A leading French Muslim group says three mosques have been vandalized over the past week and is urging authorities to punish the perpetrators.
The French Council of the Muslim Faith, or CFCM, said racist insults and Nazi slogans were scrawled on a mosque in the southeastern town of Tarascon and another in the eastern city of Strasbourg on Tuesday and Wednesday. It said the mosque in the southern town of Draguignan was vandalized May 17.
A group of Muslims was detained Wednesday at Orlando Sanford International Airport, apparently because of a misunderstanding over an Islamic cleanliness ritual, authorities said.
The captain of Allegiant flight No.625 from Allentown, Pa., radioed ahead and asked airport police to meet the plane when it landed about 8:30p.m., said Larry Dale, airport director and commander of its 11-member police force.
Members of the group were lingering in the lavatory and asked for a cup, arousing suspicion, Dale said. An FBI agent was interviewing three men late Wednesday, but it appeared that the travelers were detained because of a religious custom dictating cleanliness and that they would be released.
“In today’s world, we’d rather be cautious,” Dale said.
A violent thug used a meat cleaver to threaten victims during a six-week campaign of robbery and burglary to fund a £600-a-week drink and drug habit.
Daniel Grant, 22, was jailed indefinitely yesterday after a court heard he had a hatred of people not like him and he enjoyed carrying weapons because it made him feel “on top of the world”.
Grant committed eight robberies in Leeds between December and January this year, taking £3,000 worth of valuables from victims. Some were assaulted or threatened with a meat cleaver and other weapons.
Leeds Crown Court heard Grant holds openly racist views and is an active member of the English Defence League, a far-right protest group. After his arrest he claimed he carried weapons because other people were “needled-up” and may attack him because of his political views.
Some 15,000 Muslims are expected at this weekend’s 37th annual convention of the Islamic Circle of North America in Hartford, where the theme of “Defending Religious Freedom: Understanding Shariah” reflects the worry that anti-Muslim activists are fanning fear of Islamic law to marginalize U.S. Muslims.
The May 26-28 gathering, which is also sponsored by the Muslim American Society, is the second-largest Muslim convention in the U.S., behind only the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America, which draws between 30,000 and 40,000 people.
Racist graffiti was found on Wednesday 23 May on the wall of a Muslim place of worship in Strasbourg, which the mayor had made available to the Muslim community in 2009 to build a small mosque in the neighbourhood.
The graffiti included swastikas and the slogans “dirty Arab”, “Islam out”, “no mosque”, and “Ries collaborator”, a reference to the Socialist mayor of Strasbourg, Roland Ries.
Last night, the Republican Party of Orange County Central Committee voted 47 to 16 in favor of removing Deborah Pauly from her post as First Vice Chair of the OCGOP.
The motion to remove Pauly was brought on by OCGOP Chairman Scott Baugh stating that Pauly’s behavior has been divisive, vulgar and has caused much distraction and division within the Republican party. At 9:28pm, the votes were announced and Pauly was officially removed as First Vice Chair.
Racist yobs scrawled graffiti on the side of a mosque. The offensive slogan was daubed on the side of the Markazi Jamia Masjid Mosque, on Grange Street.
The Central neighbourhood police team (NPT) arrested an 18-year-old man from Darnley this afternoon. Officers believe another suspect was also involved in the attack which happened on April 20.
Anyone with information should contact the NPT on 101.
Police have quashed rumours circulated by the far-right English Defence League (EDL) that paedophile grooming gangs are operating in Redditch.
Speaking ahead of a planned demonstration by the group in the town on Saturday, Superintendant Adrian Pass said there was no evidence to back up the claims.
Saturday’s demonstration will be the first by the group in Redditch and is expected to attract around 150 demonstrators. However Supt Pass said there would be a robust police presence in the town to deal with any disorder and allow members of the community to go about their business.
He said: “There is no evidence to suggest Islamic grooming or any other kind of sexual targeting of young girls by gangs is happening in Redditch. If the EDL, or anyone else for that matter, has hard evidence of any other illegal activities of this nature in the area then they should come forward and tell us. They have not done so and we have no information whatsoever to suggest that there is a wider problem in Redditch or anywhere else in North Worcestershire.”
The English Defence League has latched onto the decision to ban the Norwich Reformed Church from council premises as a result of a complaint about their distribution of the publication “Why Not Islam” written by the church’s pastor the Rev Alan Clifford.
The EDL has announced that it will be holding a demonstration in Norwich in October to express its solidarity with Clifford, provoking the usual outburst of Islamophobic bile from EDL supporters (“Sick ov satanic islam get out our country!”, “what can be done to stop islam when the government, councils and police protect it”, “what has our country come to the goverment must be gettin a pay off from these muslim extremist”, “Are you People in the UK not going to fight this????? Your letting the muslims take over your Church!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!! WHO IS YOUR CITY COUNCIL????”). The EDL has also promoted Clifford’s “Why Not Islam” diatribe on its Facebook page.
On Monday night a swastika and Nazi symbols were sprayed the mosque of the El Mouhsinine Muslim association in Tarascon-sur-Ariège. Police have launched an investigation. Local councillors visited the site to express their support for the association, and the mayor has called for a firm stand to be taken against racism and xenophobia.
See also La Gazette Ariégeoise, 22 May 2012
Via Islam in Europe