The Islamic Education & Research Academy has issued a statement in response to the controversy over the “Islam or atheism” debate at University College London last Saturday.
Category Archives: UK
Dawkins defends Enlightenment values
Last Saturday the Islamic Education and Research Academy organised a debate at University College London between iERA’s Hamza Tzortzis and atheist scientist Lawrence Krauss on the topic “Islam or atheism. Which makes more sense?”
Krauss was unhappy about the organisation of the event, claiming that the audience was separated on the basis of gender, and he tweeted the following comment, which was widely publicised: “Almost walked out of debate as it ended up segregated + saw 3 kids being ejected for sitting in wrong place. I packed up and they caved in.”
Krauss’s complaint was seized on by fellow atheist Richard Dawkins, who informed his Twitter followers: “At UC London debate between a Muslim and Lawrence Krauss, males & females had to sit separately. Krauss threatened to leave.” He added sarcastically: “I don’t think Muslims should segregate sexes at University College London events. Oh NO, how very ISLAMOPHOBIC of me. How RACIST of me.”
Christians express outrage over threats to mosque
Christians in west Oxfordshire have signed a letter expressing “shock and outrage” at discrimination against Muslims in Chipping Norton.
A planned mosque in the town fell through last month after landlord Georg Wissinter received a threat that it would be burnt to the ground. Applicant Tahirul Hasan, a town councillor, had received planning permission to convert the former shop in Hitchmans Mews into a mosque. The town’s 34-strong Muslim community had planned to open from sunrise until one hour after sunset for 10-minute prayers five times a day.
The letter says: “As Christians we know that Jesus called us to love God and our neighbour as we love ourselves. It is for us to welcome the stranger and to be hospitable to all. We affirm that all people have the right to be treated as human beings with the freedom to practice their faith without fear of persecution.”
The letter is signed by 38 Christians, including Witney Congregational Church minister the Rev Jason Boyd, High Street Methodist Church minister the Rev Richard Donoghue, and Chipping Norton team vicar David Salter.
A new insight into the EDL’s support base?
Last week Chatham House (the Royal Institute of International Affairs) launched a new study by Matthew Goodwin, a Nottingham University academic specialising in the far right, entitled The Roots of Extremism: The English Defence League and the Counter-Jihad Challenge.
Claiming to debunk the assumptions usually made about the EDL attracting disproportionate support from the economically disadvantaged and the unemployed, Goodwin’s paper produced headlines such as “Managers and skilled workers make up bulk of far right supporters” (Daily Telegraph) and “English Defence League supporters are mostly full-time workers, survey finds” (Huffington Post).
EDL protester in court for racist outburst
A protester who made racist remarks to a police officer and spat at another during last month’s EDL and anti-fascist protests in Cambridge pleaded guilty yesterday.
Roy May, 56, of Elmfield Road, Cambridge, urinated outside a house in Emmanuel Street on February 23 when street closures for the protest were taking place. Pc Singh confronted May about what he was doing and received a torrent of racial abuse, city magistrates were told.
Delia Matthews, prosecuting, said: “He was swearing and his words were slurred because he was drunk.” May then spat at police officers, catching Pc Helen Greenfield on the cheek.
May will appear in court again on March 18 for sentencing.
Dorset: Tory councillor who told equalities officer ‘all Muslims are terrorists’ breached code of conduct
A Sherborne councillor, who was accused of describing “all Muslims as terrorists” during an equality and diversity training session, has been found guilty of breaching the code of conduct.
Former mayor Marjorie Snowden, a town and district councillor, was sanctioned by West Dorset District Council’s standards committee on Wednesday, when the panel unanimously decided she had failed to show a former council officer respect during the training session.
Investigating officer Roger Greene presented a report which recommended she had breached the code of conduct relating to lack of respect after two complaints were made.
Sue Bickle, a community development team leader and lead officer for equalities at the district council at the time, and Molly Rennie, a district councillor for Dorchester, filed the complaints relating to an equalities and diversity training session held at West Dorset District Council on June 28, 2012.
Will Sherborne Conservatives be taking disciplinary action against Snowden? Don’t bet on it. Her fellow Tory councillor, deputy mayor Dominic Elliott, told the standards committee “I feel Mrs Snowden’s questions were acceptable in any debate or discussion”.
UKIP battles to contain extreme elements
In today’s Guardian Robert Booth and Rajeev Syal report that that the UK Independence Party and its leader Nigel Farage, who have been boosted by their candidate’s second place in the Eastleigh by-election and are now installed in their new upmarket headquarters in Mayfair, have set themselves the task of reining in the extremists who are drawn to UKIP.
Dorset: Tory councillor who told equalities officer ‘all Muslims are terrorists’ breached code of conduct
A Sherborne councillor, who was accused of describing “all Muslims as terrorists” during an equality and diversity training session, has been found guilty of breaching the code of conduct.
Former mayor Marjorie Snowden, a town and district councillor, was sanctioned by West Dorset District Council’s standards committee on Wednesday, when the panel unanimously decided she had failed to show a former council officer respect during the training session.
Former EDL organiser jailed over firearms offence
EDL News and Hope Not Hate draw attention to a report in the Sunderland Echo that Paul Duffy, a former regional organiser for the English Defence League, has been jailed for five years after pleading guilty to possessing a prohibited firearm, live rounds of ammunition, a prohibited weapon and drugs.
Duffy was found in possession of a Webley 8mm pistol and two rounds of ammunition when police raided his house in December following a tip-off. He claimed he was looking after them as payment for a drug debt.
Duffy was the EDL’s North-East organiser before he left to join the even more extreme breakaway group, the Infidels (who the EDL once denounced as Nazis but now hail as “great patriots“). He was one of five members of that group who were arrested by the North-East Counter Terrorism Unit in April last year on suspicion of posting race-hate material online. However, after consultation with the CPS it was decided not to press charges.
EDL supporter admits racist graffiti near mosque
A teenager spray-painted racist graffiti near a mosque and daubed the names Saddam Hussein and Bin Laden on flats during a booze-fuelled spree.
Laura Woodward, 19 of Byron Road, Addlestone, admitted four counts of racially and religious aggravated criminal damage and two of criminal damage.
Woodward, appearing before Guildford magistrates last Thursday, also admitted racially aggravated damage to the front door of an Asian man whom she knew.