VIENNA — Young leaders and other representatives of Muslim communities from the OSCE region voiced concern at a meeting in Vienna today about rising anti-Muslim attitudes among majority youth populations in some participating States.
Islamophobia shown the Red Card
Osama Saeed reports on the launch of Show Racism the Red Card’s Islamophobia DVD in the Scottish Parliament.
Exclusive: over 60 per cent of Britain’s Muslim schools have extremist links
“Britain’s Muslim schools have been sharply criticised in a controversial draft report commissioned by a leading think tank which suggests that over 60 per cent of them are linked to potentially dangerous Islamic fundamentalists.
“An early version of the report, entitled When Worlds Collide, alleges that of the 133 Muslim primary and secondary schools it surveyed, 82 (61.6 per cent) have connections or direct affiliations to fundamentalists. The 133 schools are in the private sector but supposedly subject to Ofsted inspection. The report also claims that some of these schools teach ‘repugnant’ beliefs about the wickedness of Western society and Jews.
“The claims in the report, written by Denis MacEoin in response to a commission from Civitas, will provoke ritual cries of ‘Islamophobia’ from the Muslim Council of Britain and fellow travellers such as Koran [sic] Armstrong.”
Yes, it’s yet another thoughtful contribution to interfaith dialogue from Catholic Herald editor Damian Thompson.
It tells you all you need to know about MacEoin’s political agenda that he has chosen a blog run by a reactionary bigot like Thompson as the vehicle for promoting his forthcoming report.
But why should MacEoin leak the draft report before it is published? Thompson provides the answer:
“Civitas, however, is not prepared to endorse MacEoin’s 61.6 per cent figure, which will not appear in the published version of When Worlds Collide. A spokesman for Civitas explains: ‘We want to concentrate on claims that are absolutely robust, rather than complicated material, some of it in Arabic, that might unjustly damage someone’s reputation’.”
In other words, even an Islamophobic right-wing think-tank like Civitas regards MacEoin’s central claim, which forms the basis for Thompson’s “exclusive”, as indefensible.
But then, you might have thought that any self-respecting think-tank would steer well clear of MacEoin, given the problems over The Hijacking of British Islam, the notorious and now discredited report he put together for Policy Exchange.
Update: Predictably, the British National Party are eagerly publicising MacEoin’s report, which of course provides a “respectable” cover for their own hate-filled propaganda against Muslim communities in the UK.
Young thugs attack Southend mosque
A Muslim leader fears for the safety of his family, after attacks on a mosque and his flat next door.
The gang of teenagers have repeatedly targeted the Essex Jamme Masjid mosque, in Chelmsford Avenue, Southend, which was converted from a church earlier this year.
Imam Mahmudul Hasan said he had been left shocked and scared after teenagers also smashed the front door windows at his home.
EU parliament prevents screening of Wilders’ Fitna
The EU parliament prevented the showing on Wednesday of an anti-Islamic film made by far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders, bringing cries of censorship from the British eurodeputy who organised the screening.
“The banning of this film is a direct attack on free speech,” said British MEP Gerard Batten, who had organised the event, though officials pointed out that parliamentary leaders had banned the film from being shown in their Strasbourg building back in March.
“A parliament that constantly talks of freedom, democracy and tolerance has shown once again that these are empty words when it does not agree with what is being said,” added Batten, a member of the eurosceptic UK Independence Party (UKIP).
Wilders, who was in the parliament building hoping to see the film in a screening room, said he intended to present it during European parliamentary elections next June. “We are in discussion with other parties,” he said, without giving details.
Although, of course, we do know from Wilders’ interview with Haaretz that one of the parties he is in discussion with is Vlaams Belang.
Express pays out libel damages to Inayat Bunglawala
Great news from ENGAGE.
See also the Press Release from Carter-Ruck and the (pdf) Statement in Open Court, plus Inayat’s piece at Comment is Free.
Muslim waitress: I was sacked for refusing to wear revealing dress
A Muslim cocktail waitress has claimed she was sacked for refusing to wear a “sexually revealing” red dress for work.
Fata Lemes said she was pestered for sex by customers at Mayfair’s Rocket bar and restaurant. Miss Lemes, 33, alleged bosses ran Rocket “like a sex club” and allowed clients to think waitresses “could be treated as prostitutes”. The strawberry blonde told a tribunal that on only her second shift two guests told her they were looking for a blonde “for one or more nights”.
US Muslims jailed for failing to remove hijab in court
A Douglasville woman was jailed Tuesday after a judge found her in contempt of court for refusing to remove her hijab, the head covering worn by Muslim women.
Lisa Valentine, also known by her Islamic name, Miedah, 40, was arrested at the Douglasville Municipal Court for violating a court policy of no headgear, said Chris Womack, deputy chief of operations for the Douglasville police. Judge Keith Rollins ordered her held in jail for 10 days, but she was released Tuesday evening. The reason for the early release wasn’t immediately clear. “It was very humiliating, degrading,” Valentine said from her home Tuesday evening. “I wear my hijab faithfully and for no reason I was asked to take it off. It was unreal.”
Other Muslim women said the same judge has ordered them to remove their hijabs. Sabreen Abdul Rahman, 55, said she was asked to take off her scarf when she went to the municipal court last week with her son. “I can’t. I’m Muslim,” she mouthed silently to the bailiff, who then removed her from the courtroom, Rahman said. “This is a religious right,” she said. Halimah Abdullah, 43, said she spent 24 hours in jail in November 2007 after Rollins held her in contempt of court for refusing to remove her head covering. Rollins could not be reached for comment.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 17 December 2008
See also CAIR press release, 16 December 2008
Update: See Selene Kaye’s post on the ACLU blog, “A call to action for women of all beliefs“.
‘We have to win war against Islam’, Wilders tells Jerusalem conference
Dutch Parliamentarian Geert screened his controversial film Fitna in Jerusalem on Sunday, calling on Europe to restrict immigration “from backward Islamic countries” and describing Islam as a totalitarian ideology “full of hate, violence and submission.”
“Europe is in the process of ‘Islamization.’ We need to fight it,” Wilders said. “We have to win the war against Islam. If we don’t … we will lose our cultural identity, our rule of law, our liberties and our freedom.”
Blind man’s guide dog barred from restaurant for offending Muslims
“A blind man has been turned away from a fashionable Indian restaurant because his guide dog offended Muslim staff”, the Telegraph reports.
Except that, when you get to the end of the article, you find the following:
“Shamin Ahmed, a partner in the restaurant, said that he had written to Guide Dogs for the Blind to apologise for the incident. He said that although the owners of the venue are Muslim, he insisted religion was not a factor in the decision to refuse Mr Elder-Brown. ‘We were worried about the hygiene, that is what happened, it was a mistake,’ he said. ‘I have had a letter from Guide Dogs for the Blind, I have sent a reply apologising about that…. we found out afterwards that guide dogs are allowed, I didn’t know that’.”
Still, never let facts spoil a good anti-Muslim story, eh?
See also the article “Prison chapel not to have a crucifix” which reports: “A new prison chapel has been stopped from having a crucifix in case it offends Muslims.”
Has the Telegraph decided to try and outbid the Daily Star and Express in the promotion of “Muslims are taking over” shock horror stories?