Growing Number of Child Brides Among Muslims ... in London

Behold the glories of multiculturalism. We keep telling ourselves that all cultures are equal, and that no one should judge another person's cultural practices. But then we have to face reality: Other cultures follow Muhammad's example and see no problem with old men having sex with nine-year-old girls. So now we have a dilemma on our hands. Do we protect the young girls, thereby showing that we don't really believe the absurd myth that all cultures are equal? Or do we sacrifice the young girls on the altar of political correctness and false tolerance?

UNITED KINGDOM--An alarming number of under-age girls – some as young as nine – are being forced into marriage in Islington [a neighborhood in London], according to a leading campaign group.

The Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO) claim that at least 30 girls in the borough were forced into marriage in 2010.

The practice was condemned by the Imam of Finsbury Park Mosque, who said such marriages were against Islam and “unacceptable”.

He pledged to invalidate any marriage which he said were carried out by “back-street Imams”.

IKWRO, which made headlines last month when they revealed there had been almost 3,000 “honour-based” violence cases in 2010, has shown the Tribune records which revealed at least three 11-year-old girls and two nine-year-olds had been forced into marriage with older men within Islington. The oldest girls involved were 16.

They have warned that hundreds of Islington girls could be suffering sexual, emotional and physical scars as a result of the child marriages every year and are calling for teachers, social workers and police to be better trained to spot and manage the abuse.

Information from the Ministry of Justice, following a Freedom of Information request, revealed that 32 Forced Marriage Protection Order applications were made for children under 16 in Britain last year.

Six of these were made for under-16s within Islington at the Royal Courts of Justice, although these were not necessarily made for Islington residents.

At the Islington court, “five or fewer” orders were made to protect children between the ages of 9-11.

The orders are a form of injunction that threaten legal punishment if marriage takes place due to emotional or physical force.

In most cases, the children fear they will be killed if they reveal the truth to anybody, while others believe they will be separated from their families and taken into social services’ care.

Dianna Nammi, director of IKWRO, explained that the girls are married in a mosque’s sharia court. This means they are not legally married according to British law, rendering the Home Office unable to recognise or prove the abuse.

“They are still expected to carry out their wifely duties, though, and that includes sleeping with their husband,” she said.

“They have to cook for them, wash their clothes, everything. They are still attending schools in Islington, struggling to do their primary school homework, and at the same time being practically raped by a middle-aged man regularly and being abused by their families. So they are a wife, but in a primary school uniform.

“The reason it doesn’t get out is because they are too terrified to speak out, and also the control their families have over them is impossible to imagine if you’re not going through it. The way it is covered up is so precise, almost unspeakable.” (Read more at Islington Tribune.)

Christian Family Flees to Escape Muslim Persecution . . . in Denmark

The glories of multiculturalism. Muslims immigrate to Denmark, and they come from countries where it is perfectly acceptable to harass and persecute Christians. Their new government refuses to criticize their cultural practices (since that would be intolerant), so the practices continue.

DENMARK--The Iranian-born leader of the Free Church "Church of Love," Massoud Fouroozandeh has moved out of the Odense district Vollsmose with his family to a small town at a secret location. This happens after the family has had two cars smashed because a Christian cross was hanging inside them.

"I was told by young people in Vollsmose that I should not drive into the area with the cross hanging in the car. Then our car was smashed and burned and the seats cut up. Since then the side windows in our new car was smashed three times," he says.

After the vandalism Fouroozandeh Massoud and his wife dare no longer let their children play on the playground in Vollsmose.

"They do not wear a headscarf, which 99 percent of the other children do, so they attracted too much attention, and it was not safe to send them out to play. So we moved very far away from Vollsmose," he says. (Read more.)

How long do you think it will take Kim or Kangaroo to say, "They deserve it! Being filthy Christians in a Muslim neighborhood, what do you expect! Allahu Akbar!"?

link 

The Prime Minister-In-Waiting is on the Muslim Payroll

Mr Miliband recently pocketed more than £21,000 a day for work in the United Arab Emirates. His rate of pay even outstrips controversial Royal Bank of Scotland boss Stephen Hester, who earns just under £6,000 a day in salary and bonus.

Mr Miliband’s latest entry in the Commons Register of Members’ Interests shows that he received £64,475 from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He was also provided with transport and accommodation for himself and an accompanying member of staff worth £4,935 for joining the ‘advisory board’ at the ‘Sir Bani Yas Forum’ in Abu Dhabi last November.

The confidential forum lasted just three days. The event was described as a ‘high-level retreat’ that ‘created a space for action-oriented discussions among leading policy and opinion-makers about critical issues for peace and security in the Middle East’.

Last week The Mail on Sunday revealed Mr Miliband is also working for a Pakistan-based City firm backed by a Swiss aristocratic playboy.

H/T  Cheradenine

link 

 

Islamist group is targeting Christians, says Welby

ETHNIC and religious cleansing” of Christians in Nigeria is being carried out by the Islamist group Boko Haram, the Bishop of Dur­ham, the Rt Revd Justin Welby, said.

The Bishop returned from Nigeria last weekend, after the bombings in the northern Nigerian city of Kano, in which up to 200 people were killed. The attacks, for which Boko Haram claims responsi­bility, targeted police stations and government buildings. The victims were mostly Muslims. Further attacks two days later destroyed two churches, and another partially destroyed an Anglican secondary school.

 The President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, said that Boko Haram would “face the full wrath of the law”. His government has been unable to stop attacks by the group, however, and, last week, it admitted that the chief suspect in the Islamists’ Christmas Day attacks on a church (News, 6 January) had escaped from police custody. Bishop Welby, who has visited Nigeria more than 60 times, said that this latest trip tested even his optimism.

“This is the most difficult situation in Nigeria since the civil war, which ended in 1970. It is hugely complicated, with conflicts at difficult levels in different parts of the country. “The attacks on Friday struck as I was just leaving the country. The level of sophistication in these attacks hasn’t been seen in Nigeria before, and this indicates significant training and outside help, and that is a very big step in the wrong direction.

“There are ongoing disputes in the middle belt and Jos, where one or two people a day are dying, and there is a real threat things could blow up there.” The situation did not divide simply down religious or geographical lines, he said, although there was no doubt that Boko Haram — whose name translates as “Western education is a sin” — wanted to create an Islamist state and force Christians out.

“Boko Haram is, very emphatic­ally, targeting Christians and churches,” Bishop Welby said. “Parts of the country are being ethnically and religiously cleansed. There is very serious persecution of Chris­tians. But Nigeria has the capacity to dance over the cliff edge and still come back, without falling. It’s a wonderful country with extraordin­ary, capable people.” Bishops in Nigeria had warned that Christians wanted to fight back, and some suggested that civil war might result.

Bishop Welby said that he did not believe that civil war was on the horizon, but he was “not surprised” that bishops were critical of the government’s response to the persecution. The Bishop took a letter from the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Primate of Nigeria, the Most Revd Nicholas Okoh, which assured him of his friendship and support.

In an article on the Church of Nigeria website, Archbishop Okoh is quoted as thanking Bishop Welby for “travelling from a far distance” to show solidarity with the Anglican community. “The intense attack of Boko Haram is really tempting the Christians whether to continue to maintain peace, always turning the other cheek, or fight back to find their safety. . .

The attempt to drag Nigerians into militancy is something Nigerians must resist,” the Archbishop is quoted as saying. Bishop Welby said that the West faced “very difficult choices” about how to support Nigeria, and that any direct foreign intervention would be “disastrous”.

Yesterday, in a letter to President Jonathan, the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, said that he was “deeply saddened” by the “continuing violence and social upheaval in Nigeria”.
He continued: “We must remain prayerful and vigilant regarding the developments in Nigeria as they are potentially destabilizing not only for Nigeria itself but for countries in Africa and other regions. . .

“The actions of Nigeria’s Christian and Muslim leaders working together to end the violence is a contribution that will ultimately allow both communities to live in peace. Nigeria cannot become another battlefield where religion is used to promote divisions and hatred, allowing for destructive intentions. Christians and Muslims around the world offer their support to our sisters and brothers in Nigeria to enable them to live together in peace.”

Petitioners: the Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso (left), and the Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, pray for peace at a mosque in Kano on Monday

Sharia is good for women, claims Muslim lawyer

“Sharia law itself is inherently positive towards women”, the head of a law firm’s new Sharia division has claimed.
The comment coincides with a Bill before Parliament which seeks to tackle the discrimination suffered by women under Sharia law in England and Wales.
The Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill would remove any doubt that sex discrimination law applies to arbitration services.

Sharia

Aina Khan, head of the Sharia law division at Manchester-based Russell Jones and Walker, says that Sharia law in itself is not the problem.
She said: “Sharia law itself is inherently positive towards women and protects them. The way it’s applied in many Islamic countries is misogynist.”
She says that by offering Islamic and English law services together her firm ensures that those who wish to use Sharia stick to the law of the land.

Equal

The Arbitration Bill, which was introduced by Lady Cox last year, has received support from groups including British Muslims for Secular Democracy and the National Secular Society.
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, who grew up in Pakistan, has also criticized Sharia law.
He said: “People in this country are free to practise whatever faith they have. But at the same time we have a very long tradition of people being equal under the law.

Unequal

“The problem with Sharia is that it is inherently unequal for certain kinds of people. Muslims and non-Muslims are treated unequally. Similarly, men and women are treated unequally.”
And Tehmina Kazi, director of British Muslims for Secular Democracy, has said that the proposed legislation would give women greater clarification on their rights.
She said: “There is a gap in the system for Muslim women due to the prevalence of Sharia councils.

Educate

“They don’t have any legal power and are completely informal so very hard to regulate and they rule on things such as divorce in Muslim communities. We want to educate women so they know what their rights are.”

link 

London Conway Hall meeting on the Subject of Blasphemy to Take place on 28 January 2012

 Liberties Alliance

An important meeting, organised by ‘The Centre for Enquiry UK’ will take place in London’s Conway Hall (25 Red Lion Square, Holborn) on Saturday 28 January 2012. The title for the event is "BLASPHEMY!” which is very apt given the content of United Nations Resolution 16/18 and the subsequent development of the ‘Istanbul Process’. The EU’s decision to host the next ‘Istanbul Process’ meeting has put the issue of ‘defamation of religion’ to the centre of politics right across Europe. It is very important for the cause of freedom that the ‘Istanbul Process’ be opposed as it seems to be driven by a desire to place severe and unwarranted restrictions on freedom of expression.

The March for Free Expression (MfFE) took place in Trafalgar Square on 25 March 2006 in the aftermath of the deliberately manufactured Danish cartoon crisis. The MfFE event publicised the problem of the erosion of the right to freedom of expression caused by the actions of religious agitators who demand respect for their opinions and unquestioning obedience to their dogmas. In the intervening period, not only have politicians not addressed the problem but have actively made it worse and in the process made the people of Britain less free. Now, nearly 6 years later the campaign against free speech has reached the point where it is on the verge of formal abolition within the European Union. (...)

"Clash Of Civilizations”: Spiritual, Not Intellectual

The Brussels Journal

By A. Millar

The words "The Clash of Ideas” are splashed across the cover of the special anniversary issue of Foreign Affairs this month. This is of course a play on the "clash of civilizations” narrative that we’ve heard countless times since 9/11, and a nod to the notion that this clash – between radical Islam and the West, or liberal democracy – is fundamentally a "war of ideas.”

I have come to believe that this diagnosis is not only wrong, but a large part of the reason why we, who believe in freedom and the rights of the individual, appear to be losing ground. (For example, we are seeing more sharia in the West, despite us knowing that full sharia demands the execution of homosexuals, the stoning of women who commit adultery, and discrimination against religious minorities. And we are seeing our right to free speech eroded, especially across Europe.)

The battle is not one of ideas. It is a spiritual battle, pure and simple.
Deploying ideas like soldiers in which the generals do not believe, the "Counter-Jihad” and anti-Islamist pundits have reduced themselves to Sunday intellectuals.

A speech by any "Counter-Jihad” spokesperson or anti-Islamist media pundit is liable to denounce the increasing liberalism and "Cultural Marxism” of the West as a symptom of the rot, and to suggest that they are fighting for a more conservative Christian West, before going on to tell us that we are also fighting for liberal ideas, such as women’s rights and gay rights.

Such speeches will only ever appeal to the converted – "sensible people” who are able to shut out one half of the message to find support for their gut instincts. Contrast this with the radical imam, who calls for full sharia in the West, and who speaks with passion and conviction, regardless of what anyone thinks.
The imam knows what the West does not, i.e., that it is about the fire in the belly and in the eyes. It is first and foremost about integrity, conviction, and spirit.

If one wants an example of the ravages of strategy, put above values and integrity, one need look no further than Britain’s main three political parties. With the exception of Brighton – a student city – which elected a member of the Green Party to Parliament in 2010, over the last few decades the members of the British public have ignored those parties that best expresses their values on the grounds that they "won’t get in.”

Instead they have made the tactical decision to vote for the "mainstream” party that seems most likely to keep out of power the one they dislike more. The result of this "tactical voting” is that the three parties have become indistinguishable ideologically, and appear to be without values or, sometimes, without any morals at all. The complaint that party leaders would "say anything to get elected” reveals only that the leaders are no less tactical than the voters.

There is also, though, a tactics of the minority, of course, who believe that some extreme minor party should be supported, and its past behavior – which is, for example, racist and anti-Semitic – overlooked. To be sure, politics across the board has changed over the last decade, and so have the political parties. But where such changes appear to be cosmetic, masking a fascist underbelly, they cannot be supported.

Like the follower of Confucius, we need to cultivate integrity, so that we’re supported in our struggle for freedom – a struggle which must, perhaps, take place anew with each generation – by an inner will, and an inner spirit.

Recently, I came across a comment on a blog that suggested violence against Muslim women was an advantage to those who opposed sharia and wanted to defend liberty, since it kept the fanatics busy. This is precisely the wrong attitude, and one that is certainly not supported by Western culture – or most other cultures.

It is completely alien to the notion of chivalry of the West, the Gentleman of Confucianism, etc.
It is the comment of one who believes strategy is to be placed above his own soul. But, without a soul, without integrity, without a clear sense of right and wrong, left only with his tactics, he is doomed to lose. His freedom will go the way of that of the Muslim women we see brutalized in Egypt, Iran, and elsewhere. (...)

Rapid Rise in UK Sharia Law Cases

Bosnia: Angry Serb reaction to halting of war crimes probe

Bosnian Serbs reacted with anger and disbelief on Wednesday to the decision of Bosnian prosecutors to halt an investigation into war crimes allegedly committed by Muslims in 1992 when according to Serb sources 42 former Yugoslav soldiers were killed and were 73 wounded.



Bosnian prosecutors said on Tuesday they halted an investigation against wartime Muslim member of Bosnian presidency Ejup Ganic, general Jovo Divjak and 12 others for masterminding an attack on a withdrawing Yugoslav Army column in Sarajevo Dobrovoljacka street on 3 May 1992.



The prosecutors said they determined that Ganic and others weren’t responsible for the crime attributed to them, but would continue to investigate other “known persons” suspected of having committed the crime.

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, president of the Bosnian Serb entity Republika Srpska (RS) who has criticized the Bosnian judiciary for being lenient towards Muslims and prosecuting for war crimes only Serbs, said the prosecutors’ decision was yet further proof of his claims.



“I think that the RS can have absolutely no confidence in the courts and prosecutors of Bosnia-Herzegovina,” Dodik said. “I will continue to fight against that monster which exists for prosecuting and trying only members of one nationality,” Dodik said.



Dodik has on several occasions demanded the abolition of Bosnia’s federal prosecutor’s office and federal court and even threatened with secede RS succession from Bosnia. But he has soft pedaled the issue lately under international pressure.



According to the Dayton Peace Accord that ended 1992-1995 war, Bosnia was divided into two entities with wide autonomy, the RS and a Muslim-Croat federation. But 16 years after the war animosities and mistrust among three ethnic groups Muslims, Serbs and Croats are still high.



The decision steered an uproar of protests by Serb institutions and politicians in Bosnia as well as in Serbia proper. “Bosnia’s prosecution has shown that it has no credibility and is undermining the perspective of Bosnia-Herzegovina as a state,” said RS prime minister Aleksandar Dzombic.



On the other hand, Muslim politicians in Sarajevo hailed the decision and Ganic said the decision came as no surprise because Muslim forces “just defended their country.”

link 

Muslims in Egypt Burn Christian Homes and Shops, Attack Church

A Muslim mob attacked Copts today in the Upper Egyptian village of Rahmaniya-Kebly, Nag Hammadi, Qena province, destroying and torching their homes, straw huts and shops, while chanting Allahu Akbar. No one was reported killed or injured (video). According to reports, security forces were present but did not intervene and the fire brigade arrived 90 minutes late.

An eye-witness said that a straw hut belonging to a Copt was torched to clear the area for a mosque. There are more than 300 mosques in the village and one church.

According to Coptic residents, the reason behind the violence was the parliamentary elections. The Salafists wanted to prevent Copts, who number more than 50% of the inhabitants (20,000), from voting because they intended to vote for two moderate Muslims and not the Salafi candidates. "No Copt from Rahmaniya-Kebly was able to vote today, so the Salafists will win the elections," said a witness. Copts were forcefully prevented from voting.

US-based WAY TV, which covered live today's Rahmaniya attacks, called commander Osama, head of security at Rahmaniya, who said "everything was OK" -- despite live pictures on TV of the burning homes. Joseph Nasralla of WAY TV spoke to security and made them aware that the videos of the fires were being broadcast in the U.S. and Middle East, which caused the immediate dispatch of security vehicles. By late evening the violence had stopped.

In another incident today, a large number of Salafis and members of the Muslim Brotherhood entered the Abu Makka church, in Bahteem, Shubra-el-Khayma, Qaliubia province, and informed the congregation that the church has no licence and no one should pray in it. One Muslim said the 1300 square meter church would be suitable for a mosque and a hospital.

Bishop Marcus of Shubra el Khayma was scheduled to inaugurate the incomplete church and celebrate the Epiphany mass in the evening. According to Coptic witnesses the Bishop cancelled the festivities, which angered the congregation, who were not informed of the reason. A witness said the Muslim promised to be back tomorrow.

By Mary Abdelmassih

“1400% Increase in Murder Rate of Women in Turkey” Due to “Islamist Oriented” Government

It is an understatement to say that violence against women is a serious issue today, as I wrote in a previous article titled, Rampant Sexual Harassment of Women…in the West, “women are mistreated across the globe, across cultures, races, and religions at unfortunately high and gross levels.” This was proven with empirical evidence and scholarly analysis from various studies.
In the intro of the article I reminded readers that Islamphobes,

love to trot out the talking point that Muslims (due to Islam of course) are unique in harassing and oppressing women. According to them, anytime a Muslim man harasses or otherwise assaults a woman it is considered a result of Islam or somehow encouraged by “Islamic behavior.”
This belief, however, is not limited to anti-Muslim bigots but has also crept into the popular imagination and perception of the mainstream.

It is within that context that we review another recent manifestation of this “anti-Muslim talking point” creeping into the mainstream. As many of those who watched the recent South Carolina GOP Presidential Primary debate are aware, Fox News’s Brett Baier asked Gov. Rick Perry about Turkey’s “Islamist oriented” government, and what our relationship should be towards them (Turkey is one of our oldest allies). He set up the question this way,

“Since the Islamist oriented party took over in Turkey the murder rate of women has increased 1400% there…”

My jaw dropped when I heard that, what an astronomical and frankly unbelievable number! The clear implication was that the “increase in violence” was related to the rule of the so-called “Islamist oriented” AKP party. Once again something “Islam” or “Islam” related was being cast as the source and cause of violence.
Imagine the effect this had on those watching the debate? It either reinforced or created the perception that Islam and Muslims are incredibly violent towards women, and that any “Islam” oriented political party will result in a degradation of women’s rights.
Brett Baier’s question was extremely misleading to say the least. It provided no context or evidence linking the AKP party to the “increase” in murders. To say that the AKP is “Islamist oriented” is misleading as well, a more appropriate analogy may have been to the “Christian Democratic” parties in Europe.
I have found conflicting origins on the source of the “1400% increase” statistic. On some news outlets we learn that the figures were released by Women’s Rights lawyer Aydeniz Alisbah Tuskan,

The figures are based on data issued by lawyer Aydeniz Alisbah Tuskan, Co-ordinator of the Istanbul Bar Association Centre for Women’s Rights.

while others claim it was the Ministry of Justice,

According to the data of the Ministry of Justice, the number of women murders increased by factor 14 between 2002 and 2009. While 66 women were killed in 2002, this figure raised to 953 women murders in 2009. The development of the increase was documented as follows: 83 women murders in 2003; 128 in 2004; this figure more than doubled in 2005 with 317 women killings; again a sharp increase with 663 in 2006; a peak of 1011 women murders in 2007 and a small decrease in numbers in 2008 with 806 women murders.

Regardless of the source there seems to be agreement on the numbers. Tuskan in her report also added another startling fact regarding violence towards women,

The data revealed an additional startling dimension of the problem: 85 percent of about 2000 annually registered divorce applications in Istanbul are based on violence.

According to Tuskan the reason for this explosion in the number of divorce applications stemming from violence is, “based on the fact that women do not endure violence as they used to do in the past.”
This however does not address the increase in the number of murders. As Elif Shafak asks in her Guardian article, Turkey Opens it’s Eyes to Domestic Violence,

Are violent incidents against women on the rise in Turkey? Or is it just that we are finally getting a clearer picture of something that has been happening at the heart of Turkish society for some time?

If one were to listen to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, it has been his government that has started compiling these statistics, whereas before his administration statistics on the issue were not even “calculated,”

While numerous sources argued over the last week that violence against women increased by 1,400 percent in the past seven years, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said earlier this week that the issue was presented as if violence against women was on the rise. Highlighting that they would not ignore a single act of violence, Erdoğan said: “Before we started keeping track of this, statistics on the issue were not even calculated and no one was aware of these incidents. … I expect a responsible approach from both the opposition and the media over the matter and I say that, with solidarity and responsibility, we can decrease violence to the lowest level.”

I don’t see any reason to doubt Erdoğan’s assertion, however it would be vital to verify.
Either way, the statement from Erdoğan clearly contradicts Brett Baier’s misleading assertion that the so-called “Islamist-oriented” AKP which Erdoğan heads is the cause or root of the violence.
Erdoğan also went on to say,

“Violence against women is remorselessness, ruthlessness and, I say this without hesitation, contemptible”

Not really the evil, misogynist Islamic terrorist that Baier and Rick Perry thought ruled Turkey, aye?
Since the stats came out on the number of murders and incidences of violence directed against women there has been an intense debate on the subject in Turkey. It is no longer a taboo subject locked behind closed doors. There have also been massive grassroots campaigns and new legislation countering the violent trend,

In recent months, both print and visual media in Turkey have been running story after story about domestic violence: ex-husbands who shoot their ex-wives in front of their children, abusive husbands who come back to kill, boyfriends or fiancés who cannot forgive being dumped and seek revenge.
…
As disheartening as the situation is, there is also a growing reaction and a grassroots movement to stop it. Nowadays it is widely acknowledged that violence against women is not only confined to a few uneducated families in remote undeveloped regions. More importantly, until today, it was mainly assumed that such cases were a “family affair”. If a husband was beating his wife, this was their problem. Now this assumption is fully debunked. More and more public figures are coming out to say that domestic violence is everyone’s business and we should, as a society, interfere.
Family and social policies minister Fatma Sahin has announced that abusive husbands will be kept away from their homes with the help of electronic handcuffs. A group of men in the eastern province of Van have organised a significant march to protest at male violence. The group’s speaker proclaimed: “We are ashamed of men who attack women and do so in the name of manhood.”
University students are marching on the streets, women’s organisations are collecting signatures. Through blogs, websites, magazines, fanzines, panels and conferences activists are raising their voices, singers give concerts to honour women who have been victims of killings, writers and poets condemn the violence openly and contest it with their words. And yet, all this is not enough. Unless we change the way we raise our sons and discard our belief that they are superior to our daughters, unless we mothers stop treating our sons as the sultans in the house, nothing will be enough.

Lastly, it should be highlighted that Brett Baier’s misleading question is damaging most of all because it obfuscates the true issue of violence directed at women. It deflects from the root causes (cultural norms, cultural traditions, patriarchy) in exchange for the easy Orientalist scapegoat–Islam.
As Ilisha pointed out in her article on Honor Killing, by focusing on Islam, anti-Muslim Islamophobes are actually doing a disservice to those who are truly challenging violence towards women. Brett Baier’s question had the added effect of dehumanizing a whole nation, and I echo Ilisha’s call that Islamophobes, “give up their vicious campaign against Islam and join us in the struggle to end violence against women from all cultural and religious backgrounds.”
UPDATE I:
For further information on this topic I suggest reading The Journal of Turkish Weekly, which conducted an exclusive interview with Dilek Karal, a specialist at USAK Center for Social Studies regarding violence against women. According to Karal, there is no way to solidly identify whether murders against women have increased or decreased,

How should we read violence against women in Turkey? How accurate is it to say that violence has drastically increased in recent years?
D. Karal: There are a lot of factors which can trigger violence such as sociocultural factors, economic factors, and psychological factors in the environment where people grow up. We need to look at what conditions they become prominent under. The efforts shall target eliminating the roots of these factors. However this is not limited to the motto which is liberally used in Turkey—“education is a must”. Educated people also beat their spouses or commit different kinds of violence against them. Education is just one dimension. The issue should be tackled with integrated multi-agency policies. It is compulsory to operate family and child services efficiently, and formalize different environments where boys and girls grow up to not normalize the violence. All in all, violence as a phenomenon needs to leave our lives altogether.
For instance, Turkish Ministry of Justice 2010 data shows violence against women has increased 1400% during the last seven years. This is a very big number. According to some other data during the first seven months of 2010; 226 women were murdered while 478 women were raped and 722 women sexually abused. There are a lot of similar cases. Over 100,000 women suffered from sexual attacks. Although the numbers are as such, they cannot present us solid data regarding whether the violence has increased or decreased. This is because there are certain problems in evaluating statistical data in Turkey. The fact that they are being presented in a systematic fashion in recent years can be interpreted as the invisible tip of the iceberg slowly surfacing.
In other words, violence against women existed before as well but can now be better measured with in-depth research, which has made the issue more apparent. Without longitudinal studies it is very difficult to understand if the violence has increased or not. However, we need to underline that the existing circumstances in the context of this issue are already too tragic. According to Hacettepe University’s research, 39% of the women in this country (more than a third) are victims of physical violence and 15% are victims of sexual violence. 42% of women say that they have experienced a form of one or the other. The interesting part is the women who experienced violence did not make appeals to official units or to non-governmental organizations. More than half of them shared the situation with just close relatives. Only 8% of the women requested help from official units. This rate is very low. In a society where violence is skyrocketing, this low rate points to ignorance. Women either do not see themselves sufficient socioeconomically or they normalize violence in a sociocultural sense.

UPDATE II:
I also came across figures on murders of women since 2009 in the article, “This is a Civil War…” There is a large discrepancy between 2009 (1,126 murders) and 2010 (217 murders). If one were to be disingenuous regarding the issue, one could claim a massive decrease in murders!:

Here is the number of women murdered by year:
2002 – 66
2003 – 83
2004 – 164
2005 – 317
2006 – 663
2007 – 1,011
2008 – 806
2009 – 1,126
2010 – 217

Update:Islamist stops university debate with threats of violence

Here is the site that organized it, lets see how long it take the police to act 

Abu_Maryam
Urgent- Calling all muslims to East London today!!!

Brothers, the Queen Mary Athiest Society, sister of the shaytaani UCL Athiest Society (which published pictures of Rasoolullah(saw)) are holding an event today at Queen Mary University of London at 7:00 pm on ' Is Shariah in violation of human rights'.. We need your presence. Who gave these kuffar the right to speak? Let me ask you - if a bunch of kuffar got together and were given the right to touch your mother up and analyse her, then would you stand by and let it happen? Then what about your deen?!! Remember, these guys hate religion and are not looking to have an unbiased debate. Please be here by 7 pm. to let them know what we think. Back in my day no-one in UNi would dare even look the wrong way at a muslim, because we used to represent our deen and didnt take kindly to it being insulted. It is only when the pacifists ecame numerous that the kuffar dared to raise their heads. @ david sizer lecture theatre- francis bancroft building

Link to Site & abu 

Europe's Fate

According to Islamisation, on January 6, 2012, Egyptian imam Ali Abu Al-Hasan delivered a sermon on Al-Hekma television. Here is one passage:

"…with Muslim emigration into Europe and the unwillingness of Europeans to marry and have children… One hundred persons will be succeeded by only eighty, and ten years later, these eighty will be replaced by sixty, and these sixty will later be replaced by forty, and these forty will be a mere ten one decade later, and twenty years later, not one of them will remain!

Europe has become aware of this. In time, Europe will become a single Islamic State, and will know only that: 'There is no other god but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger.'

That's the way it is, whether they like it or not. It is Allah's decision. Islam is arriving!"

With 470,000 visas issued annually by the Interior Ministry (official figures for 2008) to nationals of Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Turkey, we can't help but believe that the Sarkozy government agrees with Islamic imperialism.

Click here for the video of the above, from MEMRI, with English subtitles. 

Ht  tiberge

Muslim Party Seeks Power In Dutch Parliament

The Dutch Muslim Party has announced plans to seek seats in the Dutch Parliament. The party already has a hold in regional governments in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and other Dutch cities.

The Partij Voor Moslim Nederland (Party for Muslim Netherlands), as it calls itself when it is not referring to itself as The Dutch Muslim Party (note the strong differences in meaning), campaigns on an anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, and anti-discrimination platform. It hopes to take part in Parliamentary elections in 2015. Among its principles:

Criminalization of blasphemy

Free speech within limitations: speech that can be seen as insulting or offensive on religious grounds will be prosecuted.

Damage or destruction of holy texts for any religion to be criminalized by law.
Members of the party can also be non-Muslims.

Women and men are to be seen as equal under the law.

The party is to be based on the Islamic principle of Shura

All troops must be withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan

Turkey must immediately be made a member of the EU

Support to Israel must be stopped

Zero-tolerance for all drugs, including marijuana (currently tolerated under Dutch law)
No bans shall be set against the current practice of importing poorly-educated women as brides for Dutch Muslim men

A new pamphlet outlining the party’s vision is to be published by the end of this month.

HT Cheradenine

Islamist stops university debate with threats of violence

A talk on sharia and human rights by NSS Council Member Anne Marie Waters' at Queen Mary College, London was cancelled at the last moment because of an Islamist who made serious threats against everyone there.

 

The talk was due to take place on 16 January but before it started, a man entered the lecture theatre, stood at the front with a camera and filmed the audience. He then said that he knew who everyone was, where they lived and if he heard anything negative about the Prophet, he would track them down.

The man also filmed students in the foyer and threatened to murder them and their families. On leaving the building, he joined a large group of men, apparently there to support him. Students were told by security to stay in the lecture theatre for their own safety.

Jennifer Hardy, President of Queen Mary Atheism Society, who organised the event said: "This event was supposed to be an opportunity for people of different religions and perspectives to debate, at a university that is supposed to be a beacon of free speech and debate.

"Only two complaints had been made to the Union prior to the event, and the majority of the Muslim students at the event were incredibly supportive of it going ahead. These threats were an aggressive assault on freedom of speech and the fact that they led to the cancellation of our talk was severely disappointing for all of the religious and non-religious students in the room who wanted to engage in debate."

The police were contacted about the incident.

You can read Anne Marie Waters' account of the event here.