Category Archives: USA

CAIR: Bigots pressure TLC advertisers on ‘All-American Muslim’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

All American MuslimA prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization said today that advertisers are being pressured by anti-Muslim bigots to drop spots on The Learning Channel’s (TLC) new reality series “All-American Muslim.”

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the calls for an advertiser boycott are coming from Internet hate sites like “Bare Naked Islam,” which recently featured a number of threats of violence targeting U.S. and European mosques, and right-wing groups such as the Florida Family Association and American Decency.

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CAIR welcomes bias charge for attack on Muslim teen

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today welcomed the “ethnic intimidation” charge brought against the alleged assailant of a Muslim student in Saline, Mich., who was allegedly called a “terrorist” and punched in the face while walking near his high school.

Police learned of the attack after being alerted to a video of the incident posted on Facebook. The alleged assailant was arraigned on one count of ethnic intimidation. If convicted, he faces a maximum of two years in prison and a fine of $5,000.

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American football team owner’s faith stirs stupidity

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Jacksonville JaguarsLast week, it was announced that the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team had been sold to super-successful Illinois businessman Shahid Khan. The deal was reported to be worth $760 million and includes a somewhat controversial first for the league.

Khan is a Pakistani-born Muslim, and will be the first of his faith to own a National Football League team.

The Jacksonville Jaguars press release talking up the sale didn’t mention the fact that Khan was Muslim. That was probably a good thing – on the same day the sale was announced, it was also revealed that long-time head coach Jack Del Rio had been fired and assistant coach Mel Tucker – an African-American – would be taking over.

For redneck racist types – and in North Florida there are more than a few – the fact that the white owner and white coach of their hometown NFL franchise were replaced by a Pakistani-born Muslim and a black guy was just too much to take, especially in ONE DAY.

Almost on cue, conservative news sites were rife with ugly comments about Khan’s big play.

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‘They’re like cockroaches’ – how ACT! for America incites hatred against Muslims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Act! for America logoLast week the St. Louis chapter of Brigitte Gabriel’s ACT! for America held a meeting at City Hall in Crestwood, Missouri, under the title “What America Must Learn from the Fort Hood Massacre”, which featured the screening of a DVD lecture by the executive director of ACT!, Guy Rodgers.

Only about a dozen people attended this particular event. However, a report by Tim Townsend at STLtoday provides a revealing account of the poisonous anti-Muslim propaganda ACT! puts out, and how it impacts on its audience:

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University of California – Muslim and Jewish students turn out to oppose Terry Jones

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Terry Jones and Nachum ShifrenA diverse array of UC Irvine students were prepared to protest against a controversial pastor after it was announced he might speak on campus.

Students gathered in front of Langson Library, some sitting on blankets, facing the area covered in caution tape where the Rev. Terry Jones intended to speak. However, Jones was told not to come on campus after UCI police received intelligence informing them of suspicious activity associated with the visit that aroused safety concerns.

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FBI illegally using community outreach to gather intelligence, ACLU alleges

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The FBI is using its extensive community outreach to Muslims and other groups to secretly gather intelligence in violation of federal law, the American Civil Liberties Union alleged Thursday.

Citing internal bureau documents, the ACLU said agents in California are attending meetings at mosques and other events and illegally recording information about the attendees’ political and religious affiliations.

Washington Post, 1 December 2011

See also ACLU press release, 1 December 2011

And “Big Brother, come clean: The FBI is misusing “community outreach” programs for intelligence gathering”, ACLU Blog of Rights, 1 December 2011

Also “CAIR concerned about FBI’s use of ‘outreach’ to spy on Muslims”, CAIR press release, 1 December 2011

Extradition law debate in Commons next Monday

Posted on by Bob Pitt

ENGAGE draws our attention to the welcome news that the Backbench Business Committee has now reversed its earlier decision and scheduled a full debate with a vote on the current extradition laws, to be held in the main chamber of the House of Commons on Monday 5 December.

The shocking case of Babar Ahmad has received some media attention, and it is thanks to the campaign organised by his supporters that next week’s parliamentary debate is taking place. But Babar Ahmad is not the only London Muslim to have fallen foul of the Extradition Act 2003. A less publicised case, which hopefully will feature in the House of Commons debate, is that of Talha Ahsan, who also faces the prospect of extradition to the United States.

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Minneapolis man who assaulted Muslim gets six months prison sentence under hate crime law

Posted on by Bob Pitt

George ThompsonA Minneapolis man who lost his job with the Transportation Security Administration for an off-duty assault of an elderly Somali man has been sentenced to six months in prison for the hate crime. George Thompson, 64, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Minneapolis under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Thompson’s case was the first prosecuted under the act, which was signed into law in October 2009 and named after Matthew Shepard, a gay Wyoming teen who died after being kidnapped and beaten in 1998, and James Byrd Jr., a black man who was dragged to death in Texas that same year.

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