British Muslims picket Downing Street in protest of Charlie Hebdo cartoons

[MrsTawdry]

So the Daily Mail report it as "thousands" whilst the Telegraph say "at least a thousand"

Can't find ANY other sources for it. How is this ok? Free speech yes...but...

"Muslim friends have pointed out the double standards of the West"

Hmm, yeah, right...well, if we point out the double standards of Islam we are called intolerant. Assuming your friends live in England, aren't they part of the West?????

The Muslims I've spoken to (including relatives) about us have been more outraged by the CH/ supermarket murders and what IS are up to than the cartoons (generally viewed are purile, silly, rude but perfectly legit in our society).

Don't know where they scare rent a mob up from tbh.

I'm another who totally supports anyone's right to protest peacefully about whatever they choose - but isn't it a bit ironic that they're using their own freedom of expression to argue that someone else shouldn't have it??

Exactly, waiting. better to ignore them.

"The West" is as ridiculously generalising as "all Muslims".

You can live in the West and be critical of its actions I have marched against the war in Aghanistan and the war in Iraq. British Muslims are also allowed to take a critical view of our foreign policies.

I don't get this obsession with where my friends are from - they are British Muslim. They are allowed an opinion as much as anyone else in Britain. They are British.

I am not the least bit fascinated by where your friends come from. I just haven't heard Western Europeans refer to Britain as the west, as if they are from somewhere else.

Well I would refer to UK as the West in this global context.

Why not?

It is clear that according to some any and all criticism of British and American foreign policy means you are a secret terrorist.

Being critical of anything at all as a Muslim is NOT ALLOWED.

A poster up thread said (paraphrasing) 'I'm a bit annoyed with the Muslims' WTAF

You're annoyed with aaaaaaalllllll the Muslims are you? All of us?! Really?!?!?!?

Talking about the double standards of the West and then asking if individuals visit Dubai seemed a confusing to me.

I don't visit Dubai and I'd go oil free if I thought Saudi would change their social order but do you know this little bit of "The West" isn't that powerful nor in reality are the governments we elect in the UK -Saudi does what it likes with the impunity of the truly independently wealthy. They are currently strangling Russia I believe.

Wholesale blaming of "The West" (or are we talking a particular UK government policy? - cos that I can appreciate) is as pointless as blaming all Muslims for the actions of a few.

To be clear - I wasn't havjng a discussion with friends where they were ranting about 'The West.'

We were looking at news articles and discussing how ironic it was that the Saudi ambassador was among the Je Suis Charlie protestors and then about the fawning of our politicians after the Saudi king died.

'The West' is just shorthand for a certain set of political and religious ideologies shared by these countries

I am actually starting to feel a bit defensive and worried about them on their behalf.

Ironic on a thread about free speech, eh.

I support freedom to protest.

However, I found some of the mass-produced banners being carried at the weekend extremely threatening and triumphalist.

"Learn some manners": i.e. gloating that Charlie Hebdo has been taught a lesson, and a threat to anyone else who might offend Islam.

"Absolute freedom of speech, no such thing": i.e. support for imposing censorship through violence and terror.

It seems to me that the timing of the "protest" was at best insensitive, and at worst an intimidating victory parade for supporters of terrorists.

I think they have every right to be offended by the Charlie Hebdo cartoons and to protest against them.

I also think I have every right to find it slightly distasteful to demonstrate in a way which comes across as victim blaming and trying to curtail the rights of others to free speech. But as an earlier poster says it doesn't mean we have to do what they want. And not having much respect for what they are protesting about (and being able to vocalise that) is an important part of not doing what they want. But that still doesn't mean they don't have the right to do it.

I also have every right to raise an eyebrow that the Muslim community doesn't appear to have the will to mobilize such support to protest against atrocities by ISIS or Al-Qaeda. That still doesn't mean they don't have the right to do it.

In fact, I think sometimes the fact they have the right to do it is far more counterproductive for the image of their own community when you weigh it in perspective with the amount of good it is going to do for the causes they are espousing. But that's up to them.

invisible tribe - a very sensible and interesting post, you are spot on.

I don't quite understand the logic in protesting to the British government about an editorial decision in France.

However I believe in free speech and believe in peoples right to protest peacefully and petition

Wannabe, I think protesting to the British government gives the clear inference that the protestors wish there to be legislation against this type of thing. Which is a curtailment of the freedom of speech of others. Of course we don't have guaranteed freedom of speech like the US. But calls to limit it further are worrying IMO.

proposing that it is hunkey dorey in this day and age to marry primary school aged girls (and yes, including, if not purely for sex), are cometely repulsive to Muslims and non alike.

Well, that is exactly what the cartoon is about, modern muslims' attitude to young girls and sex. Questioning whether it's OK for anyone to marry a 9 years old.

If there is no divergence between muslims and non alike, surely muslims should not be defending any figure marrying a 9 years old, what is the problem?

Why do they insist on headscarfs from young age? What is the meaning of it?

I was referring to current IS actions not something that may (or may not - is it disputed like the bible?) have happened in a culture/time when it was not unusual. Also - the religion is pretty hard on criticism, and have an almost film star adoration of god.

The headscarf/facemask (although it usef to be gold ones around here - bit too much bling?),is a ye olde Arab garb. Traditional and not religious.

Sadly religions yoik in allsorts as 'gospel' and there isn't much of a culture of debate there. 'Dress modestly' (both sexes) does not mean "throw a blanket over your whole body and be invisible".

as a Christian with Jesus being celibate and sacrificial I find it hard to relate to Mohammed's situation of marrying a very young girl and having many wives. difficult to understand why ....., he doesn't seem to have given up anything. there is a real contrast

And isn't "British Muslim" a bit of an oxymoron if you are separating views held by "The West" from those held by Muslim.
Why is it ok to say The West think/say/do certain things while people from the west can't say anything about people not from the west.

Not everyone in the West has the same view in the same way not every person not in the West has the same ideology.

We are all individuals :)

More coverage in the Independent referring to 'scores' attending - not thousands.

The petition was about being civil to each other - in the view of the potesters, it is not civiised to insult the religion of others in this way. Protesters drew parallels with the Pope's recent comments about punching someone if they insulted his mother.

Here is the Indy article:

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/muslims-protest-against-cartoons-of-prophet-mohamed-in-face-of-britain-first-counterdemo-10032912.html

Here is the actual petition (nothing unreasonable there that I can see):
www.muslimactionforum.com/petition.php

Here is the 'Declaration of Global Civility ' referenced in the petition:
www.globalcivility.co.uk/downloads/Declaration%20of%20GLobal%20Civility.pdf

In summary, it appears to have been a peaceful protest asking for the democratically elected government to debate a topic. I fail to understand how anyone thinks exercising democratic rights in this way is a bad thing.

as a Christian with Jesus being celibate and sacrificial I find it hard to relate to Mohammed's situation of marrying a very young girl and having many wives. difficult to understand why .....

As a Christian, you probably believe that a young virgin gave birth to Jesus.

That's difficult to understand why too, no?

Of course we are all individuals but surely you recognise that you live within a certain set of values.

Democracy, equality, justice ?

Not all ideologies support these thing which we see as fundamental to our society.