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Muslim Labour MP: British Muslims have ‘victim mentality’
Sep. 17, 2008 News Summary
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Muslims have ‘victim mentality’
British Muslims are guilty of a “victim mentality” and should take greater responsibility for their lives, a Muslim Labour MP has argued.
Sadiq Khan also said more British Muslims must tackle sexism, learn English and condemn forced marriages.
The representative for Tooting, south London, made his comments in a report for the Fabian Society think tank.
Muslim youth organisation the Ramadhan Foundation said Mr Khan was out of touch with grassroots Muslims.
In his report, entitled Fairness, Not Favours, Mr Khan said: “We need to take more responsibility for our own families, ignore those who propagate conspiracy theories, and above all we need to leave behind our victim mentality.
“We must all agree that honour killings are murder and forced marriages are kidnapping. These traditions have no place here or anywhere.”
Unable to integrateBy its very nature, Islam makes it extremely difficult for Muslims to integrate. Islam means submission, and the Quran makes it clear that Muslims expect non-Muslims to submit to Islam.Western values are not compatible with Islam. As a result, many Muslims form ghettos and engage in other forms of non-integration.Hair-tricker sensitivities that have Muslim extremists respond to real or perceived insults with death threats, violent demonstrations, murder and terrorism, make it difficult or even impossible for non-Muslims to believe the claim that Islam is a ‘religion of peace.’ Therefore a high birthrate among Muslims, combined with high (legal and illegal) immigration figures, have Europeans and others worried about the Muslims in their midst.• Europeans worry that Muslims cannot assimilate• German politician blames Islam for religious violence• Muslims are waging civil war against us, claims French police union• Muslims not trying to fit with society, says Martin Amis• UK: Muslim integration has come to a halt• Sections of Muslim Britain in denial about extremism• Almost a quarter of UK-based Muslims believe the July 7, 2005 terrorist bombings in London were justified• The seductive beat of the militant, Islamic drum• Europe’s angry young Muslims• Europe fears threat from its converts to Islam• Europe is learning a hard lesson from Muslim immigrant experiencePlot Shows Rise of Extremism in EuropeResearch resources on Islam and on Islamic ExtremismComments & resources by ReligionNewsBlog.comHe also claimed that Muslims in Britain are pre-occupied by foreign policy and not concerned enough about day-to-day political issues.
“Muslims need to recognise childcare is as important as Kashmir,” he said.
Assistant whip Mr Khan said there was no question that people coming to live in Britain should learn English and he criticised “liberal anxiety” about the issue.
“The requirement to learn English is not colonial. English is a passport to participation in mainstream society – jobs, education and even being able to use health services,” he said.
“Having poor English creates multiple barriers to work; it decreases your confidence, makes it harder to gain other skills and qualifications and increases the likelihood of unemployment and your withdrawal from the labour market.”
Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation, said the “real issues” holding Muslims back were “poverty, crime, racism and Islamophobia”.
He said: “We do not have a victim mentality but are victims of this government’s failure to deal with real issues, issues around poverty, tackling the underlying causes of why there is terrorism in this country.”
He said the Ramadhan Foundation had a long history of opposing forced marriages and so-called honour killings.
Mr Shafiq added there was no conflict between a concern for the fate of Muslims abroad and an awareness of the domestic political issues of Britain.
However Shaista Gohir, director of both Muslim Voice UK and Muslim Women’s Network UK, agreed that more needed to be done by Muslims to tackle sexism, forced marriages and honour killings.
She also agreed it was important for British Muslims to speak English.
Ms Gohir, who is a government adviser on Muslim women, told the BBC: “Not being able to speak English is not only a barrier to integration but is also disempowering for individuals, so I agree that Muslims who do not speak English need to make more of an effort to learn.”
But she said it was an over-generalisation to say Muslims had a victim mentality.
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