Home secretary Theresa May is under intense pressure to ban controversial anti-Muslim preacher Terry Jones from Britain after far-right activists said he had agreed to address them at a demonstration about "the evils of Islam".
The English Defence League (EDL) said it was "proud to announce" that the US pastor, who caused outrage with plans to burn the Qur'an on this year's anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, would be attending the event in Luton in early February. Jones confirmed that he would be arriving in the UK. The pastor's website said he intended to visit the EDL's "biggest demonstration to date" in February. The website stated: "During the protest, Dr Terry Jones will speak against the evils and destructiveness of Islam in support of the continued fight against the Islamification of England and Europe."
President Barack Obama warned in September that Jones's planned Qur'an burnings would be a "recruitment bonanza" for al-Qaida and the US state department said it would put the country's citizens at risk across the world.
Tonight the British anti-extremist campaign, Hope Not Hate, launched its own petition urging May to ban Jones from Britain, while MPs demanded immediate action from the home secretary. Hope Not Hate's campaign co-ordinator, Nick Lowles, said: "Pastor Jones's presence in Luton will be incendiary and highly dangerous. He will attract and encourage thousands of English Defence League supporters to take to the streets of Luton.
"Like the EDL, Pastor Jones indiscriminately targets all Muslims and their actions can only lead to increased tensions and racism in our communities. His appearance will rightly cause concern and fear among Muslims across the country."
Jon Cruddas, Labour MP for Dagenham, said he would table an urgent parliamentary motion tomorrow demanding that the pastor be banned from coming into the country.
"We have seen how Pastor Jones, with a very small congregation in Florida, created a firestorm by urging the Qur'an to be burned," Cruddas said. "We should not allow racial hatred to be whipped up in this manner in our country."
The EDL announced Jones's planned visit on its Facebook site today, saying he would attend "our biggest demo to date" and describing it as "the big one". There are fears that copies of the Qur'an could be burned by extremists.
The last time the EDL marched in Luton, 250 of their supporters went on the rampage through an Asian area of the town. Shop windows were smashed, cars overturned and a number of people were attacked. Thirty-five people were arrested as a result of the violence.
Eleven people were arrested yesterday as 500 EDL supporters marched in Peterborough.
"The EDL march in February has the potential to be far worse," Lowles said. "Only extremists will benefit from his visit and, as we know, extremism breeds hatred and hatred breeds violence. Pastor Jones, a preacher of hate, must be stopped from entering the UK."
The home secretary has the power to exclude or deport an individual if she thinks their presence in the UK could threaten national security, public order or the safety of citizens. She can also do so if she believes their views glorify terrorism, promote violence or encourage other serious crime.
May has been keen to show that she is tough on extremism. Five weeks after the coalition government came into power, she banned a radical preacher who claimed that "every Muslim should be a terrorist" from entering Britain. Zakir Naik had been due to give a series of lectures at Wembley Arena and in Sheffield in June.
However, visitors from other countries cannot be banned just for having opinions that other people would find offensive. In the past, May has said the powers can only be used in "very serious" cases. She has already acted against the EDL, banning a march in Leicester in November.
News of Jones's planned visit comes as the head of the police intelligence unit on domestic extremism reveals that the EDL and related splinter groups have become his biggest concern.
Adrian Tudway, the national co-ordinator for domestic extremism, told the Observer: "We look at the extreme right and left, but currently our biggest single area of business are the various groups which call themselves defence leagues. These defence leagues can be found across England."
The unit is monitoring a "number of individuals" connected to extreme rightwing groups, details of which are disseminated to local police forces.
At the height of the controversy over Jones's threat to burn the Qur'an, effigies of the pastor were burned in Afghanistan and there was widespread condemnation across the Muslim world.
Jones is a Pentecostalist who bases his theology on the literal text of the Bible.
He runs the Florida-based Dove World Outreach Centre, which objects to Islam because it "teaches that Jesus is not the son of God, therefore taking away the saving power of Jesus and leading people straight to Hell".
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The bungling petrol bomber who tried to burn down a pub... and then ran into a lamp post
A bungling petrol bomber who was caught by police after he ran into a lamp post was today jailed for eight years.
Amir Ali, 28, and another unidentified man attempted to fire bomb the Imperial Arms pub in Crawley, West Sussex, in the early hours of May 28, 2008.
People were sleeping inside the property at the time.
Father-of-two Ali threw two bricks, breaking a window.
The other man then threw the petrol bomb, which accidentally hit Ali and burst into flames.
The flames died away almost immediately, but the panicked pair had already fled.
Ali then sprinted straight into a lamp post, hitting his head and falling to the ground.
In CCTV footage of the incident, he can be seen limping off.
He then went to the Crawley walk-in medical centre for treatment to his head injury and was linked to the attack by investigating officers.
Ali, of Crouch End, north London, denied the offence but forensic and CCTV evidence helped bring him to justice.
The landlord of the pub was woken by banging noises at 3.30am and came downstairs to find the front door had been smashed.
Two bricks and the remains of the petrol bomb that had failed to ignite were lying on the ground outside.
Scroll down for video
Caught in the act: Wearing a grey tracksuit, Amir Ali throws a rock at the window of the Imperial pub in Crawley, West Sussex, as his accomplice prepares to throw a petrol bomb
Alit was found guilty of attempting to, without lawful excuse, damage by fire the pub in August.
He was jailed for eight years imprisonment at Brighton Crown Court yesterday.
Recorder John Hardy QC told Ali his offence was at the top end of the scale, despite the fact his ineptitude had thankfully meant it was doomed to failure.
He said: 'On that day, for whatever reason, you became embroiled in a planned and calculated attack which was part of a campaign of violence and intimidation by the local drug lords in Crawley against the licensees of this pub.'
The attack was described as 'amateurish and comical' by prosecutors.
Recorder Hardy said: 'Had you succeeded and the pub had caught fire, damage to it and the neighbouring buildings would have been massive and the risk to life obvious.'
After sentencing Detective Constable Craig Allan said: 'This was a prolonged and difficult investigation during which the defendant consistently denied being responsible.
'However, gradually we were able to piece it all together.
'Today's sentence reflects the seriousness with which the courts take this kind of behaviour.'
The second man has not been identified and Sussex Police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
Amir Ali, 28, and another unidentified man attempted to fire bomb the Imperial Arms pub in Crawley, West Sussex, in the early hours of May 28, 2008.
People were sleeping inside the property at the time.
Father-of-two Ali threw two bricks, breaking a window.
The other man then threw the petrol bomb, which accidentally hit Ali and burst into flames.
The flames died away almost immediately, but the panicked pair had already fled.
Ali then sprinted straight into a lamp post, hitting his head and falling to the ground.
In CCTV footage of the incident, he can be seen limping off.
He then went to the Crawley walk-in medical centre for treatment to his head injury and was linked to the attack by investigating officers.
Ali, of Crouch End, north London, denied the offence but forensic and CCTV evidence helped bring him to justice.
The landlord of the pub was woken by banging noises at 3.30am and came downstairs to find the front door had been smashed.
Two bricks and the remains of the petrol bomb that had failed to ignite were lying on the ground outside.
Scroll down for video
Caught in the act: Wearing a grey tracksuit, Amir Ali throws a rock at the window of the Imperial pub in Crawley, West Sussex, as his accomplice prepares to throw a petrol bomb
Alit was found guilty of attempting to, without lawful excuse, damage by fire the pub in August.
He was jailed for eight years imprisonment at Brighton Crown Court yesterday.
Recorder John Hardy QC told Ali his offence was at the top end of the scale, despite the fact his ineptitude had thankfully meant it was doomed to failure.
He said: 'On that day, for whatever reason, you became embroiled in a planned and calculated attack which was part of a campaign of violence and intimidation by the local drug lords in Crawley against the licensees of this pub.'
The attack was described as 'amateurish and comical' by prosecutors.
Recorder Hardy said: 'Had you succeeded and the pub had caught fire, damage to it and the neighbouring buildings would have been massive and the risk to life obvious.'
After sentencing Detective Constable Craig Allan said: 'This was a prolonged and difficult investigation during which the defendant consistently denied being responsible.
'However, gradually we were able to piece it all together.
'Today's sentence reflects the seriousness with which the courts take this kind of behaviour.'
The second man has not been identified and Sussex Police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Special report: Will the white British population be in a minority in 2066?
in an article for this month’s left-of-centre Prospect magazine, the Oxford University academic Professor David Coleman indicates the longest-lasting impact on society may well be the demographic upheaval brought about by the policy of mass immigration.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1335556/Special-report-Will-white-British-population-minority-2066.html#ixzz17SOCaUAZ
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1335556/Special-report-Will-white-British-population-minority-2066.html#ixzz17SOCaUAZ
Friday, December 3, 2010
Southend killer detained under Mental Health Act
A man who killed an 88-year-old woman as she walked to her Essex home has been detained in hospital indefinitely.Rosina Waller, of Johnstone Road, Thorpe Bay, Southend, was attacked on her way home on New Year's Day and died from head injuries.
Hassan Salahi, 34, of Cunningham Close, Southend, admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Police said her family could take comfort in the knowledge that he had been "removed from society".
Salahi was sentenced under the Mental Health Act at Chelmsford Crown Court.'Horrific' attack
Mrs Waller was returning home with a relative having celebrated Christmas and New Year with family and friends, when she was attacked.
She carried on home where she was pronounced dead a short while later.
Det Supt Tracy Hawkings, from the Kent and Essex serious crime directorate, said: "This case has had a devastating effect on the family and friends of Mrs Waller.
"She was the victim of a horrific and unprovoked random attack at the hands of Hassan Salahi.
"While nothing will ease the pain of her family in coming to terms with her loss, I hope that the order will provide them with some small comfort in the knowledge that her killer has been removed from society."
For a far more extensive representation of muslim violence worldwide go to the Religion of Peace website
Labour Party Admits 'Letting in Some Crazies'...
David Cameron told the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan that the Labour government 'let in some crazies', leaked diplomatic documents have revealed.
In secret meetings before becoming Prime Minister, he promised the Americans he would toughen policy towards Pakistan.
Mr Cameron and George Osborne met Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to diplomatic cables made public by WikiLeaks.
The American put them under pressure to do more to combat terrorism by making use of the 'striking connections' between the Pakistani community in the UK and militants in their 'home country'.
The Conservatives also promised the U.S. before the election that they would be tougher on Pakistan - because unlike Labour they did not depend on votes from people with Pakistani connections.
David Cameron has apparently has apparently shifted the UK's stance towards Pakistan since he was elected.
He visited India on a trade mission in June before telling Pakistan 'not to face both ways' when it came to tackling terrorism.
U.S. ambassador to the UK Louis Susman was told that 'the Conservatives are "less dependant" than the Labour party on votes from the British-Pakistani community.'
Mr Susman added in the cable: 'Fox criticised the Labour government for policies which reinforce the Indian government's long-held view that HMG's (Her Majesty's Government) foreign relations on the subcontinent are "skewed to Pakistan".'
Britain has 'deep concerns' about the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme, WikiLeaks documents showed.
Documents from the latest cache of leaked US cables demonstrate that the UK and the US have similar anxieties about Islamabad's nuclear arsenal.
US officials are quoted citing the danger of Pakistani fissile material finding its way into the hands of extremists.
The UK's concerns were communicated to the US by Mariot Leslie, then the Foreign Office's director general of defence and intelligence, at a meeting in September last year.
Now Britain's permanent representative to Nato, she is quoted as saying that 'the UK has deep concerns about the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons'.
She goes on to say that China could play a 'big role' in 'stabilising Pakistan'.
The Ministry of Defence's director general for security policy, Jon Day, warned US officials separately that relations between Pakistan and India were especially strained.
He expressed support for the encouragement of a 'cold-war'-like relationship' between the two countries that would 'introduce a degree of certainty'.
He apparently went on to say that Pakistan was 'not going in a good direction'.
The disclosures could test relations between Britain and Pakistan, a vitally important regional ally and neighbour of Afghanistan.
The Foreign Office said it would not comment on the detail of the documents obtained by whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks .
Pakistan army's plan to oust leader
The general at the top of Pakistan's army proposed to topple President Asif Ali Zadari during internal wrangling last year, WikiLeaks has revealed.
In secret meetings before becoming Prime Minister, he promised the Americans he would toughen policy towards Pakistan.
Mr Cameron and George Osborne met Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to diplomatic cables made public by WikiLeaks.
The American put them under pressure to do more to combat terrorism by making use of the 'striking connections' between the Pakistani community in the UK and militants in their 'home country'.
Mr Holbrooke reported to Washington: 'On the radicalisation of British Pakistanis, Cameron said the UK had "gotten it wrong domestically"... he argued that PM Brown's policy had been too willing to engage with radicalised but non-violent Muslim groups... "We let in some crazies," Cameron said, "and didn't wake up soon enough".'
The Conservatives also promised the U.S. before the election that they would be tougher on Pakistan - because unlike Labour they did not depend on votes from people with Pakistani connections.
David Cameron has apparently has apparently shifted the UK's stance towards Pakistan since he was elected.
He visited India on a trade mission in June before telling Pakistan 'not to face both ways' when it came to tackling terrorism.
U.S. ambassador to the UK Louis Susman was told that 'the Conservatives are "less dependant" than the Labour party on votes from the British-Pakistani community.'
Mr Susman added in the cable: 'Fox criticised the Labour government for policies which reinforce the Indian government's long-held view that HMG's (Her Majesty's Government) foreign relations on the subcontinent are "skewed to Pakistan".'
Britain has 'deep concerns' about the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme, WikiLeaks documents showed.
Documents from the latest cache of leaked US cables demonstrate that the UK and the US have similar anxieties about Islamabad's nuclear arsenal.
US officials are quoted citing the danger of Pakistani fissile material finding its way into the hands of extremists.
The UK's concerns were communicated to the US by Mariot Leslie, then the Foreign Office's director general of defence and intelligence, at a meeting in September last year.
Now Britain's permanent representative to Nato, she is quoted as saying that 'the UK has deep concerns about the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons'.
She goes on to say that China could play a 'big role' in 'stabilising Pakistan'.
The Ministry of Defence's director general for security policy, Jon Day, warned US officials separately that relations between Pakistan and India were especially strained.
He expressed support for the encouragement of a 'cold-war'-like relationship' between the two countries that would 'introduce a degree of certainty'.
He apparently went on to say that Pakistan was 'not going in a good direction'.
The disclosures could test relations between Britain and Pakistan, a vitally important regional ally and neighbour of Afghanistan.
The Foreign Office said it would not comment on the detail of the documents obtained by whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks .
Pakistan army's plan to oust leader
The general at the top of Pakistan's army proposed to topple President Asif Ali Zadari during internal wrangling last year, WikiLeaks has revealed.
General Ashfaq Kayani, floated the idea during meetings with the US Ambassador in March 2009 as thousands of supporters of opposition leader Nawaz Sharif took to the streets.
In an apparent solution that would stop the opposition leader coming to power, the army chief said he would reluctantly persuade the President to resign and replace him with Asfandyar Wali Khan, leader of the Pushtun Awami National Party.
As a result 'this would not be a formal coup,' US Ambassador Anne Patterson noted but would leave in place a government.
However, the plan did not go ahead and Zadari was forced into a humiliating climbdown having mobilised supporters.
The WikiLeaks documents also reveal that British Ambassador Robert Brindle was working to find his own solution and demonstrate the roles of both western diplomats and the army in Pakistan's volatile politics.
Lockerbie bomber's family to sue for false imprisonment and neglect, says Gaddafi
Colonel Gaddafi last night revealed the family of the Lockerbie bomber is preparing a multi-million pound compensation claim against Britain for false imprisonment and medical neglect.
The Libyan dictator said the case against 58-year-old Abdelbaset al-Megrahi had ‘been fabricated and created by’ Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.
His threat of legal action will outrage families of Lockerbie victims, already furious the former secret serviceman remains alive and living in Tripoli more than a year after he was released from jail in Scotland on the grounds that he had only a few months to live.
Gaddafi insisted that CIA agents – not Libya – had been behind the 1988 terrorist atrocity, which killed 270, a wild theory already advanced in a controversial documentary and a number of books.
‘These are the people who created this conspiracy,’ said Gaddafi, referring to the alleged role of former prime minister Baroness Thatcher and ex-U.S. President Mr Reagan in the life sentence al-Megrahi received for blowing up the Pan Am plane.
‘The charges directed towards Libya were based on unfounded evidence in an attempt to weaken the Libyan Revolution and limit its resources and abilities,’ he added.
Colonel Gaddafi, who was speaking to students at the London School of Economics (LSE) via a video-link, confirmed al-Megrahi remained ‘very ill’ with cancer.
‘He was released because he was considered dead, and yet he was still alive,’ said Gaddafi.
‘His health was not looked after in prison. He didn’t have any periodic examination.
‘After he passes away his family will demand compensation because he was deliberately neglected in prison.’
Libyan diplomatic officials who attended the LSE talk said that, based on similar cases, the compensation could run into many millions of pounds.
Last night’s speech was said to have been ‘facilitated’ by Saif al-Gaddafi, the Libyan leader’s second son and likely heir, who has employed a PR company to present the face of a modern reforming state.
Saif has a doctorate from the LSE and a home in London.
The Foreign Office said it was studying the dictator’s remarks before it issued a formal response.
But last night Tory MPs said the prospect of al-Megrahi’s family launching a claim would add insult to injury for the bereaved.One, Douglas Carswell, said: ‘Legal action of this kind would be grotesquely offensive to those who lost loved ones.
The Libyan dictator said the case against 58-year-old Abdelbaset al-Megrahi had ‘been fabricated and created by’ Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.
His threat of legal action will outrage families of Lockerbie victims, already furious the former secret serviceman remains alive and living in Tripoli more than a year after he was released from jail in Scotland on the grounds that he had only a few months to live.
Gaddafi insisted that CIA agents – not Libya – had been behind the 1988 terrorist atrocity, which killed 270, a wild theory already advanced in a controversial documentary and a number of books.
‘These are the people who created this conspiracy,’ said Gaddafi, referring to the alleged role of former prime minister Baroness Thatcher and ex-U.S. President Mr Reagan in the life sentence al-Megrahi received for blowing up the Pan Am plane.
‘The charges directed towards Libya were based on unfounded evidence in an attempt to weaken the Libyan Revolution and limit its resources and abilities,’ he added.
Colonel Gaddafi, who was speaking to students at the London School of Economics (LSE) via a video-link, confirmed al-Megrahi remained ‘very ill’ with cancer.
‘He was released because he was considered dead, and yet he was still alive,’ said Gaddafi.
‘His health was not looked after in prison. He didn’t have any periodic examination.
‘After he passes away his family will demand compensation because he was deliberately neglected in prison.’
Libyan diplomatic officials who attended the LSE talk said that, based on similar cases, the compensation could run into many millions of pounds.
Last night’s speech was said to have been ‘facilitated’ by Saif al-Gaddafi, the Libyan leader’s second son and likely heir, who has employed a PR company to present the face of a modern reforming state.
Saif has a doctorate from the LSE and a home in London.
The Foreign Office said it was studying the dictator’s remarks before it issued a formal response.
But last night Tory MPs said the prospect of al-Megrahi’s family launching a claim would add insult to injury for the bereaved.One, Douglas Carswell, said: ‘Legal action of this kind would be grotesquely offensive to those who lost loved ones.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Mecca - Oldest Picture of Hajj 1966
The pilgrimage is associated with the life of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H), but the ritual of The Hajj itself was considered ancient even during his lifetime in the 7th century. Many Muslims believe that it goes back to the time of Abraham in 2000 BC. Pilgrims would join processions of tens of thousands of people, who would simultaneously converge on Mecca for the week of The Hajj, and perform a series of rituals.
Each person would walk counter-clockwise seven times about The Kaaba, the cubical building towards which all Muslims pray, kiss the sacred Black Stone on its corner, run back and forth between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, drink from the Zamzam Well, go to the plains of Mount Arafat to stand in vigil, then proceed to Muzdalifah to gather pebbles, which they would throw at a Rock in Mina to perform the ritual of the Stoning of the Devil. The pilgrims would then shave their heads, perform an animal sacrifice, and celebrate the three day global festival of Eid ul-Adha.
Below are a few pictures click in year 1966 at The Hajj. We found this email stocked and thought of publishing it for our Muslim visitors. Hope you like these. If you do, please leave your comments below.
Below are a few pictures click in year 1966 at The Hajj. We found this email stocked and thought of publishing it for our Muslim visitors. Hope you like these. If you do, please leave your comments below.
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