Asghar Bukhari

Asghar Bukhari is a founding member of the Muslim Public Affairs Committee (MPAC), which describes itself as Britain's largest Muslim civil rights group.

Work

Bukhari is a spokesperson for the Muslim Public Affairs Committee a volunteer organisation that advocates ensuring Muslim rights are liberties are not infringed .

He has appeared both on television and the press speaking out against both Muslim Organisations for not teaching Muslims to get democratically involved and the Government for its un-ethical foreign policy .

He has said that he believes that it is his duty as a Muslim to be politically active, "I don’t see religion as a set of rituals. What’s the point of a god that says just pray, fast. No, God surely is there to make man better and man can hardly be better when so much oppression is going on around the world and man is not doing anything about it".

Bukhari is credited with increasing British Muslim's political involvement in the UK electoral system. He was critical of Muslim extremism in the context of the 7 July 2005 London bombings and the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy,

Bukhari was the most vocal opponent of the extremist group now banned 'Al Muhajaroun' and calling for their arrest.

MPACUK also pioneered an approach adopted by councils around the country, to tackle extremism, this was explained by Bukhari on a Sky news interview

Bukhari is also credited with increasing the level of Media engagement by muslims in campaigning for fair coverage, in an attempt to bridge the gap between negative reporting and a muslim community who felt they could not challenge it.

Palestine

Bukhari became an activist after being moved by the plight of the Palestinians. He became a very vocal voice within the Muslim community for political action against Israel. Advocating both boycotts and direct political action against members of Parliament who supported Israel, which was captured in the Channel 4 Documentary 'Operation Muslim Vote' .

Bukhari who advocates a political and peaceful democratic stand in western countries, does not believe that Muslims who do not have elected leaders should do nothing if they are oppressed. Here Bukhari takes a non pacifist stand and has been known to be very open about his views to what he terms "resistance against occupation".

He has argued that any people who are oppressed have the right to fight to free themselves from oppression, and has made no apology for holding this view.

In a 2008 Facebook debate, Bukhari stated: "Muslims who fight against the occupation of their lands are 'Mujahadeen' and are blessed by Allah. And any Muslim who fights and dies against Israel and dies is a martyr and will be granted paradise ... There is no greater oppressor on this earth than the Zionists, who murder little children for sport."

He added also his responsibility to the protection of his community in that same thread by stating: "Any public attack on Islam and the Ummah is not going to be tolerated by men like me. I have dealt with these Zionists before, a veneer of reason, below which lies a crooked mind plotting and planning to extend their hatred against us."

Bukhari's view of Zionists within Israel were highlighted to in his statement Israeli's were "the most blood thirsty and violent people on earth." He refused to apologise for Jihadists and asked Muslims to refrain from using the word, which he feels is a racist term. The British Centre for Social Cohesion an organisation that MPACUK and other Muslim groups have called pro Israel with the aim of slurring Muslim groups and individuals for political gain , did pass his comments onto the police and called into question the media outlets' use of MPAC UK and their portrayal of it as a mainstream Muslim organization.. However the Police did not feel any action was necessary, and Bukhari stated it was politically motivated by pro Israel groups. When asked by Daily Telegraph journalist Damian Thompson for comment, Bukhari confirmed these stances, adding "I stand by that, and I think any Muslim in the world stands by that."

Controversy

See full article MPACUK Support for Holocaust Deniers

Bukhari claimed he was attacked for political reasons by supporters of Israel when he told a newspaper that he had orginally thought Irving was innocent and thus supported him with a donation to clear his name. The Muslim civil liberties group 'iengage' and the anti racist website 'Islamaphobia watch' also called the attack on Bukhari a witchunt and a political stunt by those who supported Israel

Bukhari's donation however led to an article in the Observer which reported that Bukhari had sent a small donation of £60 and a letter headed with a quote from John Locke, "All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good people to stand idle", and in an email told him, "You may feel like you are on your own but rest assured many people are with you in your fight for the Truth." He offered to send Irving Paul Findley's book, They Dare To Speak Out, saying the author "suffered like you in trying to expose certain falsehoods perpetrated by the Jews", and said that he "asked many Muslim websites to create links to your own and ask for donations". He went on to explain 'I had a lot of sympathy for anyone who opposed Israel,' Bukhari told The Observer said. 'I wrote letters to anyone who was tough against the Israelis - David Irving, Paul Findley, the PLO."I don't feel I have done anything wrong, to be honest. At the time I was of the belief he [Irving] was anti-Zionist, being smeared for nothing more then being anti-Zionist. 'The pro-Israeli lobby often accused people of anti-Semitism and smear tactics against groups and individuals is well known. I condemn anti-Semitism as strongly as I condemn Zionism (in my opinion they are both racist ideologies)'.

Pro Palestinian Jewish bloggers too have come out in his defense, Jews sans frontieres, a Jewish blog said "the lurid headline made it look as if Asghar had some influence there and it's only deep into the article that we discover that the events described took place 6 years ago and the "funds" were sixty quid.

Bukhari explained in his rebuttal, that his support was only in the belief that he (Irving) was being smeared by pro Israel groups, the donation he sent was something he felt he should morally do, to support those targetted unfairly by supporters of Israel. He later explained in his rebuttal that "it was virtually impossible to know who was honestly anti-semitic and who was not, since so many people were called that simply for standing up for the Palestinians, something Irving had done on his website a number of times".

The book Bukhari sent was written by a former congressman, and details the power of the Israeli lobby 'AIPAC' in America and backs Bukhari's claim that anti-Semitism is often used as a political slur, it also contains within it a chapter against anti-semitism . Bukari later said that he felt that Irving was, "being smeared for nothing more than being anti-Zionist" and that the "pro-Israeli lobby often accuse[s] people of anti-Semitism. He said he felt that Holocaust denial was wrong, but that it should not be a legal offense.

On November 20 2006 Bukhari published an exclusive audiocast entitled 'Asghar Bukhari and The David Irving Smear Campaign' rel="nofollow" where he stated: "David Irving claimed he was not anti-Semitic and was in fact being attacked by the powerful pro-Israeli lobby; in short, being smeared ... I believed him, it's as simple as that ... I would not have supported anyone who is anti-Semitic." He also told The Observer newspaper: *"I also believe that anyone who denies the Holocaust is wrong (I don't think they should be put behind bars for it though)."

On November 24 2006 Bukhari published a detailed rebuttal entitled 'Asghar Bukhari: Playing the Anti-Semitism Card?' where he stated that he felt he was being smeared, "It was almost like a machine, watching you for any mistake, and determined to link you with tireless desperation to anti-Semitism. They had used this same strategy since the creation of Israel and even before, it was a brilliant tactic to stop Palestinian voices being heard by key influencers. Politicians or media people would not want to be linked to anti-Semitism themselves. Silencing anyone who could get to them with a racist slur was as good as gagging them; a tragic and efficient attack against freedom of speech that is never highlighted"

Bukhari also recently wrote an article which highlights his view on the Holocaust and clearly states that Muslims should not deny it, and appeared on the MPACUK website on the 26th August 2009

See also

• David Irving

External links

• Videos of interviews by Bukhari
• Asghar Bukhari on Political Action
• The Great Debate: The truth about Zionism