Grimsby ‘Lee Rigby revenge attack’: Former soldiers caught on CCTV preparing and throwing petrol bombs at mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Grimsby Islamic Cultural Centre arsonTwo former soldiers who fire-bombed a mosque in response to the murder of soldier Lee Rigby were caught on CCTV preparing petrol bombs and throwing them at the building, a jury has heard.

Grimsby Crown Court was shown footage of Stuart Harness, 33, and Gavin Humphries, 37, each carrying two home-made petrol bombs from Harness’s home in the town. More cameras caught them later, launching the bombs at the doors of the Grimsby Islamic Cultural Centre, four days after Fusilier Rigby was killed outside Woolwich Barracks, in London, in May.

A jury of eight women and four men heard how a number of worshippers were inside the mosque when the attack took place on May 26. They managed to extinguish the fire and Harness and Humphries were soon arrested as they were witnessed attacking the building by passing police community support officers, the court was told. Both men have pleaded guilty to the arson attack, the jury heard.

Excerpts of CCTV footage from the mosque and Harness’s home on Dixon Avenue were shown to the jury on the first day of the trial of a third man, Daniel Cressey, 24, of New Holland, North Lincolnshire. Cressey, who is Harness’s cousin, is accused of driving the two other men to the mosque. He denies one charge of aiding and abetting arson, being reckless as the whether life was endangered.

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So much for a calm, respectful debate on the values charter

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Parti Québécois government says it wants a calm, respectful debate on its proposed “values” charter.

So, how’s that going?

Well, on Sunday, a columnist in Le Journal de Montréal likened the niqab worn by two Montreal daycare educators, a photo of whom sparked a controversy last week, to the hood worn by members of the violently racist Ku Klux Klan.

And on Saturday, La Presse reported, two participants walked out of a debate on secularism after they were repeatedly interrupted and heckled because they were not in favour of banning Muslim veils.

Don Macpherson reports on the hysteria generated by supporters of the proposed Charter of Values which would prohibit public employees in Quebec from wearing “conspicuous” religious symbols at work.

Montreal Gazette, 25 November 2013

Q Society’s Islam poll fraud

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Debbie Robinson with Geller and Spencer
Q Society president Debbie Robinson with Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer

The Q Society is a small but vicious organisation, aligned with Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer’s Stop Islamization of Nations, that has dedicated itself to convincing Australia’s non-Muslim population that Islam represents a threat to their country.

The group’s latest stunt has been to commission an opinion poll which is designed to show that a majority of Australians hold a negative view of Islam and those who practise it. The Q Society then issued a press release giving a misleading summary of the poll results that has been uncritically repeated by some mainstream media outlets. ABC News has reported: “The poll included questions asking participants’ opinion about statements such as: ‘Australia is becoming a better place as a result of Islam’ to which 70 per cent responded ‘no’.”

An examination of the full results of the poll, which can found on the Q Society website, shows what a fraudulent exercise this is.

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French veil ban before Europe rights court

Posted on by Bob Pitt

European judges will on Wednesday hear the case of a 23-year-old French woman who claims the country’s highly contentious ban on full-face veils violates her rights.

The Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will hear arguments in the case brought by a plaintiff known only by her initials SAS, with a ruling expected in early 2014.

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Second man sentenced over Maidenhead mosque graffiti

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Maidenhead 'England till I die' graffitiA 26-year-old man who used stolen paint to scrawl racist graffiti on Maidenhead Mosque has been spared jail.

Lee Hunt, of Lincoln Road, and Gary Nuth, 23, of Blackamoor Lane had been out drinking when they vandalised the mosque in Holmanleaze on Saturday, June 8.

Appearing for sentencing at Reading Magistrates Court on Friday, the court heard how the pair used paint stolen from a building site to vandalise the mosque, the road and a house. Hunt and Nuth wrote offensive words on the mosque’s wall, and “England till I die” on the road outside.

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Posted in UK

Minister condemns hate mail sent to Irish Muslim community, says gardaí will take ‘appropriate action’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Ireland anti-Muslim hate letter

Justice Minister Alan Shatter has condemned the sending of hate mail to the Muslim community, and said he is bringing the matter to the attention of Garda Commissioner.

An unsigned letter, which features an image of Michael Collins, was posted to a number of schools and mosques recently, threatening extreme violence if building plans for a new mosque in north Dublin get underway.

The Minister said in a statement that he utterly condemned “racism and religious bigotry in all of their forms” and that he was “appalled by the nature of the letters. He added: “Religious intolerance has no place in our society. Incitement to hatred and incitement to violence are offences under our laws.”

The letter states that: “Your very presence in our country is destroying our heritage and culture and we are calling on our countries’ people to attack any Muslim they come across in shops, taxis or mosques or any other place they come across them.”

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Sydney conference hears Australian Muslims experience higher rates of racism

Posted on by Bob Pitt

ACI 2013 Bklt cvr LRAn international conference on what it means to be an Australian Muslim has heard that most Muslims experience much higher rates of racism than the average Australian.

The two day conference has been organised by Charles Sturt University’s Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation, along with the Islamic Sciences and Research Academy Australia.

The Centre’s director, Mehmet Ozalp says the inaugural conference is needed to examine what it means to be an Australian Muslim in the 21st century. He says there is a focus on young people, including the impact of the internet and radical forces.

“There is an identity crisis that always comes with being young but also being a young Muslim makes it even deeper and more profound”, he said. “There are people pulling in different directions but what we found in our research is that by and large Muslims want to integrate into Australia.”

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