World

Anti-Muslim bias in UK now the social norm: Warsi

Prejudice against Muslims has "passed the dinner-table test", become socially acceptable in UK says Baroness Warsi.

Reuters January 20, 2011

LONDON: Prejudice against Muslims has "passed the dinner-table test" and become socially acceptable in Britain, the Conservative Party's chairwoman will say on Thursday.

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, the Pakistan-born minister without portfolio, will say in a speech at the University of Leicester that dividing Muslims into "moderate" and "extremist" fuels intolerance, according to prepared remarks published in the Daily Telegraph.

"It's not a big leap of imagination to predict where the talk of 'moderate' Muslims leads; in the factory, where they've just hired a Muslim worker, the boss says to his employees: 'Not to worry, he's only fairly Muslim,'" the first Muslim woman in a British cabinet will say.

"In the school, the kids say: 'The family next door are Muslim but they're not too bad'.

"And in the road, as a woman walks past wearing a burqa, the passers-by think: 'That woman's either oppressed or is making a political statement.'"

There are 2.9 million Muslims in Britain, almost 5 per cent of the population, according to an estimate last year by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Britain has regularly been a focus of Islamist militant plots. In the worst attack in the country, suicide bombers killed 52 people on the London transport network in July 2005.

"Those who commit criminal acts of terrorism in our country need to be dealt with not just by the full force of the law," Warsi was due to say.

"They also should face social rejection and alienation across society and their acts must not be used as an opportunity to tar all Muslims."

Warsi's comments follow those made by Prime Minister David Cameron in his New Year message when he said Britain still faced a serious threat from international terrorism.

"We must ask ourselves as a country how we are allowing the radicalisation and poisoning of the minds of some young British Muslims who then contemplate and sometimes carry out acts of sickening barbarity," Cameron said.

COMMENTS (10)

rose | 13 years ago | Reply @Daniyal B. Muzaffar: i absolutely agree with u....nobody sees the root cause of any misdeed or happening done by others.

Daniyal B. Muzaffar | 13 years ago | Reply @ The Palmist: It is not when a person is Hindu only then he is trustworthy and show efforts. It depends. It varies person to person. All 5 fingers are not equal. There must be some Hindus as well who have/had been in different complaints. @ EMP: It is not like that the way you are telling. It is not discriminatory. You can visit my facebook profile. I have so many non Muslim friends. Many of them are Hindus. I used to have lunch or dinner with them. I studied with them and working with few people. and played with them in School and University. So many Hindus are living in KSA and other Islamic country as well. They consider themselves more safe.

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EMP | 13 years ago | Reply "Do not blame any until and unless you know the real picture. When white people (other than Muslim) attack black people they call it racism. When one (other than Muslim) attach Jewish, people call it antisemitism. When one (other than Muslim) attach women, people call it gender discrimination. When one (other than Muslim) attack homosexuality, people call it tolerance." Huh? Certain groups of white people at times may discriminate against Blacks but they don't "attack" Blacks. Compare this with Muslims who beg to come over to the US/UK but refuse to integrate and contribute to society while at the same time they are extremely discriminatory to non-muslims in their own countries.

ThePalmist | 13 years ago | Reply There are millions of Hindus living all over Europe and USAA. No one hears a single complaint from them or about them. Because they assimiate and integrate effortlessly with the European culture and are seen as loyal and trustworthy. Perhaps Moslems should try to learn why and perhaps modify their behavior, so that they will be accepted without fear or ridicule, into their host culture.

Daniyal B. Muzaffar | 13 years ago | Reply @ Cautious, Jun, Prasad, Ravi: Do not blame any until and unless you know the real picture. When white people (other than Muslim) attack black people they call it racism. When one (other than Muslim) attach Jewish, people call it antisemitism. When one (other than Muslim) attach women, people call it gender discrimination. When one (other than Muslim) attack homosexuality, people call it tolerance. When you people attack your country, you call it treason. Think about it. When Muslims take revenge, you call it terrorism and extremism. What US army and other European countries are doing in Afghanistan, KSA, Iraq, Pakistan and other Islamic countries? Extremism is in every religion. Take things positively. Think first what you people are doing?

prasad | 13 years ago | Reply I dont think terrorism has anything to do with the bias. Even before 9/11, there was a general wariness regarding Muslims. Living in a Gulf country as I do, you tread warily around the issue of religion and learn that most Muslims wear their religion on their sleeve. The sleeve could be your dishdasha or the latest offering from Gucci. The degree will differ but even in the most blase of Muslims, religion lurks. It is a good thing -religion - but when a non-muslim knows that the Quran asks for unquestioning faith, you tread warily - and that is why the categorisation almost immediately you make acquantance with a Muslim - how cool is he or she about his or her religion? Encounter a scarf or a beard...and you are most likely to discuss the weather till you discover some common interest.

ravi | 13 years ago | Reply @nasir since you live in britain you know the reality over there but muslims pakistanis are never found to be doing great in studies neither in america nor any where else. I am telling this because i have readthat indian and chinese descent students doing better in studies (as per their percentage of population) but never ever i have heard about many pakistani descent students making their mark in studies. Even in india where i live i have seen students of muslim community not interested in studies even if they are from some well off families. But on the other hand in case of christians and hindus they strive to do good in studies.

Jun | 13 years ago | Reply This is not that because Europeans are biased to muslims but it is because of what muslims are doing in west .Most number of uneducated people in Europe are muslms , all terrorists are muslims , muslims are either labour class or doing low wages jobs , honour killings and women abuses are routine among European muslims Among criminals , highest numbers are people from muslim background .All this makes sense why Europeans are biased towards muslims .

Cautious | 13 years ago | Reply That's what happens when people read about horrendous acts committed by Muslims every day while the so called peaceful majority sit on the sidelines and say nothing. This bias is going to continue to grow until Muslims figure out a way to control the extremist within their religion.

nasir | 13 years ago | Reply i lives in britain ,my wife is british pakistani,most of my relatives are here in britain.i have lived in a muslim country malaysia and i can tell you britain is a heaven for muslims compare to america and our holy brother countries, saudi arabia, UAE, malaysia etc.the problem is pakistni in britain are so conservatives.there are some families even my realtives where a british born girl never been out from house for shopping, never been to a shoping center.most girls even boys in britain not educated coz their parents came from villages in azad kashmir and attock area , they were uneducated and never thought about their childrens education.british pakistanis are more conservative than people from pakisan.you hardly see any british pakistani doctor here in britain unlike america where so many pakistani doctors. most of british pakistni boys are street boys .roaming on streets of britain aimlessly.most of them doing drugs.they dont integrate in society.britain vy polite n civilised country.

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