Category Archives: Resisting Islamophobia

Chris Keates disputes ‘Trojan Horse’ inquiry findings

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Chris KeatesThe general secretary of teaching union NASUWT has claimed there has been no radicalisation or religious extremism in Birmingham’s Trojan Horse schools.

Chris Keates, general secretary of the Rednal-based union, has dismissed the findings of two independent reports and has written to the Education Secretary Nicky Morgan to complain about one penned by former anti-terror chief Peter Clarke.

Mr Clarke, who led a Government-ordered probe into the Trojan Horse plot after five Birmingham schools were placed in special measures following snap Ofsted inspections, found “compelling evidence” of an attempt to “gain control” of some school governing bodies.

He claimed his discoveries were the “tip of the iceberg” and the Government was “nowhere near” getting to the bottom of the issues. He also criticised both NASUWT and Birmingham City Council’s response to the scandal.

But Mrs Keates criticised Mr Clarke, claiming he did not go “far enough” when carrying out his investigation.

She said: “I thought he came with an agenda from government to find radicalisation and extremism and when I read the report I was certain he did. I asked to see him and when I did he did not ask me any questions. My concern was that the only people he spoke to were people with axes to grind. Yes, there were particular members of a community behaving in the wrong way but I don’t believe it was radicalisation or extremism.”

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ISIS videos leave North East Muslims targeted and blamed, say Tyneside campaigners

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Muslims are being “targeted and blamed” because of brutal actions from extreme terror group ISIS, say Tyneside campaigners.

They are now calling for a better understanding between Muslims and the non-Muslim community after noticing increased levels of tension in the aftermath of videos released by the terrorist organisation.

New figures show racial hate crime in the North East has rocketed.

Elswick councillor Dipu Ahad said the images of Isis that have emerged over the last two months has caused more suspicion and negative views of the Muslim community.

He said: “Any time something happens the whole of the Muslim community is targeted and blamed. It was the same during the murder of Lee Rigby. I’m not saying it’s everyone but they are feeling that people are targeting them, they do feel it.”

He said tensions have risen despite widespread condemnation of Isis within the Muslim community. “Muslims don’t behead innocent people – they don’t do things the way Isis do. The Muslim people here condemn ISIS. They see they’re not even Muslim,” he said.

His comments come after messages about Isis were spray-painted in the locations across the West End of Newcastle. The graffiti, which read ‘Turkish Isis supporters’ was condemned by local businessmen and campaigners as an anti-Muslim action and was swiftly removed by Newcastle City Council.

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Mayor to boycott speech by Jerry Boykin

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Jerry Boykin FRCThe mayor of Vancouver, Wash., is boycotting a prayer breakfast speech by a retired U.S. Army General who has called Islam a “totalitarian way of life,” called for a ban on mosques in American and said that Muslims should not enjoy free speech protection under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Retired Lt. Gen. William G. “Jerry” Boykin, a regular on the conservative speaking circuit, is slated to keynote Friday’s Clark County Mayors’ and Civic Leaders’ Prayer Breakfast. The selection of Boykin has shrouded in civic controversy what is normally a solemn and unifying civic event that draws more than 900 people.

Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt, while appreciating Boykin’s 36-year military career, said the general’s views are at cross-purposes with the purpose of the breakfast.

“The vision of the breakfast is ‘inspiring Clark County residents to honor, encourage and support each other,’” Leavitt said in a statement. “But it is apparent to me that the values of the keynote speaker are not consistent with the original vision of the event. In fact, I’m certain that Lt. General Boykin’s position on a number of social, political and religious issues does not at all reflect the values of acceptance, tolerance and compassion our community strives for.”

Boykin began to make news after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. He characterized the war on terrorism as a Christian war with Satan the enemy. The stand was quickly repudiated by President George W. Bush.

In retirement, Boykin has been more outspoken. Islam is “a totalitarian way of life,” he has stated, its followers “under an obligation to destroy our Constitution.” Therefore, in Boykin’s words, “It should not be protected under the First Amendment.”

Boykin has warned that God will deliver upon America a Civil War-like reckoning because of abortion and pornography. At a recent conference, he stated: “Americans need to have more babies and populate this country with red-blooded patriotic Americans” to counter Muslim influence.

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Muslims urged to report religious hate crimes

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Mark Warrender at Jamia MosqueMuslim communities across Newport are being urged to report hate crimes, with a focus on incidents targeting religion and faith.

Gwent’s Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Paul Harris and Gwent Police Superintendent Mark Warrender met Muslim community leaders yesterday during hate crime awareness week.

A recent hate crime survey in Wales found 15 per cent of religious hate victims had attempted to conceal their religion to reduce the risk of victimisation.

And Superintendent Warrender, the force’s lead officer for hate crime, said of 250 hate crime incidents reported in Gwent every year, just a handful are linked to religion and faith. “The numbers don’t reflect what is going on. We are trying to get more people to come forward and there are lots of different reasons why they don’t,” he said.

“Victims can think the things happening to them do not seem that important and the police have better things to do. Some don’t think the police will do anything, or they are scared to report it. But crimes like these can have a disproportionate effect on victims, and Gwent Police absolutely will not tolerate hate crime.”

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CAIR launches website exposing America’s ‘Islamophobia network’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

CAIR Islamophobia Monitor

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today launched Islamophobia.org, the latest element in the Muslim civil rights organization’s work to monitor and challenge the growing anti-Muslim bigotry in American society.

CAIR’s Islamophobia.org site presents detailed profiles of a number of individuals and institutions involved in the American Islamophobia network.

“Islamophobia.org is a reflection of CAIR’s philosophy of educating people and empowering them toward positive action,” said CAIR Department to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia Director Corey Saylor.

“Since CAIR included the first Islamophobe profiles in its 2013 report ‘Legislating Fear,’ local communities have used them to begin positive conversations leading to the rejection of bigotry in all its forms,” said Saylor. “We intend to continue this community partnership by further empowering local advocates with a centralized resource that provides detailed information about the haters who tour the nation spreading misinformation and religious division.”

The searchable collection of profiles includes well-known hate entities such as Frank Gaffney’s Center for Security Policy and Robert Spencer’s Jihad Watch. Additionally, the site features information on key, but less visible members of the network, such as a number of local ACT! for America leadership.  The site also lays the groundwork for a forthcoming CAIR initiative to counter all types of prejudice in the United States.

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Oxford Unite Against Fascism mobilises against ‘Tommy Robinson’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Oxford UAF

No Islamophobia at the Oxford Union – sign the open letter to cancel Tommy Robinson’s invite

Sign the open letter here (text below)

Tommy Robinson, ex-leader of the fascist English Defence League (EDL), has been invited to speak at the Oxford Union on 23rd October.

Robinson is trying to present himself as a reformed character, after abandoning his leadership of the EDL after it collapsed following a campaign by anti-fascist and anti-racist organisations. As leader of the EDL Robinson organised and lead violent racist demonstrations and waged a campaign of demonisation of Muslims. EDL marchers chanted “you build your Mosques, we’ll burn them down”, and racially abused black and Asian people. Many EDL members have been jailed for racist violence, racial abuse and attacks on Mosques, yet Robinson continues to communicate with its members and issue anti-Muslim statements via social media, including the use of the racist hash tag #rapejihad.

Robinson may have abandoned trying to lead a fascist street army but he continues to incite racial hatred against Muslims under the same false flag of tackling extremism that he used while leading the EDL. Robinson has recently showed his continuing support for the EDL tweeting “Happy to hear the EDL gave me a round of applause for me before their demo. The EDL will always hold a place in my heart” as well as circulating lies demonising Muslims with statements like “30,000 Muslims marched through Birmingham demanding these same blasphemy laws.”

Robinson’s website still identifies himself as the founder of the EDL and carries videos of their racist marches. There is no convincing sign of an abandonment of his view that Islam is the problem. When he stepped down as leader of the EDL he maintained “I want to lead the revolution against Islamist ideology”. This “revolution” has taken the form of a campaign of focus on cases of Muslim men being involved in rape. Robinson presents grooming and rape as a problem stemming from the Muslim community when in fact such offences occur in all communities. Sexual exploitation is an appalling crime, but it is not linked to ethnicity or religion. As the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre point out, ‘Child sexual exploitation is not confined to one community, age, demographic, social status or gender.’

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French politician harasses veiled Muslim woman … who tells her to get lost

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Nadine Morano burqa tweet

French UMP politician Nadine Morano had a shocking experience earlier today when she got off a train at the Gare de l’Est in Paris.

To her horror she came upon a Muslim woman traveller pulling a wheeled suitcase and wearing a niqab. “The woman was fully veiled,” Moran told LOR’Actu. “You could only see her eyes. I find that unacceptable in France. It is a provocation.”

Morano immediately confronted the woman, told her the garment was illegal and instructed her to remove it. To Morano’s indignation, the woman’s simply replied “je m’en fous” and continued on her way.

Having reported her to the police, Morano then took to Twitter and Facebook to proclaim her outrage at this uppity Muslim who had treated her with “total contempt”.

According to Morano, the niqab is a public security issue: “Who is under that outfit? What is in that suitcase … suspicion is permissible when someone is concealed.” She pontificates: “Our vigilance must be unfailing during this period of radicalisation of communalist behaviour, of recruitment to jihad.”

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Bolton UKIP claims single-sex faith schools are ‘socially divisive’ … when they’re Islamic

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Joan Johnson UKIPA councillor has hit out at Bolton UKIP after it claimed single-sex faith schools were “socially divisive”.

UKIP issued a statement after Tauheedul Free Schools Trust was given the go-ahead to build a £10 million Muslim boys school, named Eden Boys, at the site of the former Wolfenden School in Astley Bridge. UKIP singled out the school as an example of where single gender faith schools could harm community relations.

Joan Johnson, chairman of the Bolton branch, said: “It seems that, with the government’s free school programme, more and more single gender faith schools are being approved in Bolton. This would seem to be a retrograde step. UKIP is not anti-Islamic but we will encourage and promote social integration and will not subscribe to anything that is socially divisive.”

Bolton Council’s cabinet member for schools Cllr Kevin McKeon said he believed that inclusive, community comprehensive education was the best for children.

But he added that UKIP was wrong for trying to score political points by challenging faith-based education. He said: “The ideal is to have all classes with both genders, all the faiths taught in community schools. However, in Britain there has been a long tradition of diversity, and in Bolton we have three Catholic schools and two Anglican.

“The local authority is committed to working with all schools to ensure that all Bolton children have the advantage of a balanced education, and we have no fears that this will be different with the new free school. I regret that UKIP is making this a political issue, particularly at this time when community relations are at a very sensitive point.”

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Toronto council candidate’s election sign defaced with words ‘Go Back Home’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Munira Abukar election sign defaced

On Friday night, Ward 2 city council candidate Munira Abukar got a phone call from a supporter saying that some of her campaign signs had been kicked over and it looked like they had been vandalized. The signs were found on the corner of Martin Grove and Dixon Rds. in Etobicoke.

“We figured it was just general mischief,” she told the Star. “And then we turned over this one sign and saw an intentional and very hateful message.” The message read “go back home,” and Abukar’s face had been scribbled out in red marker. Someone had crossed off her name and written “b—-”

At about 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Abukar reported the incident to the police.

Abukar said she was “disappointed and shocked” when she first read the message, but it was her parent’s reaction that upset her the most. Her mother is a refugee and her father an immigrant, and both experienced racism when they first arrived in Canada. “To see the heartbreak on your parent’s face … It’s hard to want to protect your child and not be able to.”

Abukar isn’t very concerned about finding the person responsible for the hateful messages. Instead, she wants to create an opportunity for the city to discuss racism. “I think we need to understand that there is an underlying racism in our city, and there are people who believe that just because you look different that you aren’t from Toronto.”

The response on social media has been mostly positive, Abukar said. Mayoral candidate Olivia Chow tweeted her support on Saturday, writing that “there is no place for racism in this city.”

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