Never one to let facts interfere with his opinions, Mike Huckabee recently compared Muslims on holy days to “uncorked animals.” The benighted former Arkansas governor made the comments on his radio show Wednesday, saying that Muslims emerging from mosques on Fridays, the day of prayer, “come out of there like uncorked animals, throwing rocks and burning cars”.
Richard Dawkins criticised for Twitter comment about Muslims
The outspoken atheist Richard Dawkins was involved in an online Twitter row on Thursday after tweeting: “All the world’s Muslims have fewer Nobel Prizes than Trinity College, Cambridge. They did great things in the Middle Ages, though.”
As users piled in to criticise him, the scientist continued: “Why mention Muslim Nobels rather than any other group? Because we so often hear boasts about (a) their total numbers and (b) their science.”
His other posts included: “You can attack someone for his opinion. But for simply stating an intriguing fact? Who would guess that a single Cambridge College” and “Muslims aren’t a race. What they have in common is a religion. Rather than Trinity, would you prefer the comparison with Jews? Google it.”
Huntingdon mosque attacker jailed for four weeks
A plasterer who smashed a window at a mosque in Huntingdon with a chair has been jailed. Gary Abbott, of no fixed abode, was arrested near Huntingdon Islamic Education and Prayer Centre in Coneygear Road on Thursday, May 30.
The 45-year-old was charged with racial or religiously aggravated criminal damage and was released on bail, only to return to the mosque on Sunday, June 2, when he was heard to shout obscenities. He was re-arrested and charged with religiously aggravated harassment.
Abbott admitted causing criminal damage but initially denied the harassment charge. He appeared at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court on Friday, July 26 and was sentenced to two weeks in prison for each offence, to be served consecutively.
‘This is a Muslim area and we don’t want to see that’: Mob pelts brothers-in-law wearing mankinis on sponsored walk with stones and accuses them of being paedophiles
That’s the headline to another Muslim-bashing article in the Daily Mail. Over at Zelo Street Tim Fenton expresses scepticism about the whole story, noting that the Mail has overlooked the far-right links of the individuals involved.
France may ban hijab in universities
Momentum is growing in France for a ban on wearing religious symbols in the country’s universities. A new report recommends prohibiting students from wearing religious symbols, such as Christian crucifixes, Jewish Kippah skullcaps and Muslim headscarves.
Due to “escalating tensions in all sectors of university life” the High Council of Integration (HCI), a research institute founded by the French government, has made 12 recommendations to ease religious tensions among students.
The report’s key proposal would prohibit wearing religious symbols in “lecture theaters and [other] places of teaching and research in public areas at universities,” Le Monde reported.
Yes, Richard Dawkins, your statements on Islam are racist
Fellow “atheist and a secularist” Alex Gabriel takes on Dawkins over his anti-Muslim bigotry and links to far-right Islamophobes.
Reports and comment from Islamophobia Watch 29 July-4 August
Reports and comment from Islamophobia Watch 29 July-4 August 2013
‘Gammongate’ fraud exposed
The right-wing press spent several days last week whipping up indignation over the sacking of school dinner lady Alison Waldock, allegedly because she accidentally served pork to a 7-year-old Muslim pupil.
Having initially been broken by the Sun, the story was then taken up by the Express and the Mail. Never one to miss an opportunity for a spot of self-promotion and engage in a bit of immigrant-bashing, Nigel Farage of the UK Independence Party spelled out the message that the press coverage was intended to convey: “The reason that Alison’s been sacked is that we’re so terrified in this country of causing offence to anybody, particularly the Muslim religion.”
Dawkins acquires some new admirers
Muslim woman asked to remove headscarf during bar exam
On Wednesday and Thursday, law school graduates aspiring to practice in the Commonwealth gathered in Boston and Springfield to take the 16-hour bar exam, broken into several parts. During the morning portion of the test Thursday, recent graduate of the University of Michigan Law School Iman Abdulrazzak was handed a note from an exam proctor asking her to remove her headscarf.
As many Muslim women do, Abdulrazzak wore a hijab, covering her head and chest, during the exam held at the Western New England University School of Law. The note, written in capitalized block letters read, “Headwear may not be worn during the examination without prior written approval. We have no record of you being given prior written approval. Please remove your headwear and place it under your seat for the afternoon session.”