Please consider an alternative view, as you do not have the right to claim to see into the minds and hearts (intentions) of others. Perhaps you could give people the benefit of the doubt they they are good and do not mean any harm.

Peace

Sir I have red what you have written in your article and through my reading I noticed some thing that you judged on the situation with out getting and checking with the person you judged why he did this action because as you were talking we have to build bridges between cultures and I am asking you why you personally didn’t take the initiative with the bridge you are talking about because to respect a person who said I refuse to have this conversation with you because of any reason you would have respected this person’s requirements and by this I mean if it’s against his faith why don’t you respect his views.

I was wearing a bicycle helmet (head covered), and politely asked directions. This very polite gentleman bowed his head and frantically began mumbling from some religious tome. My male biking buddy asked him the same thing and was the recipient of a perfectly normal answer. Everytime I interjected a comment or question and finally a, heaven forbid, thank you—his head went down in a frantic effort to absolve himself of a perceived sin.

I am in awe of how he manages to survive in our immorally loose western world.

Sue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jfm8hV2-zU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuSlRMpvftk

On Sunday evening Yusuf Islam was awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement award at the German ‘Echo’ awards for his ‘lifework as a musician and as an ambassador between the cultures’ at the ceremony which was recorded in Berlin and broadcast on RTL that evening. He also performed his single ‘Maybe There Is A World’.
Marot says “The accusation that Yusuf doesn’t speak or interact with women who are not veiled is an absurdity. He plainly has no issues with working and interacting with women and did so in a perfectly normal manner over the weekend, even signing autographs and posing for photographs with many of the legion of men and women who had queued for hours at both the Airport and Hotel. On Sunday he was interviewed by Women radio and TV presenters without issue. In his normal daily life women feature amongst some of the most influential people in his core team, including the joint President of US record label: Atlantic records, the marketing directors of both Polydor and Atlantic records, his set designer, his TV promotions manager and his video commissioner, all of whom are in almost daily contact with Yusuf. At the moment he’s in a London edit suite with BBC TV director Janet fraser Crook and producer Serena Cross working on the edit of the BBC Sessions concert recently shot in London. These are not the actions of a misogynist.”

It would seem that certain sections of the media feel that for every good news story featuring a Moslem, a balancing bad news story must be invented to maintain the level of ignorance that surrounds the Islamic faith”.

“Mr Islam doesn’t speak with women except his wife. Least of all if they don’t wear a headscarf. Things like that only happen via an intermediary.”

“Except his wife” say BZ - extraordinary. Quite how Mr. Islam manages communication with his daughters is probably a moot point amongst the editors of BZ then. Smoke signal?…

Here is an excerpt from a press release issued by Yusuf Islam’s manager, putting a pin in this bubble of lies:

“The accusation that Yusuf doesn’t speak or interact with women who are not veiled is an absurdity. He plainly has no issues with working or interacting with women and did so in a perfectly normal manner over the weekend, even signing autographs and posing for photographs with many of the legion of men and women who had queued for hours at both the Airport and Hotel. On Sunday he was interviewed by Women radio and TV presenters without issue. In his normal daily life women feature amongst some of the most influential people in his core team, including the joint President of US record label: Atlantic records, the marketing directors of both Polydor and Atlantic records, his set designer, his TV promotions manager and his video commissioner, all of whom are in almost daily contact with Yusuf.”

Attempts to disparage the good name of Yusuf have been many, though almost all have been of better quality. The point of concern, however, lies in the fact that such a poor, baseless, shoddily formulated rumour should spread so rapidly across the internet. We all know the net to be an information free for all - but more reputable websites such as that of Scottish newspaper the Daily Record should be especially ashamed of themselves for having not checked their sources before publishing such twaddle.

But, let’s see if they’ll be as quick to print an apology as they would be to publish any sensationalist drivel that falls into their hands.

Point being that no one member (not even a prominent one) can justify painting an entire culture with the same brush. Fighting ignorance with more ignorance is surely not the measured response needed to overcome these kinds of bigotry.

The link:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bCK5Iwp5SJY