Dorval mosque vandalized yet again

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Dorval mosque that has been plagued by vandalism in the past had two windows and several doors broken during an overnight break-in on Monday. “I’m not sure if it was thieves or vandals,” said Mehmet Deger, president of the Dorval Mosque. “But it’s very upsetting to our members when it happens.”

He said the culprits broke in through a fire exit door and stole a computer. But they also used some kind of slingshot to fire steel bolts through a couple of windows, including a large picture window. “This is very frustrating,” said Deger, who was collecting estimates on the cost of the repairs.

In 2009, the mosque was vandalized four times, usually with graffiti painted on walls. The last time it was vandalized was in September 2009. At the time, Deger invited the culprits to talk to leaders of the mosque rather than using a can of spray paint to communicate. And he said there have been no incidents since that time.

The mosque has about 2,000 members and has been operating since 1994. It is located at the corner of Neptune Blvd. and Nightingale Ave.

Deger said the mosque’s video surveillance showed two men had been responsible for the break-in this week. “These guys are a danger to the public,” he said.

Montreal Gazette, 12 April 2011

Shout down the Sharia myth makers

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Abe Foxman of the ADL warns against Sharia hysteria in the US:

The threat of the infiltration of Sharia, or Islamic law, into the American court system is one of the more pernicious conspiracy theories to gain traction in our country in recent years. The notion that Islam is insidiously making inroads in the United States through the application of religious law is seeping into the mainstream, with even some presidential candidates voicing fears about the supposed threat of Sharia to our way of life and as many as 13 states considering or having already passed bills that would prohibit the application of Sharia law….

If the hysteria over Sharia law continues to percolate through our political and social discourse, there is bound to be unintended consequences.

As we approach the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, in an uncertain economy with millions of Americans still out of work, we also face the prospect of a political season in which more political candidates may be tempted to invoke this mythological threat in an effort to pander to bigotry and fear, and to score political points.

We stand at a crossroads in American society. We have the option of heading down a path toward a greater tolerance of anti-Muslim xenophobia and fear of the “stranger in our midst,” or we can rededicate ourselves to the ideal of an America that is open and welcoming to immigrants as well as minority groups who have been here for decades. Let us hope that the better nature of America will enable us to proceed down the second path and reject those who seek to divide us for political gain, or those who wish to stereotype and scapegoat an entire people because of their religious faith.

JTA, 10 August 2011

Home Office rules out veil ban in UK

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The prospect of any attempt to ban the Islamic full veil in public in Britain has been firmly ruled out by Theresa May, the Home Secretary. Ministers believe there is little pressure, either politically or among the public, for the UK to follow the French lead and outlaw the use of face-covering veils such as the niqab or burka.

Although David Cameron has warned of “different cultures” being encouraged by “state multiculturalism” to live separate lives, the Government is adamant that to impose a ban on the veil would run contrary to British instincts.

Calls for a ban have been limited so far to one Tory MP, Philip Hollobone, and the UK Independence Party. Mr Hollobone attempted last year to champion a Commons bill outlawing face coverings, but received no public declarations of support from any other MP.

The Home Office said yesterday: “It is not for government to say what people can and cannot wear. Such a proscriptive approach would be out of keeping with our nation’s longstanding record of tolerance. Accordingly we do not support a ban on wearing the burka.”

Baroness Warsi, the first woman Muslim Cabinet minister, has also defended the right of women to choose to wear a face veil.

Independent, 11 April 2011

This is not to the taste of Leo McKinstry who devotes his Daily Express column to denouncing Britain’s refusal to ban the veil:

Our British political elite constantly boasts of its tolerance and enthusiasm for cultural diversity.

Yet often this supposedly liberal attitude is nothing more than cowardice in the face of militant Islam. Terrified of accusations of racism, paralysed by the fashionable narrative of ethnic minority victimhood, our civic leaders simply do not have the backbone to uphold the values of Western civilisation against the onward march of Muslim fundamentalism.

This institutionalised feebleness, masquerading as enlightenment, is in graphic contrast to the much more robust outlook in France. Today a new French law comes into force banning people from covering their faces in public. In effect both the niqab, which conceals the face below the eyes, and the full burka, covering the body head to toe, will be prohibited outside home or mosque.

Some 2,000 women in France wear the burka and they will be heavily fined if they refuse to comply. The ban on the burka has the support of the French Parliament and people, determined to protect Gallic culture from oppressive alien customs. Many European nations are moving in this direction. Belgium has a ban while it’s under discussion in Spain and Italy.

But in Britain there is no chance our establishment will display such courage. The self-destructive dogma of diversity is too strong in all three major parties. Reflecting the supine outlook of Westminster, dripping wet Immigration Minister Damien Green said recently that a ban on the burka would be “unBritish” because it is “at odds with our tolerant and mutually respectful society”.

See also ENGAGE who pose “a question for the new editor of the Daily Express: why not invite a woman who wears the burqa or niqab to respond to McKinstry’s claims of her, and those like her, being subjected to a ‘barbaric tradition’ with its ‘cruel subjugation of women, literally incarcerating them within mobile prisons’?”

Muslim women arrested in protest against French veil ban

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Kenza Drider arrest

At least two women have been briefly detained in France while wearing Islamic veils, after a law banning the garment in public came into force. Police said they were held not because of their veils but for joining an unauthorised protest, and they were later released.

France is the first country in Europe to publicly ban a form of dress some Muslims regard as a religious duty. Offenders face a fine of 150 euros (£133; $217) and a citizenship course. People forcing women to wear the veil face a much larger fine and a prison sentence of up to two years.

The two women detained had taken part in a demonstration outside Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. Police said the protest had not been authorised and so people were asked to move on. When they did not, they were arrested.

One of the women, Kenza Drider, had arrived in Paris from the southern city of Avignon, boarding a train wearing a niqab, and unchallenged by police. “We were held for three and a half hours at the police station while the prosecutors decided what to do,” she told AFP news agency. “Three and a half hours later they told us: ‘It’s fine, you can go’.”

A French Muslim property dealer, Rachid Nekkaz, said he was creating a fund to pay women’s fines, and encouraged “all free women who so wish to wear the veil in the street and engage in civil disobedience”.

Mr Nekkaz said he and “a female friend wearing the niqab” were arrested at a separate demonstration in front of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s Elysee Palace. “We wanted to be fined for wearing the niqab, but the police didn’t want to issue a fine,” he told AFP.

BBC News, 11 April 2011

See also “France arrests Muslim women as full-face veil ban begins”, AFP, 11 April 2011

BNP ‘Qur’an man’ to stand in elections

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A BNP member accused of burning a copy of the Qur’an will still stand in the Welsh Assembly elections, his party has confirmed.

Sion Owens, 41, of Bonymaen, Swansea, had a charge against him dropped today – but was told by magistrates legal proceedings may resume after further investigations. Owens was arrested last weekend after The Observer newspaper reportedly handed police a video, which appeared to show Mr Owens dousing a copy of the Qur’an with paraffin before setting it alight.

The alleged incident drew widespread condemnation from political and ethnic groups in Wales – who are urging voters to shun the far-right BNP in the May 5 poll. Owens is third on the list out of four candidates the BNP is putting up for the South Wales West regional seat.

Plaid Cymru described the alleged incident as appalling but “hardly surprising”. A party spokeswoman said: “Our advice to the electorate of Wales is to ignore their call for race hate as we have always done, ensure they lose their election deposits and above all quickly recycle their leaflets – as that is all they are good for.”

The BNP issued a 2,000 plus word statement on its website in response to Owens’ court appearance, complaining of “hypocrisy” by the authorities. A party spokesman said Owens would continue to stand as a candidate in the Welsh Assembly elections.

BNP leader Nick Griffin added: “The British National Party does not favour burning any book, although if there is any repeat of last year’s Poppy burning insult and subsequent lack of police action, we may well review that position.” He also said the BNP favoured freedom of speech – saying there needed to be a “resistance to the intimidation” encouraged by Muslim extremists.

However, Swansea Bay Racial Equality Council countered the claims, saying the BNP had abused that democratic right. Chief executive Taha Idris said: “While people have freedom of speech and freedom of action in the UK, it is a privilege that should never be abused.”

Asian Image, 11 April 2011

EDL thugs attack peaceful protest against French veil ban

Posted on by Bob Pitt

French embassy niqab protest

Around 40 members of the racist English Defence League tonight attacked a peaceful protest outside the French Embassy, opposing the introduction of a ban on the niqab or face veil in France.

Young Muslim women were joined by students and trade unionists on the protest called by UAF and One Society Many Cultures and supported by the British Muslim Initiative, Islamic Forum of Europe, Islam Expo and the Enough Coalition.

They carried placards reading: “Defend religious and cultural freedom” and “Face veil – a woman’s right to choose”.

EDL thugs launched a physical attack on the peaceful protest before being surrounded by police and led away.

UAF joint secretary Weyman Bennett said:

It is unacceptable that a group of racist thugs has attacked a demo calling for freedom of religious and cultural expression for Muslim women.

We believe that by targeting Muslims with measures like the niqab ban, French president Nicolas Sarkozy is opening the door and providing dangerous encouragement to racist and fascist groups. Today’s events bear that out.

It is clear the EDL is building a street thug movement that aims to smash anyone who stands up against racism, fascism and Islamophobia. We will continue our efforts to oppose them.

The protest outside the French embassy was called to mark the day that the niqab ban came into force in France.

The ban contravenes Muslim women’s freedom of religion. We believe free and democratic societies should allow people to express their faith and culture however they choose.

Although there are no proposals to introduce such legislation in Britain, the ban on the niqab in France has provoked Islamophobic discussions and campaigns here in Britain.

Unite Against Fascism, 11 April 2011

See also “Londoners condemn France burqa ban”, Press TV, 11 April 2011

Update:  Over at the Casuals United blog you can find the EDL boasting about their unprovoked attack on the peaceful protest outside the French embassy.

EDL attack French embassy protestors

Lecturer accuses airline of racial harassment

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A university lecturer has made a complaint of racial harassment against an airline after being told not to sleep with his hands covered as “a matter of security”. A flight attendant woke him after he had covered his head and hands with his jacket, saying his actions had “disturbed” other passengers.

Malhotra, 32, who was born in the UK but is of Indian descent, believes he would not have been treated the same way if he was white, and has been backed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission in Scotland. The incident, last month, raises fears that passengers of Asian or Muslim appearance are being discriminated against by some airline staff because of heightened tensions over terrorist attacks.

The Civil Aviation Authority, which regulates airlines, says there are no rules disallowing passengers from having their heads or hands covered during a flight.

Scotland on Sunday, 10 April 2011