British Muslims Decry Move to Host Insulting Exhibit
Azad Ali, chair of the Muslim Safety Forum based in London, told Al Jazeera on Friday the proposed "Muhammed Cartoon Exhibit" by UK-based Sharia Watch was an attempt to taunt the tolerance levels of British Muslims, and described the move as a cheap attempt to create disharmony in the UK.
"They keep on pushing the boundary, testing the levels and always upping the ante ... this is what this is about: getting a reaction from Muslims and looking for a justification to demonize us," Ali said.
"We are looking to find ways for a positive discussion to come out of this, but no one thinks the planned event is anything but racist," he said.
The exihibit is set to feature controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders as a speaker. Wilders is known to be vehemently anti-Islam.
"It [Islamophobia] has become mainstream, and acceptable, and this has provided a platform for more extreme views to surface," Versi said.
Depictions of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) are banned in Islam and many Muslims say they are being continuously provoked and taunted with demeaning depictions of the prophet that are often seen as "vile and racist".
In 2006, violent protests erupted in parts of the Arab world and South Asia as Muslims took to the streets to demonstrate against the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in Denmark.
