On Saturday I shall be speaking at a conference in Edinburgh on the changing face of racism, and how Islamophobia is now not only mainstream but actively promoted by government.
Donald Trump’s remarks have brought appropriate condemnation, but the Henry Jackson Society got there first. In February 2006 Douglas Murray, Associate Director of the Henry Jackson Society, stated :
“It is late in the day, but Europe still has time to turn around the demographic time-bomb which will soon see a number of our largest cities fall to Muslim majorities. It has to. All immigration into Europe from Muslim countries must stop. In the case of a further genocide such as that in the Balkans, sanctuary would be given on a strictly temporary basis. This should also be enacted retrospectively… Conditions for Muslims in Europe must be made harder across the board: Europe must look like a less attractive proposition.”
Douglas Murray also came out with a straight defence of the use of torture by Western intelligence agencies.
Yet the politicians who pretend to be outraged by Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from the US, line up to support the man who declares “All immigration into Europe from Muslim countries must stop.” Not only Jim Murphy, but a role call of top Blairites sits on the Political Council of the Henry Jackson Society – Margaret Beckett, Hazel Blears, Ben Bradshaw, Chris Bryant, Gisela Stuart etc. All of course enthusiasts for bombing Syria. It astonishes me that the Labour Party is now complaining about “infiltration” by groups on the left when a large number of very senior figures can belong to an organisation which is avowedly neo-conservative, is linked to the US and European far right and is funded by the CIA.
The Henry Jackson Society is the go-to organisation for broadcasters looking for comment on Islamic affairs. I was both pleased and surprised to see the Henry Jackson Society named two days ago in a Guardian article on the mainstreaming of Islamophobia. Pleased because the maximum exposure is necessary to make people understand what people are getting when they see “independent” HJS staff interviewed on the BBC and Sky, and surprised because the Blairite controlled and US marketed Guardian doesn’t usually run this kind of stuff anymore.
I tucked it in to the back of my mind until I came to write this article. Guess what? The Guardian Editors have now excised all mention of the Henry Jackson Society from the article on the mainstreaming of Islamophobia. Interesting that, isn’t it?
The Henry Jackson Society seconds staff to the Quilliam Foundation. This extraordinary organisation is a career vehicle for “reformed jihadists” to milk huge salaries and luxury lifestyles from government money, in return for fronting an organisation run by the security services. Quilliam specialises in denouncement of Muslim organisations and talking up the Jihadi threat, offering “expert advice” on the government’s anti-free speech strategy. At the same time, it seeks to maximise the income of its directors. One interesting collaboration to make money was its collaboration with the current head of Pergida UK, and former head of the English Defence League, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (Alias Tommy Robinson).
Quilliam have received millions from the taxpayer for their dubious “work”. But their application for Home Office funding to split with Yaxley-Lennon remains an episode beyond belief. Several of Quilliam’s staff are “lent” by the CIA-funded Henry Jackson Society.
Do come along to the meeting on Saturday. Methodist Church, 25 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9BX.
Earlier HJS activity:
http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/politics/item/5706-henry-jackson-society-forced-to-quit-westminster-role-after-spinwatch-complaint
Meanwhile, via its U.S. fundraising arm, the HJS has received at least $10,000 from the Abstraction Fund, whose former president Nina Rosenwald also funds the New York-based Gatestone Institute. The Gatestone link is significant because it is arguably an important new player in the U.S. Islamophobia network – and Rosenwald herself has been called ‘the sugar mama of anti-Muslim hate’.
Notably, Gatestone publishes articles by HJS associate director Douglas Murray, alongside the likes of Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders. Such connections only give further weight to the view (which, nonetheless, the HJS tries to dismiss as ‘scurrilous and unfounded’) that the think tank has become increasingly anti-Islam in orientation, especially since Murray joined following the 2011 merger with another group, the Centre for Social Cohesion.
Thanks for the News Sniffer update Node. Quite telling eh? It’s a useful source.
Habbabkuk – 3:54 pm
In all honesty, I’m saying you’re asking disingenuous questions – or sealioning, as others here like to call it. Sorry!
I think we all know what a decent and humane refugee policy looks like, you know? The problem is that the UK doesn’t have one. The UK has a draconian, unjust, petty and often Orwellian refugee policy. IN PRACTICE. No amount of reasonable questions about principle/sealioning* from you will change that.
*delete as preferred
The full Spinwatch report on the Henry Jackson Society. Page 59 onwards is particularly illuminating as to the main allegiance of the HJS:
http://www.thecordobafoundation.com/attach/spinwatch%20report_web.pdf
Unsurprisingly JINSA (“Securing America, Strengthening Israel”; that Habbabcuk of neocon thinktanks) has a Henry Jackson Award.
http://www.jinsa.org/events/annual-awards-dinners/henry-m-scoop-jackson-distinguished-service-award-dinners/jinsa-present
Sixer
I’m sorry I misjudged you – I was under the impression you were up for rational debate.
Firstly, I think we can leave it up to Craig – to whom my questions were mainly addressed – to pronounce (if he wishes) on whether those questions were disingenuous.
Secondly, you may use whichever expressions you wish, I don’t have a preference.
Thirdly, it is absolute nonsense to say that the UK’s general policy and practice on refugees is as you describe it. The hundreds of thousands of refugees who have been admitted since WW2 (starting with many tens of thousands of Poles immediately after the war) would certainly not agree with you.
Finally, you write: “we all know what a decent and humane refugee policy looks like”, bu which you imply that you know but I don’t. So please instruct me, as briefly or as largely as you wish: what do you see as a decent and humane refugee policy for the UK? Let’s see if you really have some ideas or whether you’re just sloganising.
I fancied some light entertainment so, shame to admit it went over to the DM, but what did I find:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3315347/Watch-heart-pounding-moment-Israeli-commandos-save-Islamic-militants-Syrian-warzone-risking-lives-sworn-enemies.html
No wonder djt has no idea wha the hell is going on .. neither have I.
Guardian readers are leaving.
http://off-guardian.org/2015/12/05/readers-letters-goodbye-guardian/
See 43 comments so far.
It’s all very well people lining up to condemn the Henry Jackson Society but they’ve not exactly done a good job, have they?
O/T Brent Crude
Commodity crunch: Brent crude oil plunges through $40 – live updates
Rout sends US and Brent crude to their lowest point since February 2009, as iron ore crumbles to its lowest in a decade
Latest: Brent crude drops below $40 a barrel
US crude falls below $37 a barrel
Iron ore hits lowest since 2005
Lord Browne: $20/barrel oil isn’t impossible
http://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2015/dec/08/commodity-crunch-mining-shares-oil-chinese-trade-shock-business-live
http://www.nasdaq.com/markets/crude-oil-brent.aspx?timeframe=10y
I don’t have time at the moment, but if anyone wants to do some digging I think you might find some connections with Lucy Allan, Conservative MP for Telford, who has been caught out after adding a ‘death threat’ to the end of an e-mail she received from a constituent…
http://evolvepolitics.com/tory-mp-should-resign-after-faking-death-threat-email-from-constituent/
There’s been absolute silence about Lucy Allan all across the UK media/Ministry of Truth, although that seems to be changing today. I believe both the Independent and the BBC have started picking up the story.
Who haven’t done a good job: the people lining up to condemn the HJS, or the HJS themselves?
Is your post incomplete DtP? Please do carry on where you left off when you’ve overcome whatever technical difficulty has caused you to break off incoherently.
What is the job of the HJS?
Blind Bulgarian Psychic ‘Predicted That Europe Will Be Destroyed By Isis’
Right on cue, directors cut; Action!
Anyone read about the WWII mystique magazine that was printed by the our SIS to be dropped in Germany in which the forecasts of all manner events post their happening in a bid to influence the Germans resolve about the war?
Evidently the rag tag bunch of armed convicts and mercenaries whose only arms merchants happen to be the US will soon lay waste to Europe!
============
the convicts and mercenaries have been trained in Turkey and Jordan and then injected into Syria with the help of Nato that has been feeding them real time intelligence. As well as supplying them with arms and letting the mercenaries to get away pumping out oil to supplement their income to pay their “personnel” their daily rates to keep on destroying whatever is left of Syria!
How’s that for a doozy?
excellent article. i find it funny douglas murry who is a open queer can be so bigoted yet plays the homophobic card when gays are discriminated. the sicko has just blame ‘the left’ for donald trumps recent remarks.
It seems rather strange that the HJS’s motto should be, “The Project for Democratic Geopolitics.”
The HJS advocates human rights, and to reduce suffering, and unsurprisingly it took up the banner for those who opposed the Iranian regime. In 2011 another think tank The Centre for Social Cohesion merged with the HJS.
If you dig a little deeper you find the HJS is registered as a charity, and recieves substantial private donations.
In 2009 the society became the secretariat of two all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs), for Transatlantic and International Security, chaired by Gisela Stuart, and for Homeland Security, chaired by Bernard Jenkin.
The charity (a misnomer if ever there was one) has been described as neconservative.
Regarding Donald Trump’s outburst, in which he said he’d block Muslims entering the USA. Trump has jumped on the anti-Muslim bandwagon hoping the dubious San Bernadino incident, will boost his appeal to a certain voters, in the USA.
The same effect can be seen in France where Marie Le Pen, is now seen not as a racist right wing bigot, but a rising political star in France. It does make one wonder who orchestrated the Paris incident, Daesh aren’t that sophisticated.
Astrologer Louis de Wohl. They printed and dropped bogus versions of German troop Magazine Skorpion, and there was a whole world of clandestine radio stations including absurdly hilariously pro-Nazi, but anti-Hitler ones – Der Chef and his Adjutant. Others giving out lists of streets bombed and names of those killed (who weren’t dead at all) but relatives of known German forces members.
Well it looks like the London Labour branch office in Scotland is on its last legs, like the dodo, you’ll soon only be able to read about Labour, or see their stuffed shirts in a museum north of the border.
Scots may have no Labour candidates to vote for in some constituencies at next year’s Scottish Parliament elections, a party activist has warned.
It is believed such a development would be unprecedented in recent Scottish political history and highlights the challenges the party faces as it heads towards the Holyrood poll in May and following its virtual wipeout at this year’s General Election when it was left with just one MP.
June Neilson, a Labour member in Ayrshire, said her local party was struggling to get people to stand in first-past-the-post seats as they “knew” they would be fighting “a losing battle” against the SNP and the Tories.
“Candidates are choosing the safer list option. This means that potentially when voters go to the ballot box they will not have a Labour candidate to vote for,” she wrote on a social media forum.
People pretty much know the Tories and SNP will win the constituency seats so it will be a losing battle.
http://www.thenational.scot/politics/scottish-labour-struggle-to-find-constituency-candidates-for-losing-battle-against-snp.10935
What do you do with an 18-year-old who has spent all their school years all their school years in the host country and is completely acclimatised to the point they are citizens of the host country in all ways but passport
Sixer-
Can you find one instance in the UK of an an unaccompanied child asylum seeker who came here as a 5 year old (which s/he would need to be to meet your ‘all their school years’ claim) ?
Or am I (like Habba) asking a ‘disengenuous’ question ?
‘I do feel you’re making your argument by using a set of circumstances which does not correspond to the reality represented by the great mass of refugees (and not even by most of the refugees at Calais).’
Habba- this is one of the rare occasions when I can fully endorse a comment of yours.
Pretty risky for Allied propaganda to falsely say named civilians had been killed in the bombings, as the related servicemen would quickly learn from mail that they were still alive, and that would discredit the propaganda source among all servicemen.
Desired effect might last a week or so. Was that worth it?
Latest polling had Trump support at 36% among Republicans. This latest should raise that figure by at least a few points.
RT: 34 Syrian civilians reported killed in suspected US-led coalition airstrikes. The airstrike was on Monday, yesterday.
Muslims seem to be getting a hard time of it lately, with the media reporting knife attacks and shootings in such a manner, that terrorism pops into ones mind, even though the incidents mighten not even involve a Muslim.
So why are Muslims receiving a bashing from virtually all directions?
Well in my opinion they’re are multiple reasons, firstly the attitude of the media, is in question, the media take great delight in vigoursly reporting any incident that could be construed as terrorism.
Then you have military personnel, politicians, and security services adding to the media bias, by heightening tensions.
But why are they portraying Muslims in a bad light.
Well you just have took look a what’s going on in the US, France and even the the UK, after press reports of terrorist attacks. France and America have stricter security laws, which in my opinion impinge on free speech. The UK has the snoopers charter and incoming new internet laws, which many feel do and will infringe on our freedoms, especially privacy.
So at home the ramping up of the terrorist threat, by the media and politicians, can be used by them to reduce your freedoms, and the less freedoms you have the less of a say you have, the less you know what your governments true agenda is.
Abroad especially the events in the Middle East (in most cases brought about by the West I might add), successive wars in Iraq, Afghanistan Libya and now Syria, has sent millions of Muslim refugees fleeing to Europe looking for saftey and a better life.
The media has used the influx of Muslims into Europe to once again demonise them as scroungers or radicals, and in the process instilling the fear of terrorism, into the minds of Europeans. Alk it takes to light the blue touch paper is one serious incident, that CAN be blamed on the Muslim community, and unsurprisingly we’ve witnessed one recently.
Finally I’m in no way beatifing the Muslim community Islam can and is intolerant, in many aspects, and in my opinion it needs to evolve to become more tolerant.
I was pleased to see that Palestine is included in IHRC’s focus.
http://www.ihrc.org.uk/component/search/?searchword=PALESTINE&ordering=&searchphrase=all
IHRC is a co presenter of tomorrow’s meeting.
http://www.sacc.org.uk/events/2015/islamophobia-conference-2015
Do you have a reference on the CIA funding?
Trump’s ‘Muslim lockdown’: What is the Center for Security Policy?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-35037943
This is the kind of thing that was said eighty years ago about the Jews and in particular Rupert Murdoch publications have become hate-sheets. They pander to three of the most base of human instincts; fear, blame and self-interest, and you can whip-up lynch mobs with those topics just about every day.
Ironic really, considering he gave up his Australian citizenship then gave up his British citizenship. He must qualify as an immigrant in the most perfect form of the word, ever.
Thanks for that example of apparent compassion, Israel is helping Jabhat Al Nusra fighters, Al Quaeda fighters and IS, whilst charging the family of a small Palestinian boy for his life saving treatment he needed after his family was erased in front of him by Idiotic Defiling Fckus.
Wow, my tears are rolling at all this compassion, I’ll bet you there isn’t a single Hezbollah fighter amongst these violent beheader’s Israel is stitching up, getting back to the front, zionist collaborators.
@ Lysyas, thanks for that little bit of death reality the war porn purveyors don’t want us to know here.
Got a letter back from my MP regards Syria and why he voted for war, the usual stuff, have written back to him and asked him not to support TTIP.
OldMark
“Habba- this is one of the rare occasions when I can fully endorse a comment of yours.”
_________________
Well, OldMark, I can only thank you for that comment.
I do feel, however, that if you could filter out the synthetic rages and knee-jerk comments with which the Eminences (candidates and full members) and Old Trolls react to my comments – what one might, I suppose, call “background noise” – you would find that quite a few of them make rather good sense. 🙂
I think if asked, the people of this country have had enough Muslim immigration for the time being. Perhaps when Islam has shown that it can co-exist peacefully and integrate fully with a non-Muslim host culture then we might be able to justify our current open-door policy. I wouldn’t hold your breath.
As things stand we are quite exceptionally welcoming, accommodating and tolerant of Islam and Muslims, so the idea, as forwarded by some here, that treatment of Muslims in this country is equivalent to that of the J..s in 1930s Germany, is patently absurd.
The EDL skinheads are a few thousand strong at most; the BNP is virtually no longer. They pose no threat to anyone, least of all the policy of all four main parties of continued open-door mass immigration. But they give the far-left groups a reason to exist, that they are fighting fascism. UAF (signatory D. Cameron), Hope Not Hate, etc. are all dedicated towards preserving establishment policy under the banner of fighting the far-right, which barely exists anyway. What they are actually doing is siding with the political class against the majority will of the people of this country.
On Senator Henry Jackson (from Wikipedia):
“A Cold War liberal and anti-Communist Democrat, Jackson supported higher military spending and a hard line against the Soviet Union, while also supporting social welfare programs, civil rights, and labor unions.[1] His political beliefs were characterized by support of civil rights, human rights, and safeguarding the environment, but with an equally strong commitment to oppose totalitarianism in general, and communism in particular.”
And more specifically on Senator Henry Jackson (also from Wikipedia):
“In 1974, Jackson sponsored the Jackson-Vanik amendment in the Senate (with Charles Vanik sponsoring it in the House) which denied normal trade relations to certain countries with non-market economies that restricted the freedom of emigration. The amendment was intended to help refugees, particularly minorities, specifically Jews, to emigrate from the Soviet Bloc”
I wonder if the dissing of the good Senator, by one of the regular posters on here a little earlier in the day, had anything to do with the last part of the above quote?