Osama Saeed Resigns as Director of Failed Quango

This explains his rather confused attempt to accuse the family of Anas Sarwar, his Labour rival for Glasgow Central of associating with Hamas.

Scottish-Islamic Foundation Should Be Politicized Only By the SNP

THIS IS A GUEST POST BY DHAIBHIDH C MHAC DHUIHDHLHEIGH OF THE LENINIST VANGUARD (DRUMNADROCHIT CHAPTER).

Greetings all.  Our Brother, Osama Saeed has a truly inspiring response to the toxic attack dogs of the neo-con, Zionist, Imperialist conspiracy which has been unleashed against him.

I write this article in a personal capacity, as much of the criticism surrounding the Scottish-Islamic Foundation are to do with my political life, even though SIF has always maintained a strict non-party political line, and no one can demonstrate otherwise.

Reports recently about SIF have been headlined about me as an SNP candidate even though this has absolutely nothing to do with the SIF. Candidates in all parties hold down sensitive jobs in the public and charitable sectors and are not subjected to this unfair blurring of lines.

From day one SIF has been hounded by the Labour Party. The reasons for this are obvious. I am in with a great chance of being the next MP for Glasgow Central, and thereby sweeping the Sarwar family, great benefactors of Scottish Labour, out of office.

Mohammad Sarwar is not just a normal MP to Labour. He got the party £300,000 for the last Scottish election campaign. He continues to fund, directly and indirectly, a number of candidates and the national party itself. Labour will as a result make sure he is looked after.

In the initial phases, Sarwar’s ally Frank McAveety MSP was getting in about SIF. His register of interests shows he was given money for his last election campaign by Sarwar’s Muslim Friends of Labour organisation. Labour’s point man on this then seemed to suddenly switch. An unholy number of parliamentary questions have been tabled about SIF, in a scenario perhaps not quite ‘cash for questions’, but morally dubious nonetheless.

The pressure put on the Scottish government about SIF has been unparalleled for any similar small organisation. It’s come not just from Labour, but from rightwing elements, but often with the two feeding from each other. 55 others were funded in the same stream as SIF, including some working with Muslims, but I doubt readers can name another one or what they do for the money. Any organisation, when examined under a cynical microscope, can have fun poked at it. I’ve seen enough in the last few years in this sector to know that.

Audit Scotland investigated SIF’s funding and clearly and definitively concluded that correct processes and procedures were followed. £200,000 was awarded by the Scottish Government in 2008 to organise a festival of Muslim culture in order to bring communities together. The total budget needed was greater than this, but it proved difficult to raise it due to the economic crisis that had broken out. The plans were therefore streamlined and retimetabled. A lot of organisations have commented to me that they would have just blown the money on any old thing anyway. Instead, we were prudent, wanted to do the job properly, and asked for the £128,000 that wasn’t spent so far in developing the project to be reprofiled into this year.

Projects get delayed all the time – folk in the Scottish Parliament building of all places should know that. Just last week it was reported that government IT projects had lost in the region of a cool £26BILLION (where are the parliamentary questions? Where are the Freedom of Information requests?). SIF is nowhere near this territory though and didn’t ask for any new money. I think the green light to finish the festival would have been given had it not been for the hatred that would have poured forward if it had. SIF has instead had to be nimble and resourceful in reconfiguring the plans where others would have given up.

So if anyone is to blame for the delays to the bold things SIF wanted to do, Labour should look at themselves. It is nonsensical to create an environment where an organisation cannot get funding, and then criticise the consequences. How are SIF meant to deliver a Middle East trade expo and a cultural festival with no staff resource on it, and no way to pay for venues, publicity and the rest? No organisation in the country would be expected to do that.

Despite working under considerable strain, the young people involved in SIF have carried on as best they can, and are firmly an important part of the Scottish landscape. A cultural festival will go ahead. Since its launch a short 18 months ago, SIF has campaigned against forced marriage, distributed food amongst Glasgow’s needy, set up a PhD with Strathclyde University, exposed the man that threatened to blow up Glasgow Central Mosque, condemned vandalism by young Muslims against a synagogue in Edinburgh, and seen its young people even win awards for their contribution in the mainstream of society. The organisation brought together the country, including all political parties, with the Scotland United initiative when the far-right SDL was formed – 3,000 people from all walks joined it including trade unions, churches and the EHRC.

The latter, with Nazis astonishingly on Scottish streets against Muslims, underlined the need for bridge building activities and action against Islamophobia that SIF brought forward. It’s not ever reported, but Labour recognised this themselves when they agreed in principle to fund the Islamic festival before leaving office in 2007. It’s just a shame political opportunism later took over.

Gosh, wow, I mean wow, inspiring, like.  Brother Osama is quite right to point out that his organization should not be politicized for any purpose (other than promoting him, the SNP PPC for Glasgow Central).  I cannot fail to disagree more with his germane observation that it had spent a mere £72,000 of the allocated £400,000 with no discernible result, comparing to many billions lost on Government IT schemes.

I was making just such an argument when the Police attempted to book me for speeding.  Why were they not out catching real criminals?

Brother Osama lists many inspiring achievements of the SIF, such as blogging about a washed-out loonie, and not asking for more state money when any fule nose it would have been forthcoming.  I felt the shame of the SIF when it, instead, felt the leading to ask for Ramadan donations.

Osama Saeed and Azad Ali Do Not Support the Killing of American Troops in America

THIS IS A GUEST POST BY DHAIBHIDH C MHAC DHUIHDHLHEIGH OF THE LENINIST VANGUARD (DRUMNADROCHIT CHAPTER).

I normally am pleased to address you all, but I am sure you will appreciate why I do so with such a heavy heart today. I was truly saddened to hear of the shameful events surrounding the slaying of 13 American soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas. The eagerness which the international and Islamophobic media showed in naming Major Nidal Malik Hasan who surely deserves to be considered innocent until proven guilty was truly disturbing.

We must, of course, all stand against such acts of terrorism, wherever they may occur. For that reason, I was truly saddened to read an apologia for the slayings by a man whom I had once considered to preach nothing but peace.

I have previously been truly inspired by the words of US-born cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki but feel cheating by his recent thoughts on the Fort Hood slayings, which he called the actions of a hero.

I cannot stress how much I disagree with these words, and consider it truly disingenuous to attempt to smear me and my comrades in the struggle against Imperialism, hegemony and Islamophobia as the notorious neo-con Centre for Social Cohesion has done. Equally shamefully, the right-wing The Times has picked-up this and accused our Brothers, Osama Saeed and Azad Ali of praising the viper, al-Awlaki.

Brother Azad’s is a truly inspiring civil servant whose advice on incitement of racial and religious hatred is sought by the Crown Prosecution Service, and before being named in the national media, had described al-Awlaki as:

”one of my favourite speakers and scholars” and “I really do love him for the sake of Allah, he has an uncanny way of explaining things to people which is endearing”.

As if the shameful forced repayment of much needed set-up money was not demeaning enough, Brother Osama is right to feel offended, and has said:

I completely disagree with what he has said about Fort Hood, and a host of other matters which he has more recently written and spoken about.”

Like any normal human being with a scintilla of compassion and sense of justice, I believe it is essential to settle to sore in humanity which is the settler state of Israel and establish a bi-national haven of peace, but words such as these are not helpful:

The illegal state of Israel needs to be eradicated. Just like Rasulullah drove them out of the Arabian peninsula the Jews of Palestine need to be driven out to the sea. There are no Israeli civilians unless they are Muslim. When the enemy targets our women and children we should target theirs.

Engagement with the democratic process is essential for any revolutionary socialist, and I cannot agree with al-Awlaki’s words on the truly disturbing situation in Somalia:

“[Al-Shabaah] not only have succeeded in expanding the areas that fall under their rule but they have succeeded in implementing the sharia and giving us a living example of how we as Muslims should proceed to change our situation.The ballot has failed us the bullet has not.

Had I known that al-Awlaki’s 44 Ways to Support Jihad would be made public, I never would have offered him support.

I am led to believe that this political activism is like a computer game, so I would like now to press the reset button.

What Sort of Peace Is This?

The SNP PPC for Glasgow Central, Osama Saeed wrote in 2006 of Yemen-born US citizen, Anwar Al-Awlaki:

Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki was originally hounded in the US becuase two of the 9/11 bombers happened to pray at his mosque. Many of my Muslim readers will either know him personally or have heard his lectures. He preached nothing but peace, and I pray he will be able to do so again.

Perhaps al-Awlaki should have stuck to ministering to fallen women, as he has endured striking bad luck in his congregants at Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Great Falls, Virginia, where he was Grand Imam: for another was Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the only suspect in the Fort Hood shootings.

Al-awlaki wrote on his website:

Nidal Hassan is a hero.

He is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people. This is a contradiction that many Muslims brush aside and just pretend that it doesn’t exist. Any decent Muslim cannot live, understanding properly his duties towards his Creator and his fellow Muslims, and yet serve as a US soldier. The US is leading the war against terrorism which in reality is a war against Islam. Its army is directly invading two Muslim countries and indirectly occupying the rest through its stooges.

Nidal opened fire on soldiers who were on their way to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. How can there be any dispute about the virtue of what he has done? In fact the only way a Muslim could Islamically justify serving as a soldier in the US army is if his intention is to follow the footsteps of men like Nidal.

The heroic act of brother Nidal also shows the dilemma of the Muslim American community. Increasingly they are being cornered into taking stances that would either make them betray Islam or betray their nation. Many amongst them are choosing the former. The Muslim organizations in America came out in a pitiful chorus condemning Nidal’s operation.
The fact that fighting against the US army is an Islamic duty today cannot be disputed. No scholar with a grain of Islamic knowledge can defy the clear cut proofs that Muslims today have the right -rather the duty- to fight against American tyranny. Nidal has killed soldiers who were about to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in order to kill Muslims. The American Muslims who condemned his actions have committed treason against the Muslim Ummah and have fallen into hypocrisy.

Allah(swt) says: Give tidings to the hypocrites that there is for them a painful punishment -

Those who take disbelievers as allies instead of the believers. Do they seek with them honor [through power]? But indeed, honor belongs to Allah entirely. (al-Nisa 136-137)

The inconsistency of being a Muslim today and living in America and the West in general reveals the wisdom behind the opinions that call for migration from the West. It is becoming more and more difficult to hold on to Islam in an environment that is becoming more hostile towards Muslims.

May Allah grant our brother Nidal patience, perseverance and steadfastness and we ask Allah to accept from him his great heroic act.

Funnily, shortly after a number of US service personnel started posting on al-Awlaki’s website, it appears to have stopped responding.

HAT TIP – Harry’s Place.

The Salt and the Glaur – Jimmy Buchan’s Blog Taken Offline

Jimmy Buchan, the Blogger Laureate of the Seafish Industy Authority has had his blog taken offline.  Primarily known as the skipper of the Amity II from the BBC series, Trawlermen, Buchan is also the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Westminster seat of Banff and Buchan. 

Currently MP is Alex Salmond, who will be stepping down in 2010, three years after being elected to the Scottish Parliament.

As reported in The Scotsman, Buchan had blogged for Seafish until being selected as PPC:

Gaynyr Dickson, communications executive for Seafish, explained: “When Jimmy said he was going to stand for election he decided to stop doing the blog, but we couldn’t secure anyone willing to give it the time and effort so it stood empty.

“We decided that Jimmy could continue to blog as long as he made no reference to the political side of his life.

We then received about six or seven letters of complaint saying we were giving Jimmy a political platform and that we should not allow him to blog on the website.”

On the face of it, this is perfectly reasonable, as it would be unacceptable to use taxpayers’ money to fund an overt or covert political campaign.  I have not seen, however, any suggestion that Buchan was doing so.  Although blog entries since his return in September 2009 have been excized, archives until January 2009 remain and appear unthreatening.

Instead the description of the complaints simply suggests that umbrage was taken at a professional fisherman, who is also a PPC, writing about his profession.

As stated in the article, SNP sources insisted the party had not initiated any complaint.  This still leaves open, as Buchan insists, that SNP-supporters did so for their own political ends.  For instance, inclusive and gay-friendly formal policies held the SNP have had doubt cast on them by public positions displayed by individuals such as local councillor, Kenneth Gunn and PPC for Glasgow Central, Osama Saeed.

SNP to Bring Non-Eurocentric Finance to Scotland

THIS IS A GUEST POST BY DHAIBHIDH C MHAC DHUIHDHLHEIGH OF THE LENINIST VANGUARD (DRUMNADROCHIT CHAPTER).

Greetings all. I was most disgusted to read a piece in the Wall Street Journal by the notorious right-wing Unionist, Tom Gallagher in which he poured scorn upon the truly inspiring release of Abdel Baset al-Megrahi by the compassionate Scottish justice for criminals system.

It should be a source of pride for anyone committed to socialist and non-hegemonic principles that the Scottish Government is taking such a truly inspiring role in bringing this nation into the post-colonial and post-capitalist age.

One of the most truly inspiring grassroots organizations is the Scottish-Islamic Foundation, run under the wise direction of Osama Saeed, who has also been lucky to be named the SNP candidate for Glasgow Central. Brother Osama planned to stage a truly inspiring Islamfest event.

It was with regret that I saw that the SIF had repayed £128,000 of public money which was to be used to start-up the fund-raising… you have to spend money to make money. The full cost was to have come from our Brothers in the Gulf States, but this did not come due to the global ‘credit crunch’ (who would have thought that Eurocentric financial models were so useful).

I cannot now conceal my excitement at the prospect of the Scottish-Islamic Foundation exploring the benefits of non-Eurocentric finance with its truly inspiring partnership with the Etisal Foundation at the Glasgow Hilton in November.

Speaking with forked-tongues, as his ilk is wont to do, Gallagher attempted to smear the truly inspiring Scottish Government with the allegation it obeyed demands from Khalid al-Attiyah, the Qatari Minister for International Co-Operation, to release al-Megrahi to ensure continued trade relations with Qatar and other Gulf States.

It is probably a coincidence that SNP officials are now on a trade-mission to Gulf States, as Peter Salisbury reports in Middle East Business Intelligence.

Scottish-Islamic Foundation to Repay Public Money

I cannot tell you how satisfied I am that the Scottish-Islamic Foundation has been ordered to repay £128,000 of funds granted it by the SNP administration at the Scottish Executive.

The Director of the SIF is Osama Saeed, whom I have written about before, and the SNP PPC for Glasgow Central. Other family members as well as SNP party members and organizers make-up the backbone of the SIF board members.

The SIF was founded in January 2008, and immediately received Scottish Executive patronage Scottish Executive patronage and large grants of (UK) taxpayers’ money without apparent oversight or consideration of pre-existing cultural and religious organizations run by Scottish Muslims.   It should also be noted that Saeed is a sometime regional organizer for the Muslim Association of Britain which, with its wider Islamist Muslim Brotherhood allignment, is strongly Salafist influenced and Saudi-inclined.  A lynchpin of its worldview was codified by Sayyid Qutb, who drew much of his inspiration from European fascism in general, and Hitlerism specifically.

Scottish Muslims are, however, overwhelmingly of South East Asian background and quietist Barlevi or Sufi inclined.

There Were Lesbians to the Left of Me, a Gay Choir to the Right

In 2007, Labour Councillor for Waltham Forest, Miranda Grells was convicted and disbarred from holding public office of electoral fraud following her making a semantic link between homosexuality and paedophillia in her [temporarily] successful campaign against the LibDem incumbent, Barry Walsh.

Currently, SNP Councillor for Selkirk, Kenneth Gunn (also Convenor for the SNP in Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk Constituency) is under fire for deeming that “so-called gays” (I would love to know what this means) – who are “really very sad people”  – are “running the country and running down Christianity”, alongwith “non-believers and heathens”.  This is not his singing:

His wife, Wilma, has a little better opinion of the English.

A local lesbian couple, Barbara Harrison and Linda Jackson, have lodged official complaints with Borders Council.

An initial half-hearted response from SNP publicity department has stated:

Mr Gunn’s religious beliefs are a personal matter. The comments do not reflect a party position, nor was he speaking in a political capacity.

The party position is one which, nominally at least, has “no place for prejudice and discrimination if we are to ensure Scotland’s future success as a welcoming, modern nation“.  Although Yet, as yet there has been no official statement, from a party whose leader mistakes multinational companies for “London boardrooms” and vows to fight for haggises on the beaches, regarding such prejudiced and discriminatory statements.

Although Joe Fitzpatrick, SNP MSP for Dundee West, has called for Gunn’s investigation by party authorities, the immediate response from others - including Kenny Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North – appears to have been defensive and dissmive, “the individual in question is not an MSP, therefore to suggest this tars’ us all with these alleged comments is nonsensical”.

Maybe that is best. Because it would then have to examine the utterances of its wunderkind and PPC for Glasgow Central, Osama Saeed (also director of the Scottish Islamic Foundation) who has promoted, on his personal website Eye on Gay Muslims, which advocates ‘cures’ for homosexuality.  From down the trouser-leg, we hear:

You cannot justify homosexual activity in the light of divine revelation, and no doubt it is all sinful. Understand Islam properly, realise that even the identity of being “gay” is problematic and un-Islamic, and repent to Allah, who is Forgiving, Merciful.

And, it is not the only religious organization, which believes homosexuality is inherently sinful and that practioners are in need of ‘curing’, he has recommended on his personal blog.

Maybe it is time for the SNP to drop shibboleths of gay-rights.

UPDATE – Blair in the annotations observes that SNP MEP Alyn Smith is openly bisexual.

Where are the Non-Jihadist Terrorists?

(Cross-posted at Harry’s Place.)

In February 2009, Osama Saeed of the Scottish Islamic Foundation discussed his views on Neil MacGregor, who had recently been arrested following threats to Strathclyde Police to bomb Glasgow Central Mosque as well as kidnapping and beheading one Muslim in Scotland per day until all Scottish mosques were closed.

Saeed contended (as did with Yousuf Hamid) was that there was a media wide bias to under-report threats against Muslims, coupled with a salacious desire to cover reports of threatening Muslims regardless of relevance.

 In one of those reports which were not appearing, Saeed stated:

”MacGregor can count himself lucky that his trial took place at the Sheriff Court rather than the High Court, where terrorism cases normally go, and the punishment is stiffer.

“This apparent discrepancy has to be explained.”

There is no apparent about it. That MacGregor appeared before a Sheriff Court was undisputed. The immediate reason was because, as far as I can see, he was *not* charged under terrorism-related offences, as implied by Saeed, but racially aggravated breach of the peace.  (If this recent violent attack turns out to be race-related, and even if it does not, I cannot see it being heard in any Court other than a High Court.)

And, looking at the case and the relevant evidence, this appears to have been appropriate. Police had searched immediately Glasgow Central Mosque, and found no devices; MacGregor was not found in possession of any material or means to pursue a campaign of violence. He, in short, comes across as a bigoted twat mouthing off: who then apologized profusely on the SIFblog:

Dear Osama Saeed

I visited your website today Monday 9th March 2009 & read the article about my threats towards the Glasgow Central Mosque.
I understand your anger & understand that you wish to make an example of me, really I do, but please understand & allow me to make a few points:

a) There is no record of me anywhere of any interest from me towards membership of the National Front or any non- legal or racist group.
b) I have never shown any anger previous my threats towards any Muslim or the religion of Islam & of course non since.
c) There was no explosives or any equipment capable of making explosives in my property during the dawn raids made on my home by the CID.
d) All my threats though not acceptable were verbal & no one was harmed.
e) I have apologized both verbally & written to the Glasgow Central Mosque since.

I have since become a regular Church attendee & follow GODS will that we should all love & respect each other. I have no ill feelings towards Muslims & understand that there are far more attacks Christian on Christian than Muslim on Christian & again apologize unreservedly to you & everyone connected with both Glasgow Central Mosque & the Scottish Islamic Foundation.

I am not a far right extremist

Yours

Neil MacGregor
Peace be with you

But, bigoted twats – even apologetic ones – still can cause difficulties for all levels of society and it is only proper that he be punished. MacGregor has now received three years probation, with Sheriff Andrew Mackie ruling that a custodial sentence would not be helpful as the root causes lay with MacGregor’s mental health problems. If this is so, I entrust that part of his sentencing involves psychiatric evaluation and monitoring.

Osama Saeed Does Not Support Terrorism or Killing of Jews in Britain

Osama Saeed’s personal blog has been zipped-up for some weeks which may be best for a confirmed S.N.P candidate for Glasgow Central. When one looks through its records, also presumably preserved in Google Cache, one finds less circumspect descriptions of acts of suicide-terrorism against civilians in far-off conflicts.

(Religious Jews overcoming the horror in the human condition, never mind Judaism, at clearing body parts and flesh pieces after an attack in Dimona.)

These are “martyrdom operations”, and Saeed appears to have shown no discomfiture in saying so. (Although it should be made clear that he describes suicide-terrorism in Iraq under the same banner.) In October 2006, for instance, he offered Hamas – and religio-political organization which continues to adhere to its founding charter which vows to pursue Jews to behind the last tree – kudos for restraining from such “martyrdom operations for two years” then.

The last great act of multiple murder had taken place on 31 August 2004 as 16 bus passengers were died in at double-bombing at Beersheba. Much as I would like to think that Hamas Warren then found a love for its brethren and sistren in the Covenant of Frith, I suspect the subsequent downturn was due to the construction of the security barrier or fence or great big evil Apartheid wall, call it what you may.

Saeed then states:

They have said that if Israel withdraw from territories occupied in 1967, to the UN green line, then there will be a longstanding peace, with final issues decided by future generations.

So, in the world up the trouser leg, Hamas is to get credit for not sending walking-bombs, some containing shrapnel laced with rat-poison, to kill as many bystanders as possible.

But, here’s what the current Hamas bureau chief, Khaled Meshaal, says about Hamas’ attitude towards a return to the 1967 boundaries:

We consider this positive step but we have the right in all Palestine.

Thus, in Meshaal’s mind and – one would assume if he so clearly endorses Hamas – that of Saeed, business would be expected to go on as normal lest Israeli society committed mass-erasure. No decisions have to be made by future generations. Members of this generation have decided they would carry on.

Finally, I’ll leave you with the [translated] words of Kemal El-Helbawy, a London-based Islamist whom Saeed’s fiefdom the Scottish Islamist Islamic Foundation has entertained under an event entitled Dear Beloved Son:

A child born in Israel is raised on the belief that [the Arabs] are like contemptible sheep, and that this is a land without a people, and they are a people without a land. They have very strange concepts. In elementary school, they pose the following math problem: “In your village, there are 100 Arabs. If you killed 40, how many Arabs would be left for you to kill?” This is taught in the Israeli curriculum. What would you say about that? Should a child studying this be considered a civilian? He is a future soldier.

(Subscription may be required.)

How could anyone wish to kill Israeli children? They’re just so squ-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e cute!