IW News Brief: Hedegaard Lives, UK’s Jihad TV, and More

Islamist Watch (IW) maintains an extensive archive of news items on nonviolent Islamism in the Western world. The complete collection can be found here; lists organized by topic are accessible on the right side of the IW homepage.

The following are some of the recent developments covered in the IW database:

Islam critic Lars Hedegaard dodges assassin’s bullet

Journalist Lars Hedegaard — a critic of Islam, defender of free speech, and associate fellow at the Middle East Forum — survived a murder attempt in Copenhagen on February 5. “Hedegaard, 70, said the gunman rang the doorbell of his apartment building on the pretext of delivering a package, and when Hedegaard opened the front door, the man pulled out a gun and fired a shot that narrowly missed the writer’s head,” the Associated Press reports. Hedegaard fought back, causing the assailant — described as “foreign” in appearance — to lose the gun and flee. In their post-attack coverage, Danish media have disparaged and blamed the victim.

Europe’s elites employ scorn and prosecution to silence Islam’s foes, but Islamists sometimes take a harsher approach, as seen in the slaying of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh and the ax assault directed at Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard. “The good thing is that Lars Hedegaard lives, and has vowed to persist in his courageous efforts to resist the Islamization of Europe,” Bruce Bawer observes. “The bad thing is that his Muslim enemies are also alive and well and as determined as ever to wreak their monstrous havoc — and that their abettors in the media and elsewhere have lost none of their shameful readiness to relativize jihad and tear down heroes.”

Left: A perpetual thorn in the establishment’s side, Lars Hedegaard was convicted and later acquitted of hate speech for broaching the topic of sexual abuse in Muslim families. Right: Zakir Naik of Peace TV has declared that under Shari’a it is appropriate to crucify and dismember people who “wage war against Allah.”

Islamic satellite channels preach hatred in Britain

UK regulator Ofcom has ruled that several Islamic TV channels have violated the broadcasting code by disseminating “inflammatory” content. Among the examples, Peace TV co-owner Zakir Naik voiced agreement with “scholars who say that if a Muslim becomes a non-Muslim and propagates his new faith against Islam then he should be put to death"; a talking head on Noor TV noted that “whoever shows disrespect for Prophet Muhammad will be given death penalty"; and an imam on DM Digital asserted that “those who cannot kill such men [who insult Muhammad] have no faith.” Channel officials now claim that Ofcom is racist or ignorant. “There are cultural differences and I think Ofcom doesn’t understand that,” said DM Digital’s chairman.

Islamist material beamed into British homes is an ongoing worry. Ofcom previously rebuked the Ummah Channel for the characterization of Ahmadi Muslims as “filth” and “liable for death.” Last year, it fined Radio Asian Fever after a host urged the beating and torture of homosexuals. In addition, the Islam Channel was criticized for justifying marital rape and promoting negative views of women, such as the belief that hell is filled with them.

Burqa-inspired fashion unveiled in New York

According to a glowing review by Jennifer Wright of TheGloss.com, “the most inventive and unusual show” at this year’s New York Fashion Week was the rollout of a burqa-inspired line by designer Urbana Chappa. “I’m fascinated at the way women in burqas can express so much through their eyes,” Chappa explained. “It’s both sexy and mysterious.”

Chappa is free to create whatever she wants, but there is nothing stylish or sexy about whitewashing symbols of Islamic gender apartheid. Her words echo the naïve comments of others. For example, rocker Prince once opined: “It’s fun being in Islamic countries, to know there’s only one religion. There’s order. You wear a burqa. There’s no choice. People are happy with that.” Furthermore, after strolling through a Moroccan bazaar in all-encompassing attire, author Naomi Wolf infamously linked the experience to female empowerment: “The curve of my breasts covered, the shape of my legs obscured, my long hair not flying about me — I felt a novel sense of calm and serenity.” Unfortunately, “calm and serenity” are lacking in nations where women face deadly consequences for failing to conceal themselves.

Left: A model struts her Shari’a-compliant stuff at the Maison de Urbana show in New York. Right: CAIR’s Dawud Walid believes that the “Crazy Bones” target could cause people to see Muslims “as a threat that should be eliminated.”

Gun shop caves to CAIR over jihadist skeleton

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) convinced the Target Sports gun store and range in Royal Oak, Michigan, to stop selling a target that “depicts a skeleton with a long beard wearing a robe and turban and carrying an AK-47,” the Detroit News reports. CAIR-Michigan’s Dawud Walid lauded owner Ray Jihad for dropping the “provocative and dangerous” item resembling Osama bin Laden. “A person who shoots at a target like that might see a Muslim and look at that person as a hostile enemy,” Walid said. The same manufacturer offers “Wall Street Zombie” and “Redneck Zombie” targets; have bankers and Southerners raised objections?

This case parallels one from 2012 in which the U.S. Navy, at CAIR’s request, removed a training target picturing a hijabi with a gun. Also note that while he decries the alleged demonization of Muslims, Walid is not shy about demonizing others. He has likened Muslims who work with the authorities to “Uncle Tom and Aunt Jemima,” spoken of Jews as having “incurred the wrath of Allah,” and called the decision of Muhammad’s army to massacre Jews “a correct one.”

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For additional news and analysis, please visit the IW website.

David J. Rusin investigates and combats nonviolent radical Islam in the United States and other Western countries for Islamist Watch. His research has highlighted the dangers posed by Islamist-leaning individuals with government security clearances, debunked the myth that American Muslims are more likely than other minorities to suffer hate crimes, and tracked the progress of Philadelphia’s “black Muslim enclave.” He has been the curator of Islamist Watch’s extensive news archive for more than half a decade and previously served as the project’s director. Prior to joining the Forum, Mr. Rusin worked as an astrophysicist. He also spent two years as the Philadelphia editor at PJ Media
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