History has seen the rise and fall of many prominent Muslim politicians who have played an active role in shaping global policies, defining political outlooks of their regions and establishing friendly ties with the rest of the world.

Although today’s Muslim world is experiencing an arduous task of combating global terrorism and extremism, their contribution in the world’s political scenario cannot be neglected. Leaders such as King Fahad of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and his daughter Benazir Bhutto, Ahmedinjad of Iran and many others have played key roles in the development of the Muslim world and strengthening ties with other nations.

Of all the Muslim leaders the world has seen in the last few decades, perhaps that one leader who deserves special mention would be Benazir Bhutto, former prime minister of Pakistan and chairperson of Pakistan’s Peoples Party. Her charismatic and influential personality won her the honor of being the first ever female prime minister in the world and especially in a Muslim country.

Benazir Bhutto was the daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, founder of Pakistan’s Peoples Party (PPP), a political organization that would play the dominant role in Pakistan’s politics in the coming years. Popularly known in Pakistan as “Bibi” (a title of honor and respect), Benazir Bhutto took oath from the prime minister’s seat in 1988.

Early life

Benazir was a talented young girl, different from many other girls of her age from the start. After receiving elementary education in various schools in Pakistan and completing her O’ Levels, she was sent to the U.S. at Harvard University Radcliffe College. There she obtained a degree in political science and moved on to Oxford University. She was elected to the Standing Committee of Oxford Union Debating Society, one of the most esteemed committees in the world.

Achievements and prominence

Throughout her political career during power and during exile, she adamantly persisted in introducing reforms in the education system, rights of Pakistani women, the end of corruption, improvement of the economy and much more. Following the footsteps of her father, she took to the task of changing the rather gloomy political set up of Pakistan and addressing the needs of the underdeveloped regions in the country. She was seen as a hope for the people of Pakistan, especially the female sector.

Assassination

Benazir Bhutto was given the title of “Iron Lady” by her Indian counterparts. After giving up her self-imposed exile of 9 years and coming back to the political scenario in 2007, she was returning after addressing an immense rally when she was shot in the head, followed by a suicide blast. The assassination was captured on video but no clue to the people behind this political murder has been found so far.

By demonstrating courage and will to fight in the hardest of circumstances and by the mere fact that she was fighting in a heavily male- dominated society, Benazir Bhutto undoubtedly established herself as the most prominent Muslim leader of the 21^st century. She was awarded the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights in 2008.

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Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny is breaking ranks with his Russian-speaking base by tossing his weight behind the controversial Sheepshead Bay mosque – a move that community leaders say could wreck his re-election bid because the shrine isn't even in his district.

Brook-Krasny – a Democrat whose area covers Coney Island and Brighton Beach, as well as parts of Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights, but none of the bay – gave his backing to the rising, four-story structure on Voorhies Avenue between E. 28th and E. 29th streets while speaking at an Arab-American Association of New York candidate forum in Bay Ridge on Oct. 11.

The lawmaker, himself an ex-Soviet Jewish emigre, said he supported the mosque's construction for personal reasons. "As people who came here for religious freedom, how can we deny religious freedom to another group?" Brook-Krasny told the largely Middle Eastern audience at PS 170 on Sixth Avenue between 71st and 72nd streets. "If we start taking freedoms from certain groups, we are no longer the country of the American Dream."

The stance puts him at odds with ex-Soviet Jews, many of whom belong to the Bay Group, which has long-battled the moque's construction in court, warned one Russian media mogul who added that Russian-speaking immigrants can be one-issue voters. "I wouldn't tell any politician who wants Russian votes to take a position that's pro-mosque," said Gregory Davidzon, owner of Davidzon Radio. "People will vote against anyone who openly supports the mosque."

Brook-Krasny said he's already feeling the heat from his constituents. "I have been grilled for my position," said the assemblyman, who added he won't be backing down. "I have three mosques in my district, and they are fine people, hard-working people – it's not fair and it's not right."

Brooklyn Daily, 18 October 2012

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Anti-Islam groups in America have provided financial support to Dutch politician Geert Wilders, an anti-immigration campaigner who is seeking re-election to the Dutch parliament this week.

While this is not illegal in the Netherlands, it sheds light on the international connections of Wilders, whose Freedom Party is the least transparent Dutch parliamentary group and a rallying point for Europe's far right.

Wilders' party is self-funded, unlike other Dutch parties that are subsidized by the government. It does not, therefore, have to meet the same disclosure requirements.

Groups in America seeking to counter Islamic influence in the West say they funded police protection and paid legal costs for Wilders whose party is polling in fourth place before the Sept 12 election.

The Middle East Forum, a pro-Israeli think tank based in Philadelphia, funded Wilders' legal defense in 2010 and 2011 against Dutch charges of inciting racial hatred, its director Daniel Pipes said. The Middle East Forum has a stated goal, according to its website, of protecting the "freedom of public speech of anti-Islamist authors, promoting American interests in the Middle East and protecting the constitutional order from Middle Eastern threats". It sent money directly to Wilders' lawyer via its Legal Project, Pipes said.

Represented by Dutch criminal lawyer Bram Moscowitz, Wilders successfully defended himself against the charges, which were brought by prosecutors in Amsterdam on behalf of groups representing minorities from Turkey, Morocco and other countries with Muslim populations. The case heard in October 2010 was filed in response to Wilders' comments in the Dutch media about Muslims and his film "Fitna", which interlays images of terrorist attacks with quotations from the Koran and prompted protests by Muslims in Islamic countries worldwide. The court found he had stayed within the limits of free speech.

Pipes declined to say how much his group paid for Wilders' defense. Moscowitz declined to discuss payments for Wilder's defense citing client confidentiality.

Wilders said in an emailed statement that his legal expenses were paid for with the help of voluntary donations from defenders of freedom of speech. "I do not answer questions of who they are and what they have paid. This could jeopardize their safety," Wilders said.

David Horowitz, who runs a network of Los Angeles-based conservative groups and a website called FrontPage magazine, said he paid Wilders fees for making two speeches, security costs during student protests and overnight accommodation for his Dutch bodyguards during a 2009 U.S. trip.

Horowitz said he paid Wilders for one speech in Los Angeles and one at Temple University in Philadelphia. He declined to specify the amounts, but said that Wilders had received "a good fee." When Wilders' Philadelphia appearance sparked student protests, Horowitz said, he paid a special security fee of about $1,500 to the Philadelphia police department. Horowitz said he also paid for overnight accommodation for four or five Dutch government bodyguards accompanying Wilders on the trip.

Wilders said in response: "I am frequently asked to speak abroad. Whenever possible I accept these invitations. I never ask for a fee. However, sometimes the travel and accommodation expenses are paid. My personal security is always paid for by the Dutch government."

Pipes and Horowitz denied funding Wilders' political activities in Holland. Both run non-profit, tax exempt research and policy organizations which, under U.S. tax laws, are forbidden from giving direct financial backing to any political candidate or party. U.S. law does allow such groups to support policy debates financially.

During Wilders' visit to Los Angeles, where Horowitz runs an organization called the David Horowitz Freedom Center, Horowitz said he organized an event at which Danish cartoons lampooning the Prophet Mohammed were auctioned. He said he did not remember how much money this event raised or what happened to the proceeds.

Horowitz agreed with the Dutchman's repeated, public comparison of the Koran to Hitler's Mein Kampf. Comparing the two works was a "fair analogy," Horowitz said. He said Wilders was "fighting the good fight."

Horowitz said U.S. backers helped Wilders raise money to pay legal fees to fight a ban from visiting Britain in 2009, where he planned to screen Fitna. The British government said at the time: "The Government opposes extremism in all its forms. The decision to refuse Wilders admission was taken on the basis that his presence could have inflamed tensions between our communities and have led to inter-faith violence."

Wilders won an appeal in the British courts in October 2009 when the ban was overturned.

Reuters, 10 September 2012

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Alexander Müller, a Zurich politician from the far-right Swiss People's Party has caused outrage by appearing to call for "another Kristallnacht" in a hateful anti-Islamic tweet.

The offending message, which has since been taken down from Müller's @DailyTalk account, said: "Maybe we need another Kristallnacht… this time for mosques."

The Zurich prosecutor is considering whether to launch a formal criminal investigation into Müller, who also works as a school nurse. "It is possible that the Twitter post breached the criminal provisions on racism," Corinne Bouvard, spokeswoman for the Zurich prosecutor's office, told the website.

The Young Greens have also called for Müller's immediate resignation from his position as school nurse.

Müller denies writing the post, and has alleged that someone forged it, newspaper Tages Anzeiger reported.

In other tweets, he has previously been seen to make fun of beauty contests in Saudi Arabia, voiced his opposition to integration and the "Islamization" of the country, and accused Muslims of trying to litter the country with mosques and minarets.

The Local, 26 June 2012

Via Loonwatch and Islamophobia Today

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Barack Obama himself has never had the guts to say it.

Indeed, while it is famously difficult to prove a negative, it seems apparent that few people in all of politics and media have had the guts to say it. Did John McCain ever say it? Did Rick Santorum or Bill O'Reilly?

So let us plant a little flag for, mark with a yellow highlighter, the thing Rep. Raul Labrador said Sunday on Meet The Press: that "it wouldn't matter" if President Obama were a Muslim. And if it seems rather much to be handing out medals for such a modest statement of principle, well . . . the principle has been under fire for so long that even a modest statement feels momentous.

In recent years, public figures have made news for refuting (like McCain) or failing to refute (like Santorum) the canard that Obama is a follower of Islam. But outside of Colin Powell, who did so a few years back on Meet The Press, it is difficult to think of many – or any – who have dared to confront the notion implicit in the lie. Namely, that being a Muslim is incompatible with being an American.

Leonard Pitts Jr. applauds Idaho Republican congressman Raúl Labrador's statement on the NBC news/interview programme Meet the Press.

Miami Herald, 10 April 2012

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