Category Archives: Resisting Islamophobia

Four face prosecution over Facebook comments about Bridgwater mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Four people who posted comments in response to an article on the Bridgwater Mercury’s Facebook page could face prosecution.

A police investigation is underway into certain remarks made on September 24 soon after an article about the Bridgwater mosque obtaining a council grant appeared. Avon and Somerset Police say this is a rare course of action as the force has only made very few prosecutions for social media posts.

The four individuals have been traced from their Facebook accounts and been taken to Bridgwater police station for questioning. Police are now taking advice on whether to charge them.

A number of offenders in other areas have been jailed for racially abusive remarks made on social media.

The police told the Mercury: “As a result of enquiries, four suspects have been identified in relation to this incident. We are now in the process of seeking charging advice from the Crown Prosecution Service with regard to this matter. We have a zero tolerance approach to any incident of racial hatred, and we continue to support the mosque and the wider community.”

The article attracted more than 145 comments with many people reacting in shock at some of the criticism directed at the mosque. One such comment read: “I can’t believe this many ill informed and uneducated people are living just up the road from me. Churches got the grants as well, and the majority of Muslims in this country DO pay their taxes and so have every right to have a place where they can worship.”

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Livingstone and Galloway back Tower Hamlets mayor over fraud allegations

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Ken Livingstone and George Galloway will tonight ride to the rescue of a beleaguered mayor who faces being stripped of his powers by Eric Pickles.

Labour’s united front against Lutfur Rahman will be smashed as Mr Livingstone and a fellow member of the party’s national executive join a parade of left-wingers at a rally demanding an end to the “witch-hunt” of Britain’s first elected ethnic minority mayor.

Some insiders are dismayed that Labour figures will be sharing a platform with Mr Galloway, whose inflammatory anti-war rhetoric led to his expulsion from the party.

The rally will be in the east London borough of Tower Hamlets, where the mayor is due to have his powers transferred to commissioners sent in by Mr Pickles, the communities and local government secretary.

Mr Rahman’s election victory over Labour in May is being challenged in the High Court over concerns that it was fraudulent. Among the allegations are that voters were told they would be good Muslims if they voted for him but sinners if they backed John Biggs, Labour’s candidate.

Mr Livingstone will be joined by Christine Shawcroft, a fellow member of Labour’s national executive. Aaron Kiely, a Labour councillor from Thurrock in Essex and a member of the National Union of Students executive, will speak for the mayor.

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University of West London cancels Anne Marie Waters meeting

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL Anne Marie Waters

A university has been accused of censorship after scrapping the launch of a report into alleged Islamic extremism in schools and campuses across the UK.

The University of West London was criticised following the decision to cancel the event staged by Sharia Watch UK – set up to monitor the radicalisation of young British Muslims – on safety and procedural grounds. It follows claims in the past that universities have failed to crackdown on extremist speakers and turned a blind eye to gender segregation for religious reasons.

The report was due to be launched at one of West London’s lecture theatres on Wednesday, detailing the number of speeches given by hard-line Islamists in schools, universities and even Scout groups.

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Defend Democracy in Tower Hamlets! Stop the witch-hunt of Mayor Lutfur Rahman!

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Defend Democracy in Tower Hamlets meeting

Defend Democracy in Tower Hamlets

Stop the witch-hunt of Mayor Lutfur Rahman

A community meeting on Wednesday 12th November at the Waterlily, 69-89 Mile End Road, London E1 4TT, at 6pm

Confirmed speakers:
Ken Livingstone, George Galloway, Christine Shawcroft Labour NEC, Alex Kenny (NUT) Kate Hudson (Left Unity) John Rees (People Assembly) Lindsey German (Stop the War Coalition) Sabby Dhalu (UAF), Aaron Kiely (NUS National Exec) and many more

Katie Hopkins anti-Muslim rant calling Palestinians ‘filthy rodents’ leads to calls for her arrest

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Katie Hopkins tweets

Katie Hopkins latest Twitter posts has led to calls for her ARREST for stirring up racial hatred.

The former Apprentice contestant posted a series of anti-Muslim posts on her account after reports of the stabbings in Tel Aviv apparently carried out by an Arab man on two Israelis, including one that labelled Palestinians “filthy rodents”.

“Palestinians busy knifing Israelis. 2 stage solution my arse. Filthy rodents burrowing beneath Israel. Time to restart the bombing campaign.”

“Arab terrorists fired rockets from schools and hospitals. They brought down Israeli fire on to their own people. See behind the pictures.”

It isn’t clear if the former reality star posted the comments herself or was hacked – although the offensive tweets remain on her account.

The mum-of-three also posted a number of anti-Islam tweets to her 244,000 followers while watching Channel 4 show 24 Hours In Police Custody.

“Father beats his daughter with an iron bar. But he is a good Muslim, prays in his cell & attends the mosque. So that’s all happy days then.

“The police are singing from the same hymn sheet. Mohammed is going DAAAAAAN. Allahu Akbar. #24hoursinpolicecustoday.”

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Islam Center of Tucson under siege

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Islamic Center of Tucson vandalismTUCSON — A religious place of worship is under siege by UA [University of Arizona] students living next door. Caught on camera, the vandals strike on weekends and late nights. There have been dangerous near misses at the hands of what some say are “drunken antics by students”.

The Islamic Center of Tucson is a place of worship and a community center for all Muslims in Southern Arizona. Within the last year, it has become a place that has been disrespected, which has left the members of this community humiliated.

Kamel Didan is the vice chairman of the center. “We’ve had people come in at the door multiple times and urinate in our door,” he said. The man was caught on camera in broad daylight as students walked by. “This was absolutely was the worst weekend,” said Didan.

On the Sunday of UA’s Homecoming Weekend, the community center attendees couldn’t even get into the parking lot and the children couldn’t play basketball. “We literally found like a war zone,” he said. “It was unbelievable, glass chunks, as big as a baseball and then as little as like maybe the fingertips all over the place.”

A car had its windows broken. Didan said it’s all because of students living in the high rise apartments next to the mosque. Again, all caught on camera. “Dropping bottles full of whiskey on cars, and on literally people.”

Didan showed the apartment manager of level the damages. He says he does this on a weekly basis. In the 25 years the mosque has been here he said they’ve never had this much trouble.

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Council planning committee gives go‑ahead for Dudley mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Dudley planning committee meetingCouncillors have given the go‑ahead for controversial plans to build a new mosque on a site overlooking Dudley town centre.

The plans have polarised opinion in the area around the Hall Street site of the new building, which will also provide a sports and community centre plus a centre for education and training.

Tonight’s meeting of the council’s development control committee was, unusually, held in the council chamber at Dudley Council House to accommodate the number of people who wanted to hear the debate about the latest application for a mosque.

In front of a packed public gallery [see picture], Cllr Shaukat Ali, who spoke as a supporter of the plan, told committee members: “I understand the pressure on members of the committee but, as elected members we should rise above controversy and look at the issues objectively.”

Cllr Ali added the plans before the committee were much improved compared to designs rejected by the authority in 2011. He said: “The community just wants to practice its religion and social life peacefully and in appropriate facilities.”

Former councillor Tim Wright spoke against the proposal, which was recommended for approval by council planning officers who said the design was of sufficiently high quality to ensure it had a positive impact on the surrounding area. Mr Wright said: “It is going to change the face of Dudley, it does not fit the heritage of Dudley.”

Committee member and former Conservative leader of Dudley, Cllr David Caunt, also voiced concerns. He said: “On balance the proposal does not show clear understanding of the historic character and distinctiveness of the centre of Dudley.”

Committee chairman, Cllr Qadar Zada’s comments were greeted with cheers from the public gallery which was packed with mosque supporters. He said: “No-one has said much more than just about the mosque, very few times have I heard about the enterprise and training centre in one of the most deprived wards in Dudley.”

Cllr Zada went on to quote Nelson Mandela’s views on sport uniting communities before adding: “This is an ideal opportunity, I would like to see something that looks much more than a rat-infested, derelict building and bring forward something that will unite communities.”

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Let Muslim primary school teachers wear full-face veil in class – Rowan Williams

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Rowan_WilliamsThere is no need to “panic” about Muslim primary school teachers wearing the full-face veil in class, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Williams, has insisted.

He said concerns that young children would struggle to learn from a woman whose face was covered were “largely misplaced” and that there are other ways to “read” what people are saying.

The former Archbishop’s remarks, in an interview for the Christian think-tank Theos, reopen the debate about the place of the niqab in British public life.

It follows a political storm last year after the then Home Office minster Jeremy Browne called for a national discussion about restrictions in some settings such as schools to prevent young women from having the veil “imposed” on them. David Cameron rejected the idea of a ban but said he would “back up” schools and courts that ask women to remove veils.

Lord Williams’s previous forays into the issue of Islam led to one of the biggest crises of his time at Lambeth Palace, when he said in 2008 that it seemed unavoidable that aspects of Sharia law would be adopted in the UK. He was speaking about the growth of arbitration tribunals which already operate on Sharia principles.

His latest remarks come amid an-depth academic discussion about his latest book, The Edge of Words, which examines the meaning of words and language in discussions about God.

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New South Wales: Protest falls on deaf ears as council votes in favour of mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Penrith mosque protestPenrith Council has voted to continue its development approval for an Islamic prayer centre in Kemps Creek.

A motion to rescind approval granted on October 27 was defeated seven votes to four. The proposal is subject to special conditions.

A man was stopped from attending the meeting by police when he arrived at the council chambers dressed to imitate an Arab sheik. The middle-aged man was wearing a headdress and sandals, and was waving around a toy pistol.

He was part of a protest organised by members of the Australia First Party outside the council offices as people gathered to attend the special meeting.

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France condemns ‘odious’ attack against Strasbourg Mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Strasbourg Grand Mosque arson attack

A fire at the entrance to the Grand Mosque of Strasbourg was quickly extinguished overnight Saturday. The attack, which took place at the entrance to one of the main mosques in France caused only minor cosmetic damage.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has decried the arson attack and has vowed to pursue those responsible for this “odious act,” an official statement said Monday.

The statement continued on to say that Cazeneuve “reaffirms his commitment to protect the places of worship of all religions from such outrageous acts and attacks which target them, and also to fight against all expressions of hatred and intolerance,” adding that “such acts went against the core values of the French Republic.”

The president of the Grand Mosque, Ali El Jarroudi condemned “with the greatest firmness this odious act” and said that a complaint had been lodged with the police, adding that there were images of an individual lighting the fires which he had handed to the police.

In a statement to AFP, Abdallah Zekri, president of the Observatory against Islamophobia, said that he feels “anger and disgust at those who want to create tensions between communities.”

The Mayor of Strasbourg Roland Ries, expressed his “outrage” against “acts which, as isolated they are, affect the serenity of cohabitation between religions and tradition of understanding and ‘openness’ of the city.

The President of the Union of mosques in France (UMF), Mohammed Moussaoui, also condemned “in the strongest force” the attack, calling on the “Muslims of France to be vigilant and calm in the face of these acts.”

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