Racially motivated? No. Islam is not a race. Religiously motivated? Yes, and very obviously so. But craven fear drives authorities to outdo Orwell himself, and sweep this affair under the rug as being merely "political" in nature. "Muslim daubs war memorial with 'Islam will dominate the world' - but walks free after CPS says he was NOT racially motivated," from the Daily Mail,
A British Muslim has shown 'no remorse' after desecrating a town's war memorial with extremist Islamic slogans, a court has heard.
But the Crown Prosecution Service has decided that graffiti proclaiming future world domination for Islam, glorifying Osama Bin Laden and calling for the assassination of the British Prime Minister, 'was not religiously or racially motivated'.
Tohseef Shah, 21, admitted a charge of criminal damage to the memorial, outside Burton College in Burton on Trent, when he appeared at Burton Magistrates Court.
Shah admitted spraying the words 'Islam will dominate the world - Osama is on his way' and 'Kill Gordon Brown' on the plinth of the East Staffordshire Borough Council-owned memorial, on December 10 last year.
He was given a two-year conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £500 compensation to the council, plus £85 costs.
Prosecutor Andrew Bodger said information about Shah and photographs of the graffiti were sent to CPS headquarters in London, for a review by senior lawyers.
He was given a two-year conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £500 compensation to the council, plus £85 costs.
Prosecutor Andrew Bodger said information about Shah and photographs of the graffiti were sent to CPS headquarters in London, for a review by senior lawyers.
They found there was insufficient evidence that the criminal act was racially or religiously motivated - which could have led to a more serious charges and a harsher sentence.
The graffiti was discovered by a council street cleaning manager, who reported the incident and photographed the damage.
The pictures of the desecration were shown in court.
CCTV footage showed two figures spraying the slogans on the memorial. Although they could not be clearly identified, the footage showed one of the vandals discarding the spray can.
Shah, Horninglow, Staffordshire, has no previous convictions.
He was later identified from DNA on the spray can and admitted his actions.
Mr Bodger said: 'Shah wouldn't give an explanation as to why he had done it and had shown no remorse for this very sensitive matter.
how this story was first reported
The CPS specialist unit was sent the pictures, as well as his mobile phone records, to see if there was a racially or religiously motivated connotation.
'It was decided there was not enough evidence to prove this, and they decided it was politically motivated. It has caused great offence to the community.'
Defending solicitor Mumtaz Chaudry dismissed any belief that Shah held extremist views.
He said: 'This is nothing to do with his religious beliefs, his family's beliefs or his cultural beliefs. He is just an ordinary guy.
'He is remorseful but, at the time of his interview, he was simply answering questions and didn't realise that was the right time to show remorse.
Strange days in Britain, where people who express concerns about immigration are called "bigots" and immigrants who arrogantly deface war memorials with Islamic graffiti are just "ordinary guys."
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wives of terrorist suspects 'CAN claim benefits', say European judges
Treasury restrictions on State handouts to the wives of terrorist suspects are illegal, European judges ruled today.
The decision may force the Government to change anti-terrorism rules following a legal case brought by three women whose husbands appear on a list of people said to have links with al Qaida, the Taliban and Osama bin Laden.
People on the list, drawn up by a UN sanctions committee, have their funds and other assets frozen, in a bid to cut off terrorist funding.
The EU enforces the measure via rules stating that no funds 'shall be made available, directly or indirectly, to, or for the benefit of' people named on the list, unless authorised to cover 'basic expenses'.
But the spouses of three suspects on the list went to court to challenge the Treasury's decision to impose tough restrictions on access to social security payments worth several hundred pounds a week, including income support, child benefit and housing assistance.
Under the Treasury rules, such benefits must be paid into a bank account, and the spouse can draw only up to £10 in cash for each member of her household. All other payments from the account must be made by debit card.
The spouses, all living in the UK with their husbands and children, must also submit a monthly account to the Treasury detailing all spending, with receipts for any goods bought and copies of bank statements allowing Treasury officials to check that the purchases do not exceed 'basic expenses'.
A UK legal challenge that the payments should not be subject to such conditions was thrown out by the High Court, but the European Court of Justice today declared:'The freezing of funds of persons with suspected links to bin Laden, al Qaida or the Taliban does not apply to certain social security benefits paid to their spouses.
'The regulation ordering funds to be frozen applies only to assets that can be used to support terrorist activities.
The decision may force the Government to change anti-terrorism rules following a legal case brought by three women whose husbands appear on a list of people said to have links with al Qaida, the Taliban and Osama bin Laden.
People on the list, drawn up by a UN sanctions committee, have their funds and other assets frozen, in a bid to cut off terrorist funding.
The EU enforces the measure via rules stating that no funds 'shall be made available, directly or indirectly, to, or for the benefit of' people named on the list, unless authorised to cover 'basic expenses'.
But the spouses of three suspects on the list went to court to challenge the Treasury's decision to impose tough restrictions on access to social security payments worth several hundred pounds a week, including income support, child benefit and housing assistance.
Under the Treasury rules, such benefits must be paid into a bank account, and the spouse can draw only up to £10 in cash for each member of her household. All other payments from the account must be made by debit card.
The spouses, all living in the UK with their husbands and children, must also submit a monthly account to the Treasury detailing all spending, with receipts for any goods bought and copies of bank statements allowing Treasury officials to check that the purchases do not exceed 'basic expenses'.
A UK legal challenge that the payments should not be subject to such conditions was thrown out by the High Court, but the European Court of Justice today declared:'The freezing of funds of persons with suspected links to bin Laden, al Qaida or the Taliban does not apply to certain social security benefits paid to their spouses.
'The regulation ordering funds to be frozen applies only to assets that can be used to support terrorist activities.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Blackburn Community Leader Sentenced for Sexual Assault...
A Blackburn man who was awarded an MBE for his services to the community has today been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of sexual assault on a 25-year-old-woman.
Janaid Qureshi, aged 61 of Queens Street was arrested in October 2008 and later charged with six counts of sexual assault.
He was found guilty following a week long trial at Bolton Crown Court in February and will now be on the sex offenders register for life.
Qureshi is a high profile man within the Blackburn community and at the time of his offences he worked as the chief executive of EMDA, the Ethnic Minority Development Agency within Blackburn - an organisation whose role it is to support and assist foreign nationals who move into the UK.
Detective Inspector Jill Johnston said: "This is a significant sentence which reflects the seriousness of this offence and the vulnerability of his victim. It should send out a strong message to people who conduct themselves in this way that their behaviour will not go unpunished.
"Qureshi lied throughout the trial.
His victim showed tremendous courage in coming forward and I hope she is now able to put this ordeal behind her."
Janaid Qureshi, aged 61 of Queens Street was arrested in October 2008 and later charged with six counts of sexual assault.
He was found guilty following a week long trial at Bolton Crown Court in February and will now be on the sex offenders register for life.
Qureshi is a high profile man within the Blackburn community and at the time of his offences he worked as the chief executive of EMDA, the Ethnic Minority Development Agency within Blackburn - an organisation whose role it is to support and assist foreign nationals who move into the UK.
Detective Inspector Jill Johnston said: "This is a significant sentence which reflects the seriousness of this offence and the vulnerability of his victim. It should send out a strong message to people who conduct themselves in this way that their behaviour will not go unpunished.
"Qureshi lied throughout the trial.
His victim showed tremendous courage in coming forward and I hope she is now able to put this ordeal behind her."
Famed Dhimwit George Galloway Attacked by Muslim Extremists
George Galloway was set upon by a group of Muslim extremists while campaigning in East London this afternoon.
Three men, believed to belong to the extreme sect Islam4UK, the latest name for Al-Muhajiroun, were arrested and subsequently charged with public order offences.
Galloway, who is standing in the Poplar and Limehouse constituency, was with a party of supporters in Watney Market around 3pm when he and his colleagues were first abused and then attacked by the group.
"They called me a filthy Kaffir" said Galloway, "and shouted that no one should shake the 'filthy Kaffir's hand'.
This lot are the latest incarnation of the banned group Al-Muhajiroun.
They don't want Muslims to vote, they don't believe in democracy, and because I encourage Muslims to vote and take a full part in our society they hate me.
My party, Respect, is the antidote to these despicable extremists.
galloway's assistant Kevin Ovenden had his phone smashed in the incident and other supporters were abused and jostled.
Galloway was also attacked, held hostage and received death threats from Al-Muhajiroun, then called Al-Gourabaa, in the 2005 General Election.
Anjem Choudary, ex-leader of Islam4UK, said the claim was "fabricated".
He said the men were his former students who has studied the Islamic religion with him, but refused to say if they were former members of the now-banned Islam4UK group.
Three men, believed to belong to the extreme sect Islam4UK, the latest name for Al-Muhajiroun, were arrested and subsequently charged with public order offences.
Galloway, who is standing in the Poplar and Limehouse constituency, was with a party of supporters in Watney Market around 3pm when he and his colleagues were first abused and then attacked by the group.
"They called me a filthy Kaffir" said Galloway, "and shouted that no one should shake the 'filthy Kaffir's hand'.
This lot are the latest incarnation of the banned group Al-Muhajiroun.
They don't want Muslims to vote, they don't believe in democracy, and because I encourage Muslims to vote and take a full part in our society they hate me.
My party, Respect, is the antidote to these despicable extremists.
galloway's assistant Kevin Ovenden had his phone smashed in the incident and other supporters were abused and jostled.
Galloway was also attacked, held hostage and received death threats from Al-Muhajiroun, then called Al-Gourabaa, in the 2005 General Election.
Anjem Choudary, ex-leader of Islam4UK, said the claim was "fabricated".
He said the men were his former students who has studied the Islamic religion with him, but refused to say if they were former members of the now-banned Islam4UK group.
Superbug-related safeguards for Muslim medical staff relaxed, days after Christian nurse is banned from wearing crucifix for "safety" reasons
Once again, as we saw in the aftermath of the Fort Hood jihad attacks, political correctness on behalf of Islam takes priority over human life. An update on this story. "NHS relax superbug safeguards for Muslim staff... just days after Christian nurse is banned from wearing crucifix for health and safety reasons," by Jonathan Petre for the Daily Mail, April 11:
Muslim doctors and nurses are to be allowed for religious reasons to opt out of strict NHS dress codes introduced to prevent the spread of deadly hospital superbugs.
The Department of Health has announced that female Muslim staff will be permitted to cover their arms on hospital wards to preserve their modesty.
This is despite earlier guidance that all staff should be 'bare below the elbow' after long sleeves were blamed for spreading bacteria, leading to superbug deaths.
The Department has also relaxed its 'no jewellery' rule by making it clear that Sikhs can wear bangles, as long as they can be pushed up the arm during direct patient care.
The move contrasts with the case of nurse Shirley Chaplin, who last week lost her discrimination battle against Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital Trust, which said the cross she has worn since she was 16 was a 'hazard' because it could scratch patients.
Mrs Chaplin, 55, had worn the silver cross on a necklace since her confirmation.
But the employment tribunal told her that wearing a cross was not a 'mandatory requirement' of her faith, even though Muslim doctors are allowed to wear hijabs or headscarves.
Last night she said of the sleeve concession to Muslims: 'I don't believe my cross is a danger so this is double standards.
What can you say? It seems that life is stacked up against Christians these days.'
Indeed, it will be interesting to watch NHS officials try to explain this double standard away.
Politicians and Christian leaders, including former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey, added that it showed the Government was prepared to accommodate minority faiths while Christianity was marginalised.
Lord Carey said of grandmother Mrs Chaplin: 'The Muslim voice is very strong, so politicians and others are scared of it. We can only deduce that the hostility aimed at her is because she is a Christian.'
The revised rules, which health officials insist will not compromise hospital hygiene, were drawn up after female Muslim staff objected to exposing their arms in public.
Since the original guidance was announced by the then Health Secretary Alan Johnson in 2007, many hospitals have insisted that staff involved in patient care wear short sleeves at all times.
Mr Johnson's initiative came amid growing concerns about the number of patients catching superbugs such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile.
Muslim doctors and nurses are to be allowed for religious reasons to opt out of strict NHS dress codes introduced to prevent the spread of deadly hospital superbugs.
The Department of Health has announced that female Muslim staff will be permitted to cover their arms on hospital wards to preserve their modesty.
This is despite earlier guidance that all staff should be 'bare below the elbow' after long sleeves were blamed for spreading bacteria, leading to superbug deaths.
The Department has also relaxed its 'no jewellery' rule by making it clear that Sikhs can wear bangles, as long as they can be pushed up the arm during direct patient care.
The move contrasts with the case of nurse Shirley Chaplin, who last week lost her discrimination battle against Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital Trust, which said the cross she has worn since she was 16 was a 'hazard' because it could scratch patients.
Mrs Chaplin, 55, had worn the silver cross on a necklace since her confirmation.
But the employment tribunal told her that wearing a cross was not a 'mandatory requirement' of her faith, even though Muslim doctors are allowed to wear hijabs or headscarves.
Last night she said of the sleeve concession to Muslims: 'I don't believe my cross is a danger so this is double standards.
What can you say? It seems that life is stacked up against Christians these days.'
Indeed, it will be interesting to watch NHS officials try to explain this double standard away.
Politicians and Christian leaders, including former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey, added that it showed the Government was prepared to accommodate minority faiths while Christianity was marginalised.
Lord Carey said of grandmother Mrs Chaplin: 'The Muslim voice is very strong, so politicians and others are scared of it. We can only deduce that the hostility aimed at her is because she is a Christian.'
The revised rules, which health officials insist will not compromise hospital hygiene, were drawn up after female Muslim staff objected to exposing their arms in public.
Since the original guidance was announced by the then Health Secretary Alan Johnson in 2007, many hospitals have insisted that staff involved in patient care wear short sleeves at all times.
Mr Johnson's initiative came amid growing concerns about the number of patients catching superbugs such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile.
police bow to "Islamic sensitivities," allow Muslim protesters to throw shoes
It's a "ritual form of protest," you see, and therefore "not a criminal act of violence." That means the shoes won't hurt as much.
Absurd Britannia Alert: "Met allows Islamic protesters to throw shoes," by David Leppard for The Sunday Times,
SCOTLAND YARD has bowed to Islamic sensitivities and accepted that Muslims are entitled to throw shoes in ritual protest -- which could have the unintended consequence of politicians or the police being hit.
News of the concession by the Metropolitan police has come to light amid a series of trials of more than 70 mostly Muslim demonstrators who were charged with violent disorder after last year's Gaza protests outside the Israeli embassy in London.
Aquib Salim, 21, an IT student at Queen Mary, London University, who was involved in a shoe-throwing incident, is almost certain to avoid a prison sentence as a result.
Chris Holt, Salim's solicitor, said he was likely to get a suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to a single charge of throwing a stick at police lines.
"The court accepted that the earlier shoe-throwing incident was simply a ritual form of protest and therefore not a criminal act of violence," Holt said.
Judge Denniss agreed that the act of shoe-throwing should not be considered in a charge of violent disorder against the student because it was "a symbolic" political gesture.
That means the bruises of the victims will be symbolic, also.
Shoes, and particularly the soles of shoes, are regarded as ritually unclean in the Islamic world. An Iraqi journalist became a folk hero for throwing a shoe at President George W Bush during a press conference in December 2008.
The president ducked, but Muntadhar al-Zaidi was jailed for three years and allegedly tortured by the Iraqis. He was released after nine months and his gesture inspired many imitators....
The concession has already been taken up enthusiastically by Muslim demonstrators, who pelted Downing Street with shoes in protest at the Israeli bombing of Gaza last year.
Dozens of ski-boots and clogs were also hurled at the US consulate in Edinburgh in a related protest, in which three policemen sustained minor injuries....
Ah, but the injuries were only minor! Ain't multiculturalism grand?
Absurd Britannia Alert: "Met allows Islamic protesters to throw shoes," by David Leppard for The Sunday Times,
SCOTLAND YARD has bowed to Islamic sensitivities and accepted that Muslims are entitled to throw shoes in ritual protest -- which could have the unintended consequence of politicians or the police being hit.
News of the concession by the Metropolitan police has come to light amid a series of trials of more than 70 mostly Muslim demonstrators who were charged with violent disorder after last year's Gaza protests outside the Israeli embassy in London.
Aquib Salim, 21, an IT student at Queen Mary, London University, who was involved in a shoe-throwing incident, is almost certain to avoid a prison sentence as a result.
Chris Holt, Salim's solicitor, said he was likely to get a suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to a single charge of throwing a stick at police lines.
"The court accepted that the earlier shoe-throwing incident was simply a ritual form of protest and therefore not a criminal act of violence," Holt said.
Judge Denniss agreed that the act of shoe-throwing should not be considered in a charge of violent disorder against the student because it was "a symbolic" political gesture.
That means the bruises of the victims will be symbolic, also.
Shoes, and particularly the soles of shoes, are regarded as ritually unclean in the Islamic world. An Iraqi journalist became a folk hero for throwing a shoe at President George W Bush during a press conference in December 2008.
The president ducked, but Muntadhar al-Zaidi was jailed for three years and allegedly tortured by the Iraqis. He was released after nine months and his gesture inspired many imitators....
The concession has already been taken up enthusiastically by Muslim demonstrators, who pelted Downing Street with shoes in protest at the Israeli bombing of Gaza last year.
Dozens of ski-boots and clogs were also hurled at the US consulate in Edinburgh in a related protest, in which three policemen sustained minor injuries....
Ah, but the injuries were only minor! Ain't multiculturalism grand?
Muslim prisoners intimidating non-Muslim prisoners, getting preferential treatment
And prison authorities are afraid to cross them. "Islamic inmates hand back TVs to escape X Factor," by Ben Goldby for the Sunday Mercury,
Islamic inmate Abu Dira wrote to lag magazine Inside Time about the X Factor protest at the Worcestershire jail.
He said: "Many Muslims in Long Lartin have handed back their televisions, as they are viewed as nothing more than a distraction to religious study.
''I do not envisage hordes of crying Muslims lamenting the loss of X Factor."
The inmate also blasted plans to fight Islamic extremism by flooding the prison library with books from moderates, saying no-one would read them, "let alone accept the viewpoint of those individuals who align themselves with occupational forces".
Figures revealed by the Sunday Mercury last year show the Muslim population inside Long Lartin has doubled in just two years, with a quarter of all prisoners now followers of Islam.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that extremists held in the maximum security terror detainee unit are being given fresh sheets after every cell search by drug dogs - so that their religion is not offended.
Yet non-Muslim prisoners have complained that Islamic inmates are being offered preferential treatment as others are not offered clean sheets....
And a former Long Lartin prison officer has also claimed non-Muslim prisoners are being intimidated for refusing to abide by unofficial rules imposed by Islamic gangs, about eating pork and listening to Western music.
One Christian prisoner was even stabbed for refusing to read the Quran, she claimed.
"Prison officers feel helpless against this situation," she said. "It seemed to me like the prison authorities were scared to upset the detainees so they had to be seen to protect them - even if they were in the wrong."...
Islamic inmate Abu Dira wrote to lag magazine Inside Time about the X Factor protest at the Worcestershire jail.
He said: "Many Muslims in Long Lartin have handed back their televisions, as they are viewed as nothing more than a distraction to religious study.
''I do not envisage hordes of crying Muslims lamenting the loss of X Factor."
The inmate also blasted plans to fight Islamic extremism by flooding the prison library with books from moderates, saying no-one would read them, "let alone accept the viewpoint of those individuals who align themselves with occupational forces".
Figures revealed by the Sunday Mercury last year show the Muslim population inside Long Lartin has doubled in just two years, with a quarter of all prisoners now followers of Islam.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that extremists held in the maximum security terror detainee unit are being given fresh sheets after every cell search by drug dogs - so that their religion is not offended.
Yet non-Muslim prisoners have complained that Islamic inmates are being offered preferential treatment as others are not offered clean sheets....
And a former Long Lartin prison officer has also claimed non-Muslim prisoners are being intimidated for refusing to abide by unofficial rules imposed by Islamic gangs, about eating pork and listening to Western music.
One Christian prisoner was even stabbed for refusing to read the Quran, she claimed.
"Prison officers feel helpless against this situation," she said. "It seemed to me like the prison authorities were scared to upset the detainees so they had to be seen to protect them - even if they were in the wrong."...
Monday, April 12, 2010
Shamed former Wigan star Marlon King converts to Islam in prison and names himself after 'hero' Abu Hamza
Jailed ex-Wigan striker Marlon King is reported to have converted to Islam and has told inmates hate preacher Abu Hamza is his 'hero'.
King, who was convicted of sexual assault and assault occasioning actual body harm when he punched a 20-year-old female university student and broke her nose in December 2008, has also demanded that other prisoners call him Abu Hamza Tariq, reports The Sun.
Hamza was jailed for seven years in 2006 for soliciting murder.
King is said to pray five times a day, has demanded Halal meat, and will only speak to other Muslim inmates.
The Sun says prison staff at HMS Wayland in Norfolk, are shocked by King's change of behaviour - just three weeks after the newspaper reported that cocaine and a banned mobile phone charger had been found in the 29-year-old's cell.
The former Jamaica international is also said to have suffered a black eye after a row in a dinner queue a fortnight ago.
An insider is quoted in The Sun as saying: 'Marlon's gone from bad boy convict to devout Muslim in next to no time. He is talking about Abu Hamza as a hero - even though he is hated by the public.
In the dock: King leaves Court after facing charges of sexual assault last year
'Marlon has even talked about converting his family when he gets out of jail later this year.'
This isn't temporary - it's a total lifestyle change. Marlon reads books about Islam for hours in his cell.'
King, who earned £35,000-a-week at Wigan before the club terminated his contract last October, is also reported to have made the astonishing claim that he will play for Chelsea on his release from prison.
King, who was convicted of sexual assault and assault occasioning actual body harm when he punched a 20-year-old female university student and broke her nose in December 2008, has also demanded that other prisoners call him Abu Hamza Tariq, reports The Sun.
Hamza was jailed for seven years in 2006 for soliciting murder.
King is said to pray five times a day, has demanded Halal meat, and will only speak to other Muslim inmates.
The Sun says prison staff at HMS Wayland in Norfolk, are shocked by King's change of behaviour - just three weeks after the newspaper reported that cocaine and a banned mobile phone charger had been found in the 29-year-old's cell.
The former Jamaica international is also said to have suffered a black eye after a row in a dinner queue a fortnight ago.
An insider is quoted in The Sun as saying: 'Marlon's gone from bad boy convict to devout Muslim in next to no time. He is talking about Abu Hamza as a hero - even though he is hated by the public.
In the dock: King leaves Court after facing charges of sexual assault last year
'Marlon has even talked about converting his family when he gets out of jail later this year.'
This isn't temporary - it's a total lifestyle change. Marlon reads books about Islam for hours in his cell.'
King, who earned £35,000-a-week at Wigan before the club terminated his contract last October, is also reported to have made the astonishing claim that he will play for Chelsea on his release from prison.
KFC face halal Muslim boycott threat
FINGS are not lickin' good for KFC in their bid to sell fried chicken to Islamic customers.
They're now being threatened with a boycott by both Muslims AND non-Muslims.
Britain's second biggest fast food chain hoped to woo the Islamic market by opening 86 trial outlets selling halal-only meat - that's from animals slaughtered under strict religious guidelines.
But KFC's target diners insist the chickens are not being killed in the right way and say they will stay away.
And furious non-Muslim customers have set up Facebook groups protesting that the trial branches, which also ban pork, have dropped their favourite bacon-topped Big Daddy burger from menus.
Groups with names such as "Against the KFC Halal Trial" and "No Halal at Colne KFC" -
referring to a branch in the Lancs town - are rapidly attracting members.
For meat to be halal, the animal must be alive when its throat is cut as a verse from the Koran is recited.
KFC insists their methods meet the approval of the Halal Food Society.
But Islamic leaders disagree, saying the pre-stunning of animals in the chain's mechanical process means a third are already dead at the point of slaughter.
And the fact the prayer is played over a speaker means each bird it not blessed individually as it is killed.
They have now threatened to warn the UK's 2.4million Muslims not to eat KFC meat, and will meet with the fast food giant on Wednesday to question how it is killing chickens sold as halal.
Imam Yusuf Shabbir of the Lancashire Council of Mosques said: "If KFC confirms to us that it has no intention of changing the mechanical method of slaughter we will advise members of the Muslim community this."
But a KFC spokesman said: "We've worked with animal welfare organisations and the Halal Food Authority to ensure our processes fully comply.
"And wherever possible we've made sure our trial stores are near non- halal restaurants, to provide customers with a choice."
They're now being threatened with a boycott by both Muslims AND non-Muslims.
Britain's second biggest fast food chain hoped to woo the Islamic market by opening 86 trial outlets selling halal-only meat - that's from animals slaughtered under strict religious guidelines.
But KFC's target diners insist the chickens are not being killed in the right way and say they will stay away.
And furious non-Muslim customers have set up Facebook groups protesting that the trial branches, which also ban pork, have dropped their favourite bacon-topped Big Daddy burger from menus.
Groups with names such as "Against the KFC Halal Trial" and "No Halal at Colne KFC" -
referring to a branch in the Lancs town - are rapidly attracting members.
For meat to be halal, the animal must be alive when its throat is cut as a verse from the Koran is recited.
KFC insists their methods meet the approval of the Halal Food Society.
But Islamic leaders disagree, saying the pre-stunning of animals in the chain's mechanical process means a third are already dead at the point of slaughter.
And the fact the prayer is played over a speaker means each bird it not blessed individually as it is killed.
They have now threatened to warn the UK's 2.4million Muslims not to eat KFC meat, and will meet with the fast food giant on Wednesday to question how it is killing chickens sold as halal.
Imam Yusuf Shabbir of the Lancashire Council of Mosques said: "If KFC confirms to us that it has no intention of changing the mechanical method of slaughter we will advise members of the Muslim community this."
But a KFC spokesman said: "We've worked with animal welfare organisations and the Halal Food Authority to ensure our processes fully comply.
"And wherever possible we've made sure our trial stores are near non- halal restaurants, to provide customers with a choice."
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Birmingham man who had sex with sheep jailed....again
MIDLAND asylum seeker, once jailed for having sex with a sheep, has been sent back to prison for breaching the Sex Offenders’ Register.
Hidyat Amin, 34, of Alum Rock, Birmingham. Birmingham, was placed on the register for seven years in 2006 after being found guilty of romping with the animal in a farm shed.
The Kurd was jailed for six months for that offence which took place at a farm in East Yorkshire.
Amin reportedly had feared he would be deported upon his release.
However, he was allowed to stay in the UK and after being freed he moved to Birmingham.
He appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, accused of one count of common assault and another of being in possession of an offensive weapon.
The charges related to an alleged incident said to have taken place outside his former partner’s house in Birmingham. He was cleared of both those offences after the prosecution offered no evidence.
But Amin was convicted of a separate offence of failing to comply with the conditions of the Sex Offences’ Register. Thursday’s hearing was told the Kurd had failed to notify police in advance that he planned to visit Southampton in October 2009.
The strict conditions of his registration mean he must notify police of wherever he is staying.
A judge at Birmingham Crown Court jailed Amin for eight weeks for the breach.
The sex offender was jailed for having sex with an animal after being trapped by DNA evidence – after his underpants and socks were found at the scene.
His trial at Hull Crown Court heard that a man had been seen acting suspiciously under a full moon and had been spotted several times previously lurking in Frank Davidson’s farmyard in Preston, East Yorkshire.
On one occasion the man casually smoked a cigarette before driving off, the court heard.
The sheep and a ram had been isolated as part of treatment for foot rot. The farmer said he had found pants and socks on three occasions as well as bread crumbs used to entice the animals.
Prosecutor Caroline Wigin said DNA swabs suggested a billion to one chance the sex attacker was not Amin.
Hidyat Amin, 34, of Alum Rock, Birmingham. Birmingham, was placed on the register for seven years in 2006 after being found guilty of romping with the animal in a farm shed.
The Kurd was jailed for six months for that offence which took place at a farm in East Yorkshire.
Amin reportedly had feared he would be deported upon his release.
However, he was allowed to stay in the UK and after being freed he moved to Birmingham.
He appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, accused of one count of common assault and another of being in possession of an offensive weapon.
The charges related to an alleged incident said to have taken place outside his former partner’s house in Birmingham. He was cleared of both those offences after the prosecution offered no evidence.
But Amin was convicted of a separate offence of failing to comply with the conditions of the Sex Offences’ Register. Thursday’s hearing was told the Kurd had failed to notify police in advance that he planned to visit Southampton in October 2009.
The strict conditions of his registration mean he must notify police of wherever he is staying.
A judge at Birmingham Crown Court jailed Amin for eight weeks for the breach.
The sex offender was jailed for having sex with an animal after being trapped by DNA evidence – after his underpants and socks were found at the scene.
His trial at Hull Crown Court heard that a man had been seen acting suspiciously under a full moon and had been spotted several times previously lurking in Frank Davidson’s farmyard in Preston, East Yorkshire.
On one occasion the man casually smoked a cigarette before driving off, the court heard.
The sheep and a ram had been isolated as part of treatment for foot rot. The farmer said he had found pants and socks on three occasions as well as bread crumbs used to entice the animals.
Prosecutor Caroline Wigin said DNA swabs suggested a billion to one chance the sex attacker was not Amin.
Muslim fury as Army uses 'mosques' on UK firing range
Muslim groups are demanding an apology from the British Army after it emerged that models of mosques are being erected on military firing ranges.
The chairman of the Bradford Council for Mosques (BMC) has called for the cut-outs to be removed immediately.
Seven replica mosques were erected on a range at Bellerby, Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire to prepare soldiers for combat in Afghanistan.
Some of the mosques have single domes and others have double domes, and appear to be targets for six firing ranges around 100 metres away, in full view of the main road.
The BMC said that the mosques were being used as a 'symbol of danger' and served to reinforce negative stereotypes of Muslims.
Ishtiaq Ahmed of the BMC said: 'We are hoping they will take immediate action to remove the structures in question and they also will be very quick to accept they have made a major blunder.
'We came to know about the structures because a passer-by saw them from the road and felt that they resembled mosques.
'We visited the site yesterday and realised that they did symbolise mosques.
'We saw soldiers on the firing range yesterday and we were very shocked and angered and also confused as to why the British Army would do something like this - it seems like a very silly thing to do.
'Anyone looking at it will think about mosques and Muslims and think about them in a negative way.'
'The shape of the structures, the green colour of the dome - symbolises an Islamic place of worship.
'What angers me very much is that we are conditioning the young British to say that mosques are a place where you are going to find danger and a place to target and that is really disturbing.'
'We will be formally writing to the Army today and will be hoping an apology is issued to the Muslim Community.
'We have been working alongside the Army in the last six months to help them recruit more soldiers from the Muslim Community.
'Relationships between the Muslim Community and the Army are very fragile at the moment, and this seems like a silly thing for the Army to do.'
Saleem Khan, the chief executive of the BMC said: 'They need to remove the structures without delay and apologise to the Muslim community.'
An MOD spokesman said the structures were 'generic Eastern buildings' and were not used as target practice.
He said the MOD had 'no intention' of causing offence and that the mosques were made to replicate the environment soldiers would face.
He added: 'Facilities at Bellerby have been upgraded in response to operational feedback from Afghanistan as it is crucial that our armed forces train at ranges that replicate the environment they will be deployed to.
'Providing the best training facilities for our armed forces ahead of deployment to operational theatres is a priority for us.
'We have no intention of offending religious sensibilities.'
The chairman of the Bradford Council for Mosques (BMC) has called for the cut-outs to be removed immediately.
Seven replica mosques were erected on a range at Bellerby, Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire to prepare soldiers for combat in Afghanistan.
Some of the mosques have single domes and others have double domes, and appear to be targets for six firing ranges around 100 metres away, in full view of the main road.
The BMC said that the mosques were being used as a 'symbol of danger' and served to reinforce negative stereotypes of Muslims.
Ishtiaq Ahmed of the BMC said: 'We are hoping they will take immediate action to remove the structures in question and they also will be very quick to accept they have made a major blunder.
'We came to know about the structures because a passer-by saw them from the road and felt that they resembled mosques.
'We visited the site yesterday and realised that they did symbolise mosques.
'We saw soldiers on the firing range yesterday and we were very shocked and angered and also confused as to why the British Army would do something like this - it seems like a very silly thing to do.
'Anyone looking at it will think about mosques and Muslims and think about them in a negative way.'
'The shape of the structures, the green colour of the dome - symbolises an Islamic place of worship.
'What angers me very much is that we are conditioning the young British to say that mosques are a place where you are going to find danger and a place to target and that is really disturbing.'
'We will be formally writing to the Army today and will be hoping an apology is issued to the Muslim Community.
'We have been working alongside the Army in the last six months to help them recruit more soldiers from the Muslim Community.
'Relationships between the Muslim Community and the Army are very fragile at the moment, and this seems like a silly thing for the Army to do.'
Saleem Khan, the chief executive of the BMC said: 'They need to remove the structures without delay and apologise to the Muslim community.'
An MOD spokesman said the structures were 'generic Eastern buildings' and were not used as target practice.
He said the MOD had 'no intention' of causing offence and that the mosques were made to replicate the environment soldiers would face.
He added: 'Facilities at Bellerby have been upgraded in response to operational feedback from Afghanistan as it is crucial that our armed forces train at ranges that replicate the environment they will be deployed to.
'Providing the best training facilities for our armed forces ahead of deployment to operational theatres is a priority for us.
'We have no intention of offending religious sensibilities.'
Another "honour" killing.
A teenager was stabbed to death on her way to a party
.Aliza Mirza, 18, was knifed in the neck and left to die in a pool of blood on a pavement.
Last night police arrested her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend and his 45-year-old father on suspicion of murder.The boyfriend's mother, 41, and 20-year-old sister were held on suspicion of conspiracy to murder along with another man, aged 42.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12636...
This will turn out to be yet another "honour" killing.
.Aliza Mirza, 18, was knifed in the neck and left to die in a pool of blood on a pavement.
Last night police arrested her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend and his 45-year-old father on suspicion of murder.The boyfriend's mother, 41, and 20-year-old sister were held on suspicion of conspiracy to murder along with another man, aged 42.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12636...
This will turn out to be yet another "honour" killing.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
London Students Refuse to Pray in Multi-Faith Room...
Some Muslim students at City University in London are praying in the street in a row over prayer room facilities.
The university closed a prayer room after Muslim students were attacked in November. A new multi-faith room was opened the following month.
The university says it goes against its philosophy to provide a room for just Islamic students.
'Secular organisation'
"We felt that the provision of a dedicated prayer facility to a sub-section of our Islamic students did not fit with our university's values," said Professor Julius Weinberg, who is the acting vice-chancellor at City University.
"We're a secular organisation. Our university values statement says that we will not discriminate and having a dedicated prayer room actually went fundamentally against the core values of the organisation."
As well as worshipping on the street for the past few weeks, some students have also held prayers in lecture-rooms, corridors and the library.
"Our needs have been taken away," said Saleh Patel, president of one of the Islamic societies at the university.
"Our prayer room has been taken away. We've been forced to pray outside.
"Our sisters have nowhere comfortable to go to. The prayer room used to be a place where they were comfortable and able to take off their veils."
However, not all Muslims subscribe to that view and even City University's Islamic Society concedes that some Islamic scholars disagree with this interpretation.
"There are many Muslim students belonging to another Islamic society who are very happy to use the shared faith facility we've provided and now feel more supported by the university," said Professor Weinberg.
The university closed a prayer room after Muslim students were attacked in November. A new multi-faith room was opened the following month.
A group of Muslim students now refuse to use the facility as they say they cannot pray in a multi-faith room.
The university says it goes against its philosophy to provide a room for just Islamic students.
'Secular organisation'
"We felt that the provision of a dedicated prayer facility to a sub-section of our Islamic students did not fit with our university's values," said Professor Julius Weinberg, who is the acting vice-chancellor at City University.
"We're a secular organisation. Our university values statement says that we will not discriminate and having a dedicated prayer room actually went fundamentally against the core values of the organisation."
“ Our needs have been taken away ” City University's Islamic society president Saleh Patel
The prayer room was moved for safety reasons after a group of Muslim students were attacked by local youths, in what police said was a racist incident.
The prayer room was moved for safety reasons after a group of Muslim students were attacked by local youths, in what police said was a racist incident.
As well as worshipping on the street for the past few weeks, some students have also held prayers in lecture-rooms, corridors and the library.
"Our needs have been taken away," said Saleh Patel, president of one of the Islamic societies at the university.
"Our prayer room has been taken away. We've been forced to pray outside.
"Our sisters have nowhere comfortable to go to. The prayer room used to be a place where they were comfortable and able to take off their veils."
However, not all Muslims subscribe to that view and even City University's Islamic Society concedes that some Islamic scholars disagree with this interpretation.
"There are many Muslim students belonging to another Islamic society who are very happy to use the shared faith facility we've provided and now feel more supported by the university," said Professor Weinberg.
Pregnant British Woman Punched in Front of Son...
A five-months pregnant woman was punched in the face in front of her two-year-old son in a vicious road rage attack.
Stacey Phillips, 21, was left shocked after her attacker landed the punch on her face – causing swelling and bruising – at a Bradford supermarket.
Miss Phillips, of Apperley Lane, Apperley Bridge, said the assault happened in front of witnesses in Morissons supermarket car park in Five Lane Ends, Bradford.
Miss Phillips said she also believed CCTV footage of her attacker could also be made available to police.
The mum-of-one had taken son Dylan shopping and was leaving the superstore car park when an Asian man cut her up at a mini-roundabout, she said.
The drivers got out of their cars and remonstrated with each other before violence flared, with the man punching her in the cheek.
Miss Phillips said: “I bent double and stumbled and held my face. But I was more concerned about my two-year-old son in my car.
“I looked to see if he was all right and by that time, the man had run back to his car and driven off.”
Chief Inspector Mick Hanks, of Airedale and North Bradford CID, said: “An officer attended the scene, spoke to the victim and also contacted the Morrisons and Wickes stores to inquire about CCTV, as well as the Morrisons petrol station.
“Unfortunately the incident was not captured and neither was the suspect vehicle in question.
“For the time being police have exhausted all lines of inquiry.
However we will investigate any new information which comes to light.”
Anyone who saw the assault, which happened at about 11am on Monday, or who saw a red car driving away from the area should contact Airedale and North Bradford Police on 0845 6060606.
Stacey Phillips, 21, was left shocked after her attacker landed the punch on her face – causing swelling and bruising – at a Bradford supermarket.
Miss Phillips, of Apperley Lane, Apperley Bridge, said the assault happened in front of witnesses in Morissons supermarket car park in Five Lane Ends, Bradford.
Miss Phillips said she also believed CCTV footage of her attacker could also be made available to police.
The mum-of-one had taken son Dylan shopping and was leaving the superstore car park when an Asian man cut her up at a mini-roundabout, she said.
The drivers got out of their cars and remonstrated with each other before violence flared, with the man punching her in the cheek.
Miss Phillips said: “I bent double and stumbled and held my face. But I was more concerned about my two-year-old son in my car.
“I looked to see if he was all right and by that time, the man had run back to his car and driven off.”
Chief Inspector Mick Hanks, of Airedale and North Bradford CID, said: “An officer attended the scene, spoke to the victim and also contacted the Morrisons and Wickes stores to inquire about CCTV, as well as the Morrisons petrol station.
“Unfortunately the incident was not captured and neither was the suspect vehicle in question.
“For the time being police have exhausted all lines of inquiry.
However we will investigate any new information which comes to light.”
Anyone who saw the assault, which happened at about 11am on Monday, or who saw a red car driving away from the area should contact Airedale and North Bradford Police on 0845 6060606.
4 Asylum Seekers Arrested for Sex Assault on 13-Year-Old...
Four Afghan asylum seekers have been arrested over claims that they sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl in a public swimming pool.
The youths, aged 14 to 17, are alleged to have attacked the girl while they were on a supervised visit to a leisure centre.
It is not known whether their 'carer' was in the water at the time.
After the victim complained to police, officers studied CCTV footage from the leisure centre and arranged for the youths to attend a police station for questioning.
There they were arrested and released on police bail. All four deny any wrongdoing.
The alleged attack happened at the Larkfield Leisure Centre in Aylesford, Kent.
The Afghans, who arrived in the UK as 'unaccompanied minors' and speak little English, live 15 miles away in a residential unit for young asylum seekers in the countryside near Staplehurst.
It is in a particularly remote area and few people know its exact whereabouts. Locals claim many of the 'boys' in the unit, which houses up to 20 young asylum seekers, are much older than they claim to be.
Many young refugees are suspected of lying about their ages because unaccompanied minors are given better treatment and support than adult asylum seekers.
Almost 3,000 unaccompanied children apply for asylum in the UK each year, from countries including Afghanistan and Iran, but more than 2,500 other applications end up in disputes over age.
Some social workers have been criticised for relying 'too heavily on physical appearance or socially constructed ideas of appropriate behaviour to determine age'.
Three years ago the Government unveiled plans to make young asylum seekers undergo x-rays of their teeth and wrist bones to try to assess their age. But they were condemned as 'unethical and ineffective' by medical specialists and children's campaigners.
The residential centre where the four sex attack suspects live is not marked on the map or signposted from the road and is more than ten minutes' drive from the nearest village. Even the sign identifying the unit cannot be seen from the road.
One neighbour, who lives opposite the centre, said he doubted any of the asylum seekers were genuinely under 18.
He said: 'They turn up in England with no passports and claiming to be teenagers.
'Then they get put in these centres and disappear. It's a nice little way to get into the country.'
The 54-year-old surveyor said the unit, built some years ago, was housed in a row of converted pig sties. He claimed no local residents were told about it in advance.
'The first we heard of it was when they put a sign on the gate about the plans for the building,' he said.
'But by that point they'd already spent £2million converting it and the asylum seekers had moved in.
'If any of us wanted to build anything, we'd have to apply for planning permission and inform all our neighbours. But the council obviously plays by different rules.'
The man said none of the neighbours were happy about having the centre on their doorstep. 'We live in the middle of nowhere and they are just across the road,' he said.
'The nearest policeman is half an hour away. It does make you feel vulnerable.
'You don't know who's over there and what the potential risk is. There could be young girls camping in those fields, unaware of the danger they are in.'
He said the allegation that the asylum seekers had attacked a schoolgirl was worrying.
'It puts a new slant on the matter. It's very disconcerting,' he added.
Kent Police confirmed that officers were investigating a report of a sexual assault on a 13-year-old girl at Larkfield Leisure Centre on March 25, between 5 and 6.30pm.
A spokesman added: 'Four teenage boys, aged between 14 and 17, have been arrested in connection with this incident. They are currently on police bail while further inquiries are made.'
Police sources confirmed that all are Afghans.
The sources said the allegations were being taken 'very seriously' by police. A police doctor has examined the alleged victim, who has also been interviewed by specially-trained officers.
The youths, aged 14 to 17, are alleged to have attacked the girl while they were on a supervised visit to a leisure centre.
It is not known whether their 'carer' was in the water at the time.
After the victim complained to police, officers studied CCTV footage from the leisure centre and arranged for the youths to attend a police station for questioning.
There they were arrested and released on police bail. All four deny any wrongdoing.
The alleged attack happened at the Larkfield Leisure Centre in Aylesford, Kent.
The Afghans, who arrived in the UK as 'unaccompanied minors' and speak little English, live 15 miles away in a residential unit for young asylum seekers in the countryside near Staplehurst.
It is in a particularly remote area and few people know its exact whereabouts. Locals claim many of the 'boys' in the unit, which houses up to 20 young asylum seekers, are much older than they claim to be.
Many young refugees are suspected of lying about their ages because unaccompanied minors are given better treatment and support than adult asylum seekers.
Almost 3,000 unaccompanied children apply for asylum in the UK each year, from countries including Afghanistan and Iran, but more than 2,500 other applications end up in disputes over age.
Some social workers have been criticised for relying 'too heavily on physical appearance or socially constructed ideas of appropriate behaviour to determine age'.
Three years ago the Government unveiled plans to make young asylum seekers undergo x-rays of their teeth and wrist bones to try to assess their age. But they were condemned as 'unethical and ineffective' by medical specialists and children's campaigners.
The residential centre where the four sex attack suspects live is not marked on the map or signposted from the road and is more than ten minutes' drive from the nearest village. Even the sign identifying the unit cannot be seen from the road.
One neighbour, who lives opposite the centre, said he doubted any of the asylum seekers were genuinely under 18.
He said: 'They turn up in England with no passports and claiming to be teenagers.
'Then they get put in these centres and disappear. It's a nice little way to get into the country.'
The 54-year-old surveyor said the unit, built some years ago, was housed in a row of converted pig sties. He claimed no local residents were told about it in advance.
'The first we heard of it was when they put a sign on the gate about the plans for the building,' he said.
'But by that point they'd already spent £2million converting it and the asylum seekers had moved in.
'If any of us wanted to build anything, we'd have to apply for planning permission and inform all our neighbours. But the council obviously plays by different rules.'
The man said none of the neighbours were happy about having the centre on their doorstep. 'We live in the middle of nowhere and they are just across the road,' he said.
'The nearest policeman is half an hour away. It does make you feel vulnerable.
'You don't know who's over there and what the potential risk is. There could be young girls camping in those fields, unaware of the danger they are in.'
He said the allegation that the asylum seekers had attacked a schoolgirl was worrying.
'It puts a new slant on the matter. It's very disconcerting,' he added.
Kent Police confirmed that officers were investigating a report of a sexual assault on a 13-year-old girl at Larkfield Leisure Centre on March 25, between 5 and 6.30pm.
A spokesman added: 'Four teenage boys, aged between 14 and 17, have been arrested in connection with this incident. They are currently on police bail while further inquiries are made.'
Police sources confirmed that all are Afghans.
The sources said the allegations were being taken 'very seriously' by police. A police doctor has examined the alleged victim, who has also been interviewed by specially-trained officers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
