Thursday, August 25, 2005

Muslims attack UK deportation plans

From ABC News Online Thursday, August 25, 2005. 0:03am (AEST) ...

...Muslim groups and human rights organisations have criticised a new plan by the British government to crack down on Islamist extremists in the wake of the London terrorist attacks.
Home Secretary Charles Clarke announced a string of 'unacceptable behaviours' and said he would use his powers to deport and exclude foreigners engaging in any of the activities listed.

...A spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the country's largest Muslim umbrella group, said it feared Mr Clarke's list lacked clarity. ...'These rules... have the very real potential of harming those engaged in legitimate struggles against oppression and human rights abuses,' ...
'We are especially concerned that senior Islamic scholars will be barred from the UK purely on the basis of media witch-hunts orchestrated by pro-Israeli elements,' he said.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone had similar fears. "I remain concerned that some of these definitions are sufficiently vague that they could have led to Nelson Mandela, (late Palestinian leader) Yasser Arafat or anyone supporting them being banned," he said in a statement. (so what's wrong with that?? - sandgroper)

....The London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission said it was "alarmed" by the list and warned the grounds for deportation were tantamount to "criminalisation of thought, conscience and belief"..... (in other words 'we demand the freedom to think about and believe in terrorism' - sandgroper)

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