Second post after the airport attack

It's been a manic few days. I had actually planned to blog throughout the aftermath of the Glasgow airport attack, but even with the whole mobile blogging thing, chances to sit, reflect and pen a few words have been few and far between.

So apologies on this being my first post since Saturday night. Media demands in the aftermath of terrorist incidents further afield have always been great, and I just really deal with the Scottish media. This time, with the world's cameras and notepads parked variously outside Glasgow's airport, mosques, hospitals, it's been flat out.

I visited the airport today. You have to salute the brave police, airport staff and members of the public who confronted the would-be killers at Glasgow Airport on Saturday. John Smeaton has rightly become national hero with his tale of how he punched the man on fire. How I envy him. I would have loved to be delivering some good punches, kicks and more. If there are more of his ilk want to set themselves on fire, then let them come to my place and we’ll have a bonfire.

On Sunday, after visiting the airport, the First Minister came to Glasgow Central Mosque to underline the need for unity in the country. One thing he said about Muslims really stuck out: "Scotland as a whole values this community. And this community values Scotland".

Very quickly though, we had various people jumping on their hobby horses, whether that be integration, veils or increasing detention limits. Prize for crass political opportunism must however go to Amanullah De Sondy. In the hours after the attack, the Sunday Herald phones around looking for some reaction from Muslims. Mr De Sondy's response was to attack the idea of Muslim schools, of which a grand total of zero exist in Scotland. Now we know the perpetrators were foreign bred, we must condemn these Muslims in Muslim countries going to school with other Muslims. Strange how people's minds work in times of crisis, and very sad that the august institution of Glasgow University gets associated with this gutter analysis.

Lastly, a quick word about the BBC's new studios at Pacific Quay. Looks like a big box from outside, but is a bit like the Star Wars parliament inside. All the office spaces up the side, while the middle of the building is for a gently undulating set of stairs which on the various mezzanine levels contain funky modern meeting spaces. Absolutely stunning, has my full approval.

Comments

[joe90]

Welcome back to the real world Osama!

Let me just say
that I've no idea why I was watching BBC Newsnight on Monday (03 July 2007). Normally I avoid TV news like the plague - I thought I'd indulge myself and see what the bewildered herd of British journalists were going to be blabbing on about, given they'd be in an excited state.

No surprises bar one - on the BBC Newsnight Scotland section there was a very nice young man interviewed regarding the exploits of a few nutters at Glasgow Airport - very refreshing!

Welcome back to the real world Osama!

How about this 'news focus' item from our local newspaper for adults -
Can Blair really stop the carnage?
The Herald
04 July 2007

As Blair is responsible for the carnage, isn't this the wrong question?

And apparantly there's too many Jews in Germany....no sorry, I meant, there's too many Muslims in Britian -
Con Coughlin: "There are too many Muslims"
MediaLens.org messegeboard
03 July 2007

And the magagazine OURAIM has been closed down by HM Government - British government censorship carried out under the 2000 Terrorism Act -
'OURAIM Magazine on Hamas & Hizbullah now illegal in Britian
By Sukant Chandan
Editor
09 June 2007

And here is more evidence of Scotland's very own Reichstag Fire at Glasgow Airport being used by the state to attack its own citizens -
All eight police forces granted stop-and-search powers
The Herald
04 July 2007

Much in the way Prez Bush used 11-9 to first attack his own Enemy No.1, the American People and the American Constitution, and then attack his Enemy No.2, the rest of the world.

all the best!

[joe90]

Great news!

Hamas, who were democratically elected to lead the government of (illlegally) Occupied Palestine,
have helped get Alan Johnston free, at last!

BBC's Gaza correspondent released
BBC
04 July 2007

Now we need to try and free 18,000 Palestinians kidnapped and illegally imprisoned by Israel.

[Saffiyah Wellings]

Assalamualaikum
I was just wondering if you watched Hassan Butt on Newsnight the other day? He has been quite prominent in the media with his quite outrageous accusations against Islam. I was disgusted with his performance on Newsnight. Have a look at the most current article on ummahpulse.co.uk, it is all about him.
http://ummahpulse.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=145&Itemid=37
Wassalam
Sr Saffy.

[Zanjabil]

Did you notice the moment when the words "TERRORIST ATTACK" suddenly crept in? Through the back door of our minds?

How do we know it was a terrorist attack at all? Accounts are circulating that the fire came from under the bonnet. And that the car crashed into a post, with no attempt to harm anyone. So how do we know? Because an extremely nervous, shifty witness said so on TV? Said he saw "Asians" on fire trying to attack the police?

So, take one device under the bonnet, the odd "eye witness", add a generous dash of trusting journalists, and what do you have?

The recipe for MASS HYPNOSIS.

It's so simple. It's pure genius.

FEAR. The merest suggestion that certain interested parties could be manipulating our perception is so profoundly terrifying, so existentially threatening, that even the most intellectually discerning of people will do whatever they can to maintain the myth that the powers that be are benign...

[joe90]

Saffiyah
here is a record of Hassan Butt trailing the Great name of Islam and honest decent British Muslim folks through the media mud (click on the further responses for more) -
Hassan Butt: Brit policy "blameless".
posted Media Lens Messege Board
02 July 2007

I had to turn the sound off during Butt's interview on Newsnight, him and the BBC were sickening - luckily though, I kept the picture on and spotted someone on 'Newsnight Scotland' sitting at the interview desk who looked vaguely familiar.!

And here is some ridculously interesting food for thought from the great Craig Murray -
Ashraf Marwan
05 July 2007

all the best mate!

[Rob]

A recent post on Islamophobia Watch linked to this disgraceful piece. Though I suppose if you're pissing off the people who blog at Harry's Place you must be doing a lot of things right.

[Ted]

"It's so simple."

Rather like yourself, in fact.

[joe90]

I just want to bring people's attention to a correction -
Con Coughlin did not say 'there are too many Musilms in Britian' - what he did say was "There are two million Muslims in Britian"

See the latest comments on this thread -
Con Coughlin: "There are too many Muslims"
Media Lens Messege Board

My sincerest apologies for that - there is nothing worse than scaremongering, jumping to conclusions etc, particularly in the aftermath of terrible events.

I'm sorry if I have put anybody out!

[Zanjabil]

Ted:

"It's so simple."

Rather like yourself, in fact.

Meaning? Is that your thoughtful and intelligent contribution? Anyone who contradicts the BBC's official version of the news is "simple", simply because you say so?

So, dazzle us with your sophistication. Tell us how you know that the Asian men in the car which crashed into a post outside Glasgow airport were Al Qaeda operatives. Intelligent analysis of the evidence, please.

[Ted]

Zanjabil, are you claiming that all the witnesses at Glasgow Airport who described it as a deliberate attack and not an accident (not one witness suggested otherwise) are liars involved in a conspiracy to smear 'Asians"? That the Strathclyde Police officers present and those part of the subsequent investigation are all liars involved in a conspiracy to smear "Asians"?

Before challenging anyone else to examine the evidence I suggest you take a day off from your loony theories to do so yourself. Hell, you even claim there was only one witness - in the whole of Glasgow Airport!

[John C]

I have just stumbled across this site and I have to say for the most part I am fairly impressed. Can I just make one comment as a practising Catholic, whoever we believe our God to (christain, muslim, druids etc) there is no God that believes in destroying our fellow man, in fact I have read about Islam and its more about love for your fellow man. The people who attempted mass murder on Saturday are nothing more than criminals they are not representative of their faith. I will be unable to make the march on Saturday as I am working but believe me I would have been there otherwise, proudly with my family. In Scotland we may have different faiths or colours but we are Scots and thats what makes us different from the rest of the world. We are tolerant. Good luck tomorrrow.