Monthly Archives: May 2011

Wilders brings his message of hate to Canada

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Geert Wilders extremistGeert Wilders has made his name as one of the world’s most outspoken opponents of Islam. The controversial Dutch parliamentarian does not hate Muslims, he’s famously said, but he does hate Islam. His colourful political career has been driven by a belief that the Koran encourages violence, that moderate Islam is an impossibility, that the Netherlands is in the process of being Islamicized, and that immigrants from Muslim countries must be stopped.

Next week, Mr. Wilders will bring his message to Canada, a country he says faces the same prospects of being Islamicized as his own. On Monday, Mr. Wilders is the marquee speaker at an invitation-only event hosted by the International Free Press Society and the Canada Christian College.

“Geert Wilders has a warning for Canada, and his warning is about a lack of free speech here and the threat of demographic jihad,” said Charles McVety, president of the Canada Christian College. “We’re all for freedom of religion, but when its mission is a hostile takeover, well that’s a different story. Islam is not just a religion, it’s a political and cultural system as well and we know that Christians, Jews and Hindus don’t have the same mandate for a hostile takeover. Here in Canada there is a real, clear and present danger. And we’re not even allowed to say anything about it. That’s what Geert Wilders is going to talk about.”

Members of the Toronto Muslim community say they were unaware of any planned hostile takeover and dismiss Mr. Wilders as racist and ill-informed.

National Post, 5 May 2011

It’s a shame that the event will be restricted to Wilders’ supporters. Otherwise there would have been an opportunity to ask the Dutch racist and his hosts why the right to “free speech” they claim to be defending doesn’t apply to Wilders’ critics back in the Netherlands. (See here, here and here.)

Victoria: minister defends multiculturalism, migrants and right to wear veil

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Muslim women who choose to wear the face-covering burqa should be entitled to do as they pleased, says Victoria’s multicultural affairs minister.

Nick Kotsiras has also praised the Sudanese community who have come under scrutiny in the aftermath of outbreaks of street brawling after a youth beauty pageant last month. ”We have not got a Sudanese problem in Australia – or in Melbourne. There are 8000 Sudanese living in Victoria, the vast majority are hard-working, law-abiding citizens ” he told The Age.

In a spirited defence of cultural diversity, Mr Kotsiras said isolated incidents of violence were not an example of social disharmony brought on by the latest arrivals from Africa. And while those who broke the law should be punished, ”you cannot say it’s all the community’s fault”.

Weighing into the international debate on banning burqas, taken up by some of his federal Coalition colleagues, Mr Kotsiras said: ”If a person wishes to wear the burqa, then they should be allowed to wear the burqa. I don’t believe that someone should be forced to wear any particular item of clothing, but that’s across all cultures. If someone wants to wear [a burqa], I can’t see what the problem is.”

Mr Kotsiras, who arrived here as a child migrant from Greece in the early 1960s with no English, acknowledged that all new waves of settlers to Australia faced challenges relating to issues such as jobs and youth.

But he hoped an initiative in the state budget for a new unit within the Premier’s Department to help co-ordinate policies for new refugees and migrants across local, state and federal governments would identify service gaps. ”We open our arms to new migrants but now it is about helping them resettle in a new country,” said Mr Kotsiras, who is also the Minister for Citizenship.

A tendency of new arrivals to congregate in certain suburbs such as Dandenong or St Albans should not be characterised as creating ”ethnic ghettos”, Mr Kotsiras said.

”That’s an appalling term,” he said. ”There is absolutely no such thing as ghettos; people will live where they’ve got friends, where they’ve got jobs, where they’ve got a support base.” Mr Kotsiras cited his own experience arriving with his family: ”We went to Fitzroy because of the support base … and relatives. Where else would you expect us to go and live?”

The Age, 6 May 2011

College rejects call to drop anti-Muslim speaker

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Muslim civil-rights organization, along with religious leaders from a dozen area places of worship, has asked Everett Community College to cancel Thursday afternoon’s talk by a writer they portray as holding racist views.

Everett officials say they’re not planning to make any changes to the program, which features Raymond Ibrahim, associate director of the Middle East Forum and contributing writer of a blog called “Jihad Watch.” Ibrahim’s appearance is “consistent with the belief that students be exposed to a variety of views,” said John Olson, Everett vice president for college advancement.

But the Washington chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and several local religious leaders said they fear Ibrahim’s views could incite violence against Muslims.

“Everything Mr. Ibrahim has done in his career seems to have the single-minded focus of portraying Islam and Muslims as evil, deceitful, conspiring to take over the world, and … feeding the perpetual questioning and mistrust of their presence in the West,” reads the letter by Arsalan Bukhari, executive director of the Washington chapter of CAIR. The letter is signed by Bukhari and 58 others.

Seattle Times, 4 May 2011

Police officers claim compensation for assault by EDL thugs

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Eight officers drafted in from a neighbouring force are claiming compensation from Staffordshire Police after being injured in an English Defence League protest.

They have lodged the insurance claims after being among 66 officers brought in from West Mercia Police to help control the Hanley march. It is believed two of the officers were knocked unconscious after the eight colleagues were attacked near McDonald’s in Parliament Row.

Staffordshire Police Federation chairman Andy Adams, who policed the protest, said: “The officers’ police van was surrounded and attacked. The officers were injured. They obviously feel very strongly about what happened.”

He added: “Lots of other officers got assaulted and pushed around and the crowd was stealing officers’ helmets and hats. There were lots of minor assaults that officers wouldn’t even contemplate claiming for, but what happened to the West Mercia officers could have been fatal.”

In total, 40 officers were injured in the protest staged in January, 2010.

The Sentinel, 4 May 2011

‘Where is your god now?’ police shouted as they beat up Muslim terrorism suspect

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Babar-AhmadA computer expert who is awaiting extradition to the United States to face terrorism charges, was beaten up by police officers during a dawn raid on his home, a London court was told on Wednesday.

Officers wearing helmets and protective clothing punched and violently assaulted Babar Ahmad, a Muslim, and mocked his religion after smashing their way into his south London house in December 2003, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Four of the officers from London’s Territorial Support Group (TSG) are accused of assaulting Ahmad during the arrest which was made on behalf of the counter-terrorism branch.

Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw said that before the raid, the officers were briefed that Ahmad had received terrorism training and had fought overseas in support of holy war, the Press Association reported.

Ahmad was never charged in relation to his arrest but is in custody awaiting extradition to America for alleged terrorism offences. British courts have granted the extradition but Ahmad appealed and the case has not yet been resolved.

Laidlaw said the police had feared Ahmad would resist during the raid on his home but in fact he had remained submissive. “Dressed only in his pyjamas and barefooted, Mr Ahmad raised his arms above his head to indicate that he was not going to fight or to present any sort of danger or threat to the police,” he told the court. However, one officer threw himself at Ahmad, knocking him against a bedroom window, which smashed. Shouting and swearing, the officers then punched and beat him to the floor.

He was handcuffed and, despite being restrained, the assaults continued, Laidlaw said, before Ahmad was taken downstairs to his prayer room and put in a Muslim prayer position. Officers then asked “Where is your god now?,” the court heard. Ahmad was then put in a police van where the assaults continued until he was driven to a police station.

“There was more punching, further pulling up and pressure being applied by the manhandling of the handcuffs and Mr Ahmad was held in headlocks. The taunting and verbal abuse also continued,” Laidlaw said. When the victim arrived, battered and bruised, at the station, the defendants pretended he had violently resisted. “It was a lie that all four defendants persist with to this day,” Laidlaw said.

The four accused are police constables Mark Jones, Roderick James-Bowen and Nigel Cowley, and Detective Constable John Donohue. They deny the charge and the trial continues.

Reuters, 4 May 2011

Teacher disciplined over comment to Muslim student

Posted on by Bob Pitt

HOUSTON — The death of Osama bin Laden is related to an investigation of a teacher at Clear Brook High School. The teacher is accused of making a racially insensitive comment to a student in front of the entire class.

A Friendswood mom says she was offended by what her daughter says happened Monday in ninth grade algebra.

She said, “The teacher told the student that ‘I bet you’re grieving.’ And she basically looked at him and said what are you talking about? And he said I heard about your uncle’s death and she said wow, because she understood that he was referring about Osama bin Laden being killed and was racially profiling her.”

The remark was made to a classmate, an American-born girl of Muslim faith. It happened at Clear Brook High School in the Clear Creek Independent School District. The mom wanted to speak out about the incident but wanted us to protect her identity, saying she doesn’t want any retaliation against her daughter or the girl who experienced the inappropriate comment.

The mother said, “The student ended up crying over what was said to her by the teacher and the teacher asked her why she was crying and another student said it was because of what you said earlier. And his response was, oh, OK, and just kind of smirked and giggled and walked away.”

The Clear Creek school district was quick to respond, confirming what was said and issuing a prepared statement.

In the Clear Creek Independent School District, we believe diversity strengthens our community and seek opportunities to celebrate the different cultures within our schools and neighborhoods. The sentiments allegedly shared by this teacher are not reflective of the staff at Clear Brook High School or anyone within the Clear Creek Independent School District. In accordance with CCISD policy, the teacher has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a personnel investigation.

The student did the right thing and immediately notified an adult regarding the teachers’ comments. The principal at Clear Brook High School notified the child’s parents and has been in communication with the family. – Elaina Polsen, Director of Public Information, Clear Creek Independent School District

ABC, 3 May 2011

‘Al-Qaeda arrest’ whistleblower silenced by university

Posted on by Bob Pitt

PRESS RELEASE

‘Al-Qaeda Arrest’ Whistleblower Silenced by University

The website of the British International Studies Association [1] has removed a whistle-blowing article written by Dr Rod Thornton [2], a former soldier turned academic who served in a counter-terrorism role in Northern Ireland. Dr Thornton’s article – ‘How a student’s use of a library book became a “major Islamist plot”’ – exposes how senior management at the University of Nottingham caused two men of ethnic minority background – Rizwaan Sabir, an MA student and Hicham Yezza, a member of staff – to be arrested and detained for six days under the Terrorism Act 2000 [3]. The removal of his article has allegedly come as a result of pressure on the website’s editors by the University of Nottingham, ahead of its general release to the public and media today.

The article details how the university reported the two men to police for being in possession of three publicly available documents, all of which were available from the university’s own library and, various academic and governmental websites [3]. Dr Thornton exposes how, in the aftermath of the men’s release, the university’s management conducted a behind-the-scenes campaign of disinformation and spin against them and their university supporters, disregarding university statutes and governmental guidance. All of this in an effort to shift blame and silence those who challenged the university’s account – i.e. that the research material was illegal and the arrests were justified.

What’s more, Dr. Thornton’s article uncovers how Nottingham University’s misinformation has seeped into policy circles. The arrest of the ‘Nottingham Two’ is now advertised as a ‘major Islamist plot’ by the Home Office [5]. Similarly, another government department calls the library books in question ‘extremist material’ [6]. His revelations arrive immediately after a cross-party parliamentary group published a report criticising universities for being hotbeds of radicalisation. Dr. Thornton’s account, however, exposes how a university’s unaccountable actions aggravate this problem.

Dr Thornton, a former counter-insurgency advisor to the British and US militaries said: “The paper is a detailed document that is carefully sourced. It tells of a very worrying incident which has serious repercussions for campus relations and for the ability of academics to fully to understand difficult issues such as terrorism. I am saddened by the removal of my paper from the BISA website. I cannot see that there is any reason for its removal other than the fact that the university is trying to prevent its secrets being publicly known, though I would hope that this was not the case.”

Now a PhD student in Glasgow, Rizwaan Sabir said: “Dr Thornton’s article proves that university management singled me out for differential treatment, despite my innocence. It is apparent that they and certain staff attempted to undermine my future at the university, perhaps because I would have been a constant reminder of their anti-terror cock up! The findings of this research, along with Nottingham’s attempts to censor it, are damning. Such cavalier behaviour should not be tolerated in British academia. I call on the government to launch an independent public inquiry into the conduct of the university.”

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:http://www.scribd.com/doc/54454049/EXECUTIVE-SUMMARY-Radicalisation-by-Universities-or-Radicalisation-at-Universities-by-Rod-Thornton

FULL ARTICLE:http://www.scribd.com/doc/54150076/Radicalisation-at-Universities-or-Radicalisation-by-Universities-How-a-Students-Use-of-a-Library-Book-Became-a-Major-Islamist-Plot

Continue reading →

BNP council candidate rejects accusations of racism, says some of her best friends are Muslims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Nancy Shaw-Farmer with Der FuhrerA British National Party election candidate has provoked fury after making vile racist slurs on her Facebook page.

Nancy Shaw-Farmer, who is bidding to become a councillor in Roe Lee in Blackburn, has been described as “an absolute disgrace … living in the dark ages” whose remarks “were bad, even by BNP standards”.

The 45-year-old former Clitheroe Grammar School pupil defended her comments, insisting people who found them offensive “didn’t have a sense of humour” and refused to apologise.

Continue reading →

Temecula anti-Islam group descends on high school

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Say No 2 Islam placardA Temecula-based anti-Islam group handed out fliers to students at a Murrieta high school. About a dozen members of Concerned Citizens for the First Amendment perched themselves on the sidewalk outside Murrieta Valley High School Tuesday, handing out fliers to students walking by.

A person unaffiliated with the group stood across the street from the high school, holding yellow signs that read, “Islam = Hate,” and, “Say No 2 Islam.”

The letter handed out was the same one the group gave to students outside Chaparral High School in January.

Seventh grade students in the Murrieta Valley Unified School District learn about the history of Islam as part of Social Studies. The letter accuses teachers of lying about Islam.

“Did you know you were subjected to some really serious brainwashing when you were in the seventh grade, and that it is continuing even today?” the flier stated. “That means you have been fed a bunch of lies. Lies can mess up your life forever. Do you like being lied to?”

The group also informed school district officials the day before that they planned to hand out the fliers, said Karen Parris, spokeswoman for the Murrieta Valley Unified School District. The district sent a phone message home to parents, telling them about the outreach.

“Under the first amendment, the group has the right to express their views on Islam and the building of mosques in the United States. Our students have the right to refuse the fliers or to accept the fliers, to engage in conversation, or to continue walking,” the message stated. “School staff and Murrieta police will be on hand to ensure that this is a peaceable exercise, as promised by the Concerned Citizens for the First Amendment.”

School officials also advised the students and gave them the choice of taking an alternative route to leave the school, the message stated.

Many students crumpled up the fliers and threw them on the ground, according to a parent who was present.

Temecula Patch, 4 May 2011