Woolas accused of appealing to anti-Muslim bigotry in attempt to win ‘white Sun vote’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Phil Woolas leaflet

Ex-minister Phil Woolas was yesterday accused of whipping up racial hatred in his fight to stay an MP. A special court was told his Labour team tried to make “white folk angry”. Mr Woolas saved his Oldham East and Saddleworth seat in May by 103 votes after two recounts.

In the first case of its kind for 99 years, defeated Lib Dem candidate Elwyn Watkins alleges the vote was swayed by leaflets containing false claims. Labour tried to stir “the white Sun vote” by suggesting Muslims aimed to “take Phil out”, High Court judges sitting in the constituency heard.

Daily Mirror, 14 September 2010

The Daily Mail report features illustrations of some of the headlines generated by Woolas’s anti-Muslim campaign.

Update:  See also ENGAGE, 14 September 2010

Get Him headline

Deal or 'No Deal' headline

Hate graffiti shows growth of Islamophobia in US

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Anti_Islam graffiti

“Islamophobia is growing in the United States. Hate graffiti is now discoloring my own building here in New York City – calling for the Holy Quran to be burned. The publicity-hungry Terry Jones in Gainesville could be discounted if he did not have his finger on the pulse of America. But the protests near the World Trade Center confirm that he is not alone….

“Why should this hate graffiti be littering our hallway? How could someone – maybe someone I pass every day – have so much hatred in their heart? I have numerous Muslim neighbors, both from around the world and born here. How does this ‘Burn the Quran’make their children feel? How does ‘Islam is Evil’ impact my own son – to witness such ugliness so close to home? …

“I believe firmly that the honor of those many, many who died on 9/11 – including our Muslim brothers and sisters – will be diminished if the country they died in cannot protect the concept of religious pluralism that our great nation was founded on.”

Jim Luce at the Huffington Post, 14 September 2010

Burned, shot Qur’an found at Tennessee mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A burned and shot Qur’an was found Sunday afternoon at the Annoor Mosque Muslim Community of Knoxville. The holy book was found on the sidewalk near the building’s entrance. The damage to the Qur’an does not appear to have been done at the Mosque. The evidence was collected by police and the Knoxville Police Department will be working with the FBI on the continuing investigation.

WRCB-TV, 13 September 2010

See also CAIR press release, 13 September 2010

Posted in USA

French Senate backs veil ban

Posted on by Bob Pitt

France’s Senate has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would ban wearing the Islamic full veil in public. The proposed measure was already backed by the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, in July. The ban will come into force in six months’ time if it is not overturned by constitutional judges.

BBC News, 14 September 2010

See also Guardian, 14 September 2010

GOP congressional candidate’s campaign manager resigns over bigoted tweets

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Republican congressional candidate in Indianapolis said his campaign manager resigned after making disparaging comments about gays, Muslims and others on a social networking site.

GOP candidate and Butler University professor Marvin Scott said Tuesday that he knew Stan Solomon had controversial ideas because he once hosted a radio talk show, but he said he didn’t know Solomon was making such offensive comments on Twitter.

“I didn’t know anything about it,” said Scott, an underdog in the race against Democrat Rep. André Carson in the heavily Democratic 7th District. “I don’t know Twitter from litter.

Solomon’s recent tweets include “Gay stands for Got AIDS Yet,” ”Islam is the enemy you fools” and “Time to hurt these anti war sickos.” He also used the N-word (both Carson and Scott are black), called Carson a radical Muslim socialist, said Islam is evil and disgusting and said it was time to burn and “nuke” the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

NewsOK, 14 September 2010

You might have thought that Marvin Scott would sympathise with at least some of Solomon’s views, given his own record of whipping up Islamophobia in his campaign against André Carson, one of the only two Muslims in Congress (along with Keith Ellison).

US Appeals Court orders new hearing in hijab case

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said on Monday that a majority of its 27 judges voted to set aside the court’s earlier ruling in the case.

A federal appeals court has ordered a new hearing for a Muslim woman who was made to remove her religiously mandated headscarf by Orange County deputies in a courthouse holding cell.

A three-judge panel of the court decided in May that deputies had not violated Souhair Khatib’s rights when they ordered her to remove the head scarf for security reasons.

The incident occurred after a judge revoked Khatib’s probation for a conviction on a misdemeanor charge.

At issue is whether a courthouse holding cell qualifies as a pretrial detention facility under a federal law that protects inmates’ religious practices.

The case is scheduled for rehearing in December.

Associated Press, 14 September 2010

Sharia hysteria: how Fox & Friends stitched up Feisal Abdul Rauf

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Fox Abdul Rauf Sharia

Media Matters for America has the details.

See also “Anti-Park 51 rally attendees echo Fox News misinformation and right-wing Islamophobia”, by Ben Armbruster at Think Progress, which features the following video in which participants at the SIOA 9/11 demonstration parrot the lies and distortions spread by Fox News and the rest of the anti-Muslim right (it ends with some sensitive and rational comments by supporters Park51).

Royal Mail refused Muslim staff time off for Eid, CWU condemns ‘clear case of discrimination’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

CWUPostal workers who were refused time off to celebrate a religious holiday are considering legal action against Royal Mail.

Muslim staff at the regional distribution centre in Stourton, Leeds, say they are usually allowed to take the day off to mark Eid-ul-Fitr – the end of the holy month of Ramadan. But around 50 workers who wanted leave to mark the festival last Friday were told they could not have the day off this year “for operational reasons”. Many, however, refused to turn up and are now facing disciplinary hearings over “unauthorised absences”.

One staff member told the YEP: “In previous years shifts have been organised so there was cover for those who wanted to celebrate Eid. For some reason this year the management either forgot to do this or deliberately did not do it. It is the most important time of the year for many of us and it is very important we are with our families. I was not prepared to work.”

Union bosses are now holding talks with senior managers to secure agreements that, in future, cover will be provided for Muslims who want time off to mark religious holidays. And they have warned they are prepared to take the company to an employment tribunal, alleging discrimination.

Andy Lee, secretary of the Communications Workers Union Leeds No1 Amalgamated branch, said: “We know they cannot always release everybody, but they have always tried to release as many as possible. This year they simply said ‘unfortunately, we can’t do it’ and so they cancelled leave for all. They knew it was coming as it does every year and they should have planned for it.

“Our members are very upset – my phone did not stop ringing. Many members decided they would not go in to work and as a result they are facing hearings over unauthorised absences. We’re already fighting those. We’re actively pursuing this. There is another Eid coming up at the end of November and we want to avoid a similar confrontation.

“If we have to then we are prepared to take it to a tribunal because we believe it is a clear case of discrimination.”

Yorkshire Evening Post, 14 September 2010