This is a discussion on Please don't hate us within the Politics on War and Conflicts Forum forums, part of the Religion, Relations, Disputes and Conflicts Forum category; "Prominent British Muslims are being recruited to star in a government-backed advertising campaign aimed at preventing people in Pakistan from ...
"Prominent British Muslims are being recruited to star in a government-backed advertising campaign aimed at preventing people in Pakistan from engaging in extremist activity, the Guardian has learned.
The three-month public relations offensive, called I Am the West, consists of television commercials and high-profile events in regions such as Peshawar and Mirpur. It is being funded by the Foreign Office which is paying up to £400,000 for a pilot project.
Starring in the first three adverts are Sadiq Khan, the communities minister, Jehangir Malik, the UK manager of Islamic Relief, English cricketer Moeen Ali and the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Chaudry Abdul Rashid, who is from Mirpur. Mirpuris represent around 70% of Britain's Pakistani population.
According to a project synopsis, the target audience is 15-25-year-old males who are "less than well-educated and worldly wise, but potentially susceptible to extremist doctrines". If successful, it will be implemented in Egypt, Yemen and Indonesia.
The original proposal to the Foreign Office came from Deen International, an organisation set up specifically for the project and headed by Khurshid Ahmed, chair of the British Muslim Forum....
The central theme of I Am the West is to assert that there is no contradiction in being a Muslim and being British. The synopsis says: "Muslims are equally proud of being both and certainly espouse the belief that violent extremism is not propagated in their name."
The campaign has four key aims: to ensure Pakistanis realise the west is not "anti-Islamic", that British society is not "anti-Islam", to demonstrate the extent to which Muslims are integrated into British society and to stimulate and facilitate "constructive debate" on the compatibility of liberal and Muslim values."
Top Muslims advertise British way of life on Pakistan TV | World news | The Guardian
Good idea to win the battle for hearts and minds or a naive gimmicky waste of tax payers money ?
accidental genius!
Little bit of both I'd say, but nothing else seems to be working so lets give it a go! If we really believe there is a battle for "hearts and minds" then I would think that a Google Page Ranking exercise would be a good place to start at least, on the other hand it's a lot of money especially at present, perhaps it could be funded privately?Originally Posted by Albion 69
"The object of universities is not to make skilful lawyers, physicians or engineers. It is to make capable and cultivated human beings." John Stewart Mill
Conservative Member
The word deterrence springs to mind.
If we were to severely punish those convicted of terrorism that would deter some.
accidental genius!
If we were to convict them before "severely punnishing" them it would be a start.
All you'd be doing LA is creating martyrs and adding fuel to the fire!
"The object of universities is not to make skilful lawyers, physicians or engineers. It is to make capable and cultivated human beings." John Stewart Mill
Conservative Member
So lets not punish terrorism.
Lets send out a message saying all terrorists will not be punished for their actions...
There are two choices, punish terrorism or dont. I personally would like to see terrorists punished for their crimes.
Chancellor
As long as the commercials can be made effective enough it's a good idea. The budget is pretty small as these things go, and if it has even a small effect I think it's money well spent. The young and disillusioned are the prime recruits for any extreme group, so if they have a better understanding of the realities of life and thought in the west, maybe they'll not so readily believe all they're being told by terrorist groups.
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised 'for the good of its victims' may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us 'for our own good' will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." -- C.S. Lewis
either do it or don't. But I got places to be
I don't see anything wrong with this at all, as long as the people are allowed to say what they think, and not have it handed to them on a paper before the cameras roll. With all thats going on at the moment 400k is peanuts.
Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time.
E. B. White
"To be honest, you think a/c jump the fence, I say the whole college jump the fence"
The wonder that is Angelcountry
"If we're going to have a police state, at least orgainise it properly!"
Guy Outside the Chilcott Enquiry as he was led away by police for causing a 'disturbance' (thanks to LA I now know his name is Michael Culver)
It is absurd to think that this Google Page Ranking rubbish will change or soften the minds of hardliners. They are that way for a reason, they believe in what they are doing, terroism is part and parcel of the game. Punishment and deterrents are what is needed.
Chancellor
Please don't revive old threads like this unless you've got some substantially new information to add to the discussion - forum rule 2.8.
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised 'for the good of its victims' may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us 'for our own good' will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." -- C.S. Lewis
Senior MP
HELLO - ANYONE IN THERE - HELLO.............???
'severely punishing' is exactly what invokes terrorism to begin with
cart horse - horse cart
Conservative Member
No...HELLO - ANYONE IN THERE - HELLO.............???
'severely punishing' is exactly what invokes terrorism to begin with
cart horse - horse cart
Terrorism comes first
then we punish the terrorists
We dont just punish a terrorist then they become a terrorist...
that doesnt make sense.
Senior MP
Tell that to the families of the people who died due to 9/11HELLO - ANYONE IN THERE - HELLO.............???
'severely punishing' is exactly what invokes terrorism to begin with
cart horse - horse cart
Tell it to the people of Lockerbie
Tell it to the thousands of innocent people who have suffered loss of loved ones by the actions of a people who consider us Najis.
Chancellor
I disagree with you there; in order for there to be terrorists, there has to be something fundamentally wrong, in some people's perception, to cause them to resort to terrorism. Something has to start the whole ball rolling, and all too frequently these days it's a mixture of fundamental Islamic beliefs being aggravated by western, mainly American, interests - usually military and to a lesser degree commercial - in Islamic countries, against the wishes of certain sectors of the local community.
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised 'for the good of its victims' may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us 'for our own good' will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." -- C.S. Lewis
Senior MP
Couldn't agree more.
So looking at the atlas. Looking at the size of our wee land. Why do they feel the need to be here finding "fundamentally wrong" things. I think it is obvious that Islam is not compatible with western ways. I don't have a problem with the people. Not at all. It is their view on us against their jihad.
Senior MP
You defend Christianity, Christianity and Islam are very similar. They believe in the same "god" for goodness sakes.
So how is christianity compatible with western society and Islam isn't?
Why can't Jesus eat M&Ms?
Because they keep falling through the holes in his hands!
Jesus may love you, but he won't respect you in the morning.
Senior MP
Chistianity... The clue is in the name. Christ-ianity. Follower of Christ. Watch YouTube, watch what Muslims think of Christians.
Christians DON'T follow Muhammed. Muslims DON'T follow Christ.
Head... Clowds...
Senior MP
Wrong,
Christians and Muslims both follow the teachings of Christ.
The difference is that Christians believe that Christ is the son of god,
Muslims believe that he was a prophet chosen by god.
Oh SNAP!!!
Why can't Jesus eat M&Ms?
Because they keep falling through the holes in his hands!
Jesus may love you, but he won't respect you in the morning.
Chancellor
There are 25 prophets mentioned in the Qur'an - Adam : Idris (Enoch) : Nuh (Noah) : Hud : Saleh : Ibrahim (Abraham) : Isma'il (Ishmael) : Ishaq (Isaac) : Lut (Lot) : Ya'qub (Jacob) : Yousef (Joseph) : Shu'aib : Ayyub (Job) : Musa (Moses) : Harun (Aaron) : Dhu'l-kifl (Ezekiel) : Dawud (David) : Sulaiman (Solomon) : Ilias (Elias) : Al-Yasa (Elisha) : Yunus (Jonah) : Zakariyya (Zechariah) : Yahya (John) : 'Isa (Jesus) & Muhammad - all but a couple of whom are also biblical characters, including Jesus. But given that Islam developed out of Christianity, which itself developed out of Judaism, it's not surprising really......
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised 'for the good of its victims' may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us 'for our own good' will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." -- C.S. Lewis
Accidental Poet
A not so slight correction, Muslims believe Muhammad to be a direct decendent of Abraham through the son he had with Hagar, Ishamael. Thus Islam should be considered more rightly to have it's roots in Judaism. Muhammad may have come up with the idea of Islam in or around 610 but he placed it's origin, in revelations from God/Allah, with Ishmael. If we "assume" these characters to be truly historical and not mythical, then Issac and Ishmael were half brothers and the point of the split from Judaism.
Last edited by Don; 30-11-2009 at 05:39 AM. Reason: slight addition
I wonder why the things that should be so simple, so natural... like loving someone and letting them see into your heart... should require so much courage?
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