The Guardian has an interview with UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage. He was asked about UKIP’s current policy of imposing a “burqa ban”, which Farage himself has previously defended.
Hate slogans sprayed on mosque near Hebron
Attackers sprayed a West Bank mosque with anti-Islamic and pro-settler graffiti on Monday, a Palestinian official said, in an assault that bore the hallmarks of another raid by Jewish extremists.
The mayor of Bani Naim south of Hebron said that slogans in Hebrew sprayed on walls surrounding the village’s Sahaba mosque included “curses against the Prophet Mohammed” as well as “price tag” and “Yitzhar youth,” a reference to a hardline settlement and nearby outpost in the northern West Bank.
Imams from Memphis who were kicked off flight sue Delta Air Lines
Standing near the Delta Air Lines ticket counter Monday, Muslim cleric Masudur Rahman described what it felt like to be kicked off a flight in Memphis earlier this year while traveling to a religious conference.
“It was really a humiliation,” said Rahman, an adjunct instructor of Arabic at the University of Memphis.
On May 6, Rahman and Mohamed Zaghloul, who were both dressed in traditional Muslim attire, were on their way to a conference in Charlotte, N.C., hosted by the North American Imams Federation. The topic of the conference was “Islamaphobia.”
At Memphis International Airport, the two clerics were cleared to fly during an initial TSA checkpoint and again after a random, secondary check and search at the gate. They boarded the plane, but were soon booted off.
Martin Bright continues his campaign to poison relations between Jewish and Muslim communities
The current edition of the Jewish Chronicle has yet another piece by the paper’s political editor Martin Bright attacking the East London Mosque. Entitled “Jihad and Jews don’t go together”, this is just the latest installment in the JC‘s obsessive (and so far entirely futile) campaign to destroy the relationship between community organisers London Citizens and ELM (see here, here, here, here, here, here and here). An outraged Bright relates the shocking news that Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg of North London Synagogue “agreed to take part in a ‘multi-faith peace procession’ alongside the chairman of East London Mosque, Mohammed Abdul Bari”.
Detroit protest against Lowe’s
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Protesters descended on a Lowe’s store in one of the country’s largest Arab-American communities on Saturday, calling for a boycott after the home improvement chain pulled its ads from a reality television show about five Muslim families living in Michigan.
About 100 people gathered outside the store in Allen Park, a Detroit suburb adjacent to the city where “All-American Muslim” is filmed. Lowe’s said this week that the TLC show had become a “lightning rod” for complaints, following an email campaign by a conservative Christian group.
Protesters including Christian clergy and lawmakers called for unity and held signs that read “Boycott Bigotry” and chanted “God Bless America, shame on Lowe’s” during the rally, which was organized by a coalition of Christian, Muslim and civil rights groups.
ConservativeHome withdraws Paul Goodman article, apologises to Sir Iqbal Sacranie
ConservativeHome has published the following apology:
Sir Iqbal Sacranie
In a Diary post by Paul Goodman (“Pickles and Warsi wrestle for control of Government strategy on anti-Muslim hatred”, 19 November) we repeated in good faith a statement wrongly reported elsewhere that Sir Iqbal Sacranie is a trustee of Union of Good, an organisation which has been listed by the US Treasury as a Special Designated Global Terrorist group. We also suggested (wrongly) that it was possible that, as a result of this association, the UK government had rejected Sir Iqbal as a possible candidate for membership of the Muslim Leadership Council (MLC).
We now understand that in fact Sir Iqbal is not, and never has been, a trustee of Union of Good. We also accept Sir Iqbal’s assurance that while he was approached with a view to participating in the MLC initiative, he declined to do so. He was not on the list of individuals that was put forward and was not rejected by the government as we had suggested.
We are sorry for any embarrassment caused to Sir Iqbal by our Diary post.
To be fair to Paul Goodman, he probably didn’t set out intentionally to libel Sir Iqbal. It’s just that when it comes to the Muslim community Goodman doesn’t know what he’s talking about and uncritically recycles second-hand right-wing smears.
Via Inayat’s Corner
Arab-Israelis protest ‘mosque bill’
Hundreds of Arabs across Israel took to the streets Saturday to rally against attacks on mosques and the so-called ‘mosque bill,’ which aims to prohibit mosques from sounding public calls for prayer.
The protesters carried signs reading: “We won’t agree to silence the Muezzin”, “A democratic state doesn’t attack freedom of religion” and “Transfer state.” Demonstrators also chanted against the torching of mosques in Jerusalem and in the West Bank.
Dozens of demonstrators gathered in the Arab-Israeli towns of Umm al-Fahm and Shfaram, with more protestors joining in various other communities, including Baka al-Garbiyeh, Tira, Taiba, Sakhnin, Tarshiha, Nazareth, Rahat, Jaffa, Kabul and Jisr az-Zarqa.
Arson attack may have been directed against halal abattoir, councillor suggests
Arsonists who brought down a power line leaving 1,100 homes without electricity were trying to target a Muslim-run slaughterhouse, it has been claimed.
An electricity pole in Bradshaw Meadow, Hatton, has been burned down five times, including the latest attack early yesterday. Now the councillor for the area has voiced his concerns that the incidents are directed at a nearby abattoir, which produces ritually slaughtered halal meat. But Councillor Andy Roberts’ claims have been denied by both the owners of M Najib and Sons, based in Miry Lane, Foston, and police investigating the attacks.
It took more than seven hours to restore power to all the affected homes after the latest blackout happened at 3am yesterday.
Cambridge Muslims refute mosque claims
Critics of the planned Cambridge mosque had plenty of opportunities to raise objections before plans were submitted, the Cambridge Muslim Council (CMC) has pointed out.
Leaflets posted through doors in Mill Road claim the new mosque’s dome dominates the skyline. It also states the ‘megamosque’ will cause traffic chaos.
A one-man war on American Muslims
“It would be upsetting enough if a well-financed, well-organized mass campaign had misrepresented a television show, insulted an entire religious community and intimidated a national corporation. What makes the attack on ‘All-American Muslim’ more disturbing – and very revealing – is that it was prosecuted by just one person, a person unaffiliated with any established organization on the Christian right, a person who effectively tapped into a groundswell of anti-Muslim bigotry.”
The New York Times examines the role of David Caton, executive director and only known activist of the Florida Family Association.