More than 1,000 rallied Friday night in Dearborn against the anti-Islam movie that has sparked protests around the world. Organized by Arab-American leaders, the rally was the third protest in metro Detroit over the movie, the biggest one yet.
“Say No to Hate-Mongering, Say No to Islamophobia,” read a large banner at the rally in Dearborn’s civic center, the Ford Performing Arts & Community Center. On the podium was a sign that read: “We (heart symbol) Prophet Muhammad.”
The protests, marathon public hearings and years of meeting in homes and business parks were just memories Friday afternoon.
That’s when members of the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the upcoming start of construction on its long-in-the-works mosque project.
The mosque, which will be built in two phases, will be the center’s first permanent home for its members, who have worshiped in members’ homes and commercial areas in both Temecula and Murrieta.
“This is a glorious day. A day to celebrate. Be proud to be in America, a Muslim in America,” said Emad Rasheed, the center’s chairman, addressing a cheering group of the center’s members.
Doug Saunders, author of The Myth of the Muslim Tide: Do Immigrants Threaten the West?, draws attention to the parallels between the anti-Catholic bigotry of the past and the Islamophobia of today.
The English Defence League’s leader Stephen Lennon (“Tommy Robinson”) was due to speak at a meeting in London’s Conway Hall next week on the subject “Islam and Islamophobia: which is a threat to Britain?” Unfortunately for “Tommy”, he has been deprived of the opportunity to promote his hate-filled views about Muslims because the Conway Hall management cancelled the booking after complaints by Unite Against Fascism, Searchlight and other concerned parties.
West Ham is in need of a new mosque because of a lack of worshipping space for Muslims, religious leaders say. Tabilighi Jama’at, the Islamic group hoping to build a new facility in Canning Road, said it acted on a comprehensive study of the borough before submitting its plans.
The controversial proposals have finally been validated by Newham Council planners. The 6.3 hectare site will contain a mosque that is expected to treble the 2 to 3,000 of worshippers currently able to attend the temporary site every week. The group has also promised to include a library, dining hall, and sports pitches and a visitors’ centre, all for the community.
An anti-fascist protest group is due to hold a public meeting ahead of a proposed march by the English Defence League (EDL) in Walthamstow.
We Are Waltham Forest (WAWF) will discuss plans to oppose the march planned for October 27 after 3,000 people successfully diverted a previous EDL march of up to 300 people earlier this month.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ABfcjn_npb8
Mona Eltahawy, the prominent Egyptian-American writer and activist, has been arrested in New York, after spraying paint over a controversial poster on the subway that has been condemned for equating Muslims with “savages”.
The posters which have been put up in the city by the anti-Muslim American Freedom Defense Initiative, led by Pam Geller, were approved by a US court, which ruled that they were “political” statements and protected by the first amendment, which guarantees free speech.
