I have seen it many times. Some silly backwards Muslims invite an MP to a mosque or a community centre and listen to some waffle about how much they care and then they have a nice asian slap up meal and go home and laugh at the dumb Muzzies.When it comes to the crunch they not only desert the Muslims but stab them in the back and then turn the knife in the wound as well.If those Muslims had a clue about politics then they too might know what an EDM is and what it can be used for.But no thet prefer to wallow in their ignorance and get awe struck by smooth talking back stabbing politicians. Jack Straw anyone???

Brian Iddon is well known as a campaigner for the legalisation of cannabis . . maybe he was stoned at the time !

What do you expect?! Just make sure you don't vote for him at the next General Election. You can also give him a warning by not voting for his party in next month's local elections.

For goodness sake why are we still going on about the cartoons? They were a deliberate attempt to provoke a reaction so certain groups with an anti-Muslim agenda could strengthen their attempt to paint European Muslims as a real threat to Europe. Already the cartoon eppisode is being used as an example to push the spurious claim that Muslims are gaining far too much power in Europe and that the continent is not far off from becoming an Islamic state. We are falling into their trap by reacting and our reactions only serve to make sure this type of thing happens again. We should not allow ourselves to be manipulated like this, to show them that this type of thing will not work. This is the only way to stop this kind of deliberate attack on what we hold sacred.

"Demand"? Surely, you discuss with the local MP and then suggest that it might be a good idea to raise an EDM. This Muslim "demand" will backfire in two ways: you will be lucky to garner a handful of signatures; you will demonstrate, once again, that Muslims are aggressive, incapable of understanding local political culture, over insistent in their plans to change the political climate of this country. In any event. EDM's are rarely publicised. Look at the list of EDM's raised in the last year. Very few of them raise over a score of signatures. Most of them are lucky to obtain a dozen. But go ahead, keep demanding, give Islam a thoroughly bad name. You'll do yourselves no favours.

As for the cartoons - innocuous as they are -one can only pray that cartoonists are not going to be driven into kowtowing to Muslim intolerance.

Well done MPAC!

Mosque leaders? EDM? Didn't think I would be able to read the two in one sentence for a good few years yet.

Your badgering is now beginning to bear fruit.

This is the way to go !!

Dr Idiot, sorry, I mean Iddon, has failed to represent the Muslims in Bolton and accordingly it is time for them to get rid of him.

One should expect nothing less from a Kafir MP. All the more reason for the Muslims to get involved in the political process. We need more Muslim MPs. If it is true that the other Muslim MPs did not respond to Dr Idiot, then that indeed is a sad state of affairs.

Well done MPAC, I think your message is hitting home!

Responding to Yaser, I’d like to clarify that some Muslim MP’s DID respond to Iddon and in fact chased the guy for a response, but it was Iddon who avoided all contact with anyone for a good few weeks regarding the EDM - later reeling off a list of pathetic excuse for his inaction. Fact is – as always- he had no intention of responding to the concerns of his Muslim constituents and this was just another case in point of him taking them for a ride with glossy lip-service.

Jay-let’s not get bogged down with semantics: demanded/requested…whatever. The local Muslim community expressed their outrage in a dignified and controlled manner, asking the MP to do his job—represent the concerns of his constituents. As far I recollect, no cavemen were present and no one brought their clubs along-so quit being over defensive and an apologist. Are we still at that stage where we feel we have to tip toe and plead regarding issues that affect us?

Consulting with the local MP’s, demanding an EDM from Iddon, pressing him to do his job, exposing him for what he is and informing all Muslims about how he has taken their votes for granted and let them down time and again --- I might have missed the point…but what part of that is intolerant, uninformed or wrong?

Way to go Bolton!

Again the jays/israelis are incapable of understanding Human logic & equality & want to keep this & the West backwards for their own gain.

Well done Bolton. Bolton's doing well, first Amir Khan now some positive action. Luv ya

The cartoons were published in Sep 05. We are today in Apr 06---and still pursuing the reactionary agenda that the cartoonists wanted us to. Palestinians, until Hamas's election win recently, are the British MP's favourite way of taunting Muslim humiliation in the post-modern war era . Just look at the number of photographs the racist Ann Cryer, MP Keighley has put on her web-site with Yasser Arafat. I do not know, what mileage Muslim leaders are trying to gain by going on over the cartoon "controversy". What I do know, as a humble Pakistani is , that once upon a time there was a muslim-owned bank called BCCI which the Zionist marauders of Prime Minister John Major gobbled up and digested just because Muslims do not engage in "haraam" practices of usury, high-caste Muslim "Syeds" view such practices with disdain and Shias and Sunnis would rather fight each other than their common enemy. Aga Hassan Abdi, the founder of BCCI died in Islamabad knowing that not just his bank but the entire life-savings of thousands of British Muslims had been looted by the British government's Zionists after very perverse & perjurious propaganda by the British press. In 2005 a British court threw out the final lawsuit and closed the chapter on whether the Bank of England and the liquidators owed anything to BCCI's depositors, notwithstanding the fact that by looting the BCCI's assets and the depositors' money the UK government had committed a legal, moral and racial crime. Did any of the Muslim organisations including MPACUK protest against those billions of Muslim pounds and dollars which were swallowed by the Zionist banking system? Were the cartoons part of a bigger agenda or conspiracy against Muslims. Probably not. But we need to answer the question whether we have our own political agenda for survival in the current climate where the UK government and media are running the BNP's election campaign ? Our only planning appears to be planning for the next life , with occasional reactionary behaviour to the cartoon "controversy" ! Is that how we mean to save ourselves and our children in the USA, UK and Pakistan?
Now tell me Great "British" muslims, Sunnis are Murtid, Shias are Kaffir and what are we but a bunch of myopic pawns in this game in which the only real players are our enemies....

In respect of all the people praising MPAC, it wasn't anything to do with MPAC. Not many people up North have even heard of MPAC. This was 100% LOCAL work.It doesn't really matter who did it, but if praise is to be given, then it has to be to JUSTPEACE who actually managed this along with the local mosque leaders who initially proposed the EDM.

I think we need to come to the terms that we as a muslim community are powerless and pawns in the bigger game by bigger players.

We do not have a coherent, effective strategy or vision.

Raising awareness or highlighting injustices is one thing, but preventing and stopping injustice is something else altogether.

Nearly 15 years after the Rushdie affair we are still in no position of influence or power whereby we can prevent others from insulting Islam and Muslims at will - are we ? The BNP can distribute 'hate mail' openly, freely - increase their support and acquire political power (upto 25% recent polls suggest) potentially to rule over us.

Where are the Muslims in this equation?

What have the current crop of muslim MP's and Councillors achieved tangibly for us in the major issues which affect us ? or are they there for personal gain and fulfilling personal goals ?

We need a serious wake up call and a coherent, effective strategy to prevent insults against the muslim community, otherwise there were will be many more cartoons, rushdies and BNP's coming out of the woodwork for a long time yet ? or, Should we just accept our fate ?

The answer from Umar to my post sadly demonstrates the shallow mental level displayed by many Muslims when it comes to political issues .... "there were will be many more cartoons, rushdies and BNP's coming out"...well of course there will be! Oure job as Muslims is to understand the real issues that face us which are not the cartoons and not the Rushdies. I know that we are not as organised and orderly like our Zionist enemies to first bomb Afghanistan, then Iraq, then Iran & Syria after giving them extensive bad press . We do however, need to establish political goals and to work towards achieving them. Cartoons and Rushdie therefore are not means or ends in Muslim politics at all. The BNP matters because it has the support of the Muslim-hating segment of the Establishment and Government , but by ranting and raving about cartoons & Rushdie as Muslims we only provide ammunition to the Muslim-hating neo-Nazi groups. Besides , the unscrupulous elements such as Jack Straw and Al-Mohajirun take advantage of such opportunities to become vocal in condemning cartoons because it allows Jack Straw to continue his genocide against Muslims once the cartoons have been condemned. It also digresses from the main issues facing real problems such as health, education, employment, cultural emancipation and survival against discrimination and economic genocide as occurred in the BCCI case.

That of course is not all. The political agenda needs to be set and followed like a complete manifesto.
As I said above, British Muslims have, unlike American and British Jews have not drawn elaborate plans for attacking Israel or terrorising those who will commit aggression in Iran. What we can try to ensure is that our voice is heard and opinion is valued when policy decisions are taken...Otherwise we might as well make fools of ourselves by fighting cartoons and burning books which still leave us as powerless as when we started....

Aslam Alkium

Bottom line is this, if we continue to be weak and powerless, then we will be vulnerable to be exploited by others.

First thing is first, its becoming a known fact, to non muslims, that Muslims are never in Solidarity over any issues.

secondly, the above , is a good stepping stone, as muslims are demanding to be heard.

However, the only way we will achieve empowerment and direct representation of our "NEEDS" and "CONCERNS", is getting into the House of Parliament directly.


The current Muslim MPS have clearly failed the Ummah in this country. If you screen, by large, most Muslim Mps are from the older generation. Its old School of thought. We need to get rid of that.

In the end the Muslim community will have to realise that freedom of expression cannot be, repeat cannot be, limited by the religious sensibilities of any group. It is the price you pay for living in the UK. The strength of any religion is hardly weakened in the eyes of its followers by such matters as cartoons.Preach your message, try and convert non believers,but don`t try and act as self appointed censors of the behaviour of those who don`t share your faith. That way lies disaster for all of us,.

Will voters who have Muslim MPs please ask their MPs to put this EDM forward. We need to know where they stand too, not just the non-Muslim MPs.

EDM 1984 CORONER'S COURT VERDICTS ON THE DEATHS OF TOM HURNDALL AND JAMES MILLER19.04.2006Burden, Richard That this House notes the English Coroner's Court verdicts of 6th and 10th April 2006 that the two British citizens, James Miller and Tom Hurndall, were `unlawfully killed' by Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip even though they were `engaged in lawful activities'; further notes that the jury expressed its `dismay with the lack of co-operation from the Israeli authorities' in the Coroner's investigations of the Hurndall case and that the Coroner drew attention to `inaccurate, misleading and dishonest conclusions being drawn and published from flawed investigations' in the Miller case; pays tribute to the dignity and determination of both the Hurndall and Miller families in their long search for justice; calls on the UK Government to call for appropriate action by the Israeli authorities in the light of the verdicts, noting the Coroner's advice that the UK may itself have the power to initiate proceedings should Israel fail to do so; expresses grave concern over Israel's failure properly to investigate other cases of international civilians and large numbers of Palestinian civilians killed by Israeli forces; is further concerned by the apparent culture of impunity which too often accompanies the actions of Israeli forces in the Occupied Territories; and, in condemning acts of violence against both Palestinian and Israeli civilians, calls on the international community to urge Israel to comply with international law in the Occupied Territories including the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and to withdraw from all occupied territories.

In response to 'controversy', I think you will find that the cartoons are a means of unification of the ummah.

There are very few things we can unify on and this is one of them. The plan is - see if you can get your head around this - is that if we get used to being unified on things that are easy to unify on, we can then work together easier, better, stronger on the other things.

I agree that the cartoons. altho important, are not the final objective, but I believe they are a stepping stone. We are simply not going to be organised in one step. We need to get muslims involved in policits thru any issue they feel strongly about.

Plus, I personally take exception to your comment about shallow mental level, and I'd like to know what your plan is to unite the muslims and what you've actually done about it. You talk the talk, lets see if you walk it.

Dear Controvery,

One of the rationales behind complaining about cartoons which you seem to have failed to realise is that it is very good practice at being unified. There are not many issues of true unification, but this is one of them, as is Rushdie. We can use these to good effect.

We can build networks with other people, we can practice writing leaflets, handing them out, speaking to MPs etc. all of which clearly happened and is happening in Bolton.

So...instead of your meaningless statement - 'try to make ourselves heard when policy decisions are taken' -what do you suggest we actually DO??? And what have you actually DONE to achieve this.

Criticism of others is easy mate, lets see if you have ever walked your talk...(I wont be holding my breath cos I think you are just an 'e-muslim')

Phil this is not about "freedom" to hold to account, or freedom to desagree or even freedom of speech.

This is about Freedom to demonise. Do you really think that demonising a people will have no impact on our lives?

We are already suffering, a climate of fear is being brought against us. Is it correct that we must simply allow those people to carry on with this because they call it "freedom of speech".

We are human beings. Perhaps you might realise that we simply want some "freedom" to live normal lives ourselves.