Category Archives: UK

North London Central Mosque evacuated after receiving suspect letter

Posted on by Bob Pitt

North London Central MosqueWhile the Finsbury Park Mosque is preparing to launch the 4th annual neighbourhood open day for the local community at Islington on Sunday the 26th of June 2011, the morning of Thursday the 9th of June 2011 was a very tough morning for the staff of the mosque.

The mosque is used to receiving hate mail from extremists who have racist views or those who do not know what positive role the mosque plays within the community and the larger British society. Yet, this morning was different as the letter, which was addressed to the Imam this time, was nothing but an offensive drawing on the religion of Islam and some offensive words about the Prophet Mohammed.

What was horrible though is that there was a very strange white powder on the letter in a considerable amount. Unable to know the nature of that powder which could have been anything, the staff contacted the police who evacuated the mosque and put the two members of staff who came in contact with the powder under observation in case any health complications or symptoms appear on them. Ambulance and police cars surrounded the scene and the whole Muslim community in Islington were terrified; the road around the mosque was blocked and people were very worried.

From around 12:30 at noon till around 4:00 pm the mosque went through a very difficult time until the special police forces that analysed the powder discovered that it is not dangerous. At this stage, fingerprints were taken and the envelope along with the powder and the letter were taken for forensic investigation as well as reviewing the mosque CCTV. The Muslim community in Finsbury Park is still going through the trauma of such heinous attack on the safety of a peaceful place of worship.

Finsbury Park Mosque board of trustees stress that, “At these difficult times and with the launch of the controversial new Prevent by the Home Secretary, the whole society is undergoing many difficult challenges that require all communities to stand against terrorism and extremism and realise that Muslims just like other communities suffer from racist groups like the BNP and EDL and the likes who blindly judge and behave in a very dangerous way that can put the whole society in difficulties”.

NLCM press release, 10 June 2011

Posted in UK

Muslims, the LGBT community and anti-hatred laws

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Homophobic sticker Tower Hamlets2Julie Bindel, Paul Burston and the other signatories to the statement reported in today’s Guardian start from a position of understandable resentment that Mohammed Hasnath, who was convicted last week of posting up “gay free zone” stickers in Tower Hamlets, received such a light sentence, but they wilfully misrepresent the reasons for this.

They write: “There is a strong feeling that homophobia is being covered up, or ignored, in order not to ‘endanger community relations’. The paltry fine issued by the court lends weight to this fear.” The suggestion here is that it would have antagonised Muslims in Tower Hamlets if Hasnath had received a heavier sentence, and that the police and Crown Prosecution Service decided to charge him with a minor offence out of concern for the feelings of the Muslim community. No evidence is offered for either claim, because none exists.

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LGBT campaigners target East London Mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Gay rights campaigners have urged mosque leaders in east London to ban homophobic clerics from using their premises, following a 21% rise in gay hate crime in the area.

Activists, including journalist Julie Bindel and Pride trustee Colm Howard-Lloyd, said some preachers at the East London Mosque and the London Muslim Centre had “created an atmosphere in which hate is socially acceptable; they have spread a message in which maiming and violence is the most dutiful, honourable, devout thing to do”.

Their concerns follow the £100 fine given to Mohammed Hasnath, who put up “Gay-Free Zone” stickers in the area; the case of Oliver Hemsley, who was paralysed from the neck down in August 2008 following a vicious attack; and Metropolitan police figures showing that gay hate crime had risen in the borough of Tower Hamlets – where the mosque and adjoining centre are located – from 67 attacks to 81 in a year.

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Posted in UK

British couple challenge French veil ban

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Muslim husband and wife are using a British legal team to launch a landmark human rights challenge to the French ban on face-covering veils.

The couple are taking the French government to the European Court of Human Rights over its prohibition on wearing the niqab and burka in a case of importance across the European Union. They are seeking damages and a ruling that the ban on the full-face veil is “unnecessary, disproportionate and unlawful”. They also contend the blanket ban restricts their right to free movement across the EU.

The husband is a French national living with his wife and two children in the West Midlands. They are being represented by Robina Shah from the Birmingham-based Immigration Advisory Service, who has lodged their application with the human rights court in Strasbourg, and barrister Ramby de Mello.

Ms Shah said: “The case clearly is of importance to my clients. As a result of the ban they have had to leave their country of nationality, as the ban restricts their freedom of choice, and that of their daughters.”

The couple wish to remain anonymous, saying there is “considerable hostility” in both the UK and France to Muslim women who go fully veiled in public.

Asian Image, 9 June 2011

Baroness Cox introduces anti-Sharia bill

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A new Bill has been introduced to Parliament to tackle the problem of Sharia courts in England and Wales.

Under the Bill, it will become a crime punishable by up to five years in prison to falsely claim legal jurisdiction over criminal or family law. The Bill was introduced to Parliament yesterday by Baroness Cox.

Lady Cox said: “Equality under the law is a core value of British justice. My Bill seeks to preserve that standard…. I am deeply concerned about the treatment of Muslim women by Sharia courts. We must do all that we can to make sure they are free from any coercion, intimidation or unfairness.”

The Bill is supported by a wide range of groups, including The Christian Institute and the National Secular Society.

Christian Institute news report, 8 June 2011

Yes, this is the same Baroness Cox who, together with Lord Pearson, invited Dutch far-right racist Geert Wilders to the House of Lords to show his Islamophobic film Fitna – an event that prompted a supportive demonstration by the English Defence League. So the idea that Cox is motivated by concern for the rights of Muslims, whether women or men, is frankly laughable.

Quilliam calls for Lord Carlile to be appointed counter-terror tsar

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Lord CarlileOver at his Independent blog Ben Chu draws our attention to the interesting coincidence that Quilliam and Paul Goodman have simultaneously issued a call for Lord Carlile to be appointed overseer of the Prevent counter-terrorism strategy.

Carlile is a Liberal Democrat, but he is notorious for rejecting his party’s line that defence against the threat of terrorism doesn’t justify attacks on civil liberties. As Chu points out, Carlile has been a vocal critic of the Lib Dems’ opposition to control orders. He has also condemned the European Court of Human Rights for ruling that terror suspects cannot be deported to their country of origin if they face torture there.

Chu observes that “Quilliam’s championing of the peer for the role of counter-terror tsar is not going to change the mind of those Muslims who regard the think tank with suspicion”.

Doctors asked to spot ‘patients at risk from Islamic radicalisation’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Doctors are to be drafted into the fight against terrorism by being asked to identify patients at risk of being drawn into violent extremism. The controversial move will be spelt out today by the Home Secretary, Theresa May, as she publishes the Government’s much-delayed strategy for combating extremism.

Plans to ask medical professionals to alert authorities about people vulnerable to radicalisation will alarm doctors’ groups, amid fears it could erode patient confidentiality.

Independent, 7 June 2011

See also the Daily Telegraph, 7 June 2011

The Guardian quotes a spokesperson for the British Medical Association as saying: “Doctors cannot look into the future and say how someone might behave. This would threaten the trust of the doctor and … patient relationship. A doctor’s role is to treat the patient in front of them, not predict how the patient will behave in future.”

Birmingham universities rubbish Theresa May’s claims of ‘complacency’ over extremism

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Two Birmingham universities have rubbished claims made by the Home Secretary of “complacency” in tackling radicalisation and Islamic extremism at UK universities.

Theresa May has criticised the establishments for their complacency and said they were “unwilling to recognise” that radicalisation could take place on campus. Her comments come ahead of the publication of the government’s revised Prevent counter-terrorism strategy, which is due to be released today.

The report is expected to name Birmingham as one of the 25 boroughs most “at risk” from Islamist extremism, along with areas of London, Leeds, Bradford and Manchester. It is also believed that the Government has identified 40 English universities where there could be a “particular risk” or radicalisation or recruitment on campus.

Mrs May’s claims were roundly rejected by Birmingham City University and the University of Birmingham, which said it took the threat of extremism “very seriously”.

A spokesman for the University of Birmingham said it worked with the police, student societies and community organisations to promote “good campus relations”. The spokesman said: “We respect the right of all individuals to exercise freedom of speech within the law. However, we will continue to actively challenge discrimination of any kind and strive to strike a balance that protects these freedoms and ensures vigilance against any forms of potential extremism.”

A Birmingham City University spokesman said: “We are confident that extremism is not a problem at this University; we offer a safe community for students, staff and visitors. We are fully informed on Home Office advice in this area and work closely with local agencies.”

A spokesman for Aston University said: “We feel fostering mutual respect and providing opportunities to discover more about different faiths and cultures is an extremely important step to helping avoid extremes of views.”

Birmingham Mail, 7 June 2011