Kadeeja Adam

January 22nd 2020

 

Something called “The Daily Record” has recently published an article about us, portraying us as some kind of Nazi militia! If there was equal justice in the UK in 2020, this would be defamatory, but we know the legal establishment isn’t prepared to listen to our argument.

The article is jaw-dropping. Not only does it place pictures of Anne Marie Waters, the leader of For Britain, on the same page as a man with a machine gun standing in front of a swastika, it repeatedly implies that she is a racist or far right.

Stephen Stewart, the writer, has clearly made no effort at all to learn about For Britain, or what we actually stand for.

Such writers simply don’t understand that criticism of Islam is not racism. They are trapped in a mental cage. Any criticism levelled at people who happen to be non-white, is automatically believed to be related to race.

But Islam is a religion, an ideology – the ideology that I escaped from.

I am the Deputy Chair of For Britain, and I am honoured to take on this role because I know that we will stand up for the former Muslims who have been completely abandoned.

I have seen the sharia council system in the UK, I know how it treats women, because I was one of those women. I am of Pakistani ethnicity and I know how women are treated in Pakistan, also from first hand experience.

The justification for this mistreatment of women is always found in Islamic scripture, it is used as a whip to keep Muslim women in line.

The party I am proud to call my family fights for me and my daughter and the daughters of countless British Muslim women who are stuck behind closed doors, controlled and abused, while their daughters (and sons) look on.

Anne Marie Waters has supported Muslim girls, often on the run from their families, for many years. For Britain currently provides a refuge to ex-Muslims, and we will continue to reach out to more.

Mr Stewart may not be familiar with the plight of ex-Muslims in the UK, and I suspect he finds us rather inconvenient; people of Pakistani background who confirm some uncomfortable truths about Islam. One of those uncomfortable truths is that apostasy carries the death penalty, and many UK ex-Muslims live in fear that this sentence will be carried out.

Nissar Hussain, for example, was almost beaten to death, here in the UK, for leaving Islam. He was escorted from his home by police for his own safety, and now effectively lives in hiding.

When Nissar reached out for help to our political and religious leaders, he was met with silence and dismissal. Nobody would hear his case.

Political and religious leaders in the UK turn their backs on people like Nissar and I because they fear being critical of Islam. They fear this because “journalists” like Stephen Stewart cause them to fear it – labelling them Nazis if they speak out.

Nissar now acts as For Britain’s spokesman on Islam, because he also knows that this party is nothing like Mr Stewart describes.  These dishonest tactics (comparing us to neo-Nazis for example) mirror those used by Hope Not Hate when they leafleted against one of our candidates using doctored photographs.  Nissar had been cropped out of a picture taken at an event we held shortly before the election.  (Our candidate won, by the way).

It is the same depressing and familiar story. The horrific rape gangs, FGM, halal, or sharia law, all attempts to help the victims of these horrors are met with cries of “racist” from people like Stephen Stewart.

It may be easier for such people to dismiss things they don’t understand as bigotry or hate, but it would serve them better to find out the truth, instead of slandering and smearing innocent people in the press.

It tells us something significant about Mr Stewart’s integrity and work ethic. Printing false information is shameful. It is deeply immoral. It therefore tells us something about Mr Stewart’s morals as well.

 

Kadeeja Adam

Deputy Chair

For Britain