Yearly Archives: 2014

Britain’s Muslim Brotherhood review still poses puzzling questions

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Time’s up for submissions to the British government’s controversial review of the Muslim Brotherhood – though it is just a coincidence that the May 30 deadline comes just as Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi is confirmed as Egypt’s next president. Anyone who wanted to could send evidence (maximum 3,000 words) to the cabinet’s national security secretariat in Whitehall, which is coordinating the work being done by Sir John Jenkins, the UK ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

The terms of reference include “the philosophy, activities, impact and influence on UK national interests, at home and abroad, of the Muslim Brotherhood and of government policy towards the organisation.”

No other countries are mentioned but critics insist the “review” (inside suspicious inverted commas) is directly linked to events in Egypt, where Sisi’s election victory follows the army’s removal of the Brotherhood’s democratically-elected (but deeply unpopular) Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 – and the bloodshed and repression that followed. In an open letter published in the Guardian this week they warned of a “dangerous precedent” and fretted that it might “represent a risk to civil liberties and further erode human rights standards”.

Concerns persist that the review is the result of pressure from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Arab oil monarchies which persecute Islamists and are hugely important markets and clients for the UK, and have been instrumental in backing and bankrolling Sisi’s crackdown in Egypt. The authorities in Cairo have of course been banging the drum as well.

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Luton Muslim school demands Ofsted re-inspection over ‘extremism’ claims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Olive Tree Primary SchoolA Muslim school says it will seek legal action unless a new Ofsted inspection is carried out, after saying it was depicted it as a “hotbed of extremism”.

The Olive Tree Primary School in Luton said it was criticised for promoting fundamentalist Islamic beliefs. It added that inspectors also asked children inappropriate questions about homosexuality and terrorism.

Ofsted has declined to comment on the draft report, which it says was given to the school “in confidence”.

The independent school said it was rated “inadequate” by the educated watchdog after it carried out an emergency inspection, triggered by its headteacher expressing views about Islam and homosexuality on local radio. Inspectors subsequently withdrew from the school on the second day following complaints about their questions on homosexuality, but the body said it had already gained “sufficient evidence” to form a report.

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Terry Jones plans another visit to Dearborn

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Terry Jones, controversial anti-Islam pastor, will visit Dearborn to rally against Islamic Sharia law again. The Florida native is expected to be the featured guest speaker June 14 at the Dearborn Freedom Rally, an event held by the American Patriotic Bikers, according to an announcement by Stand Up America Now, the activist group Jones founded.

In a previous announcement, the organization said Jones was going to speak at Camp Dearborn in Milford. However, Jones said he will be speaking from the grassy area in front of the Islamic Center of America (ICA), a mosque on Ford Road.

The event was planned specifically for Flag Day, he said, and will include a motorcycle parade through the city before a presentation and his speech in front of the mosque, which will focus on the First Amendment and Sharia law. “It’s also on how Islam is not compatible to Western society because of its lack of freedom in thinking, thought and expression,” he said.

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Cameron urged to reconsider ‘review’ of Muslim Brotherhood

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The following full-page advertisement appeared in yesterday’s Guardian:

Open Letter: British Prime Minister’s inquiry into the Muslim Brotherhood in the UK

We, the undersigned, express our deep concern at the Prime Minister’s recent decision to order a “review”, looking into the Muslim Brotherhood’s activities in Britain and abroad. We believe that the process and terms of the review represents a risk to British liberties and could further erode human rights standards.

We are concerned that this review is the result of pressure placed on the British government by undemocratic regimes abroad, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It is not acceptable that any autocracy attempts to limit the lawful activities of any group in a democracy. The Prime Minister risks setting a dangerous precedent.

The review, to be conducted by the British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, comes at a time when the Muslim Brotherhood, victors in Egypt’s only free election to date, is being subject to the most ferocious repression by the military regime. With hundreds of Egyptians killed, over 1000 sentenced to death in farcical “trials” and tens of thousands languishing in prisons, the British government remains largely silent.

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Row after Robinson backs ‘Islam’ sermon

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Peter RobinsonFirst Minister Peter Robinson has defended the evangelical pastor who is at the centre of a police investigation into a sermon which has been accused of amounting to a hate crime against Muslims.

Pastor James McConnell sparked controversy when he likened “cells” of Muslims in Britain to the IRA and told his congregation that Islam was a “heathen” doctrine which had been “spawned in hell”. The preacher, from the Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle on the Shore Road in north Belfast, has already told UTV that he stands by his comments and has rebuffed calls for an apology.

Representatives of the Muslim community in Northern Ireland have expressed shock.

But, in an interview with the Irish News, DUP leader Peter Robinson said it was “the duty of any Christian preacher to denounce false doctrine”. The politician, who attends the church in question, added: “He’s perfectly entitled to do that – it’s an appropriate thing for a minister to do.”

Mr Robinson said he did not trust Muslims who were involved in “terrorist activities” or those “fully devoted to Sharia law”. According to the First Minister, not trusting someone does not amount to hate crime, using an example of the media not trusting politicians.

In a later interview with UTV, Mr Robinson said he stood by the comments and that his interview had been taken out of context. He said: “Of course there are people out there who are up to mischief and want to sensationalise what was said. The reality of course is that many Muslims in Northern Ireland have made a very significant contribution to life in Northern Ireland. But would I trust them for spiritual advice? No, I wouldn’t and that’s a matter of fact.”

When asked about those Muslims who have said they feel aggrieved by the First Minister’s comments, Peter Robinson added: “The people who will be offended would be those who are Muslim terrorists, those who carry out Sharia law, and those who want to offer me spiritual advice. Those are the only people who I referred to.”

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Expelled from UKIP, Dave Small declares ‘I shall never apologise to the poofs and perverts and certainly not the foreigners’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A man elected as a UKIP councillor has been booted out of the party just days after his election.

Dave Small has been expelled with immediate effect following posts he made online in which he branded gay people ‘poofs’ and perverts and made a series of racist comments. He was only elected to the Church Hill seat on Redditch Borough Council last Friday (May 23) but the postings on his Facebook page emerged just minutes after the result was announced.

But it appears Mr Small intends to continue to sit on the council as an independent candidate and there is currently nothing Redditch Borough Council can do to stop him. All councillors have two months to sign official papers before taking their seat and as Mr Small has yet to do so he is not bound by the council’s code of conduct.

In an interview with the BBC the 81-year-old was unrepentant for his remarks. “I shall never apologise to the poofs and perverts and certainly not the foreigners. The people of Redditch voted for me, I will stand my ground.”

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‘Jihad’ against Cadbury? The only threats of violence are against Muslims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Cadbury MalaysiaThe Daily Mail and Telegraph have both run stories, originating in the Malay Mail, about the indignation expressed at a press conference yesterday by some Muslim leaders in Malaysia over allegations that Cadbury’s chocolate has been found to contain traces of porcine DNA.

The Mail headed its report: “Jihad declared on Cadbury by Malaysian Muslims after pork DNA batches”. The Telegraph originally went with the more neutral “Islamic groups angry at Cadbury Malaysia after two batches found to contain pork DNA”, before deciding this wasn’t hard-hitting enough and amending it to “Malaysian Muslim groups call for jihad on Cadbury after pork traces found in chocolate”.

The shock-horror element in both of these reports is achieved by translating jihad as “holy war” rather than the more accurate term “struggle”, in order to suggest that Cadbury has been threatened with violence. There was in fact a single Muslim spokesperson at the press conference, one Ustaz Masridzi Sat, who spoke about declaring jihad, and I very much doubt that physical attacks on chocolate factories were what he had in mind.

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Islam is to blame for attack on Jewish Museum in Brussels, Czech president claims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Milos Zeman (2)Islamic ideology rather than individual groups of religious fundamentalists is behind violent actions similar to the gun attack at the Jewish Museum in Brussels that killed four people, Czech President Miloš Zeman said Monday at the Israeli Embassy in Prague.

Two Israeli tourists and a member of the museum staff were killed by an unknown shooter Saturday, and another staff member died of his injuries Sunday.

“I will not be calmed down by statements that it is only small marginal groups. I believe, on the contrary, that this xenophobia and this racism or anti-Semitism stem from the very nature of the ideology on which these fanatical groups rely,” Zeman said.

He said one of the sacred texts of Islam calls for the killing of Jews.

Zeman said he would also sharply criticize fanatics who planned to kill the Arabs. “However, I have heard of no movement calling for the massive murder of Arabs, but I know about an anti-civilization movement that calls for the massive murdering of Jews,” he said.

Zeman is known for his criticism of international terrorism and its links to Islam. He repeatedly called for resolute opposition to violent terrorist actions during his official visits abroad.

Zeman said he attended the reception held on Israel’s Independence Day out of “solidarity with a friend.”

Czech News Agency, 27 May 2014

Leicester man jailed for 16 months over racist rants

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Lewis Foulds with friends
Lewis Foulds (second skinhead from left wearing white t-shirt) with friends

A judge has jailed a racist who insulted a bus driver and a security guard.

Lewis Nigel Foulds, who was told his “disgraceful” views would not be tolerated in Leicester, began shouting and swearing at Judge Simon Hammond as he was sentenced to 16 months in prison. The 21-year-old, who appeared via a live television link between Leicester Crown Court and Leicester Prison, had to be restrained by guards and removed from the video-link room.

Sentencing, Judge Hammond said: “Leicester is a multi-cultural society and people in Leicester are proud of that and work hard to promote it. There’s no place in British society for people like this defendant, who holds disgraceful, disgusting views and adopts disgraceful conduct. People are entitled to go about their business without having racial insults thrown at them. People who have racist views, and behave in a racist manner and insult people with their racist views, must expect custody.”

Foulds, formerly of Hazeldine Road, Hamilton, Leicester, told the judge: “You’re just making me worse.” After his outburst, Judge Hammond said to the court: “We have just seen him storm out of the prison video-link room. He came back in and was abusive and swore. He was violent and was removed.”

The court heard that at 1pm on March 25, Foulds was on a bus in Keyham Lane, Leicester, which was being driven by a Sikh driver. There were two female passengers on the bus. Foulds told the women: “I bet the driver eats pork.” He began to chant racist comments, claiming Muslim people were paedophiles, and also announced: “I’m a racist and a fascist and proud of it.”

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