Open Society Foundations » "Not Another Headscarf"

"Not Another Headscarf"

Posted By Nazia Hussain On March 12, 2010 @ 10:59 am In Europe,Rights & Justice | 3 Comments

My first thought upon looking at the photograph accompanying Ari Korpivaara's blog post ^[1] concerning a Muslim woman was, "Not another headscarf." When people talk about Muslims, it’s often accompanied by a photo of women with their heads or indeed their whole bodies covered or images of violent protestations usually ending in burning of flags or effigies. What struck me was how some people would presume a certain kind of character about the person in that blog post which would invariably include piety, observance, rigidity and probably an absence of gaiety.

The lady in question is a pool-playing, music-loving Northerner (from England). Her faith identity and the visibility of it do not stop her from living and participating fully in a democratic society that is her home. Ari's blog post is spot-on as it succinctly explains what the At Home in Europe Project ^[2]’s subtext is: never judge a book by its cover, and it's ok to be different as it’s this difference that makes for the virtues of an open society. It’s also this difference that is now assessed by some as being a threat to the values of Western society – irrespective of a consensus on what "values" are shared by Western societies and why they would be incompatible if you are from another ethnic or religious background.

What is usually missing from stories and reports about Muslims is the silent majority. This is the vast majority of people who have a Muslim background but who do not wear their religion on their sleeve or indeed their head. The debate raging in Europe on the burqa completely misses the point that it’s only a tiny minority of women who wear this apparel, and it’s not the uniform of Muslim women.

Public policy is increasingly influenced and shaped in certain countries in Europe on the back of counterterrorism strategies, the desire to control immigration and posturing political rhetoric. The majority of Muslims, secular or spiritual, are your average garden-variety residents and citizens of Europe who don’t want to stand apart because of their religious or ethnic background. Faiths forms one part of their identity and most are tired of having to be continually asked to defend themselves against the actions of a few. They are fully integrated members of their neighbourhoods, cities and countries. They throw out their rubbish on the same day as everyone else, they worry about the quality and type of schools available for their children, they want a safe and secure environment and they watch popular cultural TV shows like Pop Idol.

For your next blog post, Ari, it would be great if you could showcase an image of this kind of Muslim. We have 11 cities ^[3] in Europe for you to choose from.

Philadelphia-Area Businessman Gets Jail in ATM Theft Scheme. here irs tax refund ^[4]

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News December 6, 2002 By Jake Wagman, The Philadelphia Inquirer Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Dec. 6--TRENTON, N.J. -- Calling him a "thoroughly dishonest person," a federal judge yesterday sentenced a Haddonfield man to six months in prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar ATM theft scheme.

Dennis C. Kelley, 52, also was fined $10,000 for forging the financial statements of a South Jersey armored-car company whose top executives are already in prison.

Kelley owns Meridian Accounting Service Corp. in the Pennsport Mall near Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia. He also worked at American Mortgage in Cherry Hill.

He pleaded guilty in September to creating fake annual reports for Tri-State Armored Services, which used the documents to get a contract with First Union National Bank.

"Any individual walking into his office should know that before them sits a convicted felon," Assistant U.S. Attorney Norv McAndrew said at the sentencing. "Mr. Kelley is a repeat offender. He will not rehabilitate. He will only get smarter." In 1988, Kelley was sentenced to five years of probation for embezzling a client's IRS tax refund.

The day after he was sentenced for that crime, Kelley was arrested for falsifying his corporate tax returns. He then served six months at the federal prison in Allenwood, Pa.

At an earlier hearing, a magistrate judge wondered how Kelley, who has declared bankruptcy several times, could afford a $413,200 Haddonfield home.

"I have come to the conclusion Mr. Kelley is a thoroughly dishonest person and a danger to the public," U.S. District Judge Garrett E. Brown said yesterday. "I think he deserves every minute of the six months." Federal prosecutors had sought a sentence of up to 27 months and a $40,000 fine for Kelley. But Brown declined to take into account Kelley's criminal history because the offenses had occurred more than 10 years ago. web site irs tax refund ^[5]

Upon release, Kelley will begin five years of probation in a halfway house.

"I am responsible for my actions," he said yesterday in a brief statement. "I am honestly and truthfully sorry I ever became involved with Tri-State." Officers of the company, based in Hammonton, Atlantic County, have been convicted of embezzling millions of dollars intended to replenish 3,000 ATMs in the Northeast. Employees are also believed to have stolen millions in cash left in ATMs.

Kelley accepted $1,000 to convert -- on paper -- the company's losses to gains in order to secure the First Union contract. He admitted turning a $1.67 million operating loss in 1999 into a $379,609 profit. He also made it seem as though the company had earned $3,215 the year before, when it lost more than $700,000.

First Union, now Wachovia, said Tri-State had stolen $606,000 -- small change compared with what other former customers have reported.

Court documents filed since Tri-State declared bankruptcy in March 2001 show a $33 million gap between what banks and other customers say they are owed and how much has been recovered. Summit Bank alone said at one point it was missing $25 million.

FUR,

Article printed from Open Society Foundations: http://blog.soros.org

URL to article: http://blog.soros.org/2010/03/not-another-headscarf/

URLs in this post:

[1] post: http://blog.soros.org/2010/02/who-is-this-woman/

[2] At Home in Europe Project: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/home

[3] 11 cities: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/home/articles_publications/publications/muslims-europe-20091215

[4] here irs tax refund: http://irstaxrefundnow.net

[5] web site irs tax refund: http://irstaxrefundnow.net/irs-tax-refund-schedule

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