Category Archives: Scotland

Fascism, not Islam, is the enemy

Posted on by Bob Pitt

SDL badge“It caused quite a stir when it was built more than two decades ago, but now the distinctive domes of Glasgow Central Mosque are an unremarked-upon feature of the Clydeside skyline. The large modern building is a landmark of the transformed Gorbals, no more foreign than the nearby Citizens’ Theatre, with its reputation for staging highbrow European plays.

“Locals found the mosque more pleasing on the eye than the monolithic Sir Basil Spence tower blocks the council forced them to live in for decades. The quiet men and women who worship there were no trouble at all – and the Gorbals certainly knows trouble when it comes visiting.

“Trouble will visit this Saturday, in the form of an organisation calling itself the Scottish Defence League (SDL). It plans to protest near the mosque against what it says is the rise of Islamic extremism. There has never been any suggestion that Glasgow’s mosque gives succour to extremists – it does not. But that will not stop the SDL….

“Over on the social networking site Facebook, the SDL page includes the usual bulldog profile pictures. But the use of Scottish symbolism is more worrying – a lion rampant logo and phrases such as: ‘Let us rise now and be a nation again. We must unite the clans against the extremists.’ … All this fascism lite is intended to whip up hatred and will lead to more racist attacks….

“The choice is stark. A liberal society protects minorities. It allows collaboration between people who might disagree on some issues but find common ground when it matters – in this case opposing fascism. This is why I intend to join the counter-demonstration on Glasgow Green at noon this Saturday….

“Scotland United 2009 is a combination of churches, politicians and individuals who want the country to tell the far right they are not welcome here. Annabel Goldie, the Conservative leader at Holyrood, will speak alongside the SNP deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon.

“It is encouraging that the Scottish-Islamic Foundation is one of the main drivers. It has been criticised in the past for being too radically religious and the SNP government has been criticised for supporting it – Osama Saeed, one of the party’s prospective candidates, is one of its leading lights.

“But let’s be pragmatic and look at its record. The foundation has gone out of its way to vocally oppose terrorism, organising a spontaneous rally after the Glasgow airport attacks. By engaging young Muslims in the political process, by collaborating with the Holyrood government and cross-party organisations like Scotland United, it places the Muslim community firmly in middle Scotland. It builds bridges….

“Far from appeasing Islamists, as some claim, the close co-operation between civic Scotland and Muslim Scotland fostered by the foundation appears to be paying dividends. By demonstrating that Scottish national identity can embrace all faiths and ethnicities, you neutralise the alienation and resentment that drives young people towards the jihadists.”

Joan McAlpine in the Sunday Times, 8 November 2009

English Nazis plot to bring terror to streets of Scotland

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A mob of English racists and neo-Nazis planning to invade Scotland can be exposed by the Sunday Mail today.

The far-right trouble makers are planning to march in Glasgow under the banner of the Scottish Defence League near the country’s biggest Mosque.

Despite portraying themselves as Scots, the right-wingers – including senior BNP activists – will travel to Scotland from Birmingham, Luton, London and Carlisle.

The ragbag army of football hooligans, far-right activists and racist thugs want a confrontation with Scots Muslims.

They have even started selling s20 Scottish Defence League polo shirts on eBay for marchers to wear.

Organisers have admitted that previous marches have been attended by fascist thugs from Combat 18.

They hope to take advantage of the heightened profile given to the far right from Nick Griffin’s Question Time appearance on Thursday.

Sunday Mail, 25 October 2009

Scottish Defence League demo opposed by police

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Scotland’s largest police force has promised to “oppose” a demonstration by anti-Muslim extremists if the event is intent on stirring up racial hatred. It is the SDL’s intention to hold a demonstration in Scotland on November 14 that is worrying local authorities, police and community activists.

Authorities believe the SDL has earmarked George Square in Glasgow or land near the city’s sheriff court building as possible locations for the demonstration. The latter venue is close to Glasgow Central mosque, a focal point for Strathclyde’s 30,000 Muslims. Another option being considered for the protest, according to websites used by EDL supporters, is the Hillhead Tavern in Kilmarnock. Al-Huda Educational Society of Kilmarnock has hopes of buying the pub and turning it into Ayrshire’s first mosque.

However, the Sunday Herald understands that Strathclyde Police are ready to oppose any application for a rally that stirs up racial tensions. Inspector Brian Gibson reportedly told a public meeting in Glasgow last week that such a proposal would not be welcomed by his force.

Groups need a local council’s permission if a rally requires the use of a “public space”, such as George Square, or if a procession involves road closures. It is at the point of a formal application that a police force can advise a local authority on whether an event should take place.

Osama Saeed, chief executive of the Scottish Islamic Foundation, said: “We congratulate Glasgow City Council and Strathclyde Police for the stance that they’ve taken on the SDL. The likelihood is, though, that even if banned there will be an illegal protest. We have to be ready for that. Some sort of action against this protest is inevitable and necessary, though it is essential that it is peaceful.”

A police spokesperson said: “A police officer in attendance at the [public] meeting stated if an application was received from a group whom we believe were intent on causing racial hatred on the streets, then Strathclyde Police would oppose it.” A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said he was not aware of an SDL application having been made yet.

Sunday Herald, 27 September 2009

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Anti-Muslim extremists plan Scots protest

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL2Anti-Muslim extremists linked with serious unrest in England are planning a major demonstration in Glasgow, it has emerged. The English Defence League aims to take to the streets of Scotland’s biggest city on Saturday, 14 November, sparking major safety concerns among police and council insiders.

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council yesterday said “any application would be considered”. However, senior officials at the authority, which has the power to ban marches on police safety advice, would be keen to block any demonstration that is deemed likely to lead to violence.

The Glasgow demonstration was announced on the Facebook website this week. Some 132 people have already said they will attend. The time and place of the rally have still to be settled. Any attempt to approach sensitive areas, such as Glasgow Central Mosque, would present serious public safety problems, city insiders confirmed to The Scotsman.

The Scottish Islamic Foundation yesterday said it would be organising a public meeting within the next seven days to work out how it should respond to extreme anti-Islamic groups crossing the border. The group’s chairman, Asif Ahmed, said:

“This is time for Scotland to once again show we will not be divided by extremists. We have faced worse and come through it. The last time Glasgow was tested was at the 2007 airport attack. What we saw then was all strands of society coming together for a remarkable show of solidarity in George Square. We’ll be working again to make sure that the numbers peacefully opposing extremism will far outstrip that of the haters.”

The Scotsman, 18 September 2009

See also SIF news report, 17 September 2009

Scottish Labour accuses Scottish-Islamic Foundation of financial irregularities

Posted on by Eddie Truman

SIF

The right-wing blogosphere has been cock-a-hoop at news that the Scottish-Islamic Foundation “have been forced to repay” £128,000 to the Scottish Government for “an event that never took place”.

The news was covered by the Daily Mail and Express, peddled by Centre for Social Cohesion’s Douglas “Neoconservatism: why we need it” Murray and Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, and repeated by Harry’s Place.

The story is that SIF last year received £200,000 to organise IslamFest, a large event planned for this summer 2009 aimed at the public on Muslim culture, but which also had a Middle East trade expo as part of it. The original plans were to cost over £1m to hold, but there were difficulties in obtaining the remaining funding due to the economic crisis.

As a result, the plans were scaled back and pushed back. It has been split into two elements – Salaam Scotland and Etisal. The former is a four month festival of events taking place around Scotland from December this year, while the latter is the trade expo which will also take place this year.

The work is important given the level of Islamophobia in Scotland and the wider UK, and the project also has the potential to attract investment and jobs into Scotland – something you would have thought would be supported given the economic climate. The Scottish Government are still considering the new timetable.

Anyone with any knowledge of the voluntary sector knows that if a grant is given in a financial year, 08/09 in this case, and is underspent, the remainder is returned. This is not unusual. Perhaps what is unusual is SIF’s scrupulous approach to the money. SIF CEO Osama Saeed told the Express:

“Many in our position would simply have cobbled something together and spent the money. This would not have been good enough for the high standards we set ourselves”.

The full picture has not been reported anywhere. The event that “did not take place” claim is not the full story, and SIF’s critics know this.

If this was just a case of misrepresentation, that would be one thing. But SIF’s critics have had to add some spice to the story by claiming financial “irregularities”. The word has been repeated ad nauseam in quotation marks, but no one has been able to back it up.

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Muslim women avoid reporting racism

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Shouts of “Terrorist” and “Osama Bin Laden” on the way into an Eid party. Being chased out of a park crying because a man thinks the way you dress is a danger to children. Both racism. Both to Muslim women. Neither reported to the police.

Catrin Nye of BBC Asian Network has been investigating after a charity set up to offer the women support claimed hundreds of racist crimes against Muslim women in Scotland are going unreported.

BBC News, 6 August 2009

Via ENGAGE

Mosque threat man avoids prison

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Neil MacGregorA Derbyshire man who threatened to blow up Glasgow Central Mosque has been sentenced to three years’ probation.

Neil MacGregor, 36, had also said he would execute a Muslim a day unless all of Scotland’s Mosques were closed. He made the threats after watching an internet video of a British hostage being beheaded in Iraq.

Sheriff Andrew Mackie said he did not believe custody would help to address the root cause of MacGregor’s problem which was his mental health.

At an earlier hearing, MacGregor, from Melbourne, Derbyshire, admitted a racial breach of the peace. He telephoned and e-mailed Strathclyde Police to make the threats from a flat in Glasgow, between 30 January and 15 February 2007. The court heard that the e-mail read:

“I’m a proud racist and National Front member. We as an organisation have decided to deal with the current threat from Muslims in our own British way, like our proud ancestors. Our demands are very small. Close all mosques in Scotland. If our demands aren’t met by next Friday, we’ll kidnap one Muslim and execute him or her on the internet, just like they did to our Ken Bigley.”

MacGregor then followed up the e-mail with a call threatening to blow up Central Mosque.

Muslim leaders criticised the way MacGregor’s case was dealt with by the police and courts. Osama Saeed, of the Scottish-Islamic Foundation, said he believed that if a young Muslim had similarly threatened violence after viewing videos from Iraq, he would have been dealt with completely differently by the police.

BBC News, 7 August 2009

See Scottish Islamic Foundation press release, 7 August 2009

Update:  See also Inayat Bunglawala’s piece at Comment is Free, 8 August 2009

Update 2:  See “Former soldier who issued mosque bomb threat jailed”, BBC News, 6 April 2011

Islamic charity shop set on fire after repeated threats

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Islamic Relief arsonThe Glasgow branch of Islamic Relief, a worldwide disaster relief charity and member of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), has been badly damaged after being set on fire in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Commenting on the incident Habib Malik, Head of Islamic Relief Scotland, said:

“This is a huge blow for the local community. Not only is this our Scottish HQ but also our leading charity shop in the country, it is a vibrant hub for the community, with volunteers and donors regularly passing through the doors.

“Unfortunately, earlier this year, during the time of our Gaza Emergency Appeal we received a number of threats of this nature. We are an apolitical charity; we do not take sides in any conflict and simply act to help alleviate people’s suffering. Unfortunately, due to the fact we have the word ‘Islamic’ in our name; we are often an easy target for certain racist and Islamaphobic groups and individuals.

“This despicable incident, which could have easily cost lives, has rightly been condemned by the whole community and by people of all faiths and none. We are genuinely humbled by everyone’s offers of support and we will be working around the clock to get normal service resumed.”

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Psychiatric tests for mosque bomb threat man

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Neil MacGregorA man who threatened to blow up Glasgow Central Mosque has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric assessment. Neil MacGregor also threatened to kill a Muslim a day until all mosques in Scotland were closed.

At Glasgow Sheriff Court, Sheriff Andrew Mackie told the 36-year-old he appeared to be suffering from mental illness. McGregor will appear again in four weeks time after being assessed at Murray Royal Hospital in Perth.

MacGregor admitted telephoning and e-mailing Strathclyde Police to make the threats from a flat in Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow, between January and February 2007. The court heard that the e-mail read:

“I’m a proud racist and National Front member. We as an organisation have decided to deal with the current threat from Muslims in our own British way, like our proud ancestors. Our demands are very small. Close all mosques in Scotland. If our demands aren’t met by next Friday, we’ll kidnap one Muslim and execute him or her on the internet, just like they did to our Ken Bigley.”

MacGregor then followed up the e-mail with a call threatening to blow up Central Mosque.

Ordering McGregor to undergo a psychiatric assessment, Sheriff Mackie told him: “It has been clear for some time your mental health has been causing concern. This may be related to you having previously served in the forces, although doubt has arisen as to whether you actually served in a combat zone.”

BBC News, 3 July 2009

Meanwhile the Financial Times reports that Sir Norman Bettison, chief constable of West Yorkshire police, has told a security conference in London: “There is a growing right-wing threat, not just Al-Qaeda.” And a spokeswoman for Searchlight is quoted as saying that police forces were paying increased attention to the threat but courts too often dismissed those caught as deluded loners. “Far-right terrorism is a serious problem. The courts have not always treated it so,” she said.