Author Archives: Bob Pitt

Nigerian in aircraft attack linked to London mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Thus the headline to report in the Independent. And what exactly is the link between Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and the mosque in question? The Independent explains that “associates claim he visited the East London Mosque, which has attracted criticism for hosting Muslim hardline preachers, three times”.

Yup, that’s what “link” between Abdulmutallab and the East London Mosque consists of. While he was studying mechanical engineering at University College London between 2005 and 2008, Abdulmutallab visited the East London Mosque three times! This really is investigative journalism at its best.

The East London Mosque has issued a statement saying that it is “appalled that it should be associated with such heinous acts”. The statement continues:

“The Mosque cannot comment as to whether this individual attended the mosque. Over 20,000 people, of Muslim and other faiths, visit the Mosque every week. They use the mosque for many different purposes including worship, weddings, and to use any of the 30 different projects and services that are based at our institution.”

Update:  The Telegraph (29 December) quotes security sources as saying that Abdulmutallab had “attended the East London Mosque in Whitechapel” and heads its report “Suspect’s link to mosque confirmed”! Unlike the Independent, the Telegraph avoids undermining its scaremongering story by mentioning that Abdulmutallab attended the mosque on three occasions over three years.

This report has now been withdrawn from the Telegraph website. It has been replaced by one headed “East London mosque condemns Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab“.

What is wrong with this ‘Muslim Eton’?

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“The Bishop of Burnley wants the school placed elsewhere, lest it inflame local bigots. Is that how we do things, though, Your Grace? Work out what the worst people might think and pander accordingly?

“The local MP, Gordon Prentice (Lab), says: ‘The last thing we need is single-sex, single-faith schools for girls.’ Really? The last thing? Let us assume that an all-girl faith school is going to be, relative to the average urban comprehensive, well behaved, hard working, high achieving and safe. Is that the last thing we need? If you made a list of candidates for ‘the last thing we need’, in Britain today, would that be top? …

“I just can’t find room for a girls’ faith school in my vision of a nightmare world. But I understand what the bishop and the MP are worried about. The benefit or danger of separatism is one of the huge unanswered questions about education….

“Nevertheless, Mr Prentice, beware your use of the word ‘we’. You said: ‘The last thing we need is single-sex, single-faith schools for girls.’ Who is ‘we’ in that sentence? You don’t mean teenage Muslim girls, do you? … I can’t solve the social problems of Lancashire or the big philosophical riddles of education. But I do know, when talking about Britain, that teenage Muslim girls are also ‘we’. While they are likely to grow up underrepresented in government, perhaps the last thing we need is for our existing politicians to forget that.”

Observer, 27 December 2009

On the trail with the EDL

Posted on by Bob Pitt

English Defence League. Protest march Manchester.

On Platform One at Bolton station a mob of around 100 men punch the air in unison. The chant goes up: “Muslim bombers, off our streets, Muslim bombers off our streets…”

Their voices echo loudly and more men suddenly appear; startled passengers move aside. The group march forward waving St George Cross flags and holding up placards. The throng of men around me applaud. A train heading for Glasgow draws up on the opposite platform and the men turn as one, bursting into song: “Engelaand, Engelaand, Engelaand.”

Some of the men hide behind balaclavas, others wear black hoodies. A few speak on mobile phones, their hands pressed against their ears to block out the cacophony.

“It’s already kicking off in Manchester. This could be tasty,” shouts one. These are some of the most violent football hooligans in Britain and today they have joined together in an unprecedented show of strength. Standing shoulder to shoulder are notorious gangs – or “firms” as they are known – such as Cardiff City’s Soul Crew, Bolton Wanderers’ Cuckoo Boys and Luton Town’s Men In Gear.

The gathering is remarkable, as on a match day these men would be fighting each other. But it is politics that has drawn them together. They are headed for Manchester to support a march by the burgeoning English Defence League.

Joe Kaufman exposes latest cunning terrorist tactic – clearing up litter

Posted on by Bob Pitt

submitted photoA small group of demonstrators led by Americans Against Hate Chairman Joe Kaufman last Friday accused Broward County and the Town of Davie of supporting an organization with ties to Islamic terrorists.

A street sign in Davie sparked the anger of the demonstrators who protested in front of the Broward County Governmental Center in Fort Lauderdale on a rainy Friday afternoon.

The sign, at the southwest corner of College Avenue and Nova Drive, credits the Miami office of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) for its participation in a Broward County program to clear litter from an “adopted” street.

“Too many people have been quiet about their concerns over Muslim extremism,” said Rabbi Andrew Jacobs of Ramat Shalom synagogue in Plantation. Stopping it must begin locally, in Broward County, he said.

Muhammad Malik, executive director of CAIR-Florida’s Miami office, said the organization wanted to bring out people to pick up litter from the street, like any other group.

South Florida Sun Sentinel, 22 December 2009

See also Mondoweiss and LoonWatch

Two-thirds of Protestant pastors in US consider Islam ‘dangerous’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Two out of three Protestant pastors believe Islam is a “dangerous” religion, according to a new survey from a Southern Baptist-affiliated research group. The survey of more than 1,000 Protestant clergy by LifeWay Research, released last week found that 45% strongly agree with the statement “I believe Islam is a dangerous religion” and another 21% agree somewhat with it.

USA Today, 21 December 2009

Green Lane Masjid replies to Quilliam

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Green Lane Masjid has issued another press release replying to the attack by the Quilliam Foundation. It states in part:

“Unfortunately, it appears that the Quilliam Foundation has set out with a pre-determined agenda to create mischief and portray us in a negative light, in order to foment divisions amid British Muslims along sectarian lines and generate mistrust amongst the wider public. We believe that the press release issued by the Quilliam Foundation will play into the hands of those who wish to exacerbate tensions within society, and portrays Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre in a defamatory and negative light.”

Quilliam, for its part, has published an open letter to Faisal Al-Jassim attempting to justify their accusation that he is a “fellow traveller” of al-Qaida.

Via ENGAGE

Denmark: Free Press Society president describes Muslims as morally depraved and rapists

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Three members of the Free Press Society’s advisory committee have resigned in the wake of comments made by the society’s president.

Lars Hedegaard has gone on a veritable tirade against Muslims in an interview with website Snappen, accusing them of raping their own children, lying without conscience and basically having no morals whatsoever. “When a Muslim man rapes a woman, it is his right to do it,” he said in the interview. “Whenever it is prudent for a Muslim to hide his true intentions by lying or making a false oath in his own or in Islam’s service, then it is ok to do it.”

Kathrine Lilleør, a Christian minister, author and member of the society’s advisory committee, said she would quit the committee if Hedegaard was not dismissed from his post. The committee instead kicked Lilleør out. Subsequent to that action, MPs Søren Pind of the Liberal party and Naser Khader of the Conservatives both handed in their resignations from the advisory committee.

The Free Press Society’s board supports Hedegaard’s comments, although not necessarily agreeing with them 100 percent. Board member Jette Plesner Dali said Hedegaard’s comments were valuable in that they broke the taboo of not criticising problems with Islam.

Copenhagen Post, 23 December 2009

CST and JC are ‘collaborators in the war against the Jews’, claims Pamela Geller

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Mad Pamela Geller has denounced Jewish organisations in the UK for opposing Stephen Gash’s recent Stop Islamisation of Europe demonstration outside Harrow Central Mosque:

The Community Security Trust (CST), a leading Jewish group in Britain, urged the Jewish community there not to support the demonstration. The CST said in a statement that it “has drawn attention to the Islamaphobic comments on SIOE’s website, and compared the group to the English Defence League, and the BNP’s Nick Griffin, who have attempted to gain support from Jews through pro-Israel and anti-Muslim statements…. A demonstration against Harrow mosque under the banner ‘Stop the Islamization of Europe,’ is as stupid and offensive as a demonstration against Harrow synagogue, under the banner ‘Stop the Zionization of Europe.'”

Once again leftist Jews were lying and deceiving to advance the aims of the enemies of Jews and Jewish life…. Rabbis attacked the SIOE campaign also. They said that SIOE’s “only purpose” was “to spread hatred and fear,” and wrote: “We share the desire of the Muslim community of Harrow to respect our mutual traditions, to learn from each other’s cultures and ways of life, and to live together in peace.” Even the Rabbis abandon Israel when the going gets rough. These morally ill rabbis have lost their basic instinct of self-preservation.

The Jewish Chronicle even went so far as to gloat when attendance was small. Did the Chronicle ask why so few people attended this demonstration in a town where the majority does not want this mosque? The majority knows what’s happening in their country and fear it….

Much like the Jewish councils of World War II Germany that helped assist in what would become the extermination of the Jews, we are witnessing Jewish groups like the CST aiding and abetting Islamic jihad and Islamic anti-Semitism.

Front Page Magazine, 22 December 2009

37 per cent support ban on minarets in UK, 25 per cent against – opinion poll

Posted on by Bob Pitt

People in Britain are open to the idea of banning minarets, according to a three-country poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 37 per cent of respondents in Britain would vote in favour of a ban, while 25 per cent would vote against it.

In the United States, 21 per cent of respondents would vote to ban minarets, while 19 per cent disagree. In Canada, 35 per cent of respondents would vote against a ban, while 27 per cent would endorse one.

Angus Reid Global Monitor, 22 December 2009

Cf. Sholto Byrnes’ comments on the New Statesman blog, 21 December 2009

Posted in UK