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Brother_Mujahid
07-28-2008, 01:16 PM
Just been reading through this report which is to be released tomorrow. Its about islamic societies and contains a survey of students' opinions.

If you have any spare time have a flick through its quite intriguing.

the report seems to portray inviduals participating in isocs as radicals. such a shame.

Wasalam
========================================
Subject: Urgent: 'Islam on Campus' report - Centre for Social Cohesion

Salaam,

Pray you're all well insha'Allah.

Please read and act upon the points below as a matter of urgency!

1) The Centre for Social Cohesion has compiled a report titled 'Islam on Campus' - which is detrimental to us as Muslim students. The report, which is due to be released tomorrow, can be found at: http://www.socialcohesion.co.uk/pdf/IslamonCampus.pdf

2) FOSIS in conjunction with the ISoc's has produced a statement, which is pasted below. We need as much support in favour of this statement, so request that you please get in touch with your respective ISoc presidents/committees to immediately make contact with your regional head in the first instance or brother Shuaib (Head of ISC - 07855816174) to provide verbal consent for having your ISoc's name printed at the bottom of the statement. Please do this ASAP.

3) In addition to the above, please visit and sign the online petition which has been set up in aid of the cause: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/FOSIS/petition.html

A couple of the newspapers have already reported on the issue, and the NUS have also expressed their disapproval concerning the unfounded claims made in the report. But we need to ensure we have a significant number speak out, so please forward the petition link to all your contacts asap!

As always, please remember us in your prayers...

Wassalaam,

Ps. Apologies to anyone receiving this email more than once...

--

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful


As members of the Muslim student community, we, the undersigned, feel the need to express our conviction that the report published by the Centre for Social Cohesion (CSC) is ideologically biased and motivated by an underlying malaise. This report, as many others in the past, attempts to undermine the positive work and the invaluable services that we provide for all students on campus, whether this is in the form of offering spiritual and academic training for students, or providing a platform for intellectual debate and discussion.

We feel this report is irresponsible in its attempt to scaremonger and vilify the Islamic Societies (Isocs) and contributes to the perpetuation of a climate of Islamophobia, which, unfortunately, is increasing at an alarming rate on campus. As such the report becomes yet one more way in which Muslim students are alienated and seen as the problem rather than empowered to be agents for positive change.

Furthermore, the suggestion that extremist activity is taking place on campus is unqualified and irresponsible, and damages the strong relationships forged between Isocs and their respective universities. We therefore hold that by making such assertions without due evidence, the validity of the conclusions of the report are brought into serious question.

We would also like to draw attention to the fact that following the dreadful events of 7/7 the Muslim student population has suffered considerable difficulties. Despite these though they have shown great resilience and a continuing desire to contribute positively to University life and wider society. The report's effect is to criminalise the Muslim students premised on a false assumption that they are particularly vulnerable to radicalisation. We would like to counter this assertion by insisting that there is no evidence to suggest that university campuses are hotbeds for extremist activity or recruitment. Although we firmly believe that there is no evidence to support this claim, we are not at the same time complacent with regards to the possibility of this, and so we have safeguards in place to ensure such does not occur. We do not, however, require reports like "Islam on Campus" to dictate to us how we ought to counter such possibilities, especially when the report is ste!
eped in
bias and clearly aiming to create a moral panic.

We call upon the continuing support of Universities, other student bodies and fair minded individuals to help us oppose such counterproductive efforts by vested interests. We would like to send a strong message of defiance to such vested interests and mischievous efforts which undermine cohesion.


Sincerely,
The Undersigned
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Uthman
07-28-2008, 05:08 PM
Yeah, I read about this in the Observer yesterday. I was pleased to read about the reaction of the NUS though. Apparently, the methodology behind the poll that was conducted was 'deeply flawed' or something. I suspected as much but can anybody shed any more light on this?

There was a guest on Politics and Beyond (a programme on Islam Channel) about a week ago. He was from the centre of social cohesion and they were talking about the Dispatches programme - it shouldn't happen to a Muslim. He was against the programme and considered it 'a low point for dispatches'. They don't sound too cohesive to me. The programme makers were also present by the way.

Inshaa'Allah I will act upon the points given above.
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Uthman
08-05-2008, 11:11 AM
Social cohesion – excluding Muslims

Several UK newspapers on Sunday and Monday published alarmist stories based upon a new report entitled Islam on Campus by the Centre for Social Cohesion and a YouGov poll also commissioned by the CfSC. The website of the CfSC explains its purpose as trying to generate: "new thinking that can help bring Britain's ethnic and religious communities closer together while strengthening British traditions of openness, tolerance and democracy."

The headlines included "A third of Muslim students back killings (Sunday Times), One third of British Muslim students say it's acceptable to kill for Islam" (London Evening Standard) and "Killing for religion is justified, say third of Muslim students" (Sunday Telegraph).

Clear enough?

Now I have blogged previously on Cif about my misgivings concerning the "findings" of several agenda-driven outfits falsely posing as thinktanks. And this particular case has proved to be no different. A look at the YouGov poll revealed that a far more ambiguous question was actually posed to the Muslim students who took part in the survey. The question was:
Is it ever justifiable to kill in the name of religion?
The responses were as follows:
Yes in order to preserve and promote that religion (4%)
Yes but only if that religion is under attack (28%)
No it is never justifiable (53%)
Not sure (15%)
Are the results really that surprising given that "Yes, but only if that religion is under attack" can bear so many different meanings?

The director of the Centre for Social Cohesion is an excitable chap called Douglas Murray. He wrote a book a couple of years back called Neoconservatism: Why We Need It. More pertinent to this blog, he has publicly expressed views about Muslims that give us a better idea of what he understands by "social cohesion".

In a February 2006 speech entitled What Are We To Do About Islam? delivered at the Pim Fortuyn Memorial Conference in The Hague, Murray asked:
"Why is it that time and again the liberal west is crumpling before the violence, intimidation and thuggery of Islam?"
Ah, those liberals, eh? So what did Murray propose to do then?
"I promised to propose some of the solutions to this problem ..."
Oh good, so let's hear your number one option.
"All immigration into Europe from Muslim countries must stop."
Now we're getting somewhere! Are all black people to be excluded too, or would advocating that position more obviously contravene our racial discrimination laws? Yes, I think it might, so perhaps it is best to stick to Muslims. Anything else you have in mind?
"Conditions for Muslims in Europe must be made harder across the board: Europe must look like a less attractive proposition."
A prophet! You appear to have anticipated Martin Amis's outburst.
And of course it should go without saying that Muslims in Europe who for any reason take part in, plot, assist or condone violence against the west (not just the country they happen to have found sanctuary in, but any country in the west or western troops) must be forcibly deported back to their place of origin.
But of course. And what about those Muslims who are born in Europe and have European citizenship but are convicted of terror-related acts, should we treat them like other criminals or can we be a little bit more stern?
"Where a person was born in the west, they should be deported to the country of origin of their parent or grandparent."
Mr Murray, you appear to have planned for everything! A solution for every eventuality. Almost a final solution one might say! How about those Muslims who are overseas though. Can't we do something about them too?
"Abroad we must continue our work at taking the war to the terrorists. We are winning that war, and we should extend that war."
Yes, social cohesion, you say. You know I think I understand just exactly what you mean.

Source
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