“1. Mugging - You have probably suffered this at least once in your life, or know someone who has suffered it.

-

The British Legal System: The sentence is discretionary, depending on the crime, but is commonly punished by community service.

The Islamic Judicial System: Once guilt is ascertained, the judge will consider the severity of the crime and perform ijtihaad (i.e. extracting the rule from the Qur’aan and the Sunnah). This may range from public humiliation to death, if the mugging led to death.

2. Burglary - Burglary is extremely common in Britain. No doubt, you are afraid that your house may get burgled if you are away for any period of time.

The British Legal System: The sentence is discretionary, depending on the crime, but is commonly punished with imprisonment.

The Islamic Judicial System: Burglars will have their hand cut off, provided they fulfil the seven conditions for this punishment. They are not permitted to have it surgically replaced.

3. Rape – There is a rape in Britain on average every 2.5 hours. Many more go unreported, and in most cases the perpetrator is known to the victim.

The British Legal System: The sentence is discretionary, but the punishment ranges from a fine to life imprisonment. Commonly, the period of imprisonment is below 10 years.

The Islamic Judicial System: The punishment can be death, depending on the circumstances.

4. Drug Abuse - This is extremely common among all ages, particularly the youth. It is often seen as a harmless habit. Perhaps you are worried about a child or relative; if not, you probably should be.

The British Legal System: The punishment depends on the nature of the drug, and the quantity possessed. Alcohol is legal. For ‘soft’ drugs, offenders are usually just cautioned, but ‘hard’ drug abusers (like cocaine, heroin) may be imprisoned.

The Islamic Judicial System: Offenders are publicly flogged 80 lashes.

5. Fornication & Adultery - With the emphasis in our society placed on relationships and sexual freedom, you would be justified in fearing for the conduct of young or indeed older Muslims who are subject to its influence.

The British legal System: Both of these are legal, whether done between members of the opposite sex or the same sex (i.e. homosexuality). In fact, if you were to criticise these you would be blamed for intolerance and discrimination.

The Islamic Judicial System: Fornication is punished by flogging 100 lashes. Adultery and homosexual fornication are both punished by public execution.

The objective behind the administration of justice in Islam is to act as a deterrent, to reform offenders and to secure society. As you can see, the nature of sentences in the Islamic Judicial System ensures that these objectives are achieved. History bears witness to this – only about 200 hands are recorded to have been cut in the entire history of the Islamic State!

In the West, however, up to 70% of convicted prisoners re-offend once they are released, and the rates of crime are hardly indicative of a successful deterrent. One of the fundamental problems in the West is the complete contradiction of the ideology that is pushed upon the people. On the one hand, they are told that freedom is the basic right of the individual. This, however, is an open license to commit crime. When this is combined with the concept of democracy, the contradiction becomes apparent. For democracy is a system of making laws – devices to restrict freedom. The result of this conceptual mish-mash is chaos!

The justice which the Islamic State’s Judicial System proffers will offer you peace of mind, security and confidence that your rights will not be abused. After the checks and balances of personal taqwaa (fear of God) and the effect of public opinion, the last level of regulation – the Islamic Judicial System guarantees that the world will be free from the exploitation and corruption of man-made law, and the rising tide of crime that complements it.”

I’ll let readers draw their own conclusions as to whether shariah law punishments are proportionate. But I believe that their effectiveness has been overstated – to assert that “only 200 hands have been cut off in the entire history of the (which?) Islamic State” is on the face of it ridiculous. A simple Google search for ‘amputations saudi’ reveals this article in which

“Saudi Arabia’s leading executioner Muhammad Saad Al-Beshi will behead up to seven people in a day.

“It doesn’t matter to me: Two, four, 10 — As long as I’m doing God’s will, it doesn’t matter how many people I execute,” he told Okaz newspaper in an interview.

…

An executioner’s life, of course, is not all killing. Sometimes it can be amputation of hands and legs. “I use a special sharp knife, not a sword,” he explains. “When I cut off a hand I cut it from the joint. If it is a leg the authorities specify where it is to be taken off, so I follow that.””

There have also been recent amputations in Somalia and the Sudan.

“What does Islam say about violence and terrorism?

Terrorism is defined by God (Allah) as the verbal or physical use of violence – whether by a state or individual – against a person or people (civilians or combatants), in the absence of a divine permit.

Any form of terrorism, as defined above, is completely forbidden and condemned in Islam.

Are the majority of terrorists Muslims?

The vast majority of terrorists in the world today are not Muslims – they are fundamentalist Christians and Jews.

At present, we are witnessing international terrorism carried out and encouraged by non-Muslims on a mass scale against thousands of innocent Muslim men, women and children in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine.

Even in the UK, Muslims are being targeted and terrorised by draconian laws, police brutality and indiscriminate raids and arrests.

Does the Qur’aan (Koran) teach violence?

Violence can be pro-life or against life. In some circumstances, the use of violence (as punishment) may be necessary to safeguard the life, sanctity and morality of others.

Examples of legitimate forms of violence are capital punishments, self-defence, and so forth.

Therefore, there are two types of violence in Islam: one that is legislated and one that is forbidden. Violence (or terrorism) against innocent people is prohibited, whereas violence against aggressors can be justified.”

Food for thought?

“Now the divine proofs state very clearly that there are two types of people in this world and in the hereafter, the good people (believers) and the bad people (disbelievers).

When justice is carried out in the hereafter all the disbelievers will go to hellfire forever and the believers will go to paradise forever.

…

The hellfire is designed to wake us up and make us think about the frightening punishments Allah (The Most Strict in Punishment) has kept in store for the disbelievers. It is a pure way of self accountability and making sure you stay on the right path.

The last and final Prophet Muhammad (May the Peace and Blessings of Allah Be upon Him) informed us that The least tormented of the inhabitants of the Fire would be he who would wear two shoes of Fire and his brain would boil on account of the heat of the shoes. [Collected by Imam Muslim]

…

So we ask you sincerely to worship the one true Lord Allah (The Most Beneficent) by fearing Allah (The Most Gracious), keeping away from the anger of Allah (The Most Merciful) and avoiding the curses of Allah (The Avenger) only then will you be saved from the grave punishment. The only way you can do this is if you become a true believer, a Muslim because the false religions of today are Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Atheism, Nubians, Buddhism, Taoism, Pantheism, Socialism, Capitalism, Anarchism, Secularism, Hedonism etc.

So do not say you were not warned because you will have no excuse on the Day of Judgement.”

So in summary:-

• worship the one true Lord Allah (The Most Beneficent)
• fear Allah (The Most Gracious)
• keep away from the anger of Allah (The Most Merciful)
• avoid the curses of Allah (The Avenger)

“The choice is yours! But remember the consequences are very severe if you remain on disbelief.”

In the wake of the BNP leader Nick Griffin’s appearance on ‘Question Time’ a former New Labour  adviser has revealed that

“The huge increases in migrants over the last decade were partly due to a politically motivated attempt by ministers to radically change the country and “rub the Right’s nose in diversity”"

The Daily Telegraph website also states that

“He said Labour’s relaxation of controls was a deliberate plan to “open up the UK to mass migration” but that ministers were nervous and reluctant to discuss such a move publicly for fear it would alienate its “core working class vote”.

As a result, the public argument for immigration concentrated instead on the economic benefits and need for more migrants.

…

Mr Neather was a speech writer who worked in Downing Street for Tony Blair and in the Home Office for Jack Straw and David Blunkett, in the early 2000s.

Writing in the Evening Standard, (Andrew Neather) revealed the “major shift” in immigration policy came after the publication of a policy paper from the Performance and Innovation Unit, a Downing Street think tank based in the Cabinet Office, in 2001.

He wrote a major speech for Barbara Roche, the then immigration minister, in 2000, which was largely based on drafts of the report.

He said the final published version of the report promoted the labour market case for immigration but unpublished versions contained additional reasons, he said.

He wrote: “Earlier drafts I saw also included a driving political purpose: that mass immigration was the way that the Government was going to make the UK truly multicultural.

“I remember coming away from some discussions with the clear sense that the policy was intended – even if this wasn’t its main purpose – to rub the Right’s nose in diversity and render their arguments out of date.”

The “deliberate policy”, from late 2000 until “at least February last year”, when the new points based system was introduced, was to open up the UK to mass migration, he said.

Some 2.3 million migrants have been added to the population since then, according to Whitehall estimates quietly slipped out last month.

In his column, Mr Neather said that as well as bringing in hundreds of thousands more migrants to plug labour market gaps, there was also a “driving political purpose” behind immigration policy.

He defended the policy, saying mass immigration has “enriched” Britain, and made London a more attractive and cosmopolitan place.

But he acknowledged that “nervous” ministers made no mention of the policy at the time for fear of alienating Labour voters.

“Part by accident, part by design, the Government had created its longed-for immigration boom.

“But ministers wouldn’t talk about it. In part they probably realised the conservatism of their core voters: while ministers might have been passionately in favour of a more diverse society, it wasn’t necessarily a debate they wanted to have in working men’s clubs in Sheffield or Sunderland.”"

It’s a pity that this information was only revealed after Question Time – it would have changed the programmes focus from putting the boot into Griffin to questioning the Justice Minister Jack Straw whether his government was partly to blame for the rise of the BNP.

There’s just so much to enjoy on the site, and I’ll probably revisit it soon. As a taster, here’s coverage of the march next Saturday: -

“Undoubtedly, Islam and the Shari’ah have reached new heights in the United Kingdom, Muslim communities up and down the country have brought forth a culture and system that is not only superior to the British way of life but also a shining example of what true subservience to Almighty God can bring to a society  drowning in disbelief and oppression.

Recent months have been particularly debilitating for the British population who have struggled to get by as basic necessities such as food, clothing and shelter have become more cumbersome to obtain. The MPs’ expenses scandal that shocked the nation unfortunately also demonstrates the cruel indifference the British government has towards its citizens and moreover how they appear to be more concerned with wasting public money on personal frivolities than investing it for the betterment of society.

As a result of this perpetual malaise, Islam4UK with the help of sincere Muslims launched a series of Islamic Roadshow’s that provided a real answer to the problems faced by the British community; with over 16 different locations already hit including, Birmingham, Slough, Lewisham, Peckham and Green Street, approximately 70 men and women have embraced Islam, reinforcing the dire need for Shari’ah in contemporary Britain.

In light of all this, Islam4UK would like to declare the launch of a spectacular procession that will take place on 31st October 2009.

We hereby request all Muslims in the United Kingdom, in Manchester, Leeds, Cardiff, Glasgow and all other places to join us and collectively declare that as submitters to Almighty Allah (SWT), we have had enough of democracy and man-made law and the depravity of the British culture. On this day we will call for a complete upheaval of the British ruling system its members and legislature, and demand the full implementation of Shari’ah in Britain.

…

Where will the procession take place?

First Stop:  House of Commons

The primary source of polytheistic legislation in Britain, the House of Commons is at the centre of Britain’s oppressive law making policies; from here fallible men and women decide what should be legal and illegal. It is from this very place where the lives of millions of people in the UK are changed and it is from here where unjust wars are launched.

Islam4UK stewards and guides will be at hand to direct all attendees to the centre of the congregation from where the March for Shari’ah will officially commence.

Second Stop: 10 Downing Street

Almost 300 years old, 10 Downing Street is the official residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Gordon Brown, the current Prime Minister, is one of the chief figures in making laws and regulating the affairs of society. In the last few years, he has undoubtedly brought Britain down to an all new low and appears to be truly blind to the damaging impact of his oppressive bureaucracy.

After demanding the abolishment of the House of Commons Muslims will then march to 10 Downing Street, and call for the removal of the tyrant Gordon Brown from power.

Third Stop: Trafalgar Square

A site of significant historical value, Muslims will gather even more support from tourists and members of the public, making clear in the heart of London the need for Shari’ah in society.

It will be here where the march will culminate and finish and we hope that with the help of Allah (SWT) it will be very successful.”

It sounds like a hoot. I may attend to record some choice quotes… (The march starts at 1PM and ends at 4PM.)

According to the PM Blog

“A motorist who was filmed drenching children at a bus stop by going through a puddle could face prosecution, police said today.

Kerry Callard’s driving in Plymouth, Devon came to the attention of officers after a 30-second movie clip was posted on YouTube. The footage from inside the car captures the drive down Weston Mill Hill and through the large puddle where the group are waiting.
Police said the 29-year-old had contacted them voluntarily about the incident last Thursday and the evidence was now being reviewed. A male voice is heard commenting on the clip saying: “Here we go, ready to drench the kids..” and later “That was Brilliant! Awesome!”.

…

Callard has claimed the children asked to be splashed and would not have done it otherwise.”

Amusing though the clip is, I’m not sure how a driver obtains consent to drench pavement users by driving past them at about 50 MPH…

According to a talking head from the AA, the drenching act is a crime, and drivers previously prosecuted for similar offences have been fined and even had their vehicles seized.

In my opinion the entire thing is a stunt – there’s a reference to www.advertisingguerrilla.com at the end of the video. The website describes itself as “a powerful new media creative marketing group”. God knows how they thought that it would garner good publicity…

Basically the ad (posted by someone known as “Club4Growth”) asserts that under Britain’s “socialised” medical system, “government health officials” decided that “six months of life is worth $22,750″…”if a medical treatment costs more, you’re out of luck. “…”Life and death decisions should be made by patients and doctors, not politicians and bureaucrats.”

The advert glosses over the facts that

1. Whilst the National Institute of Clinical Excellence does issue guidelines as to the effectiveness of treatments and drugs, it is a state financed but independently run institute.

The video’s assertion appears to relate to a drug called “Sutent”, used to treat advanced kidney cancer. As the New York Times stated, “NICE had set a general limit of £30,000, or about $49,000, on the cost of extending life for a year. Sutent, when used for advanced kidney cancer, cost more than that, and research suggested it offered only about six months extra life.”

2. The National Health Service does ration care, based on NICE’s guidance. As a state funded organisation it has to. Otherwise medical costs would spiral out of control. NICE, although British is widely used by medical professiona in other countries – Austria recently set up its own version of the institute.
3. The NHS is supported by ‘National Insurance’ contributions (but in reality general taxation), but it is not the only medical provider in the UK. There is a smaller (but still significant) privately funded industry of doctors, hospitals and specialists, paid for largely by employer funded medical insurance. So anyone with insurance (or money) is free to choose where they receive treatment.

Compare this with the situation in the United States.

1. US medicine (for all but the old and the extremely poor) is funded by employer subsidised medical insurance. Patients have to haggle with insurers for the cost of their treatment, pay a proportion of it despite the insurance and can have treatment curtailed, denied or simply stopped by the insurer, in other words by bureaucrats.
2. Despite the huge cost of US medicine about 45 million Americans have no medical insurance whatsoever.  Over a million Americans are bankrupted by medical costs every year.
3. Judging by comments on US websites such as the Los Angeles Times, a significant minority think that any state funded healthcare is at best far inferior to the existing US system, and at worst the precursor to the imposition of fully fledged socialism. Seriously.
4. Despite the public hostility to state funded medicine, at least one scheme does already exist in the US – for members of Congress.

I don’t know how good the Canadian healthcare system is, and the NHS (despite a huge spending increase over the past decade) will always have to ration treatment. Maybe better examples of ‘socialised medicine’ are the French and German models.  But many Americans are unhappy with the existing system, and adverts like the one above are designed to scare them away from alternatives.

Fortunately for the majority of UK surfers, the bar on naming the miscreants’ identities has expired. Although the relationship of Jason & Stephen has been widely publicised (on the other side of the Atlantic, at least) it still seems to be banned in the UK.

Haringey Council has been implicated in the Baby Peter case and eight years previously the Victoria Clumbie death (I bizarrely met both murderers of Victoria outside Tottenham bus garage before they were sentenced).

I believe Haringey Council to be riddled with corruption and intimidation (having heard first hand from a professional who represented a housing benefit claimant who was placed in an unsuitable, squalid and insanitary dwelling owned by a member of the Housing Department’s staff -  when she represented them at a meeting with the Haringey Housing Department an official threatened the claimant and the professional with violence. Another professional involved in the case and the professional I spoke to wrote to the leader of  Haringey Council exposing the malpractice).

When David Cameron (ostensibly didn’t) referred to the political affiliation of the (left wing) Haringey Council the Prime Minister Gordon Brown accused him of playing party politics. In my opinion he wasn’t.  I believe that many of the functions of Haringey Council should be taken over by a centrally controlled  administration – in every instance of council administration I have encountered I believe them to be deficient. (I even moved from Haringey to avoid the council’s effect).

So the question remaining is, what will Haringey do now the truth is out? Quite apart from the connection between Stephen Barker and Jason Owen, there is also the question of a 14/15 year old minor who lived in the house where Peter Connolly died, who (allegedly) lived with Jason Barker, and who was compelled to hide in a trench in the garden when council officials inspected. Unfortunately her testimony has disappeared from the web – it made vivid reading.

There are very few UK councils where serious child abuse has recently taken place. I seriously believe that Haringey Council should be overseen by a government inspector.