Texas: Geller and Tea Party booted from hotel

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Sugar Land Tea Party was forced to move an event featuring a prominent critic of radical Islam after Hyatt Place learned of opponents’ plans to protest it.

The hotel, where activist Pamela Geller was going to address the crowd and sign copies of her new book Stop the Islamization of America, cancelled their meeting space, forcing the Tea Party to reserve a nearby community center. “In light of the business disruptions affiliated with this event, it has been moved to an alternate location,” said a Hyatt Place manager, who declined to give further details on the decision.

Geller is known for her views on Islam, including strong opposition to the Ground Zero Mosque (which she is said to have nicknamed), dismissal of liberal politicians for “giving in” to American Muslims and continued belief that President Barack Obama was not born in the U.S. On her right-wing blog Atlas Shrugs, Geller urged readers to boycott the hotel for cancelling the event, calling it a setback to free speech and “a stunning surrender to Islamic supremacism”.

The Sugar Land Democrats Club announced their protest on Sunday and still plans to hold a peaceful demonstration at the event’s new location, the Sugar Land Community Center. “Let’s send a message to the fear mongers and haters in Sugar Land and Fort Bend County that the likes of Ms. Pamela Geller and her bigoted ideology are not welcome here in the 4th most racially diverse county in the USA,” residents Deron Patterson and Q Imam said in a press release.

Houston Chronicle, 18 October 2011

EDL thugs attack Ahmadiyya bookstall and Qur’an exhibition in Cradley Heath market

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL Cradley Heath protestA Muslim book stall in Cradley Heath market was stormed by over 25 thugs from the English Defence League this weekend.

The shocking attack occurred in front of shoppers, many of which were women and children, at the market at 2.30pm on Saturday. The local Ahmadiyya Muslim book stall and Qur’an exhibition was attacked and volunteers were manhandled and abused by members of the Far Right organisation.

Shocked Ahmadiyya outreach worker Toby Ephram described the scene in the market. He said: “About 25 of the EDL group stormed our stall in Cradley Heath pushing, shoving and threatening our members. We have the book stall to raise awareness of our work in Britain and in the local community we are proud to be British Muslims and this incident saddened us. Our motto is ‘Love for All – Hatred for None’ and we do not meet violence with violence so we just stood there and did not respond to the provocation.”

Continue reading →

Lawsuit accuses Brooklyn school of holding boy back because he’s Muslim

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A public Brooklyn school refused to promote a Muslim boy to the sixth grade because of his religion, says an incendiary lawsuit in Brooklyn federal court.

Abedin Kajoshaj, 11, had the marks to move on to the sixth grade at PS 180, the SEEALL Academy in Borough Park, but was inexplicably held back at the end of the 2009-2010 year, the suit claims. “I don’t know why they kept me back. I was one of the smarter kids in my class,” Abedin said. He pulled down a 3.04, or “B”, average, said his family’s lawyers, Steven Storch and Thomas Monohan.

During the school year, Abedin earned a 3 in reading and scored a 2 on the year-end reading exam, which “merits promotion”, Monohan said. But in September 2009, Abedin was ordered to repeat fifth grade. The demotion was part of a pattern of discrimination against the boy and rooted in his faith, the suit says.

Abedin’s dad, Halil Kajoshaj, 54, is now shelling out $5,000 to send his son to Al-Noor School in Sunset Park. Last year, Abedin passed a sixth-grade proficiency test.

New York Post, 16 October 2011

Toronto hotel cancels iERA conference booking

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Sheraton Centre hotel will not host a Muslim religious conference that was to feature speakers who have expressed anti-gay and anti-Semitic views.

The Star informed a Sheraton convention services manager about the speakers on Wednesday. On Thursday, after the Star published an article on the conference, a hotel spokesperson said it had been “cancelled due to the organization’s failure to satisfy a contractual requirement”.

The conference, which had been scheduled for Oct. 23, was organized by the Islamic Education and Research Academy (IERA), a British organization seeking to establish a Canadian presence.

In a statement, the IERA said it “unequivocally rejects” the Star‘s article as “false and misleading”. It also issued an “action alert” urging supporters to “complain about this unfair action”.

“The aim of the upcoming conference, far from promoting hatred, will focus on getting Muslims to pro-actively engage with the wider society by sharing the true essence of the Islamic faith in both word and deed,” the IERA said.

Toronto Star, 14 October 2011

Muslims face negative perception in Canada, study suggests

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A new national survey that tapped the level of “positiveness” that Canadians feel toward selected groups suggests that Muslims – significantly more than 10 other subsets of society – remain a magnet for negativity a decade after the 9/11 attacks on the U.S.

Just 43 per cent of the 2,345 people polled by the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies expressed “very positive” or “somewhat positive” perceptions of Muslims, while atheists (60 per cent) and aboriginals (61 per cent) also drew relatively lukewarm responses.

Continue reading →

Berkeley, Illinois: Muslim teacher wins right to perform hajj

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Muslim woman has won her fight against a west suburban school district after being denied unpaid leave to go on a religious pilgrimage to Mecca.

The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday announced it settled Safoorah Khan’s religious discrimination lawsuit against the Berkeley School District, forcing the district to pay $75,000 in lost back pay, compensatory damages and attorneys’ fees. The district also will have to develop a policy accommodating religions consistent with the Civil Rights Acts to ensure something similar will not happen again.

Khan, a teacher at MacArthur Middle School, requested an unpaid leave of absence in December 2008 to perform hajj – a pilgrimage required by Islam – but was told she had to choose between her job and her religious beliefs. She resigned.

“I’m glad that we settled and I hope this does set a precedent,” Khan said. “I hope they realize that hajj means a lot to Muslims and there will be more and more people taking the trip. I hope this helps people and their employers to accommodate Muslims and their requests.”

According to the settlement, the district must also provide mandatory training on religious accommodations to all board of education members and school supervisors.

Khan, now 30, says she went to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the year she resigned. “It’s required once in our lifetime at the earliest opportunity you can get,” she said.

Chicago Sun-Times, 13 October 2011

See also Huffington Post, 14 October 2011

And US Department of Justice press release, 13 October 2011

Jewish Community Council of Victoria calls for ban on HT

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Victoria’s Jewish community wants a radical Islamic group banned, claiming it poses a security risk.

Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in several countries, is due to hold a conference against the Afghanistan war in Melbourne tonight. The group’s Australian branch has also recently criticised a new counter-terrorism website launched by the Federal Government.

Victorian Jewish Community Council president John Searle said yesterday that Hizb ut-Tahrir’s beliefs were contrary to those of most Australians. “They peddle a very virulent form of anti-semitism and anti-Zionism, and they are the sort of group that would encourage home-grown terrorists,” he said. “We are not happy that they are here at all. We don’t believe they are a desirable influence on young minds.”

Mr Searle said the Jewish community council wanted the group banned and was concerned that speakers at tonight’s event could inspire people to take extreme actions. “They are certainly at the very extreme end and extremists do not produce any good results for anybody,” he said.

But Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman Uthman Badar denied the group was extremist or anti-Semitic. “The claims made about us are based on hearsay,” he said. “We are happy for them (Jewish community members) to come down and have a look at our conference.”

Herald Sun, 14 October 2011

One Society Many Cultures conference tomorrow

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Multiculturalism conferenceA huge range of speakers, including MPs, campaigners, writers and musicians is lined up for the one-day conference on defending multiculturalism on 15 October.

The event, titled Celebrate diversity, defend multiculturalism, oppose Islamophobia and racism, is organised by UAF and One Society Many Cultures and sponsored by SERTUC.

It is backed by the NUT, Unite, CWU, UCU and PCS trade unions, the Muslim Council of Britain and the NUS Black Students Campaign.

Speakers announced for the conference include Frances O’Grady TUC deputy general secretary, Kevin Courtney deputy general secretary NUT, Jack Dromey MP, Helen Goodman MP, Peter Hain MP,Claude Moraes MEP, Jean Lambert MEP, Farooq Murad secretary general, Muslim Council of Britain, Edie Friedman executive director, Jewish Council for Racial Equality, Michelle Stanistreet general secretary NUJ, Hugh Lanning deputy general secretary PCS, Steve Hart political director Unite, Megan Dobney regional secretary SERTUC, Zita Holbourne PCS NEC, Bob Lambert co-director European Muslim Research Centre, Jody McIntyre journalist, Peter Oborne journalist, Dilowar Khan director, London Muslim Centre, Alaa’ Samarrai vice-president student affairs, Federation of Student Islamic Societies, Kanja Sesay NUS black students’ officer, Nitin Sawney musician, Sabby Dhalu secretary One Society Many Cultures, Denis Fernando Lesbian and Gay Coalition Against Racism, Weyman Bennett joint secretary UAF, Martin Smith national co-ordinator, Love Music Hate Racism.

>> Go here to download the conference flyer
>> Read more about the conference

The event takes place at the TUC conference centre, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS from 9.30am to 5pm on Saturday 15 October.

Continue reading →

EDL leader loses appeal over football brawl

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The founder of the English Defence League has lost an appeal against his conviction for leading a brawl involving 100 football fans.

Stephen Lennon, 28, led Luton Town supporters as they clashed with Newport County fans in Luton, the town’s crown court heard. Lennon, from Luton, was convicted in July of using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour in August 2010. His claim that he was not in the group was dismissed by a High Court judge.

A confrontation began ahead of the evening game on 24 August when Newport supporters made a mass exodus from the Bedfordshire Yeoman pub just as 50 Luton fans approached. The trouble involved chanting, missiles being thrown, assaults and damage to property, the court heard. Lennon was at the front of the group, with others looking to him for leadership, and it is alleged he was chanting “E …E…EDL” the court was told.

Lennon told Mr Justice Saunders: “I was not with the group. There was a lot of shouting and screaming and some fighting but it looked more like ‘handbags’ to me.” He claimed it had all been about England and Wales and that, while he may have made “sheep” insults, he had never mentioned EDL. “It is ridiculous to suggest that, it is just not relevant.”

Luton magistrates had sentenced Lennon to a 12-month community rehabilitation order, a three-year ban from football and ordered him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work. Lennon is due to be sentenced in November for an assault on an EDL member at Blackburn, Lancashire, in April.

BBC News, 14 October 2011