Vandals have targeted a French mosque in a graffiti attack, tagging the worship centre with swastikas and anti-Islam slogans, officials said Sunday.
The attack was discovered by worshippers arriving for morning prayer at the mosque in Ozoir-La-Ferrière, a small town 35 kilometres (20 miles) east of Paris.
OTTAWA — A Canadian Muslim organization wants the Ottawa Public Library to cancel a speech by a controversial British lawyer who advocates legal tactics to block the construction of new mosques in the U.K.
Self-proclaimed “mosquebuster” Gavin Boby is scheduled to speak at the library on Monday night, the first stop on a Canadian speaking tour that will also take him to Montreal and Toronto.
Boby is the founder of an organization called Law and Freedom Foundation, which he says is devoted to “resisting the tide of Islam” by using the municipal planning process to oppose the building of mosques.
Despite being served with a court injunction banning them from going within 500 metres of Abu Qatada’s family home, on Saturday the English National Resistance went ahead with what they called a “peaceful, responsible and effective small scale demonstration” just outside the exclusion zone.
It was addressed by Paul Golding of Britain First, Paul Pitt of the South East Alliance, former leading EDL activist Tony Curtis and Dave Smeeton of March For England.
The ENR states that 40 “patriots” turned up for the protest. Now, I know the far right aren’t generally the brightest of people, but if you’re going to exaggerate the size of a demonstration, it doesn’t require much intelligence to work out that it’s not a good idea to post photographs on Facebook which show the actual attendance to be little more than half the figure you’re claiming.
White supremacists are urging Australian “patriots” to gather at public meetings by the controversial Dutch MP Geert Wilders, ready for trouble and a no-holds barred fight.
Tensions have been mounting over the impending visit of the far right-wing politician who has been accused of Islamophobia and racism.
One group, Australian New Nation, has been encouraging followers to react to any threat or sign of violence from Muslim protesters who might attend.
On its website, the group has posted an audio from “Radio Free Australia, the voice of white revolution in Australia” warning them to “expect an Islamic rent-a-crowd outside screaming and foaming at the mouth like the evil bastards they are”.
“We encourage all patriots to exercise their legal right of self defence if any ragheads try to prevent them accessing the venue, or threaten, or use violence against their person once they try to strike the first blow, everything that follows is self defence on your part,” it said.
The vitriolic broadcast, which lasts almost 10 minutes, goes on to say, “go . . . and be prepared to defend yourself and if they take a swing at you, they push at you, they spit on you, don’t hold back. You have a legal right of self defence do what should be done to this rag-head camel f— . . . Islamic filth who have no place in civilised society.
Social media sites protesting against Mr Wilders’s visits to Sydney, Melbourne and Perth have also been the target of hate messages.
Members of a Muslim family whose house was shot at during a drive-by Thursday evening think they were targeted because of their faith.
Tuesday, a stranger driving by Allie and Maryam Taghavi’s home in southwest Oklahoma City stopped and asked their 21-year-old son the family’s religion.
A large sign hung on the porch and visible from the road said, “as-salamu alaykum,” an Arabic phrase often used by Muslims meaning “peace be with you.”
Without any suspicion, their son told the stranger they were Muslim, Allie Taghavi said. The stranger then drove away.
Then, two days later on Thursday evening, Allie Taghavi was home with three of his adult children when shots were fired around 7:45 p.m. from a car driving south on S Olie Avenue near their home at SW 30. “I screamed when I heard the shots, but it was so rapid … like firecrackers,” he said.
WEST BLOOMFIELD — The Michigan Supreme Court won’t hear an appeal over the sale of a Detroit-area school for a mosque and Islamic community center.
In an order released Saturday, the court said a September decision by the appeals court in favor of the Farmington school district will stand.
The Islamic Cultural Association bought the vacant Eagle Elementary School in West Bloomfield Township in 2011. Some residents sued, claiming the deal was somehow corrupt and hidden from the public. An Oakland County judge and the appeals court have said critics have no standing to sue.
The Islamic association has said opponents are unfairly targeting people over their Muslim faith. The West Bloomfield Planning Commission has not taken action on the proposed mosque.
Associated Press, 2 February 2013
See also “State Supreme Court rejects appeal of West Bloomfield mosque opponents”, West Bloomfield Patch, 2 Febuary 2013
Try as al-Qaida might to encourage them, American Muslims still aren’t committing acts of terrorism. Only 14 people out of a population of millions were indicted for their involvement in violent terrorist plots in 2012, a decline from 2011’s 21. The plots themselves hit the single digits last year.
So much for a widespread stereotype. According to data tracked by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security in North Carolina and released Friday (.PDF), there were nine terrorist plots involving American Muslims in 2012. Only one of them, the attempted bombing of a Social Security office in Arizona, actually led to any violence. There were no casualties in that or any other incident. And the Triangle study tracksindictments, not convictions.
Terrorist incidents from American Muslims is on the decline for the third straight year. After an uptick in 2009, there were 18 plots in 2011 involving 21 U.S. Muslims. And it’s not just violent plots: Fewer Muslim-Americans are getting indicted for money laundering, material support for terrorism, and lying to investigators. There were 27 people indicted on those terror-support charges in 2010, eight in 2011 and six in 2012.
The Muslim community in Philadelphia held a meeting venting frustrations over people committing crimes dressed in traditional Muslim garb.
“We have a right to wear a face veil if we choose to, that’s our right, our God-given right,” said Alia Walker.
Muslim women in West Philadelphia are becoming increasingly fearful.
This as the pressure mounts for the capture of the woman dressed in Muslim garb and her accomplice, who kidnapped a 5-year-old girl from her classroom and brutally assaulted her.
“Right now, a lot of the Muslim sisters are saying, ‘People are walking around looking at them cross-eyed.’ They haven’t done anything wrong,” said Rep. Ron Waters.
At a standing room only meeting to discuss the matter, Muslims expressed outrage that it’s happening again and again.
Criminals have been committing crimes disguised as Muslim women – robbing banks, stores and now kidnapping. Violent crimes they fear put Muslim women in danger.
“We consider anyone dressing up like a Muslim woman perpetrating a hate crime,” said Iman Asim Abdul Rashid.
On his radio show last night, Mark Levin went offon President Obama’s decision to send F-16 planes and tanks to assist President Mohamed Morsi’s Egyptian government, calling the president a Muslim Brotherhood “sympathizer.”
“What the hell’s happening? Now we back the Muslim Brotherhood?” Levin said of the administration’s decision to aid Morsi.
The conservative radio host defended his “dear friends” Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Louie Gohmert (R-TX) over their concerns that the administration has been “infiltrated” by the Muslim Brotherhood.
“[They] ask questions about the Muslim Brotherhood’s infiltration of our own government, and they’re treated like pariahs,” an agitated Levin shouted. “Well, the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated our government – it’s called Barack Obama! No, he’s not a formal member; he’s a sympathizer. There, I said it! Prove otherwise.”
Police want to hear from anyone who knows who may have vandalised a Westcliff mosque.
Two men are believed to be responsible for smashing three windows at the UK Islamic Mission in West Road, on December 15. The incident is believed to have happened at about 11pm.
Any witnesses or anyone with information about the offenders should contact Pc Phil Collie at Leigh police station on 101.