Petition against 'Islamic' terrorism

[monkeytrousers]

Just want to sound this idea out with you good people

Everytime someone in the media mentions the words 'Islam' and 'terrorism' in the same sentence it does nothing but reinforce the idea that the two are inextricably linked. The caveats added after the fact don't do much to redress this imbalance, IMO.

I've never organised a petition before but I think if enough of you were to support it I would like to ask the BBC to do something pro-active in this area. If the BBC can be convinced (a long shot I know but I think it's worth a try) then other media would undoubtedly follow. (they are pack animals )

At the very least we can register our opinion that this will help to unite all creeds in the face of international terrorism and not follow the terriorsts own script when it comes to the corruption of Islam.

Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks.

[monkeytrousers]

3rd draft here

Please take a quick look. Ta!

[monkeytrousers]

Think I'll make it a bit less reactionalry and political..

[monkeytrousers]

How about a petition (or a formal complaint to the Beeb) stating these aims. It's a first draft so keep that in mind and sorry for any bad spelling and grammer.

..

We the undersigned believe that our society is being failed by it's politicians and its media.

By signing our names below, we make a stand for the Muslim communities of the UK, who must constantly listen to the words "Islam' and 'terrorism,' uttered by media pundit and politician alike, as though the two were inextricably linked.

We make a symbolic gesture of solidarity in the hope that this will help to unite all creeds in the face of terrorism and not follow the terriorsts own script when it comes to the corruption of Islam.

We ask the media, and specifically, as a cornerstone of British identity, the BBC, to make a bold and public gesture with us. In a war that is fought with words as much as it is with military hardware, we ask you to challenge the script you are given and we must then listen to. We ask you to transform the the current approach, as it only obfuscates and leaves us more ignorant of issues that affect us directly. We ask you to enable us to make the right choices. But to do that we need to know the whole story.

In this spirit we make a stand for the people of Iraq, mothers and fathers of beloved children just like us, except they live daily in fear and grief for those killed in our name and for our freedoms. To reiterate to them that many of us marched for the cause of peace, but in our free land our voices were not heard and our free media was soon back on the leash.

We make a stand for the starving of Niger, whose current abject fate was known by those in power as they debated world poverty in Gleneagles. For the starving children whose pictures are shown to us nightly, but who's story was deemed unnewsworthy by a media who now revel in their wretchedness, until now, which for many of them is too late.

Finally we make a stand for the millions more unknown, and ask that our leaders and institutions we reassess their national moral compass.

[peacedove]

hi MT

sorry for the diversion. Perhaps you can start a new thread on the engineered war, although I don't have anything more to say. People should some serious independent research.

[peacedove]

hi bloss

You probably read only one side of the story. It is amazing when you only look at US and UK media.

The French probably reported it, as did the third world. I read it in "The Hindu", an Indian mass circulation serious daily.

Saddam was approached for having bases in Iraq for control of the ME. He refused and told the other ME leaders about the US design. Someone among them spilt the beans to the US.

The American ambassador(ess) to Iraq at that time was April Giuspe (last name misspelt I think). She assured Saddam that the US had no intention to intervene in any of his quarrels with Kuwait.

The there was inclined drilling in Kuwait to get at Iraqi oil, more so to provide an excuse for Saddam to invade.

After the war, April suddenly disappeared from sight. She was found, and asked about this, but kept mum.

You can dismiss all this as conspiracy theory. I believe that the world has been dictated to by some very unscrupulous thugs, who make sure they have everyone in line.

Have you read the book "The Economic Hitman"?

[monkeytrousers]

Has the bottom fell out of this one?

[monkeytrousers]

Back to this one..

What does everyone think of the compromise set out in the 7.03 post 24/7?

Gonna try to build a web page this week so we need to decide

[Papillon]

et viola a NEW THREAD






I know, I love to let abit of kiwi slip in - makes me feel real!

[monkeytrousers]

Aye!

[Papillon]

Well dinosaur can be temporary editor cause my spell check is in german!

Not quite sure we are at editoral stage yet though

So I will start the thread then aye..

[monkeytrousers]

Or even spell Dino..

[monkeytrousers]

Sorry Dini, My pc has crashed and I haven't reinstalled spell check. My secret is out - I can't spell for toffee!

Behave Paps!!

[Papillon]

love it, love it

´we, the common hoards, need to challenge the current approach as it only obfuscates and leaves us more ignorant of issues that affect us directly´

lets get writing the book on it then MT... what shall we call the new thread, or has it started?

[monkeytrousers]

We should start a different thread for this as I tend to agree (with Peacedove) but don't want to follow it here.

With regards to the terrorist threat I think we're in new territory and that we, the common hoards, need to challenge the current approach as it only obfuscates and leaves us more ignorant of issues that affect us directly. War costs money but it's also the biggest industry on the planet an it props up economies in the west, our economies.

With regards to this petition, I think what is happening in the world as much a war fought with words as it is fought with military hardware.

The BBC news was interesting this morning as it had a piece on Muslim opposition. We'll see if there's any consistancy with the eports however.

[bloss]

Message withdrawn

[peacedove]

saadia, assalamu aleikum

What happened was that Iran threw out the Shah together with US interests. The US was looking to neutralise revolutionary Iran.

The Soviets invaded Afghanistan, and the Afghans took up arms against them. The US and the Mujahideen cooperated because in the view of many religious scholars, the communists were godless, and in invading and occupying Afghanistan had caused the Afghan population to become refugees. Since the Afghans had taken up resistance, and were unable to expel the Soviets, it was incumbent upon the neighboring Muslims and others to help. Hence the aid and the flow of Mujahideen from all over the world.

In that scenario, the US helped with arms and training. That does not mean anyone who went through their training was a CIA agent.

The break with the Mujahideen came after it became clear that the Soviets will ahve to withdraw. The american think tanks analysed the situation and concluded that US would be the sole superpower left, and must use its clout to corner all resources of the globe, so as to make sure no other power emerges to challenge it. bases on Saudi soil were thought necessary for that purpose.

The Bush-I war on Iraq was engineered to that end.

What the americans did not pay heed to was that it is unlawful for Muslims to have non-Muslims troops on their lands except in very special circumstances, and that too for a short peiod.

That is when bin Laden and the US fell out. That and the contiuous irritant of Israeli intransigence.

bloss, I havent as yet looked at the verse in question, and when I get an explanation I will post it for you, but I do think that my previous post does clarify the issue of Jihad.

[saadia]

walaikum al-salaam peacedove, I wasn't sure about the history of how this extremism came about, but as I understood it at one point bin Laden and the US were also in cahoots. There was a lot of Saudi involvement too in Afghanistan. It's all very shady and I admit that my knowledge is patchy so thanks for explaining that.

Also thank you for quoting from the Quraan to clarify the Islamic view of war, I think it was very necessary.

bloss, thanks for clarifying your wording.

[monkeytrousers]

Going to bed now Bloss. G'night!

[bloss]

Message withdrawn

[monkeytrousers]

Blu, I've just and the chance to have a look at your 'muslim opposition to terror' thread again and think there are alot of things we could collaborate on, IYSWIM. I think it is a language issue, but I'm beginning to see that it's probably not the way to go to explicitly dictate what terms the media can use or not.

Perhaps if we voice our concern about the lack of coverage given to Muslim outrage at the attacks, as you raise in your thread, coupled with the concern over the use of language, with a hope that the BBC, as a cornerstone of British identity, can lead the way in making an official and public declaration of solidarity with Muslim communities, perhaps solidified with some symbolic action (like the wearing of a ribbon or a banner or pin on screen? we should all have a think).

And thinking about the Irish analogy, it has just occured to me that during the 'troubles' the Catholic church, or specifiaclly the Pope, was not asked to be accountabe for Republican terrorism, nor was the Queen expected or called upon to specifically denounce Nationalist terrorism commited in her name. Isn't this a good example of the double standard at work?

Let me know what you think people.

Thanks.

[monkeytrousers]

Peacedove - if this is the site you want to link to

news.bbc.co.uk

you first type \link{

followed by the address above

and then you again type

\whatever you want to appear in hyperlink space}

whatever you want to appear in hyperlink space

I only recently learnt how to do it so I guess it's my turn to pass it on!

[monkeytrousers]

News just in..

The Unite Against Terror site has offered to link our sites when we get set up.

[monkeytrousers]

Think your right Paps!

[Papillon]

Bloss lives in Oz - hence she sleeps now

I will respectfilly heed your comments MT, so won´t respond to your piece to me Bloss cept to say I don´t agree

Perhaps we need another thread because there is lots of discussion and debate to be had ?