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In the name of Al-laah,The-Source-Of-Mercy,The-Especially-Merciful.
THE AIMS OF THEISLAMIC HUMANRIGHTSCOMMISSION ARE:
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To champion therights and dutiesrevealed for humanbeings.
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To promote a newsocial and internationalorder, based on truth, justice, righteousnessand generosity, ratherthan self-interest.
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To demand virtue andoppose wrongdoing inthe exercise of power(from whatever basethat power derives - e.g.political, judicial, media,economic, military,personal, etc.).
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To gather informationabout, and to publicise,atrocities, oppression,discrimination, and otherabuses of divinely-granted rights.
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To campaign forredress, and to supportthe victims of suchcrimes.
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To campaign to bringthe perpetrators andtheir accomplices to justice.
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To cooperate withother groups andindividuals where suchcooperation is likely tofurther the achievementof these aims.
The Islamic HumanRights Commission isan NGO in SpecialConsultative Statuswith the Economic andSocial Council of theUnited Nations
ISLAMIC HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONPO Box 598, Wembley HA9 7XH, UK - Tel: 020 8904 4222 www.ihrc.org Presenting away forwardPAGE 8Exposing theIslamophobesPAGE 6Working forPrisoners of FaithPAGE 4
VOLUME 8 - RAMADAN 1428 / SEPTEMBER 2007
"I REALIZED
that I simply enjoythe feeling of power, I am the Law!I am the Law here! ... The next carfollows. You signal. It stops. Youstart playing with them, like a com-puter game. You come here; you gothere, like this. You barely move;you make them obey the tip of yourfinger. It's a mighty feeling ... Youknow it's because you have aweapon; you know it's because youare a soldier. You know all this, butit's addictive."These words are just a fragmentfrom the testimonies of 450 Israelisoldiers published by a group called‘Breaking the Silence’. It is a non-governmental organization formedby ex-Israeli soldiers who dedicatethemselves to educate the Israelipublic about the reality of the occu-pation.Other documented inci-dents relate how Israeli soldiers,armed with the utmost feeling of supremacy and US made M16rifles, inhumanly and sadisticallyoppress the Palestinians includingchildren, women and the elderly.The testimonies are disgusting anddisturbing, however, none are newto the public. We have witnessed thecold blooded killing of MuhammadJamal al-Durrah and his fatherfrom TV footage in the Gaza Strip,the merciless butchery of RachelCorrie who tried to stand upagainst an IDF bulldozer for justiceand freedom, and countless otheraggressions against Palestinians aswell as others who tried to defendthe rights of Palestinians. These tes-timonies are hugely important interms of confessing the arrogant,unlawful and aggressive nature of IDF soldiers and the Israeli occupa-tion.To tell the truth, is both liberat-ing, and in this situation to do so ispart of the struggle for liberation inPalestine .To speak the truth –however unpalatable it may be toour audience - is an IHRC aim, andsomething we pray characterizesour work.It is with great sadness that wenote that this year, in addition tothe ongoing occupation andcrescendo in Israeli aggression, therecent internal conflict betweenHamas and Fatah further exacer-bated the situation for thePalestinian people in the occupiedlands. Hamas won the Palestinianelections in 2006, however, despitetheir so called advocacy andpatronage for democracy, the USand Europe ironically turned theirbacks on a democratically electedgovernment and completely isolat-ed it. This characteristic hypocrisysaw the cutting of aid, that was theonly source for the Palestinian peo-ple to survive.The wholePalestinian nation was punished forits choice and its aspirations for anend to corruption and a movetowards welfare and freedom.IHRC has condemned thebloodshed between the Palestiniangroups since it is our principle tooppose such violence, however, it isalso our principle to support thePalestinian people’s right to exist,and their independence and digni-ty which can only be achieved by atruly representative governmentwhich represents the will of thePalestinian people. The crisis of self-determination or the lack of itis very relevant to Muslims todayand much of our research work thisyear has focused on realizing howdifferent groups in various situa-
RAFAH, GAZA STRIP - MARCH 2007: A poor Palestinian child collects grass and some remaining potatoes.Acording to UNICEF:Onein 10 Palestinian children now suffer from stunted growth due to compromised health, poor diet and nutrition and 50% of Palestinianchildren are anaemic , and 75% of those under 5 suffer from vitamin A deficiency.
   P   h  o   t  o   b  y   A   b   i   d   K  a   t   i   b   /   G  e   t   t  y   I  m  a   g  e  s
continued on page 4
STARVING AND POOR.SHORT OF JUSTICE.WHO WILL HELP HIM?STARVING AND POOR.SHORT OF JUSTICE.WHO WILL HELP HIM?
 
H
ere at IHRC we are hop-ing for a quieterRamadan this year. LastRamadan was a turbu-lent time for the Muslimcommunity in the UK . There was aspate of anti-Muslim attacksfuelled by inferior policing andIslamophobic statements by politi-cians and the media.In a mosque in Newport ( Wales) as worshippers stood in thetarawih prayers, a pig’s head wasthrown through the window, anattack clearly premeditated andcalculated to cause deep offence.A Muslim shopkeeper’s car inCroydon was firebombed; theattack took place in front of apolice officer who was taking a wit-ness statement following earlierdeath-threats made to the shop-keeper’s family.Bricks and con-crete blocks were thrown at carsparked in a mosque in Preston ; aMuslim teenager was subsequentlystabbed by the attackers. A Muslimfamily received a package by RoyalMail containing unpackaged pork sausages mixed with carefully cutclippings from the Qur’an and anote saying, “F***ing Pakis GoHome”While the Jewish community isrightly afforded increased policeprotection in the run-up to theirHoly Days, the MuslimCommunity was left exposed. If anything, leading politicians chosethis time to expose their prejudicesand belief that Muslims are back-ward, resist integration and there-fore represent a threat to Britishsociety. Last Ramadan, Jack Strawchose to brag about a prior inci-dent where a constituent, a Muslimwoman in niqab, had come to seehim as her MP for assistance. Heproclaimed in his article that henot only asked her to remove herveil as it made him feel uncomfort-able but also advised her to notwear her niqab at all.Jack Straw's comments onwomen who wear the veil were notrandom musings. A formerForeign Secretary, well travelled,surely knew the consequences of his comments and still he instigat-ed an unnecessary national cam-paign on the issue. Sure enoughleading ministers such as HarrietHarman, Tessa Jowell, Peter Hain,Gordon Brown, Tony Blair andRuth Kelly were clambering overthemselves to congratulate Strawfor telling women what to wear andwent on to blame a small numberof Muslim women who chose towear the niqab for the supposedfailure of 1.7 million Muslims tointegrate into British Society.Jack Straw has been lauded forinstigating a wider debate aboutMuslims and British society.Heshould then also be credited for theattacks on Muslim women whichfollowed. Women verbally abusedon the streets, niqabs torn off facesand hijabs from heads, and evenwomen punched in the face.The pattern continues. AtIHRC we have an incident report-ing system – as this type of inci-dent increases we urge you toreport incidents to us even if youdo not want the police or authori-ties to be involved.It is impera-tive that we are able to convey thetrue state of affairs so that policymakers and law enforcement insti-tutions cannot claim ignorance.This information is a vital toolwhich can be used to inform andpressurise the media, police, com-munity leaders and governmentofficials, so that the Muslims aretreated justly and their grievancesaddressed. This information willhelp promote understanding of the needs and problems facing ustoday.Details of this service can befound below.Muslims and other minoritiesare increasingly being told by poli-cy makers and their uncritical sup-porters within Muslim and minori-ty communities not to complain asthis exhibits a ‘victim mentality’.IHRC notes that it is a worryingdevelopment indeed, if victims of violence and discrimination aretold to effectively ‘shut up’ and begrateful for their treatment.
Beena Faridi
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IHRC
Website:
www.ihrc.org 
Islamic Human Rights Commission
PO Box 598, Wembley HA9 7XH, UK Tel:020 8904 4222 Fax: 020 8904 5183Email: info@ihrc.orgIHRC is a company limited by guarantee.Company No: 04716690
Just some of the newspaper headlinesregarding Niqab
HAVE YOU BEEN A VICTIMOF ISLAMOPHOBIA?HAVE YOU BEEN ABUSED,DISCRIMINATED AGAINST,VILIFIED OR EVEN ATTACKEDBECAUSE YOU ARE MUSLIM?
It is important to report these incidents, even ifyou do not want your identity to be known andyou don’t want any further action taken.Solong as a record is made, we can build up atrue pictureof the type of hostility thatMuslims face today.
THIS SERVICE ISENTIRELY C
 
ONFIDENTIAL.
 
Report it in confidence throughIHRC’s on-line reporting form at:
www.ihrc.org.uk/incidents
Discrimination andIslamophobia
IHRC receives numerous callsfrom members of the Muslimcommunity who are in desperateneed of assistance due to discrimi-nation. Their concerns are wideranging including, immigration,asylum, physical attacks, harass-ment, employment, educationand many more.Common problems includeIslamophobic harassment fromneighbours, as well as harassmentat work, from denial of prayerfacilities, to abuse and vilificationfor being Muslim.We also assist in cases relatedto Anti-Terror legislation. Issuescan include house raids, policeharassment, confiscation of itemsand money.In cases where IHRC has notbeen able to help directly it hasendeavored to refer people toother agencies or support organi-sations that have expertise on thematter.All our services areoffered to the community, free of charge.
Domestic Violence andOther Matters
IHRC also receives calls on manyother issues, which increasinglyinclude cases of domestic violence.We are also fielding calls frompeople other than Muslims and,as with the cases above, we eitherprovide assistance or referral.This type of work is part of much of IHRC’s work that is donebehind the scenes and with littlepublic knowledge.It is massivelyunder-resourced, with manpowerand the amount of services we canoffer limited by financialrestraints.Please support us bydonating to the Charity IslamicHuman Rights Commission Trust(see page 9).The Trust is a regis-tered charity and funds IHRC inthis work.Any donations youmake qualify for Gift Aid – so if you are a UK Taxpayer, IHRCTcan reclaim the tax money makingyour donation even more bounti-ful.As Muslims, and now other,minorities feel the pressure of hos-tile governmental policy it is timethat we all started creating andstrengthening existing mecha-nisms to address the violence anddiscrimination we face.For more information pleasecontact us on 020 8904 4222 orinfo@ihrc.org.If you want toreport an incident in full confi-dence (and anonymously if youwish) please visit:www.ihrc.org.uk/incidents/ or callus on the number above.
Beena Faridi
Fighting Discrimination
A car was rammed into a shopin Glasgow it is thought asrevenge for the failed attack onGlasgow airport in July 2007.
Anti-Muslim Rhetoricand anti-Muslim Hostility,Discrimination and Violence
Careless Talk…
 
UK Anti-Terror Laws:
New Labour. NewLeader: New Talk?
J
uly 2007 heralded thebeginning of a new pre-miership with GordonBrown succeeding TonyBlair as UK Prime Minister.Although too early to yet indicatewhat impact this will have on civilliberties and human rights, anddespite a change in rhetoric, thereare signals that there has not beena significant shift in policy withBrown pushing for a new terrorbill and stating that the world owesthe US a great debt for its role infighting the ‘war on terror’.Blair’s final year was filled withmany of the elements which hisgovernment became notorious for- hysteria, politics of fear and insti-tutional Islamophobia. The HomeOffice released new statisticsrevealing that from 11 September2001 until 31 March 2007, 1126arrests were made under theTerrorism Act 2000 of which only211 were charged with terrorismoffences. Despite further convic-tions since then, there remains aless than 5% conviction rate of those arrested in ‘intelligence-lead’ operations. IHRC remindedpeople that these are not justempty statistics but innocenthuman beings whose lives havebeen shattered by such heavy-handed and discriminatory poli-cies.Abuse of police stop and searchpowers were relentless this yearwith an unofficial policy of Muslimprofiling clearly in operation. Thefutility of such tactics were finallyadmitted in December 2006 by theMetropolitan Police's assistantcommissioner responsible for anti-terrorism, Andy Hayman, whoquestioned the value of the pow-ers, claiming they were counter-productive and alienated commu-nities. The following month,Commander Richard Gargini of the Association of Chief PoliceOfficers called for searches to beled more by intelligence thanappearance as profiling was dam-aging community relations.IHRC’s Chair continued to sit onthe Stop and Search Action Team:Community Panel.IHRC continued to fight thegovernment’s policy of punish-ment without charge currentlybeing applied against Muslim ter-ror suspects through a system of control orders and deportation. Atotal of 18 Muslims, half of whomare British nationals, are currentlysubjected to control orders withrestrictions including curfews of up to 18 hours and bans on inter-net access and unauthorised visi-tors, based on secret evidence con-cealed from the suspects. This yearboth the High Court and Court of Appeal ruled that the controlorders were too restrictive andbreached their right to liberty anda fair trial. The House of Lords iscurrently hearing the govern-ment’s appeal. Other suspectsremain in prison without anycharge and face deportation tocountries such as Algeria , Jordanand Libya where they are likely toface torture and ill-treatment.There was also much publicopprobrium at the manner inwhich police officers involved inthe shootings of Jean Charles deMenezes and MohammedAbdulkahar have been dealt with.In June 2006, AssistantCommissioner Andy Hayman wasawarded a CBE weeks after theshooting of Abdulkahir. One of thesenior officers involved in the deMenezes shooting, Cressida Dick,was promoted to Deputy AssistantCommissioner in September2006.IHRC was also shocked butnot surprised by the findings of the Independent PoliceComplaints Commission followingits investigation into the deMenezes shooting, which clearedCommissioner Ian Blair and 14other officers of all wrong-doing.
New Legislation
Although offences under lastyear’s Terrorism Act 2006 such as‘glorification’ of terrorism remainto be tried and tested, for the firsttime this year a successful prosecu-tion was brought under theTerrorism Act 2000 for possessingmaterial useful for terrorism. Fiveyoung students were sentenced forvisiting “jihadi” websites anddownloading “extremist” materialfrom the internet. There was evensome disgust in establishment cir-cles at the nature of the convic-tions. David Livingstone, an asso-ciate fellow in international securi-ty at Chatham House, home of theRoyal Institute of InternationalAffairs, appeared as a witness forthe defence at the trial. He statedthat there was no evidence that thefive had planned to instigate a ter-rorist attack and that the prosecu-tion could “radicalise” youngMuslims “through a perceivedsense of injustice.”The double-standards beingapplied in the criminal justice sys-tem were clearly visible a week later at the trial of 2 former mem-bers of the BNP caught with thelargest cache of explosives foundin the country. The men also hadnotes about killing then PrimeMinister Tony Blair, grenades,guns, a rocket launcher, a haul of chemicals, and bomb recipesdownloaded from the internet.They claimed they were merelypreparing for an inevitable civilwar in Britain . One man, DenisJackson, was acquitted whilst theother, Robert Cottage, was given atwo year sentence. He was onlyfound guilty of stockpiling explo-sive chemicals and cleared of con-spiracy to cause explosions, the judge accepting his intention andfinding that there was no clear plotor imminent threat to life.In one of his first moves sincehis appointment as PrimeMinister, Gordon Brown pushedahead with the Terror Bill draftedby former Home Secretary JohnReid. The bill intends to providethe police with even greater pow-ers of search and arrest and intro-duce even more draconian laws.One proposal is to extend the cur-rent period of pre-charge deten-tion from 28 days to 56 days, effec-tively a 4 month prison sentence.Other proposals include post-charge questioning of suspects, theuse of intercept evidence, the cre-ation of a unified border patrol,and the further deportation of ter-ror suspects without charge tocountries where they will be at risk of torture and ill-treatment.In a very worrying develop-ment, the court in the case of ‘R vL’ held that the definition of ter-rorism included providing supportfor armed groups aiming to over-throw despotic regimes and dicta-torial rulers even if they restrictedtheir attacks to military and politi-cal targets. The court astonishing-ly ruled that the only option avail-able to the people of those coun-tries was to request the British gov-ernment to intervene, using mili-tary force if necessary.
IHRC’s Response
IHRC supported and participatedin numerous public meetings toaddress these issues including the‘Terror Raids: Who’s Next’ meet-ing in Newham organised by theLondon Citizen’s Forum, and the‘Detention without Trial’ meetingin Whitechapel organised by t TheCentre for the Study of Terrorism(CFSOT) with the CampaignAgainst CriminalisingCommunities (CAMPACC) &Cage Prisoners. IHRC also organ-ised a private seminar on theimplications of the ‘war on terror’for both Muslims and the widersociety in Britain . Leadinglawyers, academics, and activistswere invited to a roundtable dis-cussion on the way forward to tack-ling the various problems whichwere highlighted. To this end,IHRC’s report, ‘British Anti-Terrorism: A Modern Day Witch-hunt’ was distributed at the semi-nar and also sent to numerous aca-demics, politicians and policy-makers in Britain and abroad.One of the greatest difficultiesfacing Muslims approached by thepolice is a lack of awareness abouttheir rights under the law. IHRCalso continued to conduct itsextremely popular ‘Know yourRights’ workshops in mosques,campuses and community centresthroughout the UK . Events took place in London , Nottingham,Manchester , Leeds, Portsmouth ,Glasgow and Aberdeen with theaim of educating participantsabout their rights under the anti-terrorism laws.
Fahad Ansari
IHRC
3
Closest Tube: Aldgate East Station on theHammersmith and City and District Line.To register a place please send your nameand contact information to events@ihrc.org
Entrance is FREE!
JOIN THE STRUGGLEFOR JUSTICE. JOIN IHRC.
With Nasheeds from Performersincluding Kamal Uddin
 ADecade of Fighting Injustice
 Islamic Human Rights Commission’s
1O Year Anniversary
11th November2007 at the London Muslim Centre,Whitechapel, East London from 3:30pm – 9:30pm
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Imam Al Asi
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Imam Casseim
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Dr Saeid Ameli
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Moazzem Begg 
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Yvonne Ridley
q
George Galloway
q
Dr Abdul Wahid
q
Ibrahim Hewitt
q
Dr Abdul Bari
Guest Speakers Include:
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