The Polish Defence League, which describes itself as ‘showing the true face of Islam and acting against the Islamization of Europe,’ started the operation in December in several Polish cities including Warsaw, Poznan and Krakow. “We are there to monitor clubs and restaurants where Muslim men prey on native Polish women, and to intervene, when necessary.”

Examiner (h/t Subramanian)  The English-language site for Radio Poland News is reporting on Jan. 15, 2014 that members of the nationalistic Polish Defence League are taking it upon themselves to escort Polish girls and women home after a night of clubbing, to ensure they don’t become victims to the epidemic of Muslim gang-rapes that’s sweeping Europe.

(As we seen countless times here and on other blogs) Gangs of Muslim men throughout Europe, especially Scandinavia and Great Britain, have taken gang rape to such proportions that the rape-gang members themselves have nicknamed their sexual attacks “tournante,” French for “take your turn.”

Radio Poland notes that “patrols” in Warsaw, Poznan and Krakow will begin escorting women from “the ‘threats’ of getting involved with Muslim men. Defending Polish Women… Also cited was an incident earlier this month in a Warsaw nightclub “where the ‘activists’ – who were defending the honour of Polish women.’”

With one of the smaller Muslim communities in Europe estimated between 20,000 and 40,000 but expected to grow due to Poland’s liberal immigration laws and relaxed requirements for political asylum, certain Polish men are proactive in ensuring the “rape jihad” doesn’t reach epidemic proportions in their homeland. Due to illegal immigration, authorities are unable to get a solid number.

Radio Poland News cites a recent posting on the PDL website which warns violent Islamists that despite most European men looking the other way, Polish men won’t.

In Poland, there will be NO sharia law. NO headbanging or shouting Allahu Akbar in the streets. NO insulting our religion and our culture. NO burning cars like in France. NO burning down police stations [like in Sweden]. NO imposing your ways on us. NO calling us the sons of apes and pigs. If you do, we will be the ones waging jihad…on YOU!

Radio Poland News failed to cite the Open Doors study that the targeting of Christians for murder simply due to their beliefs has doubled world-wide in 2013: Overwhelmingly, the main engine driving persecution of Christians in 36 of the top 50 countries is Islamic extremism.

Muslims flee Northern Ireland to escape anti-Islam violence

• World News
• Europe

by Rahat Husain – Jun 3, 2014

image: http://commdiginews.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/cdn640px-Dublin_Mosque.jpg

Dublin Mosque is a mosque on the South Circular Road, Dublin in Ireland. It is the headquarters of the Islamic Foundation of Ireland. (Wikipedia)

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2014 — Some Muslims in Northern Ireland have announced plans to leave the country to avoid anti-Islamic violence. The announcement comes after an attack on a Muslim family in the city of Belfast, when crazed rioters broke into their home and assaulted them.

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The home invasion came after remarks from Belfast based Pastor James McConnell, who said in a sermon “The God we worship and serve this evening is not Allah. The Muslim god-Allah-is a heathen deity. Allah is a cruel deity. Allah is a demon deity.” He later added that Islam is “a doctrine spawned in hell.” Hospitalization was required for at least one of the victims. 

A second attack occurred only hours later, also resulting in injuries. Victims told the Northern Ireland News Letter “The victim’s friend, who had been cleaning up the broken glass outside the house after an attack earlier that day, said those involved in the attack had called the pair ‘dirty Arabs’ and ‘Paki b******s.’”

The term “Paki” is viewed as a racial slur in Europe , particularly when directed at individuals of Pakistani descent (or of a similar appearance to those who come from Pakistan). The News Letter reports a young woman and a middle aged man have been arrested in connection with the attacks.

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Pastor Paul Burns of Adullam Christian Fellowship Church in Belfast agreed, telling the Belfast Telegraph “When Pastor McConnell is talking about it as a direct teaching of Satan – it is.”

The Christian News Network reports “Following McConnell’s May 18th sermon, the Police Service of Northern Ireland investigated the preacher for allegations of hate crime. Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness described the preacher’s comments as ‘hate mongering’ and said the anti-Muslim statements ‘must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.’”

McGuinness told the Daily Mirror “Coming in the wake of recent spate of disgraceful racist attacks against families in parts of Belfast and elsewhere, such inflammatory comments only serve to fuel hatred … [It is] essential that there is a full and thorough investigation of these comments and their potential to generate further racist attacks.”

The First Minister of Northern Ireland, Peter Robinson, has also thrown his support behind Pastor McConnell. According to the BBC “[Robinson] went on to say that he would not trust Muslims either.”

The remarks by the Pastor and First Minister have been met with strong criticism from the Christian community. Presbyterian Reverend Dr. Rob Craig spoke out against the remarks to the BBC, stating “They are not consistent with the Gospel of Christ and the love of God. I would be deeply offended if someone were to brand either all Presbyterians or all Christians with some extreme act by someone who claimed to do it in the name of Christ. I want to treat my neighbor as I would want to be treated myself.”

“As Christians, it is our duty to spread the love of God across Ireland to those whom we meet and with whom we come into contact, irrespective of nationality, race or creed, and be gracious in doing so,” said a spokesperson for another Church to the Belfast Telegraph. “I would reject any generalized view of Muslim people,” he continued. “I do not view Islam as a monolithic religion but as taking different expressions and possessing within itself a variety of theological traditions.”

“I believe that the Church of Ireland is right to engage in constructive dialogue with other religions. To do so is not to endorse other religious beliefs but is to recognize those of other faiths who are willing to join in such an effort will do so in the right spirit,” said Canon Ian Ellis, editor of The Church of Ireland Gazette.

Facing a police investigation over instigating a hate crime, Pastor McConnell has attempted to backpedal by apologizing to the victims of the attack and offering to pay for the damages caused by the home invasion. It is unknown if the offer to pay for the attack counts as a legal admission of guilt in Northern Ireland. First Minister Robinson has also backed away from his remarks. Critics describe the apologies and changes in demeanor as “insincere.”

“I’m regretting what happened to me. The friends told me yesterday ‘we were right what we told you before, not to go [to Northern Ireland],’” said Muhammad Asif Khattak, a victim of the attack, to BBC.

BBC reports that hate crimes in the country are up 30% from last year, but successful investigations into attacks has plummeted to 20%.

By Omkar Mahajan
Staff Writer

Myanmar has always been a predominantly Buddhist nation with a sizable Muslim minority. In fact, there have been significant tensions between the Buddhist majority and the Muslim minority in Myanmar. Throughout history, Muslims have been persecuted in Myanmar. However, the persecutions dramatically intensified during British rule in the 1930s and have since increased with more persecutions in recent years and in the present day. Additionally, Buddhist extremist groups have since emerged preaching hate and violence towards the minority Muslim population. Even more disturbing is that despite the democratic reforms of Myanmar and the removal of its military junta, the government still oppresses and persecutes its Muslim minority. Not surprisingly, the United Nations has already condemned Myanmar for its treatment of its Muslim minority and has noted that Myanmar is committing human rights abuses towards Muslims. Muslims in Myanmar continue to be oppressed despite intervention from the United Nations and other countries, the democratic reforms of its government and the mistreatment of Muslims has only been exacerbated with the appearance of Buddhist extremist groups and vocal leaders opposed to Islam. Efforts to quell down violence and opposition towards Muslims are clearly not functioning.

What is the history between Islam and Buddhism in Myanmar?

Islam is believed to have first arrived to Myanmar from Arab merchants in the 7thcentury CE. Islam then appeared in greater numbers as settlements from Muslim traders and travelers arrived along the coastal regions of Myanmar. It wasn’t until the 1500s that persecution and negative sentiments towards Islam emerged significantly. The leader of Myanmar at the time, King Bayinnaung, was fiercely intolerant of Islam and prohibited Muslim practices and rituals such as Halal (Yegar 10). Persecutions of Muslims in Myanmar from that point became commonplace and many Muslims fled Myanmar. However, the negative sentiment would intensify greatly in later centuries to come.

During the British rule of Myanmar in the 1930s, tensions between Muslims and Buddhists increased. There were approximately 500,000 Muslims in Myanmar at the time and there was also a steady flow of immigrant Muslims moving from British India to British ruled Myanmar (Yegar 29). Unfortunately, due to economic hardships and the rise of xenophobia, religious and race riots targeted Muslim populations. Even though the riots were originally intended to target Indians, the British and other foreigners, the riots actually harmed many Burmese Muslims because numerous people viewed all Muslim residents there as foreigners. The Burma for Burmese Only Campaign was soon established to protest the Muslim presence in Myanmar (Yegar 37). These protests led to the destruction of 113 mosques (Yegar 37).

What did the British do about these events?

The British created a committee to investigate the real causes of these events (Yegar 38). Although the committee determined that economic hardships and sociopolitical conditions caused Burmese hardship, their efforts were short lived. They advocated that Muslims be represented on the legislative council, have the right to practice and follow their own religion and be granted full citizenship (Yegar 38). Furthermore, the Burmese Muslim Congress was founded to oversee these efforts and look after the welfare of Muslim residents in Myanmar. Unfortunately, the government under U Nu, the first Prime Minister of Myanmar shortly after Burmese independence, ignored these measures and Muslims were later oppressed.

Nu ordered the disbandment of the Burmese Muslim Congress (Yegar 75). Moreover, he later adopted Buddhism as the official religion of Myanmar angering many Muslims in Myanmar. However, a coup d’état in 1962 removed U Nu from power and replaced the government with a military junta under General Ne Win. This military government would remain in power until the 21st century.

General Win enacted numerous alterations to the government structure of Myanmar and this not only aggravated the situation and well being of its constituents, but it also exacerbated the status of Muslims in Myanmar. For instance, Muslims were banned from serving in the army. The business, media and other forms of communication were restricted and placed under the control of the military junta. The country soon became a one party system and protests against the military regime of Myanmar were violently crushed. The government also conducted a number of human rights abuses including the usage of child soldiers, systemic human trafficking and sexual slavery and forced labor. In fact, in June 2012, “Children [were] being sold as conscripts into the Burmese military for as little as $40 and a bag of rice or a can of petrol.” Forced labor was also widespread throughout Myanmar. However, the human rights abuses committed towards Muslims in Myanmar were much worse.

What was the Military Junta’s treatment of its Muslim minority?

The Military Junta committed genocide and ethnic cleansing towards its Muslim minority and violated many human rights laws towards its Muslim populations. The Rohingya people, an ethnic group that resides in Myanmar of whom the majority of Muslims in Myanmar belong to, have been persecuted ever since. First, they were denied basic citizenship rights and were treated and seen as foreigners despite residing in Myanmar for centuries. Second, the government forcibly removed Rohingya Muslims from their homeland and replaced them with Buddhist residents. Over 800,000 Rohingya Muslims have been displaced from their homeland. Additional human rights abuses toward the Rohingya Muslims include but are not limited to prohibition of owning land, banned from having more than two children, and unable to travel without permission. However, in 2011 there was a democratic transition and the government was radically changed from an authoritarian regime to a unitary presidential republic. Shockingly, the status of Muslims did not improve under the democratic transition and human rights abuses continued to occur.

What is the current status of Muslims under the democratic government of Myanmar?

Despite the democratic transitions in Myanmar, the status of Muslims has not changed significantly. Muslims continue to be denied citizenship, are still unable to travel without permission, are banned from owning land, and having more than two children. What has changed is that the violence between Buddhists and the police towards Muslims has increased tremendously. Over 140,000 Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine State have been forced to evacuate and leave Myanmar as a result of the ongoing violence. Many have escaped to Thailand, Malaysia or even Australia for refuge. An additional 100,000 Muslims have left Myanmar out of fear of persecution. The 2012 Rakhine State riots, located in the eastern state of Rakhine, enlarged the amount of violence occurring between Buddhists and Muslims. Entire villages were destroyed and over 80,000 Rohingya Muslims were displaced just from those riots alone. A civil war between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists has also been taking place in the Kachin State, located in the northern part of Myanmar. As a result of this, the government intervened declaring it a state emergency and imposing curfews in those regions and sent military forces to handle the matter.

Furthermore, in September 2012, President Thein Sein promoted a controversial plan that, in his own words, would “send [Muslims] away if any third world country would accept them”. Sadly, there has been a growing tendency from the military to target Rohingya Muslims through arrests and violence. Nonetheless, the international community did not tolerate such actions and did intervene as a result.

In what ways did the international community intervene in Myanmar?

First, the United States and the European Union both placed strict economic sanctions and other trade barriers in place towards Myanmar. Unfortunately, this had the adverse effect of harming civilians in Myanmar instead of the general government. Since the democratic transitions, the sanctions have been lessened.Many international organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the United Nations have condemned the human rights abuses that have occurred in Myanmar. Samantha Power, President Barack Obama’s Special Assistant to the President on Human Rights, documented that “serious human rights abuses against civilians in several regions continue, including against women and children” and despite the United Nations General Assembly urging the Burmese government to respect human rights, violations and mistreatment of Muslims continue to occur. Unfortunately, active international involvement in Myanmar to salvage the situation and status of Muslims has been minimal and ineffective.

Why is oppression and violence occurring to Muslims from the general populace and the government in the first place?

First, there have been a number of Buddhist monks who have actively advocated the persecution and killing of Muslims. U Nyarna, a Buddhist monk and leader of a local monastery, has called for the expulsion and killing of Muslims. His followers plan on sending Muslims in Myanmar into camps where they will later be deported to other countries willing to take them. Nyarna justifies his actions by asserting that “although killing is wrong, people cannot be saints in times where they feel threatened.” But, Nyarna is not the most vocal leader or most influential opponent towards Islam amongst the Buddhist community in Myanmar. In fact, Nyarna pales in comparison to Ashin Wirathu, an enigmatic leader who appears to be more of a dogmatic extremist than a zealous monk devoted to his religion.

Wirathu, the leader of the 969 movement in Myanmar, is a Buddhist monk who is one of the most extreme opponents towards Islam in Myanmar. Despite claiming to be a simple preacher who isn’t hateful, his speeches are often filled with rhetoric blaming Muslims and encouraging violence towards them. He led a rally of monks to promote and support President Sein’s plan to expel Muslims from the country. He also called for the boycott of Muslim owned stores and restrictions on interreligious marriages between Buddhists and Muslims. The 969 movement, which he created, calls for the permanent removal of Islam in Myanmar. Access to the internet and social media has allowed Wirathu to reach more followers. He has been able to post his sermons inciting hate and violence on Youtube. His commanding presence and powerful oratorical skills have allowed him to incite fear in Buddhist people that Islam in Myanmar poses a threat and needs to be dealt with. He argues that Buddhism is under attack from Islam and the nationalistic sentiments he echoes resonates with many Buddhist citizens of Myanmar who feel strongly about their religion. Even more disturbing is the fact that the President of Myanmar has defended Wirathu. Extremist leaders like Wirathu are the reason why violence against Muslims in Myanmar continues to occur. International intervention is needed to quell down the violence occurring and salvage the plight of the Muslims in Myanmar. After all, despite the democratic transitions in Myanmar and the minimal involvement from the international community, oppression towards Muslims is occurring at a growing scale and it is clear that greater intervention and pressure will have to occur.

Additional References:
Yegar, Moshe. The Muslims of Burma: A Study of a Minority Group, by Moshe Yegar. Wiesbaden: O. Harrassowitz, 1972. Print.

On the heels of several PEGIDA-like anti-Islamization protests, around a thousand people arrived in Brno to protest against Islam in the Czech Republic.

“We decided to organize today’s event on Valentine’s Day because this holiday is not permitted in many Muslim countries. The organizers aim to prevent the construction of mosques and demand that Muslims already migrated to the Czech Republic not be allowed to follow their own laws and customs.

Event organizer for Valentine jug Dudkiewič Martin explained that in the past, Czechs, Germans and Jews lived together  in Brno without any problems, but that isn’t the case with Muslims, who seem bent on creating something evil in this city.