Islamophobic extremists to hold joint conference in France

Posted on by Bob Pitt

SIOA-SIOE

Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) and Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) are to hold their first joint conference in July. The organizations will hold the event in Strasbourg, France, on July 2. Among the speakers will be a representative of the English Defence League (EDL).

SIOA and SIOE claim to “defend human rights, religious liberty, and the freedom of speech” against what they call “Islamic supremacist intimidation and attempts to bring elements of Sharia to the West.” This summit will feature the first speech in Europe by Executive Director of SIOA, Pamela Geller.

The confirmed list of speakers also includes Robert Spencer; SIOE Director Anders Gravers; Roberta Moore of the Jewish Division – EDL; Conny Meier of the German group Pax Europa; and Bulgarian presidential candidate Pavel Chernev.

Asian Image, 21 June 2011

See also Atlas Shrugs, 21 June 2011

SPLC Intelligence Report: cadre of hard-core activists fueling resurgence of anti-Muslim hate

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Jihad Against IslamA decade after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a second wave of anti-Muslim hatred is being propelled by a small cadre of activists who are exploiting Americans’ fears of Islamic extremism, according to the latest issue of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Report, released today.

In the wake of this hysteria, anti-Muslim hate crimes have been reported across the country, protests have been launched against mosques, and lawmakers in more than a dozen states have introduced legislation to ban the use of Islamic religious law, called Shariah, in the U.S. legal system – a completely unfounded fear.

“We’ve seen a remarkable resurgence of anti-Muslim hatred around the country,” said Mark Potok, editor of the Intelligence Report. “Unlike the first and far more understandable wave that followed the Sept. 11 attacks, however, this one was largely ginned up by politicians and commentators pandering for votes and ratings. It’s been a despicable exercise in Muslim-bashing for personal benefit. While there are legitimate concerns about terrorism, the rhetoric we’ve been hearing aims to demonize all Muslims.”

SPLC news report, 21 June 2011

Somebody defended Sharia in the Capitol yesterday

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A woman in a hijab expounded on the benefits of Sharia in the basement of a Capitol office building on Monday, and somehow society has yet to collapse.

The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) held a hearing on the threat that state-level anti-Sharia bill present to American democracy in a room in the basement of the House Rayburn building at noon.

Congressional staffers, reporters and yes, Muslims, gathered to hear about opposition to the anti-Sharia laws which are spreading across statehouses.

TPM, 21 June 2011

Australia: anti-Muslim pastor launches new right-wing party

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Rise Up Australia PartyA controversial pastor has formed a new political party he claims will uphold Christian values and protect freedom of speech. Catch the Fire Ministries pastor Danny Nalliah said the Rise Up Australia Party would also highlight issues such as the burqa and the failure of multiculturalism.

“Immigrants who make Australia their home, while free to celebrate their own ethnic backgrounds, must respect Australian culture,” he said. “Rise Up Australia Party is totally opposed to the introduction of Sharia law in Australia – it is incompatible with our democracy and particularly curtails the civil rights and freedoms of women.”

Dr Nalliah and another pastor were involved in a five-year legal battle after the Islamic Council of Victoria claimed comments they made about Muslims breached the state’s religious vilification laws. The case was settled after the Court of Appeal overturned VCAT’s decision to uphold the complaint.

Herald Sun, 22 June 2011

See also Catch the Fire Ministries press release, 22 June 2011

And “Pastor launches anti-multicultural party”, AAP, 22 June 2011

EDL thugs attack Leeds anti-racism event

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Police are continuing to investigate after an anti-racism concert was stormed by protesters chanting support for the English Defence League.

Three men were arrested on suspicion of affray after a hail of rocks and bottles were thrown into the 150 strong crowd of music fans and at windows at The Well venue, Chorley Lane, near the city centre. Two people were injured at Saturday’s all day Rage Against Racism event. One man had teeth knocked out.

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The Geert Wilders admirer who says she’s concerned about the rights of Muslim women

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“Baroness Cox insists her chief motivation is protecting vulnerable women who are hoodwinked by sharia courts into believing that these courts have the power to make judgments. Few will disagree with the idea of reining in any attempt to usurp British law. But I cannot help feeling slightly uncomfortable that the chief proponent of this Bill is the kind of person who extends an invitation to a virulent Islamaphobe like Geert Wilders.”

Jerome Taylor interviews the author of the Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill in the Independent.

Meanwhile, over at the Jewish Chronicle, Melanie Phillips has come out in support of Cox’s bill, and explains why Sharia tribunals have nothing in common with Beth Din courts: “Jews believe that the law of the land is the law…. By contrast, Muslims promoting sharia believe that Islamic law must supersede the law of the land because sharia is divinely ordained and recognises no superior secular authority.”

Pat Condell claims all rapists in Oslo are ‘Muslim immigrants’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Oslo rapes TV report
Misleading Norwegian TV report on the findings of police study of rapes in Oslo

Last week the National Secular Society’s favourite “comedian” Pat Condell posted his latest video on YouTube. Entitled “Islamic cultural terrorism”, it was enthusiastically received by Condell’s fellow anti-Muslim racists in the English Defence League.

EDL Pat Condell

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Hijab-wearing ‘flash mob’ protests at right-wing bloggers’ conference

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Protestors at RightOnlineMINNEAPOLIS — A group of around ten women in Muslim headscarves crashed the RightOnline conference for about ten minutes Saturday, protesting what they said was an incident targeting Muslim women Thursday night.

The event was the latest spark kicked up by the proximity of Netroots Nation and RightOnline. The two conferences are blocks apart – RightOnline is being held in a hotel many Netrootsers are staying in – and interaction between the progressives at Netroots and the conservatives at RightOnline has been inevitable.

A spokesperson for the group of women told TPM they weren’t sure of the identity of the man responsible for the Thursday incident – when two hijab-wearing women were followed by a man with a cell phone camera who reportedly asked them why they were dressed the way they were “in America” – but rumors that the incident involved an employee of conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart were rampant at Netroots.

The women who arrived at RightOnline were Netroots attendees, and were accompanied by blogger Joe Aravosis and gay rights advocate/provocateur Dan Choi.

The spokesperson for the “flash mob,” Allison Nevitt, told TPM that there was a larger message to their protest beyond the Thursday incident, which Nevitt said had been reported to Minneapolis police. “The point was mostly that Muslim women are an equal part of this nation, and that we have an equal right to exist here,” Nevitt said.

TPM, 18 June 2011

Update:  See “Right-wing blogger charged with harassing Muslim women”, above.

EDL attack Muslims during anti-mosque protest in Dagenham

Posted on by Bob Pitt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJZWtY5ESKQ

See also reports at Hope not Hate here, here, here and here.

Update:  See “EDL’s vicious attack on Muslim bystanders”, MPACUK press release, 20 June 2011

Update 2:  See “Brothers who faced racist attack after EDL march talk to Socialist Worker”, Socialist Worker, 25 June 2011