ASIAN NEWS ARTICLE- Muslim Communities in the North Reject Government PVE strategy

Pubished on the Asian News Website-

By Majed Iqbal- A report released last week by think-tank the New Local Government Network (NLGN) has criticised the flagship £70 million Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) programme launched by the government two years back because it alienates Muslims.

Community groups across the North West and Yorkshire have refused to join a Government-funded scheme to prevent violent Islamic extremism because it “victimises” Muslims, it has been claimed.

The PVE programme was modeled to “promote shared values, support local solutions, build civic capacity and leadership and strengthen the role of faith institutions and leaders”.

The generic nature of the strategy was welcomed initially at the first look but rejected once the details became further apparent. The plans were considered divisive and an effort to divide the Muslim community on the lines of moderates and extremists by branding what ideas of Islam will be acceptable in Britain and what won’t.

ASIAN NEWS ARTICLE- MP declares Muslim segregated weddings as signs of ‘Intolerance’

Published on the Asian News Website

By Majed Iqbal- A government minister last week joined the list of Politicians in raising, once again, allegations that Muslims lead ‘segregated’ lives.

Following a similar line of discussion to his colleague, Jack Straw who raised similar comments on women in Blackburn attending his surgery with Niqaabs and dubbed it as a sign of segregation, Jim Fitzpatrick, the minister for food, farming and environment, stormed out of a constituent’s wedding at the London Muslim Centre after being told that male and female guests were to be segregated and that he could not sit with his wife.

Fitzpatrick said it was “strange” he could not sit with his GP wife Sheila at the ceremony on Sunday. “We’ve been attending [Muslim] weddings together for years but only recently has this strict line been taken. We left so as not to cause offence,” he said.

But the newly weds at the wedding ceremony did take offence after the minister contacted his local newspaper straight after the walkout to tell them he was “disappointed” by what had happened. “We are trying to build social cohesion in a community but this is not the way forward,” he said.

BBC ‘The Big Questions’ Appearance

On Sunday morning 19 July i participated in the BBC programme, The big Questions’. The show can be seen on the link HERE. my comments appear at 36.30 during the show.

Three areas were looked at- 1. Should the Government introduce marriage  2. Are Faith schools divisive and 3. Is there a North and south Divide. All three areas were topical and i had plenty of views that i would have liked to express in each area.

MP Expenses Scandal- ‘Politicians’ OR ‘Democracy’ to blame?

By Majed Iqbal- “A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.” Thomas Jefferson

Such descriptions of the mythical ‘god like’ concept of democracy could not be described more aptly and with such significance than the times British Politics is going through right now.

The last few weeks have been a roller coaster ride for many MP’s in the whole Expenses debacle- a national laughing stock and growing signs of anger and frustration from the British Population at Government and Politicians across the board.

Ratings for News channels must have soared as reality TV took a new turn with each day unveiling who has been caught in another expenses scandal. In fact Newspapers might even be thinking of releasing an end of the month top 30 ‘Lunacy Chart’ that orders the most scandalous MP expenses Issue in order with a prize for the most ‘well behaved’.

ISLAMONLINE Article- Britons Against Sex Classes for Children

 CAIRO -  “Children do not need information, they need to be taught what is right and wrong,” Iqbal said.  With the British government planning to offer sex classes in primary schools, a campaign has been launched on the world’s largest social network Facebook to counter the move, reported the Rochdale Observer on Saturday, April 25.

“We believe the teaching of SRE (sex and relationship education) in schools is inappropriate, both in terms of the philosophy which underpins the way it is approached as well as the resources used,” campaigner Majed Iqbal said.

Iqbal, a British Muslim, has launched a Facebook group themed “Rochdale Muslims against Sex and Relationship Education for 5 year olds” to campaign against plans to introduce sex classes in primary schools.

“There is a misguided belief that children will engage in sexual relations, all of the solutions look at making this behavior ‘safe’ rather than challenging the lack of values which make this behavior acceptable.”

Muslim community says NO to sex education for five year olds

By Majed Iqbal- Government plans to introduce Sex and relationship education to five year old primary school children have been heavily contested by campaign groups up and down the country by the Muslim community.

Once these studies are in fruition, parents will not have the choice to opt their children out of the lessons which will teach that Gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and trans-sexual relationships are perfectly normal.

The studies were designed with the perceived wisdom that ‘good sex education’ leads to better informed children and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) and teenage pregnancies.

The sexualisation of society in the form of media, film, songs and the internet has opened up a new wave of issues for everyone. Britain remains the lead country in Europe with the highest figures of teenage pregnancies whilst number of abortions carried out on girls aged under 18 in Wales was at a five-year high, in new government figures released this week

A recent UNICEF report placed Britain at the bottom of the league of 21 developed countries for children’s well-being. The Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV reported in June 2007 that UK teenagers are facing a “sexual health crisis”, describing the increase in sexually-transmitted infections and high teenage pregnancy rates as “disturbing”.

ASIAN NEWS ARTICLE- Sex education is parental responsibility says campaigner

The following article was published on the Asian News Site covering the Rochdale campaign against SRE for 5 year old primary school children.

A MUSLIM community activist is campaigning against government plans to introduce sex and relationship education to primary school children as young as five.

Rochdale blogger, Majed Iqbal set up a Facebook campaign this week and has created a campaign video which can be seen on you tube to challenge the plans and is urging both Muslims and non-Muslim parents to join.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families announced plans last year that sex education and lessons about the dangers of drugs and alcohol will become compulsory in primary and secondary schools under government plans to protect young people from pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and substance abuse.

Under the proposals, which are unlikely to come into force until next year, children will learn to talk about peer pressure and their feelings, in sex and relationship education (SRE) lessons. They will learn the names of body parts and about animal reproduction.

ASIAN LEADER Article- Muslim Parents face prosecution over school ‘Gay Week’ protest

The following article was published in the Asian Leader Newspaper drawing attention to a new project on Sex and relationship education (SRE) to be rolled out at primary level and to be taught to 5 year olds.

The full article can be read here. The newspaper can be read online on the Look Asia Website.

Muslim Parents face prosecution over school ‘Gay Week’ protest

By Majed Iqbal- Muslim parents who withdrew their children out of school to prevent them being taught about lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender relationships are facing prosecution.

The East London primary, George Tomlinson School, has hit the headlines when around 30 pupils were absent from a week of special lessons to highlight non-heterosexual partnerships.

The row has once again bought the debate forward to the suitability of such explicit subjects, which were once introduced in the late years of High School some years back and are now being exposed and presented to young children at Primary Level.

As part of the ‘learning’ process, students were planned to watch a special adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet retitled Romeo and Julian. Stories covered in the lessons at George Tomlinson School included a fairytale about a prince who turns down three princesses before falling in love with one of their brothers and the tale of Roy and Silo – two male penguins who fall in love.

Death is in the air

By New Blog writer Zaythoun Suleman- I completed this article four hours before Death came to take Jade Goody’s life, hearing the news of her death this morning sent chills down my spine as I truly felt that Death was in the air when I clicked the send button at around 11.30pm. I had introduced this article with the question of not knowing how long she had left in this world…

Jade had prepared for death, by requesting that she be buried in her £3,500 ivory silk wedding dress worn at her wedding to Jack Tweed and having her funeral cortege travel through Bermondsey in South London. It makes me think how long we have and what preparations we are making for our own death.

We watch others dying every day. The harrowing pictures of innocent brothers, sisters and children from Gaza murdered by the Israeli army are still imprinted on the minds of many.

Quite recently, Natasha Richardson who starred in Parent trap lost her life after a skiing accident. Wendy Richard from Eastenders lost her life to cancer and Tony Hart from Take Hart and Hartbeat (The kids programme with Morph the movable plasticine figure who lived in a wooden pencil box!) helped many kids to draw, died from fading health after suffering strokes.

We hear songs about it, one of my favourites is Ahmad Bukhatir‘s chilling “last breath”. It reminds me of the loss of loved ones that leaves us with an empty space. No matter how hard we cry they cannot return. We can almost visualise the soul flying from the body as the heart monitor makes its monotonous rhythm and all that remains is the outer case. We never forget the ones who leave us; we just learn to live without them. With the loss of parents, it feels like the shade that was once there is lifted and the rain falls directly onto our heads.

Britney’s ‘breakdown’ ‘inspired’ 50 Cent album

By Majed Iqbal- 50 Cent, a rapping phenomenon from US, who is trying all he can to stay on the rap media scene has used the events of Britney Spears ‘breakdown’ as ‘lyrical’ material for his new album.

He wrote a new LP “Before I Self Destruct” after watching Britney Spears’ head-shaving meltdown- these scenes were showcased internationally when Britney appeared at a local hair dresser asking for her hair to be sheared off.

50 Cent has admitted that he was morbidly fascinated by the previously clean-cut star’s downfall. He told OK! Magazine, “She was the greatest show on earth last year…..She was going through her issues in public… It was great to watch her spin out of control because it makes the average person feel better.”

Unfortunately we live in an era and a time where ideas like Freedom give rise to selfish and materialistic pursuits- no matter if it causes happiness or misery to an individual or even society at large.

Will you be my Valentine…..Please?

By Majed Iqbal- It’s that time of the year again when the Majnu’s of this world- yes that Aashiq crowd whose diet consists of a Bollywood movie a night come out and confess their love to ‘the one’.

Yes, were talking about Valentines Day when romance is in the air and a day on which postal services are jammed with delivering cards and letters, or playing the role of a ‘cupid’, forwarding messages of ‘true love’.

Youngsters will be making Valentine’s cards, and lots would be collecting money from their pocket money to buy gifts for their so called loved one. And there is that air of anticipation and anxiousness of receiving an anonymous card from a secret admirer!

At schools, colleges and Unis people boast about the number of admirers they have. It’s all about the ratings game! So the more you have the bigger the player the lad is or the more ‘pulling power’ the girl has. Others will be hiding their faces with humiliation in the realisation that nobody showed any romantic interest in them.

So what’s the harm in all this some may ask? After all, is it not a day for girls and guys to indulge in a bit of fun?

Austrian Family Horror- A case for ‘normalisation’ of incest?

By Majed Iqbal- “They appeared normal, just like any other family,” Guenter Prameiter, who runs a bakery just down the street, said. “They had a swimming pool in the garden. We would hear them [the children] laughing, the three of them,” said a third.

These were the comments raised by neighbours describing the Austrian father who kept captive his daughter Elisabeth, now 42, in three windowless underground rooms ever since she disappeared in 1984.

The news of the Austrian man who imprisoned his daughter and fathered a hidden incestuous family having seven children with her has left people speechless in the country. Police described the revelations as “one of Austria’s all-time worst crimes” and Guenther Platter, the country’s Interior Minister, called it “unfathomable”.

While we all ponder on the details of the horrors unveiling in the house over the years which have been graphically described in press and Television stations, it is of paramount importance that we all take a step back and evaluate our thoughts and responses on this story.

“I’m a Bimbo girl- In a Bimbo World”

By Yasmeen Ahmed-  Why couldn’t the blonde bimbo add 10 and 7 on a calculator? She couldn’t find the 10 key. A bimbo is walking down the street with a pig under her arm. She passes a person who asks, ”Where did you get that?” The pig says, ”I won her in a raffle”.What are the blonde bimbo’s first words after 4 years of college? ‘Would you like fries with that?’

‘Bimbo’ ….a word used to describe an ‘attractive, clumsy, easy, airheaded’ female. She is often seen as a dumb blonde and bears the brunt of numerous jokes in society (as highlighted above). And a ‘bimbo’ doesn’t have to be blonde, Oh NO!! As long as a woman/girl fits the general description, then she can be classed as ‘a bimbo’.

So, is it ok and acceptable to us that women are given this degrading label? And, what if young women out there actually aspire to become ‘a bimbo’? It’s a very disturbing thought, isn’t it?

A new web game named Miss Bimbo was launched in the UK just a couple of months ago. Players taking part in the beauty contest simulation game are challenged to become ‘the hottest, coolest, most famous bimbo ever’.