Category Archives: UK

Three in court after bacon thrown at Edinburgh Central Mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Two men and a woman have appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court after bacon was allegedly thrown at and stuck to the Central Mosque.

Douglas Cruikshank, 37, Chelsea Lambie, 17, and Wayne Stilwel, 24, were charged with a racially prejudiced offence. All three, who are from the Lothian and Borders area, made a brief appearance, separately in private, before Sheriff James Scott today.

No plea or declaration was made on their behalf and their cases were continued for further inquiry. All were released on bail with the special condition that they do not go within 100 metres of any mosque.

It is alleged the Central Mosque, in Potterrow, had bacon thrown at it and stuck to certain parts of the building on January 31.

The Scotsman, 4 February 2013

Via ENGAGE

Times refuses to publish MCB’s criticism of Islamophobic reporting

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Times sharia divorces headlineLast week the Times published a report about a judge’s decision to allow a request from an Orthodox Jewish couple that a Beth Din court should be allowed to arbitrate in their divorce proceedings. Although the story concerned Jews rather than Muslims, the paper chose to run the report under the front-page headline “High Court opens way to Sharia divorces”.

The Muslim Council of Britain, who took the view that the coverage “was sensationalist and would help fuel Islamopobia”, wrote a letter to the Times complaining about the report, which was published in the paper today, albeit in an edited version.

The section of the letter that the Times decided to omit read: “Once again such reporting raises uninformed hackles against our faith, and what British Muslims really want. With a recent YouGov poll highlighting prevailing negative attitudes against British Muslims, there is a responsibility to report such matters fairly.”

So the MCB writes a letter to the Times complaining about Islamophobic bias, and the Times publishes it … minus the section that contains the actual complaint about Islamophobic bias!

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English National Resistance rallies the masses against Abu Qatada

Posted on by Bob Pitt

ENR Abu Qatada demonstration

Despite being served with a court injunction banning them from going within 500 metres of Abu Qatada’s family home, on Saturday the English National Resistance went ahead with what they called a “peaceful, responsible and effective small scale demonstration” just outside the exclusion zone.

It was addressed by Paul Golding of Britain First, Paul Pitt of the South East Alliance, former leading EDL activist Tony Curtis and Dave Smeeton of March For England.

The ENR states that 40 “patriots” turned up for the protest. Now, I know the far right aren’t generally the brightest of people, but if you’re going to exaggerate the size of a demonstration, it doesn’t require much intelligence to work out that it’s not a good idea to post photographs on Facebook which show the actual attendance to be little more than half the figure you’re claiming.

ENR Abu Qatada demonstration (2)

Police seek help to find vandals who targeted a Westcliff mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Police want to hear from anyone who knows who may have vandalised a Westcliff mosque.

Two men are believed to be responsible for smashing three windows at the UK Islamic Mission in West Road, on December 15. The incident is believed to have happened at about 11pm.

Any witnesses or anyone with information about the offenders should contact Pc Phil Collie at Leigh police station on 101.

Southend Standard, 1 February 2013

Conservative councillor suspended for alleged racism against Muslims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Chris JoannidesA Conservative councillor has been suspended and is under investigation after allegedly making anti-Muslim comments and sectarian remarks on a social media website, The Guardian has learned.

Chris Joannides’s Facebook page contained material comparing Muslim women who wear the burqa to rubbish bags. Another post included sexual remarks in a discussion about a flasher, and a comment that his work as a councillor was getting in the way of his social life.

Joannides is a councillor in Enfield, north London.

News of the incident comes as the Conservative party leader, David Cameron, considers measures to try and increase the low levels of support the party receives from ethnic minority voters. The Conservatives are trying to shed their “nasty” party image and appear more inclusive.

His fellow Conservative councillors decided to suspend Joannides over the comments, which are being investigated.

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New street protest movement to hold demo against Abu Qatada?

Posted on by Bob Pitt

English National Resistance protest

You may recall that Britain First, a far-right groupuscule headed by former BNPers Jim Dowson and Paul Golding, organised a unity meeting in Dartford last month to discuss plans for a new anti-Islam street protest movement to replace the declining and fragmenting English Defence League.

The protest movement has now been formally launched. It’s called the English National Resistance and describes itself as a “new disciplined organisation that will mobilise patriotic activists against any attack on our English culture, rights and heritage”.

As is the way with such things, the English National Resistance presents itself as a far-right unity initiative, claiming to have brought together “a multitude of different existing patriotic groups”. So far, however, it would appear to be little more than a Britain First front organisation.

The ENR’s first event is scheduled for tomorrow, 2 February, with a planned march through Stanmore to the house of Abu Qatada. Whether it will in fact take place is as yet unclear, as Qatada’s lawyers have applied to the High Court for an injunction to prevent the demonstration going ahead.

Given that the protest is likely to attract a derisory number of participants, the BF/ENR leaders are probably hoping that the injunction is granted. That way they can milk the situation for the maximum publicity – High Court sides with Muslim terrorist and deprives decent British patriots of right to free speech, you know the sort of thing – while avoiding the public exposure of the minuscule forces they actually represent.

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Times reveals High Court’s shock sharia decision

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Times sharia divorces headlineYesterday the Jewish Chronicle carried a report (“Jewish divorce ruled OK in landmark High Court decision”) of a decision by a High Court judge to refer a Jewish divorce case to a Beth Din (rabbinical court) for arbitration, at the request of the couple involved in the divorce.

Here, you might think, would be an opportunity for some responsible reporting in the mainstream press on the subject of religious courts, showing how they can play a legitimate role in civil cases and countering the ignorant bigotry commonly displayed over the issue of sharia councils.

Of course, a responsible press is precisely what the UK lacks. Instead, we have newspapers ever eager to promote an “Islamification of Britain” narrative. So it’s no surprise that the story has made the front page of today’s Times under the headline “High Court opens way to Sharia divorces”.

The actual report, by the paper’s legal editor Frances Gibb, is in fact reasonably balanced, and avoids the sharia hysteria suggested by the headline. Many people, however, won’t see past that headline – or will take their cue from the version of the Times report published by the Mail, which has provoked the usual spate of Islamophobic raving from readers.

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BNP campaign fails: Oswestry’s first Muslim centre gets go-ahead

Posted on by Bob Pitt
Shropshire Patriot Islamic conquest of Oswestry

An example of British National Party propaganda against the centre

Controversial plans for Oswestry’s first Muslim centre have been given the go-ahead. It will be sited in a 19th century former Presbyterian church.

The bid to change the church in Oswald Road, into a Muslim prayer centre sparked more than 70 objections and led to the town being targeted in a leafleting campaign by the British National Party.

But more than 40 people wrote in support of the bid by Oswestry Muslim Society and permission was given by Shropshire Council planning officers under delegated powers.

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