Muslims facing 'hurricane' of attacks: London conference
Regional-UK, Local, 11/18/2006

The 1.8 million Muslim community is facing a 'hurricane of official and unofficial legal, political and physical attacks in a climate of Islamophobic hysteria', a London conference warned today.

The perpetrators are "driven by the same political agenda as has inspired the criminal and disastrous 'war on terror' which has laid waste Iraq and Afghanistan and presently threatens Iran," said a People's Assembly organized by the Stop The War Coalition (STWC).

A draft resolution condemned in particular "statements made by government ministers designed to isolate, demonise and even criminalize Islamic religious practices, choice of dress and cultural expression." The one-day conference was called in the midst of an unprecedented open season of Islamphobic attacks around Britain, which is seen linked with the UK support of the failing war against terrorism.

The People's Assembly brought together peace and anti-war groups, trade unions, faith groups and organisations, community groups, political parties and any other representative organisations wishing to discuss the growing phenomenon.

Speakers included a host of leading campaigners, led by former cabinet minister Tony Benn, Guantanamo detainee Moazzam Begg and former British ambassador Craig Murray, who was sacked by the Foreign Office after accusing the government of supporting torture.

STWC said that when its peace network was formed prior to the invasion of Afghanistan five years ago, it warned the war on terror would lead to a backlash against the Muslim community and to attacks on the country's civil liberties.

"Today we see the bitter fruits of our foreign policy, with growing criticism of Muslims by politicians, racist attacks on mosques and on women wearing veils and increasingly draconian terror laws targeting in particular young Muslims," it said.

The draft resolution expressed solidarity with British Muslims in the face of the waves of attacks, which it said were essentially racist and anti-democratic.

"We affirm that such diversity in fact makes an important." The assembly, it said, believes in common with the majority of the British people, that the "key to tackling the threat of such atrocities is a change in the foreign policy of the government." The minister had "subordinated this country to the aggressive foreign policy of the Bush government, in its invasion of Iraq, its threats to Iran and its support for Israel's aggression against Lebanon," the resolution warned.

Previous Stories:
  Anti-terror laws disproportionately effecting Muslims, UK warned   (11/13/2006)
  UK Muslim officer removed from diplomatic protection unit   (11/7/2006)
  UK refuses to accept return of Guantanamo prisoners: report   (10/3/2006)

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