Yearly Archives: 2013

David Cameron says high-level taskforce to tackle violence against Muslims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

David Cameron at Jamia Mosque

A high-level taskforce set up by David Cameron to tackle extremism will focus on violence against Muslims at its next meeting, the Prime Minister has said. The move comes after a wave of attacks on mosques and Islamic centres following the murder of soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich in May.

Mr Cameron said the next meeting of the tackling extremism and radicalisation taskforce would be “looking at the problem of violence against Muslim communities”. He told The Muslim News: “I condemn these attacks absolutely, but more important than condemnation is action. I think we can say that this Government has taken action. The police have acted very robustly in response to these attacks.”

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More Nazi graffiti in Lesparre-Médoc

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Lesparre-Médoc graffiti (2)

Sud-Ouest reports that a Muslim prayer room in Lesparre-Médoc which was the target of an arson attempt and Nazi graffiti only a few days ago has suffered a second graffiti attack.

Two more swastikas have been sprayed on the front of the building. The cars of two local Muslims, including the president of the prayer room Mohammed Boukourat, were also defaced with fascist symbols. Three further swastikas were sprayed on the wall of another building.

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Police investigate criminal damage at a Neath mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Tonna Mosque vandalismFour windows have been smashed overnight at a mosque in a village near Neath, leaving broken glass along a busy walkway. The religious building, at St Anne’s Terrace, Tonna, was damaged in the early hours of this morning.

Police have been on the scene in the village throughout the morning, questioning neighbours and passers by. A spokesman for South Wales Police confirmed officers were investigating a criminal damage incident at the site, which occurred at 1.10am. “Enquires are ongoing at this time,” said a spokesman.

Anyone with any information regarding the incident is asked to contact South Wales Police on 101 quoting incident number 103 of 10 August 2013.

South Wales Evening Post, 10 August 2013

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Majority opposed to hijab in French universities

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Figaro hijab polls

Le Figaro reports that an Ifop poll it commissioned has found that almost eight out of ten people in France are opposed to the wearing of the headscarf or veil in university classrooms. It quotes Jerome Fourquet of Ifop as stating that this represents a similar level of opposition to the hijab that has been found in previous polls on this issue.

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UCF prof accused of anti-Muslim teachings blasted again by America-Islamic advocacy group

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Jonathan Matusitz with Geller and GaffneyAn American-Islamic advocacy group is asking Brevard County not to allow “an anti-Muslim hate group” to use a commission meeting room in Viera on Tuesday for a speech by a controversial University of Central Florida professor.

“It creates the perception of endorsement and approval by the Brevard County government of this group’s hateful views,” said Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations [CAIR].

Jonathan Matusitz, an associate professor at UCF, is set to speak at an ACT! For Space Coast Florida meeting in a county room during a session titled “The Islamic Threat to America.” ACT! Space Coast Florida is a chapter of a national organization that warns the public of what it describes as “radical Islam.”

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Stephanie Banister: Australian Islam gaffe goes viral

Posted on by Bob Pitt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_1SFf8t-ko

An Australian election candidate has made the wrong kind of headlines after a gaffe-strewn interview in which she mistook Islam for a country.

Stephanie Banister, a candidate with the anti-immigration One Nation Party, clocked up multiple mistakes in a TV interview with Channel 7 News. The 27-year-old also confused the term “haram” (forbidden) with the Koran and suggested Jews worship Jesus Christ.

The interview, which aired early this week, has gone viral on social media. “I don’t oppose Islam as a country, umm, but I do feel that their laws should not be welcome here in Australia,” Ms Banister told Seven News reporter Erin Edwards.

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Far-right attack on Muslim prayer room in Gironde

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Lesparre-Médoc graffiti

Sud-Ouest reports that a Muslim prayer room at Lesparre-Médoc in southwestern France has been victim both of an arson attack and of fascist graffiti.

Petrol was poured on the floor in front of the door in the early hours of Wednesday morning and a piece of burning paper was inserted into the letterbox, but the fire was extinguished before it could cause any serious damage.

When the police arrived they found a swastika had been sprayed on the front of the building.

Mike Huckabee goes all-in on Islamophobia, calls Muslims ‘animals’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Mike HuckabeeNever one to let facts interfere with his opinions, Mike Huckabee recently compared Muslims on holy days to “uncorked animals.” The benighted former Arkansas governor made the comments on his radio show Wednesday, saying that Muslims emerging from mosques on Fridays, the day of prayer, “come out of there like uncorked animals, throwing rocks and burning cars”.

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Richard Dawkins criticised for Twitter comment about Muslims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Dawkins Nobels Prizes tweets

The outspoken atheist Richard Dawkins was involved in an online Twitter row on Thursday after tweeting: “All the world’s Muslims have fewer Nobel Prizes than Trinity College, Cambridge. They did great things in the Middle Ages, though.”

As users piled in to criticise him, the scientist continued: “Why mention Muslim Nobels rather than any other group? Because we so often hear boasts about (a) their total numbers and (b) their science.”

His other posts included: “You can attack someone for his opinion. But for simply stating an intriguing fact? Who would guess that a single Cambridge College” and “Muslims aren’t a race. What they have in common is a religion. Rather than Trinity, would you prefer the comparison with Jews? Google it.”

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Huntingdon mosque attacker jailed for four weeks

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A plasterer who smashed a window at a mosque in Huntingdon with a chair has been jailed. Gary Abbott, of no fixed abode, was arrested near Huntingdon Islamic Education and Prayer Centre in Coneygear Road on Thursday, May 30.

The 45-year-old was charged with racial or religiously aggravated criminal damage and was released on bail, only to return to the mosque on Sunday, June 2, when he was heard to shout obscenities. He was re-arrested and charged with religiously aggravated harassment.

Abbott admitted causing criminal damage but initially denied the harassment charge. He appeared at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court on Friday, July 26 and was sentenced to two weeks in prison for each offence, to be served consecutively.

Hunts Post, 7 August 2013