How was George...

[Colr]

Galloway's radio show last night, then? Did he condemn the lad who tackled the brave Islamic freedom fighters?

[scaredyhibby]

Would anybody be surprised if he did!!???

[Colr]

Originally Posted by scaredyhibby

Would anybody be surprised if he did!!???

I would imaging that there are a few people who would "knock him down" if he turned up at Glasgow Airport at the mo.

[egb_hibs]

Originally Posted by Colr

I would imaging that there are a few people who would "knock him down" if he turned up at Glasgow Airport at the mo.

some might even feel it their religious duty!

[Colr]

Originally Posted by egb_hibs

some might even feel it their religious duty!

and may become uncharacteristically erudite when faced with the orange ponse.

I heard a rumour that he had made that whole incident up. Any truth in this?

[egb_hibs]

Originally Posted by Colr

and may become uncharacteristically erudite when faced with the orange ponse.

I heard a rumour that he had made that whole incident up. Any truth in this?

not heard it, but would anyone be surprised?

[Smurf]

I heard Ken Livingstone found it particularly difficult to condemn on radio last night...

[Smurf]

Originally Posted by Smurf

I heard Ken Livingstone found it particularly difficult to condemn on radio last night...

Livingstone: 'Don't demonise muslims'

London's Mayor Ken Livingstone today urged people not to demonise Muslims in the wake of the failed car bombs in the capital.


Mr Livingstone said that individuals who were ready to turn to terrorism represented a tiny minority of Britain`s Muslims, while the community as a whole was more law-abiding than other sections of society.

He pointed the finger at Saudi Arabia`s ruling royal family for fuelling Islamist extremism by exporting their intolerant Wahhabist beliefs.
And he criticised successive British governments for failing to confront the Saudis over their funding of extremist religious schools and groupings around the world.

Mr Livingstone told BBC Radio 4`s Today programme: "In this city, Muslims are more likely to be law-abiding than non-Muslims and less likely to support the use of violence to achieve political ends than non-Muslims, and they have played a good and active and growing role in creating a multi-cultural society."

He pointed out that similar acts of terror were carried out eight years ago by white extremist David Copeland who planted three bombs across London, while there had recently been a major discovery of materials which could be used in bomb-making linked to far-right groupings.

"All I am interested in as mayor is that we try to prevent all acts of violence whether it is by a disaffected young member of the BNP or whether it is by an Islamist or a Wahhabist supporter," he said.

It was important to "recognise that that doesn`t mean that all white men are potentially a threat to society any more than all Muslims are", said the mayor.

Intelligence suggested that the war in Iraq represented a greater grievance among young Muslims in the UK than Afghanistan, he said.

But he added that tensions were heightened by relative disadvantage within British society, where young Muslims were two and a half times more likely to be unemployed than other workers.

He urged employers to ensure that their workforces reflected the population of the area where they operate.

Mr Livingstone was critical of the UK Government`s history of support for Saudi Arabia.

"We have got to understand that when we talk about the Wahhabi strand of Islam, which is very intolerant, our major problem in dealing with it is that it flows out of Saudi Arabia," he said.

"It is the official religion of the royal family there and they are one of our main buyers of arms.

"For a very long time, politicians at national level were refusing to be sufficiently critical of the fact that the Saudi regime didn`t clean up its act.

"Now we are assured that they have, but there`s been decades of literally hundreds of millions of pounds flowing out of Saudi Arabia with official backing into the most intolerant strand of Islam, buying influence all over the world for it.

"I think we have to be absolutely clear that that is not still going on. I don`t have access to the sort of MI6 briefing to say whether that`s come to an end or not."

[Dub]

Originally Posted by Smurf

Livingstone: 'Don't demonise muslims'

London's Mayor Ken Livingstone today urged people not to demonise Muslims in the wake of the failed car bombs in the capital.


Mr Livingstone said that individuals who were ready to turn to terrorism represented a tiny minority of Britain`s Muslims, while the community as a whole was more law-abiding than other sections of society.
He pointed the finger at Saudi Arabia`s ruling royal family for fuelling Islamist extremism by exporting their intolerant Wahhabist beliefs.
And he criticised successive British governments for failing to confront the Saudis over their funding of extremist religious schools and groupings around the world.

Mr Livingstone told BBC Radio 4`s Today programme: "In this city, Muslims are more likely to be law-abiding than non-Muslims and less likely to support the use of violence to achieve political ends than non-Muslims, and they have played a good and active and growing role in creating a multi-cultural society."

He pointed out that similar acts of terror were carried out eight years ago by white extremist David Copeland who planted three bombs across London, while there had recently been a major discovery of materials which could be used in bomb-making linked to far-right groupings.

"All I am interested in as mayor is that we try to prevent all acts of violence whether it is by a disaffected young member of the BNP or whether it is by an Islamist or a Wahhabist supporter," he said.

It was important to "recognise that that doesn`t mean that all white men are potentially a threat to society any more than all Muslims are", said the mayor.

Intelligence suggested that the war in Iraq represented a greater grievance among young Muslims in the UK than Afghanistan, he said.

But he added that tensions were heightened by relative disadvantage within British society, where young Muslims were two and a half times more likely to be unemployed than other workers.

He urged employers to ensure that their workforces reflected the population of the area where they operate.

Mr Livingstone was critical of the UK Government`s history of support for Saudi Arabia.

"We have got to understand that when we talk about the Wahhabi strand of Islam, which is very intolerant, our major problem in dealing with it is that it flows out of Saudi Arabia," he said.

"It is the official religion of the royal family there and they are one of our main buyers of arms.

"For a very long time, politicians at national level were refusing to be sufficiently critical of the fact that the Saudi regime didn`t clean up its act.

"Now we are assured that they have, but there`s been decades of literally hundreds of millions of pounds flowing out of Saudi Arabia with official backing into the most intolerant strand of Islam, buying influence all over the world for it.

"I think we have to be absolutely clear that that is not still going on. I don`t have access to the sort of MI6 briefing to say whether that`s come to an end or not."

He made a couple of good positive points.



And then spoiled it by blaming the Saudis.

[egb_hibs]

Originally Posted by Dub

And then spoiled it by blaming the Saudis.

i don't think he's wrong about that at all. in fact i think that there if is a main reason for iraq it's this; to make the west less dependent on the saudis, who are the exporters of wahhabism.

[Smurf]

Originally Posted by egb_hibs

i don't think he's wrong about that at all. in fact i think that there if is a main reason for iraq it's this; to make the west less dependent on the saudis, who are the exporters of wahhabism.

Yip. What he actually said appears to be a lot different to what some gadgie was claiming he said on radio today..

What's the Saudi relationship with uncle sam again?

We're our own worst enemy. A feckin mess of epic proportions.

[Dub]

Originally Posted by egb_hibs

i don't think he's wrong about that at all. in fact i think that there if is a main reason for iraq it's this; to make the west less dependent on the saudis, who are the exporters of wahhabism.

Isnt that Qatar youre thinking of EGB? Seems to be the case that wahhabism became more predominant there than anywhere else in the Arab states.

[hibbybrian]

Originally Posted by Dub

Isnt that Qatar youre thinking of EGB? Seems to be the case that wahhabism became more predominant there than anywhere else in the Arab states.

The indigenous population of Qatar only numbers about 120,000 and originated from Saudi (Wahhabi Sunna), Iraq/Kuwait (Sunna) and Southern Iran (Shiite). The ruling family and the majority are Wahhabi but as in other religions, children are brought up within the sects which their father belongs to, so Qatar was predominately Wahhabi and didn't become more predominately Wahhabi.

Life in Qatar is very westernised in comparison to Saudi and it is constantly heading more towards the Dubai system so I don't think Qatar is exporting Wahhabism in the sense that I think EGB was meaning.

[Colr]

Wasabiism?

[hibbybrian]

Originally Posted by Colr

Wasabiism?

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...lf/wahhabi.htm

[Dub]

Originally Posted by hibbybrian

The indigenous population of Qatar only numbers about 120,000 and originated from Saudi (Wahhabi Sunna), Iraq/Kuwait (Sunna) and Southern Iran (Shiite). The ruling family and the majority are Wahhabi but as in other religions, children are brought up within the sects which their father belongs to, so Qatar was predominately Wahhabi and didn't become more predominately Wahhabi.

Life in Qatar is very westernised in comparison to Saudi and it is constantly heading more towards the Dubai system so I don't think Qatar is exporting Wahhabism in the sense that I think EGB was meaning.

Now the penny's dropped. Cheers.