Abercrombie & Fitch sued over discrimination against hijab-wearing US Muslim

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Abercrombie__FitchA popular national chain of clothing stores is being sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for allegedly not hiring a Muslim Tulsa teenager because she wears a hijab, a religiously mandated head scarf.

The EEOC filed the lawsuit Wednesday against Abercrombie & Fitch in U.S. District Court in Tulsa, citing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, modified in 1991, as the basis for the action.

The suit says that Samantha Elauf, 17, applied in June 2008 for a sales job at the Abercrombie Kids store in Woodland Hills Mall. A district manager allegedly told her that the hijab, which Elauf wears in observance of her religious beliefs, did not fit the store’s image.

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Wilders: fine women for wearing headscarf

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A controversial Dutch lawmaker has urged the country’s parliament to pass a law to fine women who wear Islamic head coverings.

Geert Wilders said women observing the Islamic dress code or Hjiab should be fined 1,000 euros (1,461 dollars) per year. The leader of the liberal-right Freedom Party PVV made his remarks during a parliamentary debate about the government’s budget plans on Wednesday.

“Everyone who wants to wear a headscarf, should first apply for a headscarf license,” DPA quoted Wilders as saying. He added the fine, which he called a “head rags tax,” was meant to “demotivate” people to wear Muslim attire.

Press TV, 17 September 2009

Police discuss anti-Islam group

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL No More MosquesPolice forces have met in Birmingham to discuss how to handle protests by an anti-Islamic extremism group.

Ninety people were arrested at a demonstration in the city on 5 September when English Defence League (EDL) members clashed with Muslims. The group is planning a protest in Manchester on 10 October after the city council failed to have it banned.

The summit involved senior officers from West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Bedfordshire and Metropolitan forces.

West Midlands Police said the protest in Birmingham had been difficult to police because much of the planning was carried out over social networking internet sites. It said the meeting would address how to tackle this issue and discuss whether new laws would help. It said it was not able to ban the Birmingham protest because the EDL did not formally apply for permission and the law only allowed permission to be refused for marches.

BBC News, 17 September 2009

Council fails to ban EDL provocation in Manchester

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL in BirminghamCouncil chiefs have failed to get the government to ban a demonstration in Manchester by a right-wing group which claims to oppose Islamic extremism.

The English Defence League (EDL) plans to host a protest in the city next month. Manchester City Council, religious leaders and city traders asked the Home Office to stop the event after a similar recent protest turned violent. But the Home Office said it had no power to ban “static demonstrations”.

The council said it was concerned that shoppers and residents could become caught up in possible trouble caused by the EDL event. Councillor Jim Battle, deputy council leader, said: “Wherever the so-called English Defence League have gone there has been violence and disruption to ordinary people who just want to go about their business. It certainly is not welcome in Manchester.”

The Dean of Manchester Cathedral, Reverend Roger Govender, and Cityco, which represents city traders, backed the council’s opposition to the event.

According to the Home Office, police must make a decision locally on how to patrol peaceful protests. A Home Office spokesman added:

“They must take into consideration responsibilities such as public safety, public order, the prevention of crime and the protection of the rights of others to go about their lawful business. Violent activity and incitement to religious and racial hatred are totally unacceptable and the police have powers to deal robustly with any such activities.”

BBC news, 16 September 2009

See also Bartholomew’s Notes on Religion, 16 September 2009

Update:  And see “The tabloids and right wing extremism” at Five Chinese Crackers, which analyses the use made in the EDL video of anti-Muslim articles in the mainstream right-wing press.

Alan Sugar ‘Muslim terror target’ story was wrong, admits Sun

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Extremist threat to UK JewsThe Sun today admitted that its front page story claiming Lord Alan Sugar was a Jewish “target” of extremist Muslims was wrong.

But the paper did not apologise or offer a correction to readers about the 7 January story, which carried the headline “Terror Target Sugar”. The story quoted claims by “anti-terror expert” Glen Jenvey that online Muslim forum Ummah.com was being used by extremists to target leading British Jews in revenge for Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

The Sun story named Sugar, singer Amy Winehouse, producer Mark Ronson and Labour peer Lord Levy as among those allegedly being targeted by Islamic extremists. News International’s daily tabloid subsequently removed the story, which carried the bylines of John Coles and Mike Sullivan, from its website. The story came from the news agency South West News.

Jenvey has also appeared on BBC2’s Newsnight as a terror expert commenting on internet monitoring of extremist groups.

Today the Sun ran a follow-up story on page two, with a picture of Jenvey, with a longer version online.

“Jenvey told how he fabricated the list of Jewish targets by posing as a fundamentalist on an extremist website where he urged others to suggest names,” the paper wrote. “He then leaked the made-up list to a trusted news agency, used by The Sun, and online forum Ummah.com was wrongly accused of being used to prepare a backlash against UK Jews.

“Jenvey – who had been described as ‘an extremely capable and knowledgeable analyst’ by Tory MP Patrick Mercer – said: ‘I’m fully responsible for the story. The Sun was deceived. The Sun did not know that I was behind the postings. I would like to apologise to all the British Jews who we scared and I’d like to apologise to The Sun newspaper’.”

Guardian, 15 September 2009

Perhaps a formal apology by the Sun to Ummah.com wouldn’t come amiss either.

And as Richard Bartholomew has pointed out, credit for exposing Jenvey should go to Tim Ireland of Bloggerheads.

French immigration minister calls for ban on veil

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Eric BessonFrance’s hardline immigration minister has launched a fresh demand to ban the burkha – decribed by president Nicolas Sarkozy a sign of “subservience and debasement”. Eric Besson said the Islamic full head and body covers were “unacceptable” and not welcome in France.

His demand for a total ban comes after 58 French MPs called last June for a public inquiry on whether it should be illegal for women to hide their faces in public. Mr Sazkozy backed the move, saying at the time: “This garment makes women prisoners and deprives them of their identity. I say solemnly that they are not welcome on the territory of the French Republic.” Women’s rights groups and Left-wing MPs went even further, describing the item as a “walking coffin” and and a “mobile prison”.

Earlier this year Mr Besson said he though a law banning burkhas and niqabs would only “create tensions”. But he has now said he wants Islamic garments which cover the face – worn by an estimated 2,000 women in France – outlawed everywhere. He said yesterday: “I recognise that my views have now evolved. The burkha is unacceptable and contrary to the principles of national identity, of sexual equality and of the French Republic.”

Left-wing MP Andre Gerin, who is heading the government commission on burkhas and niqabs, added: “We find it intolerable to see images of these imprisoned women when they come from Iran, Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia. They are totally unacceptable on the territory of the French Republic.”

Daily Mail, 14 September 2009

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