Muslim sales manager arrested as terrorist over call to ‘blow away’ the competition

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Muslim businessman in Canada became a terror suspect for telling his sales staff in a text message to “blow away” the competition at a New York City trade show, a religious association said Friday.

Moroccan-born Saad Allami, who works as a telecommunications company sales manager, was arrested three days after he sent the message in January 2011 and detained while police searched his home, said the Muslim Council of Montreal.

“The whole time, the officers kept repeating to the plaintiff’s wife that her husband was a terrorist,” said court filings in a lawsuit filed by Allami, cited by local media. Allami was released after four hours of questioning.

Some of his colleagues reportedly claimed they were also held for hours at the Canada-US border on account of the accusations made against their boss.

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Amsterdam police chief reluctant to enforce veil ban, Wilders’ party not happy

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The far-right anti-Islam Freedom Party PVV, which props up the minority government in parliament, has demanded that the Dutch police corps enforce the burqa ban. The PVV is supported by Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten on the issue.

PVV MP Joram van Klaveren was speaking on Sunday in response to remarks made by the chief of Amsterdam’s police corps, Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg, on national TV talk show Eva Jinek op Zondag. Mr Aalbersberg said it should be left up to the police officer on duty to decide whether or not to write out a ticket for a Muslim wearing a burqa or niqab. The police chief added issuing a warning should also be an option.

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Not all civilisations equal, French minister says

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Claude Gueant with SarkozyFrench Interior Minister Claude Gueant, who also holds the immigration portfolio, caused political uproar by claiming that not all civilisations are equal, with some more advanced than others.

“Contrary to what the left’s relativist ideology says, for us all civilisations are not of equal value,” Gueant on Saturday told a conference in the French parliament building, but closed to the media.

“Those which defend humanity seem to us to be more advanced than those that do not,” he argued in his speech at a meeting organised by a right-wing students group. “Those which defend liberty, equality and fraternity, seem to us superior to those which accept tyranny, the subservience of women, social and ethnic hatred,” he went on his speech, a copy of which was obtained by AFP. He stressed the need to “protect our civilisation.”

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Islamophobia – the latest right-wing conspiracy theory

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Goldwag New HateExtremist political conspiracies such as “birthers” and “truthers” may be a dominant theme of post-9/11 America, but in a new book by Arthur Goldwag, he argues that modern conservative groups may be a product of history repeating itself.

In Goldwag’s book, “The New Hate: A History of Fear and Loathing on the Populist Right,” due out on February 7, the author traced the historical origins of rhetoric and ideologies associated with birtherism, Islamophobia, anti-immigration sentiment and other touchstones of modern conservative factions such as the Tea Party movement.

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New York protest against police targeting of Muslims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

About 150 demonstrators gathered in Foley Square on Friday afternoon to give voice to a growing list of complaints against the NYPD and police commissioner Ray Kelly for targeted surveillance of New York Muslims.

The Friday protest was coordinated by nonprofit Muslim advocacy organization Majilis Ash-Shura of Metropolitan New York and Desis Rising Up and Moving, a Jackson Heights-based organization which advocates for the civil rights of South Asian immigrants. Among the demonstrators were also Occupy protesters and interfaith leaders, as well as some local elected officials. Some speakers called for more accountability by the police; others called for Kelly and Browne to step down.

It was the second rally to protest the department’s Muslim-specific policies in as many weeks. The day before, the Associated Press had written about an internal department document suggesting the department targeted Shi’ite mosques for surveillance. That countered Kelly’s previous assertion that Muslim communities weren’t targeted by religion.

There was also unresolved tension about the commissioner’s appearance in anti-Muslim film The Third Jihad, which was eventually revealed to have been shown to over a thousand officers, contrary to the initial claims of a department spokesman.

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German Social Democrat politician denounced over Sharia comments

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The justice minister in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate has sparked outrage after proposing that Germany could permit Sharia courts, which operate according to Islamic law, to preside over some civil cases in the country.

Jochen Hartloff, a member of the centre-left Social Democrat Party (SPD), told the BZ newspaper that he was open to allowing civil suits to be brought before Sharia arbitration courts if both parties agreed.

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Can Geller sink any lower?

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Pamela Geller is exploiting the name of a young Muslim woman murdered by her stepfather in order to promote her organisation Stop Islamization of American, falsely claiming that the murder was an Islam-inspired honour killing and without the slightest concern for the distress she is causing to the dead woman’s family. LoonWatch has the details.

Update:  See also “Pamela Geller’s ghoulish obsession with ‘honor killings’ takes an ugly turn”, Little Green Footballs, 4 February 2012

A right-wing extremist, who me? Wilders objects to inclusion in German pamphlet on far right

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Zwischen propaganda und mimikryPVV leader Geert Wilders has demanded the German ambassador explain why he and the anti-islam party are mentioned in a 32-page leaflet warning of the dangers posed by far-right political groupings.

The brochure, paid for by the German justice ministry, states that right-wing populist and radical parties could be a breeding ground for terrorism. Wilders is mentioned twice by name and one section includes his photograph. The folder also explains how neo-nazi strategists use social networks.

Wilders used the microblogging service Twitter to urge the Dutch government to distance itself from this “scandalous” statement and said questions will be asked in parliament.

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Party leaders unite against Scottish Defence League march

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Four of Scotland’s highest profile politicians have urged councillors to block moves by the far-right Scottish Defence League to march in Glasgow.

SNP deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon, and Scots Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem leaders, Johann Lamont, Ruth Davidson and Willie Rennie are backing the move. In an open letter, they say such a march would bring “vile, toxic hate”.

The Scottish Defence League (SDL) has applied to the council to hold a march on 25 February. The SDL is an offshoot of the English Defence League (EDL). Both groups have been associated with violence at previous gatherings.

Ms Sturgeon, Ms Lamont and Ms Davidson are among 24 signatories to the letter which opposes any SDL march in Glasgow.

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