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Wednesday 11 November 2009

Militant Islam in Dewsbury Part 2: Demography, Ideology and Insularity

Deobandi Islam came to Dewsbury in the 1950s with an influx of immigrants from Pakistan and India who came to work in the town’s woollen mills. They settled predominantly in Savile Town and Ravensthorpe [1]. This is a tale familiar to many of Britain’s northern towns and cities, and, as elsewhere, these exotic seeds later bloomed into so many fleurs du mal.

Dewsbury’s own deathly blooms included 7/7 bomber Mohammad Sidique Khan, who worshipped at the town’s Markazi mosque [2]; Waris Ali, a Ravensthorpe resident convicted at the age of 18 for planning to bomb BNP members [3], and Adnan Hussain, who threatened a woman by saying “he knew people who would “slit her throat”” simply because she refused to sell him cigarettes [4]. All products of the oft-termed “austere” interpretation of Islam favoured by the Deobandis and their religio-political offshoot: Tablighi Jamaat. Deobandi Islam is not on the fringes of Muslim life in the UK. Far from it. According to a Times report published in 2007, some 600 of Britain’s 1,350 mosques were run by followers of this branch of the faith [5].

Dewsbury's Markazi Mosque


Once they had founded their colonies, Dewsbury’s Muslim newcomers kept to themselves. Turning inwards, they cleaved to their ancestral Islamic beliefs and practices rather than assimilating to the host culture and population. Why assimilate to the latter, when they clearly believed that their own beliefs and ways were, in their perceptions, so self-evidently ‘superior’? Endogamy and chain migration maintained their biological cohesion; the mosque and the madrassah enforced their ideological unity; assaults and intimidation cowed the non-Muslim population and maintained their enclaves’ nascent territorial integrity. The enclaves expanded as the local English population sought to vacate properties in their immediate vicinity, thereby facilitating Muslim expansion. In this way did they build demographic, cultural and spiritual outposts of Gujarat and Pakistan. One instance amongst many. Heaton was once a pleasant place (so I’ve been told).

Tablighi Jamaat, which runs Dewsbury’s Markazi mosque, is the force behind plans to construct the London ‘mega-mosque’ and has been attributed as the radicalising influence which led Kaheel Ahmed (a doctor of Indian origin) to die in his attempted car bombing of Glasgow Airport in August 2007. Tablighi Jamaat’s European headquarters is found in Dewsbury, and its core beliefs go a long way to explaining the motivations underpinning the repeated attacks upon Dewsbury’s non-Muslim population. A Times article published in September 2007 stated:

Tablighi Jamaat was founded in 1926, in India, by a Deobandi scholar, Muhammad Ilyas, who wanted to raise Islamic awareness among rural Muslims in south Asia. He promised them that by obeying Islamic laws and following the example of the Prophet Muhammad in their personal lives they would one day “dominate over non-believers” and become “masters of everything on this earth”.”

Ishaq Patel, Tablighi Jamaat’s first amir (leader) in Britain, is said to have been on pilgrimage in Mecca when Ilyas’s successor gave him a long-term mission to win “the whole of Britain to Islam”.” [6]

Members of Dewsbury’s Muslim colony thus take in such views with their mothers’ milk, and they are reinforced day after day, week after week, year after year in the local mosques and the Markazi adjunct known as the Institute of Islamic Education. Tightly bound by these ideological ties which cultivate an attitude of supremacy and hatred towards the non-Muslims who live around them, is it any wonder that we see them attack the innocent? Those who would have you believe that these Deobandis are victims of racist discrimination, poverty and relative deprivation are either deliberately lying or deeply ignorant and self-deceiving. The violence at the heart of Dewsbury is cultivated and legitimated by Deobandi Islam, and it cannot be stopped by ploughing money and resources into these so-called ‘communities’ (i.e. colonies). Take away Islam and you remove the source of the violence.

Dewsbury is of course the constituency of disgraced Labour ex-Minister Shahid Malik (who has called for a Muslim PM in the UK (see video below)) and home to his Conservative parliamentary rival in the 2005 General Election ‘Baroness’ [sic] Sayeeda “I would fail the cricket test” Warsi. Hopefully, the voters will punish Malik at next year’s General Election. For want of a better means of expressing dissatisfaction it would be satisfying if the BNP vote were to rise, and martyr Malik will lose his seat.



The BNP have polled well in Dewsbury where they have stood in a succession of elections, taking a new high of 5,066 votes - 13.1% of those cast - in 2005 [7]. How any non-Muslim voters could cast their ballot for Malik again, I do not know. Such voters would do well to voice their dissatisfaction with the unwillingness of the local authorities and West Yorkshire Police to recognise, let alone confront the town’s Islamist problem, by delivering, for want of a better choice, a strong vote to the BNP in 2010. The Deobandi bullies will not be beaten unless someone stands up for their victims: the non-Muslim people of Dewsbury.

References:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewsbury
[2] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2419524.ece
[3] http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/Terror-trial-pupil-39approved-of.4568349.jp
[4] http://www.thepressnews.co.uk/NewsDetails.asp?id=3913
[5] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2419524.ece
[6] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2419524.ece
[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_National_Party_election_results

5 comments:

  1. You are so paranoid! I have attended this mosque on an open day and do you have ANY idea how many THOUSANDS of people from all over the world come here?? over 100,000 visitors a year. And if 1 of them tried to make a bomb..thats less than 0.1%!!!!

    If you ever visited this mosque you could notice that it is full of pakistani, indian, malaysian, chinese, african AND ENGLISH poeple.

    This place unites all colours and overcomes prejudices and NEVER says ISLAM IS SUPERIOR, rather they use the term, spread the message of GOD, this is the reason they have enlightened so many people with islam.

    Muslims are evil if you velieve CNN and SKY NEWS, meet a bearded man or a scarved woman who looks more like virgin mary than any christian woman, and accept islam just like i did. Peace be with you all.

    ReplyDelete
  2. We have had a Jewish pm a lady pm and many idiots as pm's so why not a muslim PM? Some day god willing??
    Please for the love of god at least try and get your facts straight. The tablighi jamat does not have a UK leader they have a shura (consultation group). They elect a leader for a period of time and Emirs come and go. Unlikely future fuehrer’s from the TJ any time soon.
    Luckily for you mate you have nick griffin he’ll never get you fascists in power and wont even let some body more capable “Ave a GO”. “Nick griffin zinda bad”
    Why don’t you guys try Robert I like to bash all ethnics messed up my career in the process killjoy. He has a lot of spare time at the moment.

    The recognised spiritual personality linked with the TJ is not ishaq he’s the accountant. But before you update your blog with a name like Patel, and since PATEL is a bit like smith. (These bloody ethnics and thier names) I suggest you read the Edlines from Dewsbury’s very own DANNY LOCKWOOD and The Press. Now here is a man who can get the paki facts right all of the time.

    For the benefit of the endangered indigenous BNP readers of this column it’s not the Muslims you need to fear it’s your selves.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Am i right to believe that savile town in Dewsbury became predominantly Asian around about the early 80s. The EDL were in full force then, skin heads in boots. Blatant Paki/wog racism & racist discrimination was ok then, there was no need to pin point the religion then. Since the law has changed and you'll probably get locked up for being you, a fascist! Guess what? It wasn’t the colour or the smell of the wog after all it’s his belief he’s going to conquer us with his corner shop. GOD IS GREAT.

    The reason the white populace moved out was the same reason the British emigrants in Spain have British only enclaves. Why haven’t thousands bothered integrating with the Spaniards? Or bothered learning the language? It’s the same all over. People like to live with their own.

    According to conservative figures there are over 14000 white British converts (reverts) to Islam. Nearly triple the share of the BNP vote in Dewsbury. Mostly women and many intellectuals’ graduates/doctors etc. even an earl look it up. If we Muslims won’t integrate but many British Anglo-Saxons want to join the global brotherhood shouldn’t you be asking questions about your selves. Who’s more inclusive? And what integration are you talking about? Piss heads loss of faith, respect or human dignity. Pissing and vomiting on a side walk every weekend. Teenage mothers drunks & drug addicts.

    They come running to Islam and your life style is shunned, if you don’t like what you see in the mirror don not smash the mirror, smash your face.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Islam is a religion that gives confidence to the masses, allows people to better themselves, listen to Malcolm x and Muhammed Ali, both converts, only thing to fear is fear themselves, Islam has had a role in British society for decades, read up on British relations with Morocco and Muslim Spain, its easy being ignorant, sometimes you have to swallow your pride, arrogance begets nothing

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  5. Religions are for the people who do not dare to think by themselves, but want to have clear rules set on them. The very basic problem with the mainstream religions is believing old, ridiculous texts, but I'm sure the religious leaders are grateful for the power given to them when ignorant masses can be controlled.

    ReplyDelete

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