who used the noms de guerre Abu Bakr and Mansoor Ahmed were killed in a CIA drone strike in an area of Pakistan with a strong al-Qa'ida presence.

"Converts who become extremists or terrorists are, of course, a legitimate story," said Mr Mughal. "But my worry is that the saturation of such stories risks equating all Muslim converts with being some sort of problem when the vast majority are not". Catherine Heseltine, a 31-year-old convert to Islam, made history earlier this year when she became the first female convert to be elected the head of a British Muslim organisation – the Muslim Public Affairs Committee. "Among certain sections of society, there is a deep mistrust of converts," she said. "There's a feeling that the one thing worse than a Muslim is a convert because they're perceived as going over the other side. Overall, though, I think conversions arouse more curiosity than hostility."

How to become a Muslim
 
Islam is one of the easiest religions to convert to. Technically, all a person needs to do is recite the Shahada, the formal declaration of faith, which states: "There is no God but Allah and Mohamed is his Prophet." A single honest recitation is all that is needed to become a Muslim, but most converts choose to do so in front of at least two witnesses, one being an imam.

Converts to Islam
 
Hana Tajima, 23, fashion designer
 
"I became friends with a few Muslims in college, and was slightly affronted and curious at their lack of wanting to go out to clubs or socialise.

"At about that time I started to study philosophy, and I began to get confused about my life. I was pretty popular, had everything I was supposed to have, but still I felt like 'Is that it?' The issues of women's rights were shockingly contemporary. The more I read, the more I found myself agreeing with the ideas. I didn't and still don't want to be Muslim, but there came a point where I couldn't say that I wasn't one."
 
Denise Horsley, 26, dance teacher

"I was introduced to Islam by my boyfriend. A lot of people ask whether I converted because of him but he had nothing to do with it; I went on my own journey to discover more about religion. I grew up Christian and Islam seemed to be a natural extension of Christianity.

"I now wear a headscarf but it wasn't something I adopted straightaway. Hijab is an important concept in Islam but it's not just about clothing. It's about being modest in everything you do. Ultimately I'm still the same person as before, except that I don't drink, don't eat pork and I pray five times a day."
 
Dawud Beale, 23

"I was ignorant about Islam and then I went on holiday to Morocco, which was the first time I'd been exposed to Muslims. I was a racist before Morocco and by the time I flew home a week later, I'd decided to become a Muslim.

"When I came back home to Somerset, I spent three months trying to find local Muslims, but there wasn't even a mosque in my town. I eventually met Sufi Muslims who took me to Cyprus to convert. When I came back, I was finding that a lot of what they were saying contradicted what it said in the Koran. I became involved with Hizb ut-Tahrir, a political group which calls for the establishment of an Islamic state. But it was too into politics and not as concerned with practising the religion.

"There is something pure about Salafi Muslims. I have definitely found the right path. I met my wife through the community and we are expecting our first child next year."

Paul Martin, 27
 
"I liked the way the Muslim students I knew conducted themselves. It's nice to think about people having one partner for life and not doing anything harmful to their body. I just preferred the Islamic lifestyle and from there I looked into the Koran.

"Then I was introduced by a Muslim friend to a doctor who was a few years older than me. We went for a coffee and then a few weeks later for an ice cream. I made my shahadah [declaration of faith] right there. I know some people like to do it in a mosque, but for me religion is not a physical thing – it is what is in your heart.

"I hadn't been to a mosque before I became a Muslim. Sometimes it can be bit daunting. I don't really fit into this criteria of a Muslim person. But there is nothing to say you can't be a British Muslim who wears jeans and a jacket. Now in my mosque many different languages are spoken and there are lots of converts."

Karkare murder and the wider international perspective - "What Digvijaya lent weight to: Mumbai attacks an RSS, Mossad, CIA conspiracy" - Pradeep Kaushal - THE INDIAN EXPRESS

Karkare murder and the wider international perspective
 

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/what-digvijaya-lent-weight-to-mumbai-attacks-an-rss-mossad-cia-conspiracy/732903/0

Tue, 4 Jan 2011

What Digvijaya lent weight to: Mumbai attacks an RSS, Mossad, CIA conspiracy


Pradeep Kaushal
Tags : That 26/11, RSS, Mossad and CIA, Digvijaya Singh, Rashtriya Sahara (Urdu)

Posted:
Tue Jan 04 2011, 01:51 hrs
New Delhi:
Digvijaya Singh may love stirring the pot, but guess what lies at the centre of the book to which the Congress general secretary has lately lent his weight and voice? That 26/11 was a conspiracy hatched by the RSS, Mossad and CIA.


This is one of the many points that Aziz Burney, group editor of Rashtriya Sahara (Urdu), puts forth in his book, “RSS ka shadayantra, 26/11”. It was at the launch of this book on December 6 that Singh claimed he had talked to Hemant Karkare before he was killed, and that he appeared concerned about threats to his family from saffron activists.

Burney calls Digvijaya a “like-minded person”. “When two like-minded people talk, you can’t say who has influenced whom, but yes, we both benefit from each other,” he says.

Since the December 6 speech, Burney has brought out a fresh edition of his book, incorporating Digvijaya’s remarks and the “expected furore” it generated.

The book is a collection of Burney’s writings in Rashtriya Sahara (Urdu), besides contributions from some ideological fellow-travellers, one of whom is Amareesh Mishra. “I have incorporated them because they reinforce what I feel,” Burney says. He says they are important because they have been authored by someone who is “Amareesh” and “Mishra” — in an obvious reference to the writer’s religious and caste identity.

Some of the theories propounded in the book include:

“Communal forces under the patronage of foreign agencies want to destroy India. America wants to destroy Pakistan and encircle China. Therefore, it wants India to get into the influence-zone of America and Israel. That is why Americans, British and Israelis were targeted. The Nariman House, according to eyewitnesses, was a centre for unknown Israelis. It is possible these people may have been involved in the attacks and may have killed their own people.”

“Was the Israeli Rabbi actually killed in the attack?,” the book asks, seeking to know if anybody had seen a photograph showing him injured. Burney adds the building had a hidden CCTV camera at the entrance. Shopkeepers apparently said they were unaware of the arrival of any strangers at the building. “How could nanny Sandra Samuel save a child? Why was she flown to Israel though she was an important eyewitness to the attack?”

For those who may be surprised by the thesis that Jews were killed with the help of Mossad, the book offers a counter-question: “Why not?” Zionism, it is argued, is known for killing ordinary Jews just as Hindutva is known for killing Mahatma Gandhi.

As for the “US link” to 26/11, the proof is David Headley, “who might have been an agent of al-Qaeda or Lashkar-e-Toiba, but who came to India in his capacity as an American”. “When he was inducted into LeT, he was taken in as an agent of FBI,” the book argues. “Whenever he was released after arrest for drug trafficking, he was let off only when he consented to be used by the FBI.” “The forged passport on which he came to India had been made at the instance or FBI or CIA.”

According to another article, “Basically the RSS has lost control of the organisation it had created. In the form of (Narendra) Modi, this organisation has forged a nexus with Mossad, which is in league with the ISI, engaged in destruction.” “Do remember the remote control of many jihadi groups active in Pakistan, Afghanistan and central Asia is in the hands of Mossad or CIA. Recently a group in Yemen was found to have been established by Mossad. Therefore, it is possible the terrorists who attacked Mumbai may have used Pakistan as their base, but they may have been drawn from different countries... At least one of them them, it has been learnt, belonged to Mauritius. It is emerging now that a Saudi (being described as Maulana Bedi) may have gathered these jihadis there and sent them here. It is essential to find out who provided money to him.”

Israel warships following Asian Aid Ship to Gaza - THE MILLI GAZETTE -New Delhi

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International

Israel warships following Asian Aid Ship to Gaza

The Milli Gazette
Published Online: Jan 02, 2011
New Delhi (2 January 2011): Two Israeli warships are following the Asian Aid Ship (Salam) to Gaza (Palestine) via Al-Arish (Egypt), according to Feroz Mithiborewala, organiser of the Indian contingent of the Asian Caravan now in Damascus. The aid ship is carrying aid to be delivered to the Egyptian authorities for checking at Al-Arish before delivery to Gaza through the Rafah checkpoint.

Senior Indian journalist Ajit Sahi and three other Indians are on board in addition to Hakim from Azerbaijan, Nur el Din from Malaysia, Mohammad Hossain from Indonesia and Sagaguchi from Japan. They are accompanying the aid while others will fly from Syria to Egypt to join them later at Al-Arish.

According to reports reaching The Milli Gazette from Damascus, Israeli commandos have entered the aid ship by force, inspected the material and interrogated the crew. They left later but two Israeli warships are trailing the ship while an Israeli helicopter is flying overhead. Israeli commandos did not detain anyone according to the caravan twitter handle.

Free Gaza India Asia People's Movement against Israeli Occuption
Ajit Sahi (right), senior journalist from India on the caravan

The Asia2Gaza ship Salam is carrying food, medicine, toys, generators and ambulance vehicles as gift to the people of Gaza Strip as an effort to ease life of its people who are suffering from an illegal Israeli blockade for over two years. The volunteers on the ship may be contacted on satellite phone number 008821621294881.

Free Gaza India Asia People's Movement against Israeli Occupation

Previous reports on the Gaza Asia India Lifeline Caravan:

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    It is interesting that the role of India which is appreciated by leaders of especially the third world countries is from the days of Gandhi and Nehru. People like to avoid mentioning the changing foreign policy of India under the recent regimes, a...
  2. Iranian sentiments overwhelm the Asia to Gaza caravan

    Tehran (15 December 2010): After overcoming the initial obstacles in South Asia, where, first the Pakistani government denied visas to some Indians, then Indian government delayed permission to ...
  3. Kurdish Turkey comes out on streets to welcome Asia-Gaza Caravan

    The first Asia to Gaza solidarity caravan reached Tibriz from Tehran on 13th December, 2010. On the way the people of Zanjan welcomed the caravan and offered lunch. The mayor of Tibriz, Alireza ...
  4. The Road to Gaza is open-II: India to Gaza Peace convoy announced

    The Asian Palestine solidarity process is well underway. We are undertaking & coordinating a convoy from India to Palestine, which will traverse the Asian nations, thus building & uniting...
  5. In solidarity for Palestine, Asian activists announce caravan to Gaza

    If you are from India and want to join the Caravan email asiatogaza.india[#]gmail.com or  call  +91-9911599955In a press conference in New Delhi on 5 October 2010 Asian People...






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