Thank you for your enquiry

Please check your email and junk folder as we will automatically respond to this.

Close

Author: regan

Sayeeda Warsi: The Sun, Egg-throwing extremists shame ‘proper’ Muslims

Posted on by regan
Writing exclusively in The Sun. To me, Britain’s strength is the freedom it offers, its steadfast commitment to tolerance, respect for the individual and democracy. Free speech underpins those values and even though we may not agree with what is being said, we support an individual’s right to debate. But extremists like the ones who pelted me with eggs and screamed abuse at me on Monday fundamentally abuse these freedoms. They taunted me on my party’s support for the war in Afghanistan. Yet, when challenged to debate the issue, they shied away. Among the rabble were members of al-Muhajiroun, a group which is closely linked to Islam4UK. They want nothing more than to separate British Muslims from the rest of society and as a nation we must never let that happen. They are beyond the pale. As a nation, throughout our history, we have had to deal with extremism in all its guises, especially groups that promote hatred and violence. We can’t let extremists roam the streets of Luton and other towns propagating their vile views. British Muslims overwhelmingly reject and abhor them, especially for their vile tirades against our country and against our fellow citizens of all faiths. Groups like these pose the biggest threat to community harmony today. We need to be a lot more robust and a lot less tolerant of their dangerous views. This is no time for cultural sensitivities. I wonder why the Government has not thought about banning this group? There has been a positive outcome from Monday’s incident. It is in the number of messages of support I have received from British people across all communities. When the extremist claimed I wasn’t a “proper” Muslim, a young hijab-wearing Muslim woman hit back. She said the first thing she learnt about Islam “was how it revered and respected women” and she couldn’t understand “how these men could consider themselves a part of the Islamic faith after the despicable way they have behaved.” I couldn’t have put it better myself. So for me, it is just another proof of the need for a new culture of responsibility in our country, in which we all, whatever our background, have a role to play. We must never lose sight of the ties that bind us all together. We must cling to our principles and continue to be, what we always were: One Nation. At the end of the day, I am a criminal defence lawyer from Yorkshire. It is going to take a bit more than a few eggs to stop me. This article appeared in The Sun on 2nd December 2009 Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/2754249/Egg-throwing-extremists-shame-proper-Muslims-says-Tory-Baroness.html#ixzz0YXmKQSJj

Faith Lectures at the University of Bradford

Posted on by regan
Sayeeda today delivered a lecture on Faith at the University of Bradford. The lecture, under the University of Bradford’s “Faith and the City” Programme, was attended by more than 200 people. “Faith and the City” is a programme of speakers, exhibitions and performances aimed at raising the game in Bradford by stimulating debate, dialogue, discourse, discussion amongst all communities in Bradford. The programme is based around the broad topics of religions, politics, business, regeneration, leadership, social values, cohesion, economics, environment, law and contemporary debates.

The Conference Social Action Project Needs You!

Posted on by regan
Sayeeda Warsi invites Conference delegates to help at the Radcliffe Boys and Girls Club. The Radcliffe Boys and Girls Club was set up in the 1960s and is desperately in need of a makeover. The young people who use it like a second home have presented us with a long list of urgent repairs and renovations. They have been doing their bit all summer; working with local volunteers to clean up the building and grounds. Now it’s our turn, we need people power – an army of delegates to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty to complete the project in time for the Community Festival on Wednesday afternoon. As William Hague said whilst digging the flower beds, “It is important to contribute and put something back. Social action is fun and you get a lot of satisfaction out of being involved.” If you are at Conference, come along and join in the fun. Jaguar Land Rover are running a free shuttle service running from outside Bar 38 on St Peters St. We look forward to seeing you there. Sayeeda (October 6th 2009)

Sayeeda Warsi: Party Conference Speech 2009

Posted on by regan
The Rt Hon Baroness Warsi, speaking to Conservative Party Conference 2009 Project Maja – Bosnia Herzegovina (Video) Project Maja reminded me… that Bosnia-Herzegovina as a country in the heart of Europe… is still delicately balancing between its past and its future… A past… where much blood has flowed down the River Drina… where the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand led to the First World War… and where differences in ethnicity and faith were cruelly exploited in 1995 … leading to the worst genocide to have taken place in Europe since the Second World War… Conference, despite the progress made in the last 14 years, without further sustained international attention Bosnia could easily slip back. And after the failures on the part of the international community during the Balkan war. We have a duty to support Bosnia and its future as a united multi-ethnic, multi-faith country in the heart of Europe. We must not fail Bosnia again. Conference.. Let me now turn to issues closer to home… No one needs reminding of the tragic consequences when communities fragment, as they did in Northern Ireland… And how those consequences were felt throughout Britain, including the tragedies during the 1990’s right here in Manchester… We as a nation throughout our history have had to deal with extremism in all its guises, with groups that promote both hatred and violence. And this summer, we were reminded again why that fight continues. The protests against our troops led by Anjem Chowdhury and Al-Muhajiroun in Luton were truly disgusting and quite rightly condemned by us all… And we also rightly condemned recent violent demonstrations led by the English Defence League, and their nasty friends in the BNP. These groups of extremists represent two ugly faces of the same coin. …and for them, hatred of the ‘other’ isn’t just a scourge, it is a political philosophy… They have a simple, yet dangerous goal – to drive a wedge, to spread hatred and to sow the seeds of division. Conference, during the Second World War, British and Commonwealth soldiers, including my two grandfathers, fought side by side to defeat fascism in Europe…. So over 65 years later we are NOT going to tolerate fascism on our soil… Conference let me say this loud and clear. there is nothing Muslim about Anjem Chowdhury and Al-Muhajiroun… There is nothing English about the English Defence League… And there is certainly nothing British about the BNP. Conference… There are three key messages I would like you to take away from my speech today… Labour’s reliance on multiculturalism has failed Britain The state’s continued suspicion of faith is wrong And the threat of terrorism is no excuse for demonising a whole community. Firstly, When we as Conservatives talk about multiculturalism we are not talking about the building of temples, or synagogues or mosques in any neighbourhood… … For us that is religious pluralism … And it is a defining British characteristic that began with the non-conformists. For me, state multiculturalism, as I like to define it is forcing Britain’s diverse communities to still define themselves as different, patronisingly special and tempting them to compete against each other for public funds. is the madness of political correctness which fails to teach our children British history in case it offends And is the madness of translating documents into a multitude of languages instead of actually teaching people English. State multiculturalism is not integration, is not unifying and is not the British way… Secondly, Conference under Labour, the State has become increasingly sceptical of an individuals religious belief… We’ve all seen the stories… How appalling that in Labour’s Britain. A community nurse can be suspended for offering to pray for a patient’s recovery. Or a school receptionist could face disciplinary action for sending an email to friends asking them to pray for her daughter At the heart of these cases lies a growing intolerance and illiberal attitude towards those who believe in God. The scepticism of senior Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris driving this secular agenda …has now grown to become an ideology permeating through many parts of the public sector… It’s an agenda… driven by the political-elite, who have hijacked the pursuit of ‘equality’ by demanding a dumbing down of faith. It’s no wonder that this leads to accusations in the media that our Country’s Christian culture is being downgraded. For many their faith brings them closer to their neighbour, it’s the driver for their voluntary work, their social action. This scepticism against faith communities and in some case outright hostility, is both wrong and dangerous… Strong societies are built on cherishing their heritage. So when some misguided lliberal tries to downgrade Christmas… Or a school tries to ban the nativity play … Or a child is not taught about the empire in case it offends… It’s no wonder we lose track of who we are… Conference, I am not for one minute suggesting that faith communities should get a special deal… But, I do believe they should get a fair deal – one that doesn’t discriminate, – one that isn’t intolerant – and one that truly understands and appreciates religious communities… and their contribution Forced secularism in not progressive, it is not Conservative and it certainly is not the British way… Thirdly… Conference, I am sure you will forgive me if I say a little about my own faith. As a British born Muslim, I believe that my faith makes me a better person. I disagree with those who believe that in the present climate, to say one is a Muslim is more a political act than simply a matter of faith… British Muslims are found in every walk of life… as doctors, nurses , teachers, as soldiers in the British armed forces, as parliamentary candidates and dare I say members of the House of Lords… But reading some newspapers or some blogs today you could easily believe that such Muslims are in the minority… Since the 7/7 attacks in Britain, the fear of terrorism has fuelled the rise of anti-Muslim sentiment. Leading journalist Peter Oborne in his Daily Mail column said that anti-Muslim hatred “is Britain’s last remaining socially acceptable form of bigotry”… Recent months have seen several arson attacks targeting mosques around the country. In September, a spate of attacks against Muslims culminated in the death of a sixty-seven year old man in Tooting. And last week, here in Manchester, 20 Muslim gravestones were desecrated. Conference… The fight against extremism cannot succeed if all communities do not feel they belong and have an equal stake in Britain’s future. As I have said earlier I am not for one minute suggesting that the Muslim community or any other community should get a special deal. But, I do believe racism and religious intolerance is unacceptable… and just because you belong to the Islamic faith – you are no less a British citizen deserving of our country’s protection. Like all-forms of bigotry, like anti-Semitism and homophobia, anti-Muslim hatred should rightly be recognised as an evil and noxious creed… Discrimination against any community has no part in a liberal democracy, it is not Conservative and it certainly is not the British way… Some of you may know, I have sometimes been my press officer’s worst nightmare. I put it down to the fact, that I am from the North, proud to be from the North and proud to say it… like it actually is… And in these difficult times, more straight talking and honesty is what is needed After 12 years of socially divisive politics, After 12 years of Labour playing fast and loose with our heritage. And after 12 years of Labour tip toeing around the difficult issues. As a nation. We now need to be clear. We now need to be honest. And above all we now need to be brave. We need to mend the broken ties that should bind us. End the politics of us and them. Put integration at the heart of our policy. And proudly, once more, make the case for today’s Britain.

Working to make a difference in Bosnia

Posted on by regan
We have returned from Srebrenica, tired but elated, after an amazing week. The whole experience has made me feel very humble. Srebrenica still bears the scars of the ethnic cleansing, both physically and emotionally, and the atmosphere in the town is very tense. It was a harrowing and physically demanding week; the time we spent listening to the terrible stories of the returning refugees and the mothers of Srebrenica left us all feeling angry and desolate. We were grateful to be able to channel our feelings into positive social action and between us managed to deliver a football pitch for a community in the hills, an IT suite for the young people studying at Srebrenica High School team, donations of toys to the kindergarten and special needs school and a new home for a Bozniak family who have been refugees for the past fifteen years. All of our projects were facilitated brilliantly by Lady Nott’s charity, Fund for Refugees, who do such fantastic work in the region. Our experiences and interaction with the local people have left a lasting impression; it cemented my belief that social action is not just about the structures you build and the walls you paint, it is about the time you spend talking, understanding and building relationships. Time and again, the local people stressed that the way in which we, as foreigners, could help the most was to tell the story of the horrors of Srebrenica, to remind the world of the genocide, to keep the memories fresh in order to prevent anything like it ever happening again. The situation in Bosnian Herzegovenia is by no means resolved, tension remains and discrimination against the Bosniak people continues: the Grand Mufti of Bosnia Herzegovenia summed it up beautifully; the last thing he said in our meeting with him was ‘Please don’t forget us’. Thankfully, the mothers of Srebrenica and the local people involved in our projects were reassured to hear William Hague stressing that the Conservative Party recognised the difficulties facing Bosnia Herzegovenia and promising that we would remain focussed on helping to resolve Bosnia’s future both for the benefit of the Bosnian people and the European Union. Social action projects like Project Maja are invaluable both to the Conservatives involved and to the local communities; they break down barriers, build trust and allow politicians to leave Westminster behind and rediscover why politics matters and what drives them to create change. However, none of these projects would be possible without the help and support of so many different organisations and individuals. Project Maja is indebted to Landrover Jaguar, Microsoft, Mothercare, Woking Football Club, McDonalds, the Co-operative Bank, the FA and RH Freight to name but a few. The generous individuals in Glasgow and London know who they are! I would urge anyone who has the opportunity to participate in a social action project like Project Maja to seize it, you certainly won’t regret it. (August 10th 2009)

Project Maja – Bosnia Herzegovina

Posted on by regan
International Social Action Today Sayeeda Warsi and thirty volunteers travel to Bosnia Herzegovina to begin international Social Action venture Project Maja. Accompanied by PPCs, MPs and Shadow Cabinet colleagues Sayeeda Warsi and her Social Action team will spend five days in Srebrenica, Bosnia Herzegovina. The projects will include renovating a computer suite for the local high school, funding and helping charity Fund for Refugees build a house for a returning refugee family and a revamp a football pitch.
Contact Sayeeda

If you'd like to get in touch with Baroness Warsi click the button below.

Contact Here