Reports and comment from Islamophobia Watch 3‑9 November

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Reports and comment from Islamophobia Watch 3-9 November 2014

Former Britain First member denounces group and visits mosque to apologise

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Matthew Lester at Crayford MosqueA former member of Britain First has denounced the organisation and visited a mosque to apologise to the Muslim community he says they demonise.

Matthew Lester, 25, joined the group six months ago to protest radical preachers such as Anjem Choudry but soon became disillusioned with the group.

He told the Huffington Post: “I thought it was for the people but found out it was more about publicity. Basically it was publicity stunts more than getting anything done and tackling issues. They’re not just going after extremists, they’re going after Muslims.”

To make amends Lester visited Crayford Mosque to apologise. He said: “I went in there and took my shoes and hat off and they said Allah knows what’s in your heart and we can tell by the way you came down here and apologised.”

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Muslims across America, Europe face renewed 9/11-style scorn amid ISIS’ violent campaign

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Muslims in America and Europe say discrimination against them has seemed more pronounced after the Islamic State terrorists beheaded American and British journalists and aid workers. Hate-filled remarks on social media have also become more prevalent, especially since 9/11, when Facebook and Twitter did not yet exist.

New York Daily News, 7 November 2014

Alabama ‘bans’ Sharia law amid fears it could violate American rights

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New York anti-Sharia protest
Sharia hysteria in New York, August 2010

Sharia law has been “banned” by Alabama in the US – even though it has never been part of the state’s legal system.

Under the “American and Alabama Laws for Alabama Courts Amendment”, it is now illegal for judges to apply any foreign law if it violates citizens’ existing rights.

Voters passed Amendment One on Tuesday, which despite being worded to encompass any foreign law, sprang from a specifically anti-Sharia bill first proposed almost four years ago.

Senator Gerald Allen’s original attempt, the “Sharia Law Amendment”, targeted Islamic laws but was dropped after a similar move was blocked in Oklahoma because it was found to unconstitutionally limit religious freedoms.

In a 2011 interview with the Anniston Star, Mr Allen claimed the measure as necessary to “protect” the current legal system but seemed unable to define Sharia. “I don’t have my file in front of me,” he said. “I wish I could answer you better.”

The paper found that the bill’s definition of Sharia – “a form of religious law derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the divine revelations set forth in the Koran and the example set by the Islamic Prophet Muhammad” – was almost identical to the current Wikipedia entry on the subject.

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Finsbury Park first mosque to win prestigious national award

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North London Central MosqueFinsbury Park Mosque (FPM), in St Thomas’s Road, has been given a Visible Quality Mark by national body Community Matters – only the third time the award has gone to a faith organisation.

It marks an exceptional turn around for the mosque; when the current owners took over it was best known as a hive of extremism where radical Islamic cleric Abu Hamza had preached for more than a decade.

Mohammed Kozbar, chair of FPM, said: “It is great to achieve the Visible communities award after almost two years of hard work, we are proud to be the first mosque and the third faith organisation in the UK to achieve this award, it gave us the confidence to improve the standard of operation and accountability of our organisation”.

FPM, a registered charity, now attracts up to 2,000 worshippers, as well as hosting community events including youth and welfare services, IT courses and surgeries for councillors and Members of Parliament.

Jeremy Corbyn, MP for Islington North, said: “Congratulations to the staff at FPM. Your hard work and good results that are so valuable within our community deserve this wider recognition.

“It can be tough for charities in this climate, yet despite that you have been able to demonstrate high standards in all areas across your organisation. This endorsed standards award can give the public confidence that this charity is well run and give any funders assurance about how their money is being spent.”

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Serving soldier admits breaking into mosque and stealing Qur’an

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Liam King

An Afghanistan veteran who posted Facebook pictures of himself dressed as Osama Bin Laden could be kicked out of the Army – after breaking into a mosque and stealing a Koran.

Lance Corporal Liam King, of Eastwood Park, Great Baddow, pleaded guilty to the burglary of Chelmsford Mosque on Parkway, as well as criminal damage to the Islamic centre’s door, when he appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday.

Now Judge Christopher Ball has ordered a pre-sentence report to determine if King’s actions were motivated by “religious or racial hatred” or his alcohol problem.

King, who posted pictures of himself dressed as the terrorist and armed with dynamite, tried to break into the Jamia Masjid Mosque in Parkway on Sunday, November 24, last year, but failed.

The 22-year-old, who serves in the Mortar Platoon of the 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment, returned to the religious building three weeks later in the early hours of Monday, December 16.

This time he managed to break into the mosque by forcing the front door. Along with two other men they stole a copy of the holy book worth £25, and caused £150 of damage to the lock and door.

CCTV from the failed burglary of November 24 shows King walking up to the mosque, shouting up to the window, banging on the door, and then trying to shoulder charge the entrance unsuccessfully.

The images from the December 16 incident show King barging through the door and entering the mosque with two other men. Police do not know who the other two men are, and are appealing to the public to help identify them. They emerge two minutes later with the Koran and swagger back down Moulsham Street, flicking through the pages.

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Posted in UK

Australia launches a helpline to improve reporting of race and religion based abuse

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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — A new Speak-Out Hotline has been launched to protect people from race and religion-based harassment intimidation and abuse in Australia’s most populous state New South Wales (NSW).

The NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services Stuart Ayres said the new hotline, which will be operated by the NSW Police Call Centre (PoliceLink) in conjunction with Multicultural NSW, would make it easier for people in NSW to report incidents of race or religion-based abuse.

“The new direct phone line will enable everyone in the community to speak out about physical or verbal incidents of race or religion-based abuse and to seek assistance from the appropriate authorities,” NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services Stuart Ayres said.

“This is about ensuring accurate records on the prevalence of alleged racial abuse are maintained. Having the service within PoliceLink will ensure criminal matters are attended to appropriately and non-criminal matters are referred to Multicultural NSW to be logged.

“The NSW Government will not stand by while fellow citizens are being targeted for insult because of their beliefs, their skin colour or their choice of dress.

“I encourage people to call the Speak-Out line, even if they are only witnesses to an incident. We will ensure their concern is directed to the right arm of government, be it Police or Multicultural NSW.”

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Islamic chant pulled from San Diego high school choir concert

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A San Diego-area high school choir program changed an upcoming concert lineup after a parent complained that one of the selections showed religious elements.

Mt. Carmel High School has asked the school’s choir director to remove an Islamic Chant from the Thursday evening concert program. The choir director told NBC 7 that the concerned parent does not have child in the Classical Choir Ensemble.

Earlier in the week, the high school principal and assistant principals talked with their choir group and let them share their opinions, according to one of the students in the choir ensemble. On Wednesday, the students were told to remove the Islamic Chant called “Zikr” and a Korean Chant because it couldn’t be directly translated.

Choir student Alyssa Marine said the songs were connected throughout the concert to show how America is diverse. “It kinda just sucks because they just like kinda hated just that one song and that one religion and I just thought that was kinda messed up,” Marine said.

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Posted in USA