Paul Fanlund talks to Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The Capital Times, 17 December 2012
See also Mark Potok, “The lessons of Wisconsin”, Intelligence Report, Winter 2012
Paul Fanlund talks to Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The Capital Times, 17 December 2012
See also Mark Potok, “The lessons of Wisconsin”, Intelligence Report, Winter 2012
On Tuesday 11 December six swastikas were found on the walls of the mosque in the Penhars neighbourhood of Quimper, in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-west France, the Collectif contre l’Islamophobie en France reports.
The CCIF points out that this is not the first time that the mosque has suffered such acts of vandalism. In September 2006 similar graffiti were found, and the mosque was the victim of an attempted arson attack.
See also Ouest-France, 13 December 2012
London is rapidly becoming a separate nation, as different from England as Scotland or Wales are, with indigenous British people now in a minority, in some areas a very small minority indeed, and incidentally with extremes of wealth and poverty not known since Edwardian times.
Then of course there is the decline in Christianity, down by four million, from 72 per cent to 59 per cent; the growth in indifference to religion, with non-believers almost doubling to 14.1 million; and also of Islam, rising so fast that one British resident in 20 is now a Muslim.
The Muslim population is young, and keen on large families, while the Christian population tends to be older and less likely to have children.
This is very much a work in progress, far from complete. A lot of nominal Christians are no longer bothering to pretend to a faith they have never cared much about.
Do not be surprised if, in ten years, the gap between the number of professing Christians and the number of Muslims has grown much smaller.
The secularists, who have so enthusiastically sought to drive Christianity out of British life, may realise with a gulp of apprehension that they have only created a vacancy for Islam – a faith that is not at all troubled by Richard Dawkins.
Peter Hitchens in the Mail on Sunday, 16 December 2012
Hitchens goes on to assert that the increased diversity of the UK is “the result of a deliberate, planned attempt to change this country for ever”, an accusation derived from a tendentious account of government immigration policy by former New Labour adviser Andrew Neather. This conspiracy theory is much loved by the anti-migrant, anti-multiculturalist right and proved a source of particular inspiration to Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik.
“All the standard stereotypes about Islam and Muslims are reinforced, and it is demonstrated ad nauseam that anyone marked as ‘Muslim’ by race or creed can never be trusted….”
Laila Al-Arian offers a critique of the television series Homeland.
About 40 people gathered for an anti-Islam demonstration in Oslo, and were met with jeers and chants of “no Nazis on our streets” from a larger group of counterdemonstrators.
The protest was staged by the Norwegian Defence League, a group inspired by the larger English Defence League, which has carried out rowdy anti-Islam protests in Britain. The defence leagues say they’re not racists but “patriots” opposing a perceived Islamization of Europe.
Police spokesman Finn Belle said Saturday’s demonstration was peaceful and police successfully kept the two sides apart. He said three counterdemonstrators were detained for disturbing the peace and were fined before being released.
Controversial Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir has hit back at claims it may pose a security threat.
Perth-based think tank Future Directions International (FDI) says while Hizb ut-Tahrir does not advocate violence, its anti-Western rhetoric could pose a “socio-cultural” security threat by increasing the disharmony between Muslim and non-Muslim Australians.
In the long term, the group may pose a significant national security threat by indirectly instigating terrorist attacks, FDI warned in a study last week.
But Hizb ut-Tahrir says the study is riddled with errors and lacks proper analysis.
A legislative aide who joined an anti-Islam group and became obsessed with its mission crossed the line and illegally used state resources to promote its interests, a state ethics panel concluded in a ruling released Friday.
Minutes after the ruling was made public, Karen Sawyer’s new boss, state Rep. Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, announced that Sawyer resigned her job.
Byker Grove will be transformed into an Islamic school. Council planning chiefs have given the go-ahead to plans to convert Bishop’s Palace – used to film the popular TV series – into a fee-paying faith school.
The BAHR Academy will cater for up to 340 boys and girls between 11 and 16 in Benwell, Newcastle. But the development of the currently empty and run-down site will also include a community building, coffee shop and events space open at weekends.
My article from the current issue of Labour Briefing.