Punishment in England

A British court awarded up to 19-and-a-half year jail terms to six Muslim youth for their “crime” of planning terrorism. The story of British police and media is that in June last year an anti-Islam group “English Defence League” organised a public meeting in Dewsbury in Yorkshire, where Muslims live in large numbers. It was aimed at provoking the populace against Islam and Muslims. When this news reached Birmingham, six youth from there arrived in Dewsbury with different kinds of weapons. But by the time they entered the city, the meeting was disposed of and the participants had dispersed. When they were on their way back to Birmingham, the police stopped their vehicle and demanded registration papers. When they were unable to present the papers, the police searched the vehicle and discovered guns, swords, knives, pipe bombs, and “jihadi” and “ideological” literature. In the meanwhile, the police could know of their planning as well. Then the police arrested them and filed a case against them and the court pronounced the jail terms on 6 June.

“Jihadi” group and English League

An analyst Farrukh Dhondy has described and also commented on the entire episode in an article. He has mocked at both the “jihadi” group and the English League (The Hindustan Times, 19 June). Farrukh Dhondy lives in London but is associated with Indian media. And he is perhaps a Parsi. He has written that neither English Defence League enjoys public support nor do the British Muslims like “jihadi” groups. However, the way he has mentioned the “jihadis” is the same that the media usually adopts, in which real information is less than the propaganda. It is true that in the recent past anti-Muslim sentiments in Britain have intensified, the cause of which is said to be the attack on Houston marathon allegedly by Muslims and killing of an English policeman; but both of these incidents are worth investigating. Circumstances clearly indicate that the Houston attack was an act of anti-Muslim groups, in the pretext of which the British police detained a Chechen Muslim family, which was their pre-hatched plan.

Let some analysts also do this work

It is said that the extremist Christians in Britain are very much perturbed about the rising penetration of Islam in the British society, and the English Defence League represents them, the purpose of whose activities is to harass Muslims and to make the Britons fearful about Islam. But it is also a fact that the British citizens are coming closer to Islam and many of them are coming to the fold of Islam. According to British agencies themselves, Islam has emerged as the second largest religion in England. No effect of the propaganda unleashed against Islam and the Muslim Ummah by ascribing the acts of terror to Muslims is seen on the Britons embracing Islam. Therefore, analysts like Farrukh Dhondy should analyse the situation in an unbiased manner instead of being part of anti-Islam campaign and see the reality of charges of terrorism against Muslims, who is responsible if some sentimental Muslim youth get provoked and why the educated whites of Britain, especially women, are being drawn towards Islam.

 25/06/2013 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Abu Yusuf