Byker Grove will be transformed into an Islamic school. Council planning chiefs have given the go-ahead to plans to convert Bishop’s Palace – used to film the popular TV series – into a fee-paying faith school.
The BAHR Academy will cater for up to 340 boys and girls between 11 and 16 in Benwell, Newcastle. But the development of the currently empty and run-down site will also include a community building, coffee shop and events space open at weekends.
My article from the current issue of Labour Briefing.
Residents have written in support of plans for a new Muslim centre in Oswestry – defying calls from the British National Party.
Nearly 30 people have given their support to the plans for the conversion of the 19th century former Presbyterian Church in the town, with just five objections received.
The BNP had urged people to write to Shropshire Council to object to the plans for the building, which is currently occupied by a furniture business.
The Oswestry Muslim Society has applied for planning permission to change the use of the building for prayer meetings.
Supporter Iris Gordijn wrote: “It’s a very good thing that at long last Muslims will get their own religious and social centre in Oswestry. I fully support this application.”
Another supporter, Andrew Meredith, added: “Bringing an unused building back into use can only be good thing for the town. The fact that it is to be used as a Muslim Centre is immaterial.”
Fait-religieux reports that an Ahmadiyya mosque at Épernay in northern France which was vandalised by fascists last month has received a letter filled with racist slurs and abuse. It calls for “bougnoules” (wogs) to be thrown out of France just like the French were thrown out of Algeria and threatens to return to Épernay for a further attack on the mosque.
County Hall says it is powerless to compel a councillor do training he was told to undertake for sending out a leaflet criticising Muslims.
Councillor Graham Partner was censured “in the strongest possible terms” by Leicestershire County Council’s standards committee this summer for undermining good race relations and told he would have to have equality training.
However, since the standards hearing on June 27, Coun Partner, who represents Coalville as an independent, has declined to do the training.
The English Defence League (EDL) is planning another march in Cambridge, according to campaigners. A “massive” counter demonstration has already been planned by Cambridge Unite Against Fascism (CUAF).
More than 670 officers policed an EDL march in the city in July, 2011.
Richard Rose, of CUAF, said: “Our head office has information that has been confirmed by the EDL that they will march in Cambridge on February 23. We have organised a counter demo opposing the EDL and what it stands for.”
An umbrella organisation representing Muslims in Germany has called for a “denazification” of German state authorities, and demanded they refrain from using the terms “Islamism” and “Islamist” to describe radical Muslims.
The German Muslim coordination council (KRM) presented a dossier on Wednesday on the botched investigation into the National Socialist Underground (NSU) terrorist cell.
German Muslims say the debacle – in which authorities failed to prevent the murders of nine immigrants and one police woman over a decade – was no accident, wrote the Frankfurter Rundschau on Thursday.
The English Defence League has posted the latest message from its imprisoned leader Stephen Lennon, wishing his organisation’s now severely depleted troops a happy Christmas.
As you might expect, the letter consists mostly of an extended whinge about his personal predicament. However, “Tommy” does take the opportunity to offer us the benefit of his latest thinking on the origins and aims of Islam.
