the battle for Islam

The article linked below discusses the official British regime's attempted colonization of the Muslim hearts and minds, so as to severely distort our understanding of Islam. There are both official and unofficial attempts at this distortion - it is not only the hired Muslim "thinkers" - but also those who are not necessarily on the official payroll, but who support and work towards the aim of the US/British regime's attempted distortion of Islam.

The most current incarnation of this colonial policy began under the former British regime's prime minister, and prime anti-Muslim/Islam war monger: Tony Blair. The current policy of the British regime is only a continuation of the fitna started by the Blair regime.

Tony Blair, himself, continues his work of distortions through his new "Tony Blair Foundation." Hamza Yusuf, in turn, gavee credibility to Blair's project by allowing himself to be called upon, and speaking at his foundation, and on the same panel. Mr. Yusuf has also been affiliated with the notorious Radical Middle Way project, along with a host of other so-called "traditional scholars."

(Note that according to Zaid Shakir, Hamza Yusuf was set up with regards to the speaking engagement at the Tony Blair Foundation).

The RMW recently, under the British Home Office's direction, expanded its project to spread their distortion to Egypt - under the title of "Projecting British Islam."

This article is an important read, especially to place the current imperial/colonial policies in historical context:

On 18th of July 2008, BBC News reported that the British government has devised a plan to hire “thinkers” from the Islamic world to discuss issues affecting Muslim communities. Some of the issues that are going to be examined will concern the role of Muslim women in society, loyalty to the State and of course the radicalisation of the Muslim youth. The government-approved list of theologians will be designated to re-interpret or “properly” interpret (as the government likes to put it) Islam so that it transforms into a politically flaccid, government-swayed version of religion.

Ms Hazel Blears, Communities Secretary, stated that ‘it was the government’s job to support the Muslim leaders on controversial issues.’ As to who will be asked to represent the Muslim community at this ‘elite’ gathering still remains a mystery, but one thing is certain, the panellists congregated by the government will have virtually no religious credibility in the Muslim community. Their ill-advised offering to the government has already sealed their fate. This government initiative is the latest project in a series of plans to win the British battle for hearts and minds.

‘Hearts and Minds’ campaigns are usually understood as Western attempts to emotionally and ideologically ‘liberate’ oppressed nations from tyrants, dictators and religious theocrats. The primary objective of ‘Hearts and Minds’ campaigns is for Western forces, who somehow always end up playing the role of the liberator (and never the occupier), to win over the loyalty and allegiance of native populations by selling them promises of freedom, security and development.

Today, ‘The Battle for Hearts and Minds’ is a cliché that is spearheading the American ‘War on Terror’. It somehow makes the current conflict all the more moral and principled.

Over the past few years, the Labour party has initiated a comprehensive plan to launch a major upheaval in the way that the Muslim community functions in Britain. Projects have been launched targeting almost every segment of the community. Through MINAB, the government has proposed the formation of a body that would generate government approved mosque imams, through Citizenship Foundation programmes such as the Bradford based initiative ‘Nasiha’, the government has attempted to penetrate Muslim families by encouraging them to report ‘radical’ members of their household to the authorities, and through government backed forums such as the Radical Middle Way, British Muslim Forum, and the Sufi Muslim Council, the government has attempted to siphon off Muslim affiliation away from the Muslim world. The Muslim community as a whole is viewed with suspicion. This attitude towards Muslims is not new; the current government has a well-established precedent to follow in the annals of the British Raj in India.

read more here