Taqiyya and Al Hijra Debate

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Department: Home Office

Taqiyya and Al Hijra

Baroness Afshar Excerpts
Tuesday 24th January 2017

(7 years, 10 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Earl Howe Portrait The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Earl Howe) (Con)
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My Lords, it is the turn of the Cross-Benchers.

Baroness Afshar Portrait Baroness Afshar
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My Lords, since the noble Lord is so familiar with the Koran, he will know that it is addressed directly to the believers, and that there are no intermediaries between the Koranic texts and the believers. It is also the case that many of the so-called Muslim terrorists have probably never read the Koran. What is important is not to define terrorism in terms of a faith, but rather to think about why some of the brightest and best young Muslims turn to terrorism, and look at the roots of despair that cause that.

Baroness Williams of Trafford Portrait Baroness Williams of Trafford
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The noble Baroness is addressing her question to the noble Lord, Lord Pearson, but I hope I can answer it. We all know that terrorism and terrorist ideals have absolutely nothing to do with faith; they are used to stir up hatred against different faiths. In fact, some of the biggest victims of Daesh have been Muslims.