New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has “categorically denied” that the NYPD was spying on Muslims. Len Levitt is not convinced.
Tennessee Republicans refuse to criticise Womick
Republican politicans and local officials aren’t rebuking or criticising Rick Womick for saying Muslims shouldn’t be allowed in the U.S. military, but Democrats have strong words for his controversial remarks, the Daily News Journal reports.
University at Buffalo: Muslim student a victim of repeated hate crimes
On Sunday, Nov. 13, a Muslim student named Thawab walked from the Center for the Arts to the parking lot and found two swastikas and a penis keyed into the sides of her car. She reported the incident to University Police and requested that the department alert the entire campus about the crime, but UPD chose not to.
This is the third hate crime that Thawab, a senior English and political science major who didn’t want her full name revealed, has experienced while at UB. Two years ago, while she was passing out flyers in protest of speaker Effi Eitam, a student from the Hillel Office asked her, “Why don’t you go blow yourself up?”
Thawab’s car was also the target of hate crimes last semester. She repeatedly found the words “I will kill you” in the dust on her car.
Thawab reported each incident to UPD. None of them have been resolved, and they have all gone unreported to the UB community, according to Thawab. “I think UB is more concerned about having this good image of its population, so it just hides these things that happen, these hate crimes,” Thawab said.
EDL man jailed for racial harassment fails to get sentence reduced
An English Defence League supporter who was jailed for chanting racist slogans at Muslim worshippers failed to get his sentence cut. Daniel Philip Parker, 39, shouted slogans including “Muslim bombers off our streets” near Barnsley’s Muslim Community Centre after returning from an EDL rally in Blackburn in April.
In September, following a guilty plea to religiously aggravated harassment, Parker, of Prince Arthur Street, Barnsley, was jailed for eight months at Sheffield Crown Court. He appealed, but was told by two senior judges at London’s Court of Appeal that the eight-month term was justified for such a serious incident.
Judge Michael Mettyear QC said Parker was of good character and had shown remorse for his actions, but his offence was too serious to merit a cut in the sentence.
“It goes without saying that conduct such as the appellant’s is regarded as very serious, particularly so when it is seen in the light of the conduct of those others in his party, who were behaving at least as badly as he was. Fortunately, serious violence did not erupt, but it is easy to see how a major reaction could have resulted from such disgraceful and frightening behaviour.”
Barnsley Chronicle, 21 November 2011
Meanwhile, EDL supporters have reportedly attacked protestors at the Occupy Bristol camp.
And (via Expose) here is a post from the EDL’s Facebook page (it has since been removed).
English Defence League forms alliance with far-right British Freedom Party
Yesterday the English Defence League held its “Way Forward” meeting in Birmingham. It had been widely predicted beforehand that Stephen Lennon (“Tommy Robinson”) would announce he was standing down from the EDL leadership in order to pursue electoral politics as a member of the far-right British Freedom Party. According to this report, things didn’t quite work out like that. Lennon declared that he did not consider himself to be the leader of the EDL (contrary to numerous statements he has made in the past) but stopped short of offering his formal resignation. And he stated only that he “may elect to join British Freedom” some time next year. However, the EDL did agree to endorse the BFP and “will utilise their divisional structure to support British Freedom”.
Jerusalem Post boosts Wilders’ party
The Jerusalem Post has a report applauding the role of Geert Wilders’ party, the PVV, in encouraging the Dutch government to adopt an aggressive policy towards Iran.
The paper hails Wim Kortenoeven [pictured], the PVV MP who apparently played a leading role in drawing up a resolution calling for tougher sanctions against Iran, as “one of Europe’s most prominent advocates for Israel’s security”, and portrays Wilders’ party as an important ally of Israel:
Wilders condemns visit by ‘Islamist’ Turkish president
Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, a key ally for the ruling Liberal-Christian Democrat coalition, said on Saturday he opposed a planned visit by Turkish President Abdullah Gul because Turkey is an “Islamist regime”.
Pickles and Warsi wrestle for control of Government strategy on anti-Muslim hatred
Well, that’s what Paul Goodman reports at ConservativeHome. And while Goodman may know very little about Islam or Islamism, he is well informed about developments in the Tory Party.
According to Goodman, Sayeeda Warsi is promoting a new organisation to be called the Muslim Leadership Council or Panel (MLC), which she argues should be strongly represented in a new government working group on anti-Muslim hatred. Goodman says that his sources have told him that one original MLC nominee, former MCB secretary general Sir Iqbal Sacranie, has already been rejected by the government.
Goodman suggests that other proposed members of the MLC are also questionable because of their “Islamist” connections. Bizarrely, Goodman names one of these sinister Islamists as Sarah Joseph of the Muslim lifestyle magazine Emel, on the basis that she is a member of the Islamic Society of Britain and once worked for the MCB. Akeela Ahmed of Muslim Youth Helpline is another individual who Goodman thinks is dubious, because MYH is an MCB affiliate. Goodman also regards Iftikhar Awan and Jehangir Malik as inappropriate representatives on the MLC because of their links to Islamic Relief.
Oslo: Muslim students denied high school prayer slot
High school student Ibrahim El Kadi asked if he could pray while at school. “No,” said his principal.
He asked for a quiet prayer area “for all religions” and was quoted the Education Ministry’s official line. “No one has the legal right to religious practice during working hours, neither employees nor students.”
The denial compelled El Kadi and some 40 other students in “multicultural” Ulsrud High School to protest in mock prayer outside the school’s library. Now they pray in the bitter cold of a nearby parking lot.
Muslims pray, rally in protest at NYPD spying
Hundreds of Muslims gathered in lower Manhattan on Friday to pray and march in protest against a decade of New York Police Department spying on Muslim communities.
The traditional Friday call to prayer echoed off the cold stone of government buildings as people, bundled in winter clothes, knelt in prayer on a blue tarp.
“We’re peaceful people,” said Dalia Nazzal, 18, a freshman at theCity University of New York, where police used undercover officers and informants to infiltrate Muslim student groups. “We don’t deserve to be under surveillance.”