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Erm, my point wasn't about the clothing, it was about the fact that we are forced to follow their customs when we head over to muslim countries, but when they come here, we are forced to bow to their every gumble or whim.

 

What 'Muslim ' countries have you been to and what exactly have you been forced to do?

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Guest Makaveli

I have lived in two muslim countries and was never forced to follow their religion at any point - only thing I can think of is during Ramadan we were not allowed to eat/drink/smoke/have sex in public etc. but that is just politeness more than anything.

 

Every muslim I have ever met has been very polite and courteous to me and me to them.  I treated them the way I was brought up to treat all people the way I wish to be treated myself. 

 

Yes there are extremists and I think something needs to be done to try and stop it but I don't think these casual whatever they are called is the right way to go about it as all they do is try and drive a wedge between the small minded and whomever they deem to be their enemies.

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Okay, can of worms coming here ...

Why is it okay for muslim women to wear niqabs and burqas to completely cover themselves in the UK, but when western women go to islamic countries, they must cover up?

 

I'm perfectly alright with people of all races, religions and beliefs living in the UK. But when they start forcing their own beliefs on the UK to the detriment of the UK's own institutions, then this is wrong!

 

I refer to complaints from Dundee-based muslims regarding the postcards sent to them advertising a new non-emergency phone number for the police, with the image on the postcard being of forces puppy Rebel.

 

Police dogs have been used by British police as far back as the reign of Henry I in the early 1100s. And yet these complaints from the British muslim community about the use of police dogs in an advert actually resulted in an apology being made by the British police towards the muslim community!! Un-fuckin-believable!!

 

Like I say, I've got no problem with people of different races, religions, etc living in foreign countries. But at least have the decency to adopt and respect the principals and practices of the country that has adopted you!!

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Why the contradiction? You want people to adopt to custom here but don't think it's right to adopt to custom elsewhere?

 

Also the point here is that those are Muslim countries with religion and state still joined, whereas this land of ours is secular and so has no religious custom or requirement.

 

Whether or not you agree with the rules of a foreign country is frankly irrelevant.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8359336.stm

 

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Two rival marches in Glasgow have led to a number of skirmishes in the city.

 

About 1,500 anti-racism protesters marched through the city under the banner Scotland United, in opposition to the Scottish Defence League (SDL).

 

The SDL - an offshoot of the English Defence League - had been attempting to hold an "anti-Islamist" demonstration.

 

There were clashes outside Central Station and at several points around the city centre. Police said they had made five arrests.

 

The Scotland United rally, backed by trade unions, politicians and faith groups, gathered at Glasgow Green and marched to George Square.

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Thousands turn out to deliver message to fascists

 

Standing precariously on a bin as thousands of people swarmed into George Square banging drums and chanting, anti-racist campaigner Aamer Anwar yesterday proclaimed a victory for the people of Glasgow over “racism, fascism and the Scottish Defence League (SDL)â€.

 

His celebration followed a day in which the far-right group’s threat to march on Glasgow Central Mosque came to nothing, as police penned its members into a pub before bussing them to various spots on the periphery of the city, extinguishing the chances of a conflict before it had the chance to ignite. There were a few minor skirmishes in and around the city centre between the tiny SDL contingent and rival demonstrators, who were out in their thousands. Five people were arrested.

 

Although both sides claimed to have achieved their aims, the sheer numbers that mustered under the banner of Scotland United, a broad-spectrum alliance of political parties, trade unions and civil society groups, demonstrated that most of Glasgow has little truck with the “anti-Islamic†policies of the SDL and its English counterpart.

 

Mr Anwar, speaking at the head of a thousand protesters as they marched into George Square, said: “Just over 100 members of the Scottish and English Defence Leagues came to Glasgow today, skulked in a pub and were then bussed off away from the city centre. We proved that the only group that the people of Glasgow would tolerate on their streets were Scotland United. I would call this a victory.â€

 

    We have enough problems in this city without them stirring up hatred. They have no place here

 

Daniel O’Donnell, SNP member

 

The SDL, announced plans to march in Glasgow several months ago after the English Defence League (EDL) attracted hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of supporters to rallies in cities including Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham.

 

The groups formed to protest exclusively against what they view as Islamic extremism, and claim to be a new political movement which has dispensed with the racist policies of far-right parties like the British National Party (BNP).

 

But critics, such as Mr Anwar, claim they are nothing but “a violent wing of the British National Partyâ€.

 

Yesterday, the first protest in a day of political action in Glasgow took place at St Enoch Square at 10am.

 

Organised independently of Scotland United, the demonstration was made up of socialists, left-wing students and anti-fascists, who gathered outside the underground station before marching up Buchanan Street, chanting “Nazi scum off our streets†and “we’re black, white, Asian and we’re Jewsâ€.

 

Daniel O’Donnell, a 61-year-old member of the Scottish National Party and veteran of anti-fascist protests, said: “Far-right and fascist movements have got more publicity now than I remember them ever having before, particularly after the BNP were allowed to speak on Question Time.

 

“The Scottish Defence League claims to be different from the BNP, but on paper, say critics, they look the same.

 

“This is not about showing the SDL who’s boss,†said O’Donnell, “but showing them that they are not welcome in Glasgow. We have enough problems in this city without them stirring up hatred. They have no place here.â€

 

This splinter protest was organised by people who backed the aims of Scotland United but felt a bulwark against the Defence League was needed early in the day. Scotland United’s Glasgow Green rally was not until noon, which gave the SDL all morning to march the streets.

 

Sam Beaton, a 21-year-old student, said he and his fellow protesters had gathered to make sure the SDL demonstrators knew there would be someone to stand up against them if they took to the streets of Glasgow.

 

He said: “We’re mobilising here against the SDL, to make sure there is an anti-fascist presence in the town centre all morning. We have to be prepared for them, even if they decide to use violence. We’re not scared because we are a bigger, broader movement than them. They will not cause the same trouble they did in Leeds and Manchester.â€

 

An hour after the protest started in St Enoch Square, the SDL gave out information about its meeting point on a phone number it had advertised on internet bulletin boards. Its members had organised the demonstration in secrecy on Facebook, other social networking sites and online discussion forums, withholding their exact plans from police and the city council.

 

The Sunday Herald was at the meeting point, a small pub in the city centre called The Cambridge where around 150 activists gathered, although police claimed there were only 70. Some covered their faces with scarves as they chanted and waved banners in the street.

 

Several key members of the SDL and EDL had been stopped on their way to the pub and some claimed to have been visited by officers from Strathclyde Police and banned from the city centre for the day.

 

Hundreds of police had formed a cordon around the pub, refusing to let anyone in or out. Inside,the leader of the SDL, who would only give his name as Don, attacked the anti-fascist protesters, claiming they were “spouting tired old rubbish†by labelling the SDL Nazis or racists.

 

Don said: “As soon as you say anything you’re labelled a racist, a Nazi, a fascist or a knuckle-dragging skinhead. We’re none of those things. We just want to highlight the Islamification of the country and show people that some, not all, young Muslims are having hate and militancy preached to them.

 

“People say that this sort of thing doesn’t happen in Scotland, but it is. I bet they didn’t think someone would try to blow up Glasgow Airport. We don’t want young Muslim schoolboys to be radicalised, go away to train and then come back to blow up the city.â€

 

In The Cambridge, there was a febrile atmosphere. The curtains were closed but the bar stayed open, serving pints to the SDL contingent, who mostly resembled old-school skinheads, replete with tattoos. They were loath to give their names, and insisted we took no photos.

 

One member from the Airdrie branch said: “We’re just here to protest against extremist Islam and Republican terrorists, who have tried to take over our country for 40 years and failed. We’re not racist, we’re not Nazis and we’re not the BNP. I’ve got black friends and Muslim friends – race doesn’t bother me.â€

 

He added: “Our great-grandfathers fought and fell against the Nazis in two world wars. It’s a slur on our grand-fathers to call us Nazis.â€

 

There was a brief stand-off as the anti-racist protesters from St Enoch Square marched near the pub, after using the SDL’s phone line to find out its location. They rallied for a few minutes before heading down to Glasgow Green to the mainstream Scotland United event to listen to the speakers.

 

After being penned into the bar from 11am until about 12.30pm, police briefly allowed the SDL members out to protest, giving them the opportunity to chant slogans like “no surrender to the IRA†or sing Rule Britannia.

 

Police tolerated their protest for barely 20 minutes before packing them off in a bus. They were dumped at the Red Lion, a pub on Paisley Road West, and warned that anyone who tried to go back into town would be arrested.

 

The SDL’s original plans to march on Glasgow Central Mosque were thwarted at the point of application. Glasgow’s policy on marches is “somewhere between Northern Ireland and England†said a city council source, with special legislation designed to manage Orange marches. This means that while a static demonstration requires no permission from the council or police, any moving procession needs to be given the go-ahead by the authorities.

 

However, the SDL’s application for a moving procession was made using only the first name, Donald. The council’s request for more information was rejected. When the SDL was warned that its members would not be allowed to use the streets to protest, it replied that they would be happy to use the pavement – something a council source said would still be illegal.

 

At the same time as the SDL’s brief protest, the Scotland United rally at Glasgow Green heard speakers including Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie, Labour MP Mohammed Sarwar and the Rev Ian Galloway from the Church of Scotland.

 

They praised Scotland’s multiculturalism and slammed the SDL, with Mr Sarwar labelling its members “nutsâ€.

 

He said: “The message from here is loud and clear: BNP, Scottish Defence League, English Defence League are not allowed to march on the streets of

 

Glasgow. Scotland is united against these thugs and fascists.

 

“I want to congratulate Glasgow City Council for rejecting the application from these nuts to march on the streets. I am proud to be a

 

Glaswegian and a Scot, because we are different. There were confrontations in Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, but we are having a peaceful rally. People in England and Europe can learn a lot from us.â€

 

In a rousing speech, Ms Sturgeon said: “I’m proud to be standing shoulder to shoulder with Scotland’s Muslim communities, with all of Scotland’s communities. We are a diverse county, a multicultural county and that is what makes us strong. We are proud to defend that multiculturalism every single day or whenever it is put under attack.â€

 

Ahead of the Scotland United event Osama Saeed, chairman of the Scottish Islamic Foundation, said that the only people missing from the coalition were Muslim elders themselves. There had been frantic wrangling behind the scenes as Mr Saeed and Mr Anwar tried to persuade mosque elders to take part.

 

Mr Saeed said: “The people running mosque don’t get involved in anything and tend to be very reclusive – this is another manifestation of it. A lot of them are immigrants and don’t see themselves as part of society, not the prominent actors they could and should be. It requires a huge change of mindset.â€

 

After the Scotland United rally had finished, some 3500 people marched through the city towards George Square, where a minute’s silence was observed for the victims of racist killings in Scotland, including Indian naval officer Kunal Mohanty and Pollokshields teenager Kriss Donald.

 

Afterwards, Aamar Anwar claimed his coalition had inflicted a “humiliating defeat on the Nazi defence leagueâ€, but Don, the organiser of the SDL protest yesterday, gave one final warning: “He may say it’s a victory, but it’s hollow, because we’re not going nowhere. The next victory will be ours. We will stage demonstration after demonstration after demonstration. Today has gone well. We’ve had a peaceful protest, we’ve not hurt anybody. We’ve had the real victory today and won many more supporters. It’s been a big day for us.â€

 

But not all SDL members agreed with Don. On the group’s Facebook site, even supporters were questioning the success of the Glasgow demonstration. In a post called Demo Today, one SDL member wrote: “I’m embarressed (sic).â€

 

Another wrote: “People were literally laughing at us like we were clowns.†He added: “What demo in Glasgow? People were too scared to leave the pub. What a f******* shambles wae people laughing at us?â€, while another claimed: “It was an absolute shambles. ‘SDL’ is utter pish.â€

 

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Don said: “As soon as you say anything you’re labelled a racist, a Nazi, a fascist or a knuckle-dragging skinhead. We’re none of those things. We just want to highlight the Islamification of the country and show people that some, not all, young Muslims are having hate and militancy preached to them.

 

“People say that this sort of thing doesn’t happen in Scotland, but it is. I bet they didn’t think someone would try to blow up Glasgow Airport. We don’t want young Muslim schoolboys to be radicalised, go away to train and then come back to blow up the city.â€

 

In The Cambridge, there was a febrile atmosphere. The curtains were closed but the bar stayed open, serving pints to the SDL contingent, who mostly resembled old-school skinheads, replete with tattoos. They were loath to give their names, and insisted we took no photos.

 

One member from the Airdrie branch said: “We’re just here to protest against extremist Islam and Republican terrorists, who have tried to take over our country for 40 years and failed. We’re not racist, we’re not Nazis and we’re not the BNP. I’ve got black friends and Muslim friends – race doesn’t bother me.â€

 

He added: “Our great-grandfathers fought and fell against the Nazis in two world wars. It’s a slur on our grand-fathers to call us Nazis.â€

 

classic.

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  • 1 month later...
MEMBERS of the anti-Islam Scottish Defence League are planning a protest in Edinburgh after claiming their Glasgow march was a "success".

 

But despite being outnumbered by a counter-march celebrating the diversity of Scotland, the group has declared the outing a victory.

 

A report on the protest, on the Casuals United website, said: "Glasgow demo a big success – over 120 lads from various Scottish clubs who were previously enemies came together for a demo."

 

Casuals United is the website used by the original English Defence League which was started among the football casual community in Luton.

 

They have since spawned groups in Wales and, more recently Scotland.

And despite being penned in to a city centre bar before being bussed out to the city suburbs to prevent violence, the organisation is determined to bring its views to Edinburgh.

 

The group uses social networking sites to organise the meetings and recruit members.

 

It included a link to a video posted on YouTube entitled 'Victory in Glasgow – SDL See You in Edinburgh'.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_ZULS8aQ6A

 

Campaigners battling the Scottish Defence League are to ask every pub in Edinburgh to ban members of the far-right group on the day of their coming protest in the capital.

 

The Edinburgh Anti-Fascist Alliance hopes to disrupt the SDL’s usual tactics, which involve congregating in a pub before marching on a city.

 

Several pubs have already vowed to ban any SDL supporters from their premises and one branch of national chain Wetherspoons has reportedly agreed to beef up its security ahead of the march, which takes place in the capital on February 20.

 

The Edinburgh Anti-Fascist Alliance has already written to some 100 pubs in the city, and this week will write to the 200 others in Edinburgh.

 

A spokesman for the Edinburgh Anti-Fascist Alliance, who claimed he was too scared of reprisals from the SDL to give his name, said: “We’re a bunch of local people who hate racism and don’t want these people to march through our streets. We want to urge people to get involved in the planning of a reaction to the protest of the racist Scottish Defence League.â€

 

The letter they have already sent to pubs features pictures from previous protests, depicting a gang of men in balaclavas and English football tops as well as shots from another demonstration of two men displaying an English flag near the entrance to a pub in Sheffield.

 

The letter said: “We are writing to inform you that ‘Scottish’ Defence League thugs may gather and get drunk in your pub before their racist demonstration. This may cause problems for renewing your licence, and may result in a consumer boycott.

 

“We are sure that your pub is welcoming to anyone of any ethnic background, however your hospitality may be taken advantage of on the 20th of February, when the ‘Scottish’ Defence League is planning a march in Edinburgh.â€

 

The SDL is an off-shoot of the English Defence League, an organisation that exists to challenge the perceived threat of extremist Islam. They have led several marches on cities around Britain, including Glasgow, where activists were penned into a pub and briefly allowed to protest before being bussed off by police.

 

An unprecedented cross-party alliance gathered to oppose them in Glasgow, under the banner of Scotland United.

 

An SDL representative, who goes by the name of Don, said the group would not be intimidated by anti-fascist measures to ban them from city-centre pubs. Don said: “Who are the fascists, telling people they can’t go into a public house? On what basis can you ban a group of people from going into a pub?

 

“These pubs are scared of these people, who come up and smash them up if they are not intimidated enough to close. No matter what happens we’ll be there in Edinburgh.â€

 

He added that the decision to meet in pubs was taken for “safety reasons†and claimed SDL supporters were better off inside as there were opponents on the streets who wanted to attack them.

 

The Edinburgh Anti-Fascist Alliance denied it would use any force or try to intimidate public houses.

 

Several pubs have already agreed to ban SDL supporters in the case of any trouble. Others are consulting their area manager to discuss a ban. The manager of one well-known bar said: “It’s all about the safety of our team and customers.â€

 

Wetherspoons in George Street is to put on extra security on the day, mindful that the EDL have used their premises as meeting points during previous demonstrations.

 

But a spokesman for Wetherspoons said they would allow anyone in, as long as there was no trouble.

 

He said: “You can’t stop someone coming in because of their views – you’d have empty pubs. Where would you stop? What anti-fascists think is right, corporations don’t. Like any right-minded people, we don’t agree with the EDL or the SDL. But if their supporters come to our pub and don’t cause trouble, we won’t turn them away. If they misbehave, we will ask them to leave.â€

 

 

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