North London Central Mosque condemns continuing witch-hunt

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Witch hunt against North London Central Mosque (NLCM) intensifies

North London Central Mosque press release, 11 August 2010

As we enter the blessed month of Ramadan the NLCM in Finsbury Park, Islington is working closely with its partners in Islington council, Islington police, our MP Jeremy Corbyn and community partners to respond to false and malicious allegations from unscrupulous journalists, bloggers and think-tanks who have embarked on a witch hunt against NLCM.

At the same time NCLM is working closely with the same partners to respond to the threat of further hate crimes following a recent incident in which a pig’s head was fixed to the entrance gates of the mosque. We note with some concern that the English Defence League and its allies vilify us as “extremists” and quote our critics in the media in support of their hate filled Islamophobic campaigns. For that reason – for the safety of the mosque and the safety of our community – we want to clear NLCM’s name of false and dangerous allegations.

Continue reading →

Dispute over mosque near Ground Zero stokes Islamophobia across America

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Islam builds mosques placard2

The battle over plans to build a mosque near the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York is fuelling a surge in anti-Muslim protests across the US, including opposition to new Islamic centres from California to Georgia.

Religious leaders and civil rights activists warn that a tide of Islamophobia that has swept the country since the destruction of the twin towers is being heightened by political exploitation of the New York dispute before nationwide elections and is increasingly bound up with hostility to immigrants and other forms of racism.

They say the outpouring of condemnation at the “outrage” of a mosque close to the “hallowed ground” of the World Trade Centre site also goes hand in hand with the increasing acceptability of what they describe as hate speech.

Guardian, 13 August 2010

Cowards and criminals who stuck pig’s head on NLCM should be ashamed of themselves

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Half a decade on since the days of Abu Hamza, a lot has changed in Finsbury Park. North London Central Mosque is now a beacon in the north Islington community. The management and congregation are doing sterling work in the area, not just for local Muslims but with their non-Muslim neighbours too. What was once a place of hatred and division is now one of pride and progress.

The cowards and criminals who stuck a pig’s head on the mosque’s railings in the dead of night last week should be ashamed of themselves. There is no place for such bigotry and sacrilege in our ward, which is home to people of every culture and creed, and is brighter and better for it.

Councillor Andy Hull, Labour Party member for Highbury West, Islington Town Hall, Upper Street, N1

Letter in Islington Gazette, 11 August 2010

Four police officers charged with assault on Babar Ahmad

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Babar-AhmadFour police officers have been accused of assaulting terror suspect Babar Ahmad as they arrested him in 2003 in London.

The officers, all members of the Metropolitan Police’s territorial support group, will be charged with causing actual bodily harm. The Crown Prosecution Service said Pcs Nigel Cowley, John Donohue, Roderick James-Bowen and Mark Jones will appear before magistrates on September 22.

Simon Clements, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Babar Ahmad was arrested by the officers on suspicion of terrorism offences. Mr Ahmad suffered a number of injuries during that arrest, including heavy bruising to the head, neck, wrists and feet.

“The Crown Prosecution Service received a file of evidence on how those injuries were caused from the Independent Police Complaints Commission in 2004. We took the view at that time that there was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction of anyone involved.

“Following Mr Ahmad’s successful civil proceedings for compensation from the police in the High Court last year, his solicitors asked the CPS to look at the evidence again. The Director of Public Prosecutions asked the Special Crime Division to do so. We have now completed our review of the evidence.

“Our conclusion is that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to charge four of the officers involved in the arrest of Mr Ahmad with causing actual bodily harm to him, contrary to the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.”

The four officers will be summonsed to appear at City of Westminster magistrates’ court in central London.

Ahmad, 36, was held by a team of police officers who raided his home in Tooting, south London, in December 2003. In March last year the Met paid £60,000 damages as lawyers for Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson admitted he was the victim of violence.

In a statement, Ahmad said: “I am pleased that the CPS has decided that a jury will hear the evidence in this case and it will now be for the jury to determine whether any police officer should be punished for the assault upon me in December 2003. I have no further comment to make at this time.”

Press Association, 12 August 2010

Netherlands: Christian Democrat leaders face internal revolt against alliance with Wilders

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Dutch centre-right Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) was facing internal backlash Thursday from members concerned about its decision to hold coalition talks that involve Geert Wilders’ Islamophobic party.

A manifesto released by the group argued against a minority coalition made up of the CDA and the People’s Party for Freedom (VVD) that would rely on the votes of Wilders’ Party for Freedom (PVV), although it would not be a formal part of the new government.

The manifesto, titled “We stand up for our basic rights”, was initiated by 44 CDA activists who are now hoping to receive broad support from their party. They include delegates, professors and local politicians.

They accused Wilders of using his anti-Muslim and anti-Islam policies to turn “a large minority of our population into a scapegoat for almost all of our society’s problems”.

“With that, the PVV threatens not only the freedom of Muslims, but also the basic principles of our constitutional state and the freedom of us all,” they added.

No leading politicians of the CDA have signed up to the manifesto so far, media reports said. But the newspaper Trouw argued that it could now be difficult for CDA leader Maxime Verhagen to secure the party support he needs to back an agreement with Wilders.

DPA, 12 August 2010

Update:  See “Resistance grows among Christian Democrats”, Dutch News, 13 August 2010

BNP want Jewish ‘comrades’ to fight Muslims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL We Support IsraelMembers of far-right organisations are urging colleagues to support an unlikely ally – Israel. Small groups of BNP and English Defence League supporters are championing the Jewish state as part of a perceived struggle with the Muslim world. They call for Israel and the BNP to be “comrades in arms”.

One person commenting on a pro-BNP blog suggested that the party should open an office in Israel to “show solidarity with the Israeli people”. But Jon Benjamin, Board of Deputies chief executive, warned: “No one in their right mind should have any truck with the BNP or their ilk.”

A blogger on The Green Arrow, an independent website which supports the BNP, encouraged others to look to Israel to avoid the West’s “meek surrender to Islam”.

Under the name Reconquista, the blogger wrote: “Against the backdrop of an enormous anti-Israel propaganda campaign waged by Muslims and by the Marxist left, Israel continues to fight for its very survival.

“I believe it is absolutely imperative for British Nationalists to be fully aware of the lies, deceptions, hypocrisy and moral cowardice surrounding Israel and the Jewish people.”

One person commented on the blog: “I have written several times calling for committees for the mutual defence of white and Jewish communities to be set up here. Both people are under attack… Jewish people need to stop opposing us as their enemy.”

Another adds: “We need Israel. We must join with them to fight this terrible wave of Islam trying to take over the world. The Jews know all about ethnic cleansing, and they will never allow themselves to be in that position again.”

In May, the extreme right-wing anti-Islamic fundamentalism group the English Defence League launched a “Jewish division”, encouraging Jews to “lead the counter-Jihad fight in England”.

Mr Benjamin said: “Short-term political expediency and pronouncements of this kind are merely a cynical ploy by the BNP to try to re-invent themselves to capture the support of those who should know better.”

A CST spokesman said: “There may be the odd BNP activist who thinks that antisemitism is stupid, and there may well be others who think that supporting Israel is a good idea, but none of it changes what the BNP is all about.”

Jewish Chronicle, 12 August 2010

Continue reading →

Top religious leaders denounce growing anti-Muslim sentiment, express support for NY mosque and community center, challenge Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin to stop exploiting fear

Posted on by Bob Pitt

More than 40 prominent Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders and religion scholars issued a statement today condemning the “xenophobia and religious bigotry” fueling the increasingly strident opposition to a proposed Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero. These leaders from New York City and across the country are specifically challenging the divisive rhetoric of Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin, who have strongly opposed a center that will promote interfaith relations, combat extremism, and offer community programs for Americans of all religious backgrounds.

“It’s simply wrong for Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin to malign all Muslims by comparing this cultural center and mosque with a radical ideology that led to the horrific attacks of 9-11,” said Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby. “We fail to honor those killed by terrorists when we betray the bedrock principle of religious freedom that has guided our democracy for centuries.”

Faith in Public Life, press release, 11 August 2010

Continue reading →

Connecticut: right-wing Christians abuse mosque worshippers

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Bridgeport mosque protestBRIDGEPORT — About a dozen right-wing Christians, carrying placards and yelling “Islam is a lie,” angrily confronted worshippers outside a Fairfield Avenue mosque Friday.

“Jesus hates Muslims,” they screamed at worshippers arriving at the Masjid An-Noor mosque to prepare for the holy week of Ramadan. One protester shoved a placard at a group of young children leaving the mosque. “Murderers,” he shouted.

Flip Benham, of Dallas, Texas, organizer of the protest, was yelling at the worshippers with a bullhorn. “This is a war in America and we are taking it to the mosques around the country,” he said.

Mustafa Salahuddin, an Ansonia police officer and parishioner at the mosque, calmly watched the protesters from the mosque’s parking area. “This is unfortunate, but it’s a free country,” he commented on the protest. “But I believe Jesus would have been appalled by this.”

Connecticut Post, 6 August 2010

Via LoonWatch

Dawkins compares the veil to a bin-liner, says he feels ‘visceral revulsion’ when he sees women wearing it

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Richard DawkinsThe outspoken atheist Professor Richard Dawkins has re-ignited the furore over the burka, describing it as a “full bin-liner thing”. The 69-year-old author and scientist told of his “visceral revulsion” when he sees women wearing the controversial Islamic clothing.

Professor Dawkins made the comments in an interview with Radio Times discussing his forthcoming documentary about the dangers of faith schools. Last night he stood by his remarks and told the Daily Mail: “I do feel visceral revulsion at the burka because for me it is a symbol of the oppression of women.”

Seyyed Ferjani, of the Muslim Association of Britain, said of Professor Dawkins’ comments: “I think it is ignorant and Islamaphobic. This kind of thing has been on the rise for some time. Britain is a diverse and free society. It is a woman’s choice if she wishes to wear a burka, a niqab or not. Why does it matter to this man what a woman is wearing? We should be encouraging respect and understanding for each other.”

It is not the first time Professor Dawkins, who is the author of books including The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion, has attracted criticism for his views on Islam. In 2008, he said: “It’s almost impossible to say anything against Islam in this country, because you are accused of being racist or Islamophobic.”

Daily Mail, 10 August 2010

Unfortunately, accusations of racism and Islamophobia haven’t had the slightest restraining effect on Dawkins. His website recently featured a vile video rant against the so-called “Ground Zero mosque” in New York by UKIP-supporting “comedian” Pat Condell, of whom Dawkins (along with many BNP members) is a great admirer. Rejecting complaints about the video by visitors to his site, Dawkins wrote: “I think it is well arguable that Islam is the greatest man-made force for evil in the world today. Pat Condell is one of the few with the courage to say so.”

Poll shows more work needed against Islamophobia in Scotland

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Scottish-Islamic Foundation have said that an opinion poll of Scottish society about Muslims shows mixed feelings when it comes to community relations.

The British Council/Ipsos MORI poll found:

  • Six out of ten people think Muslims are integrated into Scottish society
  • 46% of Scots think Muslims are loyal to the country, while 33% think they are not
  • Islam is viewed less favourably than other religions in Scotland

Respondents to the poll also expressed a feeling that integration was easier in Scotland than in England.

Commenting on the findings, Asif Ahmed chairman of the Scottish-Islamic Foundation said:

“There are few better places in the world to be Muslim than Scotland – but it can be even better. With more effort across the board, Scotland can be an exemplar to the rest of the world not just on coexistence between Muslims and others, but also harmony and cooperation.

“Compared to polls over the years in Scotland, the situation isn’t getting dramatically better or worse. Greater pushes need to be made for an upturn though as the anti-Muslim demonstrations in Glasgow and Edinburgh over the last year, coupled with the economic crisis, could mean things go the other way in the years ahead.”

Scottish-Islamic Foundation press release, 11 August 2010

See also BBC News, 10 August 2010 and the Scotsman, 11 August 2010

The full British Council report can be downloaded here and a summary here.