UK Envoys to Lure Muslim Support to Foreign Policy

CAIRO – Amid criticism of Britain’s foreign policy for giving ammunition to extremists, British ambassadors to Muslim countries are reaching out the Muslim minority to lure its support for the government foreign policies. “Through a programme of outreach events, ambassadors and senior officials work with local partners in Muslim communities across the country to challenge those misconceptions,” a Foreign Office spokesman told The Times Sunday, November 22.

“These events are a chance for well-informed officials to explain our foreign policy and to get a better understanding of what people think about it.”

A number of British ambassadors to Muslim countries held meetings with Muslim leaders and residents in hot spots under a government strategy to fight extremism.

Last July, British ambassador Sir William Patey met twice with Muslim residents in Redbridge and Essex to explain the British foreign policy to them.

He also met with Muslim residents in Edinburgh in September for the same purpose.

British ambassador to Morocco also met last month with Muslim residents in northwest London.

Overall, 25 ambassador and senior diplomats in several Muslim countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Syria and Tunisia, met with British Muslims in several hot spots to draw their support for the British foreign policy.

Senior Muslims were also dispatched by the Foreign Policy to Muslim countries to refute reports about the maltreatment and abuses of British Muslims.

“Violent extremists use misconceptions about foreign policy as a way to radicalise vulnerable young people in the UK,” said the spokesman.

British Muslims, estimated at some 1.8 million or nearly three percent of the population, have been critical of Britain’s foreign policy for fueling extremism in the country.

A report commissioned by Muslim leaders following the London attacks said that the British policy on Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East were fanning the flames of extremism.

A recent report by the British parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee said that international conflicts, such as the situation in Iraq and the occupied Palestinian territories, were breeding feelings of injustice in the Muslim world which can boost support for terrorism.

Source: IslamOnline

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Sweden rightists fuel anti-Muslim fears

CAIRO – Copying the anti-Muslim rhetoric from European far-right parties, Sweden’s far-rightists are launching a fierce campaign against the Muslim minority in the Scandinavian country to make political gains.

“It is a part of a trend where it has become a gain to use the criticism of Muslims as a way to gain political power,” Anna Waara, president of Swedish Muslims for Peace and Justice, told IslamOnline.net in an e-mail interview.

Jimmie Akesson, leader of the far-right Sweden Democrats party, published an opinion piece last month describing Muslims as a ‘major threat’.

“The comments that the Swedish Democrats made are worrying,” Waara said.

“More worrying is if the other established parties will take over the rhetoric of SD and use it of their own and in that way normalize it.”

Founded in 1988, SD describes itself as a nationalist movement.

Polling data shows that the far-right party has 6 percent support, their best poll result to date, which could help them get into parliament.

The party is notorious for anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant campaigns, with its manifesto describing Muslims as “seriously jeopardized the Swedish nation.”

In 2006, the party published the Danish cartoons lampooning Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) on its youth league website.

It also campaigned against any ban of the blasphemous cartoons under the claim of freedom of speech.

Waara lamented that the anti-Muslim rhetoric is even evident in Swedish media.

“The atmosphere in media has definitely changed,” she said.

“It has been normalized to talk about Muslims in a offending way.

“It is selling issues to write about Muslim terror, violence and problems with Muslim immigrants.”

* Muslim-friendly

Waara said despite the far-right campaign, Swedish society is still friendly to Muslims.

“It is still not as big problem in Sweden to be a Muslim,” she said.

“We still haven’t seen the discriminating laws that we see in France or Denmark for example.”

To nip the far-rightist campaign in the bud, Swedish Muslims have launched two projects to fight Islamophobia in the Scandinavian country.

“One about the Swedish identity and how the Muslim identity is not in conflict with being Swedish.

“The other one is about the Massacre of Muslims in Srebrenica that we think has been forgotten.

More than 8,000 Muslim men and boys were slaughtered and buried in mass graves when Serb forces overran the UN-protected Muslim enclave of Srebrenica in 1995.

“We have also created an information brochure about the peace message in Islam,” said Waara.

Muslims make up some 200,000 of the country's nine million people, according to semi-official estimates.

Leaders of the Muslim minority put the number at 400,000.

“Our role is to try to nuance the picture of Islam and Muslims, to work to broaden the image of us,” Waara said.

“We work to acknowledge the diversity among Muslims that not always is shown in Sweden.

“We want to work for peace and justice from an Islamic and democratic fundamental values according to the Qur’an and the message of Prophet Mohammad.”
Source: IslamOnline

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