Ironic Surrealism II

Meow! Mo cat protests clawing and hissing their way to London town!

Hundreds to join London demonstration against Bangladeshi newspaper insults against Prophet Muhammad

Press Release

Thursday, 27 September 2007
London, UK, September 26, 2007 - Hundreds of Muslims from across the UK will demonstrate in London this Saturday (September 29th) against the printing by Prothom Alo, a national newspaper in Bangladesh, of a caricature insulting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his wives and its comparison of the Ka’aba in Mecca to a brothel. < --- click here for the story behind the accusation.] The demonstration at the Bangladeshi embassy in London is organised by Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain to express solidarity and support for the Muslims of Bangladesh who have been demonstrating against these grave insults.
Protestors will demand the immediate arrest of the publishers and editors of the offending newspapers, the suspension of the newspaper licences and the re-establishment of the Islamic Caliphate.

Dr Imran Waheed, the media representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, said: ”These insults against the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), his wives and the Ka’aba are a deliberate provocation intended to hurt and anger Muslims around the world. Muslims will not remain silent over these cheap insults in the name of ‘freedom of speech’. In recent years we have seen consistently negative, violent and extreme descriptions of Islam - the use of the term ‘Islamofascist’ by George W Bush, ‘evil ideology’ by Tony Blair, recent Swedish cartoons and the gratuitous publication of the offensive Danish newspaper cartoons throughout Europe last year. Now, western inspired governments in the Muslim world have joined the ranks of those helping to fuel the work to disparage Islam and Muslims.”

“Having failed to uphold the rule of law, tackle poverty or prevent foreign interference in the affairs of the people, the government of Bangladesh has now failed to defend Muslims against these grave insults to their beliefs. Instead, it has used the police to brutally crack down on demonstrations against these insults.”

“The Islamic Caliphate historically ensured that Muslims and non-Muslims were protected from such wanton disrespect and it is only the re-establishment of the Caliphate in the Muslim world that will ensure the beliefs, life and property of all citizens are once again protected.”

The demonstration will take place on Saturday 29th September 2007 at 12.00 p.m. outside the Bangladesh Embassy [28 Queen’s Gate, London SW7 5JA; nearest underground Gloucester Road/South Kensington].

Incidentally the group which has published the press release above is none other than HIZB-UT-TAHRIR (HT).

# Political party with cells in more than 40 nations
# Outlawed as a terrorist group in Russia, Germany, and many Islamic countries
# Seeks to replace all governments with a single Islamic ruler, or Caliph

Hizb-ut-Tahrir (Arabic for “the Party of Liberation”), sometimes called Hizb-ut-Tahrir Al-Islami (”the Islamic Party of Liberation”), reportedly has cells in 40 or more nations. It is outlawed in Russia, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and numerous Muslim countries that regard it as a radical, subversive, and terrorist organization. It is a legal political party in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Yemen, and in most Western nations. It gained a foothold in the United Kingdom under the leadership of Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, who joined the party as a teenager in Lebanon during the early 1970s. (He also created Al Muhajiroun, an organization which he continues to lead from an office in London.) Britain considered outlawing the Hizb-ut-Tahrir in recent years, but former Prime Minister Tony Blair decided against doing so after he was advised that forcing the group underground would be an even less desirable alternative that permitting it to function legally.

Fadi Abdelatif, Hizb ut-Tahrir’s spokesman in Denmark, in 2002 distributed a pamphlet titled And Kill Them Wherever You Find Them, an anti-Jewish reference from the Qur’an (Baqarah:191).

And they have the nerve to whine over an innocuous cartoon???

Police disperse protest march towards Prothom Alo

Protesters remove police barricade at Shahbagh intersection in the capital yesterday in their bid to reach the office of daily Prothom Alo at Karwan Bazar. Photo: STAR

Police yesterday dispersed a march towards the office of the daily Prothom Alo in the capital, which was protesting the publication of a cartoon strip in the newspaper’s weekly satirical magazine Aalpin.

The march was organised by Hizbut Tahrir, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolon, Islami Oikya Andolon, Bangladesh Chhatra Mukti Andolon, and Islami Shasantantra Andolon, despite repeated apologies from the editor of the daily for the inadvertent publication of the cartoon strip.

The protesters demanded arrests of Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman and its publisher Mahfuz Anam, and imposition of a ban on the publication of the newspaper.

Police dispersed the marchers by charging batons when they reached close to Shahbagh intersection trying to approach the newspaper’s office by removing barricades put up there by the law enforcers. The police action left 20 Hizbut Tahrir activists injured, five of whom were treated in Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

As the dispersed marchers tried to regroup, police charged batons again dispersing them completely in only 15 minutes.

During the melee vehicular traffic on several nearby roads remained suspended causing sufferings for commuters.

Activists of the five organisations had started to gather at the north gate of Baitul Mukarram Mosque after the Juma prayer yesterday carrying banners and leaflets and chanting slogans.

The demonstrators also burnt several copies of the Prothom Alo, and effigies of its editor and the publisher.

After holding a brief rally at the entrance of the mosque, activists of the Islamist organisations marched through the roads of Purana Paltan and Baitul Mukarram Mosque area for some time, after which the activists of four organisations, except Hizbut Tahrir, dispersed.

Hizbut Tahrir activists however started to march towards the newspaper’s office calling pedestrians over the bullhorns to join them….

Counter protests have arisen…

IPI Protests Jailing of Cartoonist in Bangladesh and Suspension of Publication of Satirical Weekly.

and…

More info at The Third World View

Now for a taste of islam’s hypocricy.

Jamat Hurts Muslims Sentiments in Kishore Kantha & Dishonored Prophet Mohammad

In 1998 November’s Kishore Kantha (Bangla Magazine) of Shibir Students Group of the Jamat hurts Muslims sentiments and dishonored highly respectable Prophet Mohammad.

This is but one of many references, to the insulting cartoon published in Kishore Kantha. I have searched high and low for a translation of the text to no avail. I will take them all for their word for now.

I initially learned of it at E-Bangladesh.
Of the FUA-MUA government

Now that we know the history of the cartoon published in Prothom Alo, can we anticipate the FUA-MUA will also take action against the contributor madrassah student Mohammad Masud and the editors Matiur Rahman Akhand (chief editor), Ehsanul Mahmud Zubayer (editor) and Sirajul Islam Shahin (executive editor).

The cartoon in the pro-Islamist juvenile magazine was contributed by a student of a notorious Madrassah in Amirabad, Feni in November 1998. Why nobody bothered? Rather interpret - nobody dared to raise the issue of “hurting the feeling of Muslims.”

Why? Because the cartoon was published in a staunch advocate of Islamic Ummah publication and shadowed by the dreaded Jamaat-e-Islami, who believe in creating an Islamic state and implement Sharia Law to persecute women, secular and religious minorities in Bangladesh. Or because whatever Jamaat and their wings do are “halal” and have the right to express their feelings in whatever forms and language. Outrageous!

Related:
Drop the Insanity!
Submission: The Death of Art in the Free World
Mo Cat Got Your Tongue
Lars Vilks Art Project - Join Now!
Mo’s Dog Days of Summer [updated bumped]

Prothom Alo

Arifur Rahman