Midlands terror bomb mosques see security tightened

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Aisha Mosque bomb disposal teamCounter-terrorism police are drawing up security plans for three mosques which were hit by bombs, experts have revealed.

They are assessing the Kanzul Iman Central Jamia Mosque in Binfield Street, Tipton, where a nail bomb exploded in July. A review is also under way to see if extra CCTV cameras should be provided nearby.

Meanwhile, police are advising bosses at Wolverhampton Central Mosque, where officers found evidence of the “seat of an explosion” in July, as well as Aisha Mosque and Islamic Centre in Rutter Street, Walsall, where a home-made bomb went off in June.

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Muslim woman wearing niqab is attacked on Tyne and Wear Metro

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A young Muslim woman has spoken out after being attacked on the Metro for wearing her burka and face veil.

Yasmin Bint Shafiq, 22, was travelling on the Tyne and Wear Metro close to Manors Station when a man tried to pull her face veil from her head. Other passengers were visibly uncomfortable with the situation but noone stepped in to help her.

Yasmin, from Whitley Bay, said: “There was a person behind me who I didn’t notice. There was a man about late twenties who came and sat next to me, he goes ‘I want to see your face.’ I didn’t say anything so he put his arm around me, grabbed me and tried to pull, physically pull, my headscarf and my face veil off. His friends had to come and pull him off.”

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Tory press plays Islamophobic ‘dog whistle’ … with assistance from Labour

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, has condemned the newspapers that provide their readers with a completely distorted view of the East London borough. The Evening Standard and Telegraph in particular have set out to “inculcate an idea that somehow this part of London is run by a bunch of incompetent, corrupt Muslims who plan to introduce Sharia Law”.

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Former EDL leader threatens to go back to Tower Hamlets

Posted on by Bob Pitt

In June, Stephen Lennon and Kevin Carroll, at that point still in the leadership of the English Defence League, were arrested as they attempted to enter Tower Hamlets on their way to Woolwich to stage a protest against the murder of Lee Rigby.

A condition of their bail was that they were banned from entering Tower Hamlets. In response, Lennon tweeted: “I can’t wait till my bail conditions are gone so I can enter Tower Hamlets! I’m going straight to the East London Mosque #fact.”

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Racist teenager who thought of bombing mosque wanted ‘revolution’ to bring EDL and BNP to power, court told

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A teenage neo-Nazi accused of planning a “new Columbine” massacre thought about attacking a mosque when he was teased about being gay, a court heard.

The 17-year-old EDL member told a friend he had walked down to the local mosque in Loughborough, Leicestershire, after a bust-up with his brother, but “didn’t do anything”.

He confessed during Facebook chats to being consumed with “rage, hate, sadness and depression”, and got irate when taunted about not having a girlfriend, the Old Bailey heard.

The teen, who cannot be named because of his age, is accused of stockpiling knives, explosives, petrol and pipe bombs, and air guns in his bedroom while plotting a terrorist attack.

He allegedly wanted to carry out a Columbine High School-style massacre at his former school, and also planned to target Loughborough University, the local cinema, and council offices.

The teenager, who hung a Nazi swastika on his bedroom wall, was allegedly a white power fanatic who hated Muslims, the court has heard.

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Arson attack on Gdansk mosque follows halal slaughter row

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Gdansk mosque arson

A Polish imam has claimed an alleged arson attack on a mosque was “revenge” for the Chief Mufti of Poland’s pledge to continue the banned practice of halal slaughter.

A fire began at the mosque in Gdansk, northern Poland, at about 4.40 am local time on Wednesday, damaging doors and parts of the elevation. The incident coincided with the holiday of Eid-al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, one of the two most important religious observances for Muslims.

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Marine Le Pen to meet Wilders in Netherlands next month

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Wilders and Le PenFrench far-right leader Marine Le Pen is to visit the Netherlands in November to forge closer ties with the Dutch anti-Islamic party of Geert Wilders ahead of next year’s European elections, a Dutch media report said Monday.

Le Pen will travel to The Hague on Wilders’s invitation after meeting the outspoken Dutch politician in Paris earlier this year, the Nieuwsuur news programme said.

“After our meeting, she’ll now travel to The Hague to be my guest in the lower house of parliament,” Nieuwsuur quoted Wilders as saying on its website. “She is a charismatic politician,” added Wilders, known for his platinum-blonde hairstyle and pronounced anti-Islamic and eurosceptic viewpoints.

The Party for Freedom (PVV) leader reiterated Le Pen’s statement last month that their two groups could campaign together for next year’s European parliamentary elections. “Parties such as (Le Pen’s) National Front (FN) and the PVV could make the europhile elite sing a different tune during the European elections,” Wilders said.

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Nottingham Academy pupil in tears at being told off over Islamic locket

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Parents of a six-year-old girl have asked for her to be moved to a new class after a row about a religious necklace.

Nottingham Academy pupil Saniya Tariq, of Bakersfield, was asked to remove her taweez – an Islamic locket containing verses from the Koran – after she was playing with the rope it was attached to.

The academy has since agreed with Saniya’s father, Muhammad Tariq, that she can wear the item on religious grounds under her polo shirt at all times except in PE and swimming.

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Posted in UK

Bradford Council to consider bid to make English Defence League illegal

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A motion to have the far-right English Defence League deemed an illegal organisation on grounds of terrorism will go before Bradford Council next week.

Respect councillors Alyas Karmani (Little Horton) and Ishtiaq Ahmed (Manningham) have put forward a motion for debate when the authority holds its full meeting on Tuesday. They want to petition Home Secretary Theresa May to proscribe – be made illegal – the EDL and offshoot organisations “immediately”.

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