Category Archives: UK

Daily Express defends ‘nation’s shared values’ against ‘creeping islamification’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Inayat Bunglawala has rightly criticised the head of the UK Islamic Shariah Council, Shaykh Abu Sayeed, who in an interview on The Somosa website has stated that it is “not Islamic” to classify non-consensual marital sex as rape and prosecute offenders.

Inayat wrote: “Shaykh Abu Sayeed’s comments are woefully misguided and will also be a gift to the likes of the Daily Mail and others who love to incite mischief by portraying the Islamic Shariah Council as being in the vanguard of slyly ‘Islamising’ the UK.”

And, sure enough, we find an editorial in the Daily Express which does just that:

“The views of Sheikh Maulana Abu Sayeed about rape in marriage show why sharia law must never be allowed to take a grip in Britain…. Perhaps this outburst will destroy once and for all the foolish notion that opposition to the creeping islamification of Britain can only be motivated by bigotry and prejudice. This nation’s shared values, including belief in gender equality and the right to self­-determination, are under threat.”

From which you might be led to conclude that the nation’s “shared values” have always included the principle of prosecuting on a rape charge any husband who subjects his wife to non-consensual sex. In fact an interpretation of the law dating from 1736 which provided the basis for an exemption for marital rape wasn’t overturned until a House of Lords ruling in 1991.

Fox News promotes belief in false rumours about Park51

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A survey analysis released today by Ohio State researchers finds that Fox News viewing contributes significantly to the spread of false rumors about the New York City mosque. Moreover, respondents who held these false beliefs were not only more likely to oppose the NYC mosque but also more likely to oppose the building of a mosque in their own communities.

Big Think, 14 October 2010

Sharia law to conquer North America through Campbell’s soup

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Does low-fat cream-of-broccoli soup sound threatening to you? No? Well then clearly you’re unaware of the threat radical Islam poses to baseball, apple pie, and good old Campbell’s soup.

At least that’s the line being taken by opponents of anything even marginally affiliated with Islam, on news that Campbell’s Canada rolled out a line of halal-certified soups earlier this year. (Halal, meaning legal under religious law.)

Apparently, “the 15 soups comply with Islamic dietary regulations which, much like kosher regulations, prohibit certain foods and define the right way to slaughter animals.” But to the self-appointed defenders of America, this wasn’t a business decision, it was a sign that “Sharia is coming to North America – this time, via the grocery store.” …

People (including the Tea Party Nation) are already calling for a boycott of Campbell’s. “This is just another way that terrorism and its sponsors are insinuating themselves into our culture,” wrote one irate Facebooker. “There are stages to the Islamization of non-Islamic countries.”

Stage 1, apparently, is soup.

Bruce Maiman at Examiner.com, 13 October 2010

‘City closes schools for extra day a year so Muslims can celebrate religious holiday’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Schools in the city of Cambridge, in Massachusetts, will close for one Muslim holiday a year, local officials have announced. Authorities in the U.S. city said the new scheme, which will be introduced from 2011-2012, is the first of its kind in the state. The schools will close for either Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, depending on which falls within the school year.

Cambridge School Committee member Marc McGovern said schools in the city currently close for Christian and Jewish holidays and Muslims should be treated no different. Officials voted unanimously in favour of the idea back in December and it was officially announced on Sunday that the change would be introduced from next year.

“At a time when I think the Muslim population is being characterised with a broad brush in a negative way, I think it’s important for us to say we’re not going to do that here,” Mr McGovern said. “The issue that sort of came up was should we celebrate any religious holidays, but there was not the will to take away Good Friday or one of the Jewish holidays. So I said, if that is the case, I think we have an obligation to celebrate one of the Muslim holidays, as well.”

Daily Mail, 12 October 2010

Update:  You’ll note the provocative headline to the story, which is obviously intended to appeal to the anti-Muslim prejudices of Daily Mail readers. It did so only too successfully, and further online comments on the article have now been blocked and existing comments removed.

Christian minister launches High Court case to keep Zakir Naik out of UK

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Christian minister is bringing a legal test case to try to prevent a radical Islamic preacher coming to Britain.

The Reverend Mahboob Masih will lodge papers in the High Court this week alleging that Dr Zakir Naik, an Indian-based television preacher, is “extremely dangerous to community cohesion, religious tolerance and race relations”. He will claim that the courts should give greater respect to Christian values and declares in High Court papers that Britain’s judges have adopted an “over sensitivity to Islamic sensibilities due to the threat of violence”.

Dr Naik had been due to lecture at a series of major venues including Wembley Arena and the Birmingham NEC in the summer but was banned from entering the UK by Theresa May, the Home Secretary, just two days before his arrival. Dr Naik is now taking the Home Secretary to court for a judicial review of that decision.

The Rev Masih’s highly unusual intervention is intended to bolster the Government’s case to keep Dr Naik out of the UK. The Church of Scotland minister will argue he has the right to make his legal protest because he previously lost his job as presenter of a community radio station after a disccusion about Dr Naik’s preachings.

Sunday Telegraph, 10 October 2010

Update:  Christian Concern For Our Nation reports that Masih’s case is being brought by the Christian Legal Centre whose director, Andrea Minichiello Williams, has been advising Masih.

Leicester antiracist demo says: ‘EDL not welcome here’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

People from across Leicester’s diverse community staged a peaceful demonstration against the violent racists of the English Defence League today.

The EDL have tried to stir up hatred and division by demonstrating in the multiracial, multi-faith city, particularly targeting Muslims. Their “protest” ended in violence and attacks on the police, journalists and local black and Asian people.

In contrast, over 800 people came to the antiracist protest called by UAF in the city centre today – they included black, white and Asian people, with Muslims joined by Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and people of no religion in an impressive display of unity.

UAF report, 10 October 2010

Douglas Murray stands by Pim Fortuyn Memorial Conference speech, accuses Tory leadership of ‘befriending and appeasing Islamists’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Over at the Spectator Douglas Murray complains that he’s been ostracised by the Tory leadership over his notorious speech at the Pim Fortuyn Memorial Conference in 2006 (“It is late in the day, but Europe still has time to turn around the demographic time-bomb which will soon see a number of our largest cities fall to Muslim majorities. It has to. All immigration into Europe from Muslim countries must stop…. Conditions for Muslims in Europe must be made harder across the board”).

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Ten charged after violent EDL demonstration in Leicester

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Ten English Defence League protesters have been charged with offences after violence broke out at a city centre demonstration. A total of 17 people were arrested, five from Leicestershire, after the protest in Leicester City Centre.

Four members of the Sky News team were forced to lock themselves inside a satelite truck as demonstrators banged their fists on the windscreen during the disorder. “It was very, very frightening,” said reporter Robin Powell, who was in the truck.

A smoke bomb and missiles were thrown from the EDL protesters into police and crowds of press. There were also clashes between EDL supporters and members of the local black and Asian community away from the city centre.

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Former BNP councillor calls Islam ‘vile, archaic and barbaric’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Muslims have criticised a Colwyn Bay councillor who has branded Islam as “barbaric, archaic and vile”.

Former BNP member John Oddy quit the controversial party shortly after becoming a Bay of Colwyn town councillor for Rhos-on-Sea in May 2008, claiming the BNP was racist. He was uncontested in the ballot.

While Cllr Oddy says he is not racist, he admits he is anti-Islam, and on his internet blog slated the faith, insisting that his personal views don’t conflict with his obligations as an elected member of the town council.

Muslims have criticised the Rhos-on-Sea councillor as “unknowledgeable” and questioned whether a man holding such views should be representing the community.

North Wales Weekly New, 7 October 2010

When Oddy resigned from the BNP in May 2008, Lancaster Unity pointed out that there was a “question mark” over his claim that he had never been a racist. Another former BNP councillor had claimed that “Oddy verbally attacked him for having the temerity to help an Asian family as part of his own duties as a town councillor, stating that the party wasn’t happy with him because he’d been ‘helping fucking Pakis’ and that ‘they’re Muslim scum anyway’.”