Malaysian jailed for more than 10 years for insulting Islam

A Malaysian has been sentenced to more than 10 years in jail and three others have been charged over insults against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad on social media.

The sentence of 10 years and 10 months is believed to be the harshest such penalty on record in the Muslim-majority country.

Inspector General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun said in a statement on Saturday that the person, identified only as Facebook user "Ayea Yea", had pleaded guilty to 10 charges of anti-religious activity and misusing communication networks.

The statement did not specify the number of charges for each offence but said they would be served consecutively.

Under Malaysian law, those found guilty of anti-religious activity can be punished with a jail term of two to five years. The misuse of communication networks carries a maximum one year in jail or a fine of up to 50,000 ringgit ($12,200), or both.

According to Andrew Khoo, a Malaysian lawyer focusing on human rights, this is an "unprecedented" situation.

"For someone to face five separate charges, and for the sentences to be served consecutively - this is excessive," Khoo told Al Jazeera. [Al Jazeera English] Read more

Iranian couple arrested over public marriage proposal

An Iranian couple have been arrested after they got engaged in front of a cheering crowd at a shopping centre.

Video of the public proposal in the northern city of Arak was shared on social media and shows the pair standing in a ring of rose petals.

After the woman says yes, she can be seen hugging her partner as the crowd celebrates.

But they were soon arrested after police said they had contravened Islamic principles.

Mixing between the genders and displays of public affection are severely restricted under Iran's Islamic laws. [BBC] Read more

Managing Shariah Marriages in Britain

.... The Review had weighty objectors from the start. A large number of women’s rights organisations, many of them led by Muslim women and focusing on Muslim women’s issues, both in the UK and from around the world, denounced the Review’s terms of reference, as well as the composition of the Review panel.

Their opposition, in essence, was that the Review’s integrationist agenda was designed “to improve the functioning of systems that are discriminatory in effect and intent”, or, in other words, to welcome shariah councils and the whole shariah project into the fold of British society.

The objectors wanted the Review to consider instead whether the very existence of “shariah councils, mediation and arbitration systems undermine access to justice.” Their objection could be summarised as: you cannot turn a wolf into a sheep by asking a task-force to develop principles for best practice in wearing sheep’s clothing.

.... Those who objected to the Independent Review did so with good reason, but the principal recommendation of the Review, that Islamic marriages should be registered as civil unions, is sound and should be supported by all. This legislative change should be implemented, not only in the UK, but by all governments. It should also be applied systematically, in a way which is informed by a good understanding of the Islamic marriage contract. [Interface Institute] Read more

Islamic school rated 'inadequate' over offensive library books

An independent Islamic girls’ school has been judged "inadequate" after inspectors found books in its library that could expose pupils to "sexist and racist ideas".

Ofsted rated the Tayyibah Girls’ School, in the London borough of Hackney, as "inadequate" – the same rating as after its previous inspection in 2016.

Today's inspection report says the school is "inadequate" for leadership and management, while personal development, behaviour and welfare "require improvement".

There were "good" ratings for both quality of teaching, learning and assessment, and outcomes for pupils.

Inspectors were alarmed by two books in the school library. One read: “So the Muslim woman does not seek work outside the home unless there is pressing financial need… or her community needs her to work in a specialised area such as befits her feminine nature and will not compromise her honour or religion.” [Tes Global] Read more

"Prevent" ban on extremist speakers at universities is "unlawful", Court of Appeal rules

A "Prevent" ban on extremist speakers at universities is "unlawful", the Court of Appeal has ruled.

The Government has been forced to partially revise its counter-terrorism strategy after senior judges decided that the guidance was not balanced and accurate enough.

Muslim campaigner Dr Salman Butt won a Court of Appeal challenge against part of the Prevent Duty Guidance, which states: "When deciding whether or not to host a particular speaker, RHEBs should consider carefully whether the views being expressed, or likely to be expressed, constitute extremist views that risk drawing people into terrorism or are shared by terrorist groups."

Master of the Rolls Sir Terence Etherton ruled that the guidance, issued under the Counter Terrorism and Security Act, was unlawful and should be quashed. [The Telegraph] Read more

The shame of the Parkfield school protesters

An estimated 600 children were withdrawn for the day from a primary school in Birmingham last week. A rather disturbing video has since been circulating on social media, showing scores of Muslim parents with their young children in Birmingham, shouting “shame, shame, shame”.

What has caused such a reaction? Parkfield, a primary school in Saltley, teaches a programme called No Outsiders which is designed to encourage children to be “happy and excited about living in a community full of difference and diversity”.

It covers issues such as race, gender, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or religion. One part of the programme, on LGBT rights, offended some Muslim parents who saw it as a promotion of homosexuality. It prompted Fatima Shah to withdraw her 10-year-old daughter from the school, saying children were too young to be learning about same-sex marriages and LGBT rights in the classroom. “We are not a bunch of homophobic mothers,” she said, while holding a leaflet with the heading: “Is it okay for your child to be gay?” [The Spectator] Read more

Birmingham school LGBT lessons protest investigated

Protesters branding school lessons about LGBT rights as "toxic" and "disgusting" have been accused of using "appalling" and "incendiary" language.

It follows footage of continuing rallies at a Birmingham primary school where the lessons have been taught.

A man can be heard telling a crowd outside Parkfield Community School that teaching about social difference is "aggressive indoctrination".

Police are reviewing the video to see whether any offences are committed.

The footage - in which a vocal and supportive audience is told homosexuality is incompatible with Islam - was taken outside the school.

On Thursday, Birmingham City Council's cabinet member for social inclusion John Cotton said: "In recent days, we have been appalled to see attempts to divide the people of our city by using insulting and incendiary language targeting the LGBT community."

While Parkfield is an academy, not a local authority school, Mr Cotton said the council was monitoring the situation. [BBC] Read more

Islamic Scholar: No Western Country Has Successfully Integrated Muslims

Dutch author and sociologist Ruud Koopmans said this week that Muslims are more difficult to integrate into Western society than other migrant groups because of a literal interpretation of the Quran prevalent among Muslims.

Koopmans, a professor at the Berlin Social Science Center and author of several books including Contested Citizenship: Immigration and Cultural Diversity in Europe, told the Danish newspaper Berlingske that whereas most groups of migrants integrate relatively quickly, especially from one generation to the next, Islam stands out as an exception.

“Although it’s not completely absent in Muslims, the change is much slower,” he said, noting that a literal interpretation of the Quran prevents them from integrating into Western countries.

In an earlier published study titled “Fundamentalism and out-group hostility,” Koopmans compared Muslim radicalism with Christian radicalism to better understand why Islam stands out for its isolationism.

“Almost 60 percent agree that Muslims should return to the roots of Islam,” he wrote, while “75 percent think there is only one interpretation of the Qur’an possible to which every Muslim should stick.” [Breitbart London] Read more

Jakim’s special unit to monitor online insults to Islam

Putrajaya has set up a special unit to monitor online activity for any form of insult against Islam, following several cases of people allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad on Facebook.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mujahid Yusof Rawa said the unit, which will come under the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), has been tasked with monitoring any form of writing or provocation against Islam or Prophet Muhammad on all media platforms including social media.

“I have also asked them to lodge reports immediately with the police and the Communications and Multimedia Commission if they receive any complaints about the matter,” he said in a statement today.

He said those with information or complaints can WhatsApp the unit’s hotline. [Free Malaysia Today] Read more

My sister is in a Saudi jail. Her crime? Campaigning for women’s rights

This year has been a nightmare for my family. On the day of my sister’s arrest, my parents’ house was raided by armed men without a warrant. They took Loujain and for an entire month we had no idea where she was. No one would give us an answer on her whereabouts.

Things have only got worse since then. Loujain told us she has been beaten, electrocuted and sexually harassed. She was attacked by interrogators who tried to take off her clothes, telling her she is a slut. And one of the interrogators was found was found sitting next to her legs while she was asleep.

During a recent visit, we learned from Loujain that her captors had taken her to a psychologist to help her recover from torture she had endured. But she fainted from the trauma of reliving her experiences. On her second visit to the psychologist she says she was blindfolded and duct taped to a wheelchair.

The Saudi government claims the torture did not happen, but it cannot prove this because it won’t allow independent parties to visit the prison. [Guardian Cif] Read more

Fears grow for 'very unwell' Christian mother Asia Bibi, 53, who was freed from a blasphemy death sentence in Pakistan and remains in protective custody

Fears are growing for a Christian mother freed from a blasphemy death sentence in Pakistan who is said to be ‘very unwell’.

Asia Bibi remains in protective custody sheltering from lynch mobs as she endures an agonising wait to leave the country after her acquittal.

Last month the decision was bravely upheld by Pakistan’s Supreme Court, but her freedom is now being blocked by the army, sources told the Daily Mail.

Her health is failing and she is being denied access to medical care, they said.

The 53-year-old had been expected to leave Pakistan for a new life in Canada in January but her escape is ‘no longer imminent’, it is understood.

Mrs Bibi is said to be suffering from very low blood pressure as she languishes in a safe house with her husband Ashiq Masih.

The mother of two became a global cause celebre for enduring eight years on death row after allegedly insulting Islam. [Daily Mail] Read more

Saudi Arabia rebuked over detention of women activists at UN forum

Thirty-six states at the UN Human Rights Council have criticised Saudi Arabia for detaining women's rights activists, and demanded their release.

The joint statement was the first collective rebuke of the Gulf kingdom since the council was set up in 2006.

It reflects international concern at the detention of a number of activists in the past year and also at the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

A Saudi diplomat denounced the use of such statements "for political causes".

"Interference in domestic affairs under the guise of defending human rights is in fact an attack on our sovereignty," said Abdul Aziz Alwasil, the kingdom's permanent representative in Geneva.

The BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says that for years the Human Rights Council has shied away from public criticism of Saudi Arabia.

Many European countries view Riyadh as an ally in a troubled part of the world, restricting their concerns over human rights to private informal chats, our correspondent adds. [BBC] Read more

Saudi Arabia's repressive guardianship laws are trapping these women in desperate situations they have little chance of escaping

Saudi Arabia's guardianship laws are leaving women stuck in desperate situations, and driving them to risk severe punishment by trying to escape the country.

On Tuesday, it was reported that a US citizen is effectively trapped in Riyadh with her four-year-old daughter. She is stuck in Saudi Arabia a year after she divorced her Saudi husband, because he remains her legal "guardian" and must give her permission to leave.

The woman, Bethany Vierra, is the latest in a sting of cases which illustrate how much control the guardianship system has over women in Saudi Arabia.

Under the Saudi interpretation of Islam, every woman must have a male guardian — usually a husband, but sometimes a brother, or even a son — to make daily decisions for her.

Women need permission to leave the house, go to school, access money they've earned, and travel outside the kingdom. Adult women in Saudi Arabia, therefore, have the same legal rights as children. [Business Insider] Read more

Prominent human rights lawyer faces imprisonment in Iran

A prominent human rights lawyer in Iran who defended protesters against the Islamic Republic's mandatory headscarves for women has been convicted and faces years in prison, an activist group said Wednesday.

The conviction of Nasrin Sotoudeh, who previously served three years in prison for her work, underlines the limits of challenging Iran's theocracy as it faces economic pressure exacerbated by the U.S. pulling out of Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers.

It also highlights the limits of Iran's civilian government as well, as the administration of President Hassan Rouhani and others have signaled an easing of their concern over the mandatory hijab.

It shows "the insecurity the regime has to any peaceful challenge," said Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, which reported Sotoudeh's conviction. "It knows a large segment of the country are fed up with the hijab laws." [CBS News] Read more

Google refuses to remove Saudi government app that lets men track and control women

Google has refused to remove a controversial Saudi government app that can be used by men to track women and stop them from travelling.

Absher, an app owned and operated by the kingdom’s interior ministry, will continue to be available to buy despite it coming under mounting scrutiny.

An investigation found the app, which gives men the power to grant and rescind travel permission for women and to set up SMS alerts for when they use their passports, did not violate Google’s terms of service.

Apple and Google faced criticism last month when 14 members of the US Congress wrote a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai asking both companies to stop hosting the app.

They accused the technology giants of enabling gender discrimination – describing both companies as “accomplices in the oppression of Saudi Arabian women”. [The Independent] Read more

Battles over LGBT education reach a messy stalemate

ANDREW MOFFAT is a respected figure among liberal-minded teachers. He is the prime mover of a teaching plan called No Outsiders, which aims to raise youngsters’ awareness, from the earliest years of school, of things grouped under buzzwords like equality and diversity.

The books, games and discussions that the programme recommends have the stated goal of reinforcing Britain’s Equality Act, which bars discrimination on grounds of race, creed, gender, sexuality and gender change. It is offered on a voluntary basis for use in schools, libraries and parent-teacher groups all over England, and many have taken it up.

But this week Mr Moffat and his course were at the eye of a storm in his own workplace, a primary school in a heavily Muslim part of Birmingham where parents are furious over the gay-friendly message. [The Economist] Read more

Sharia law horror: Women unable to walk after public whipping in Indonesia

AT least two women were left unable to walk after a brutal public whipping in Indonesia as punishment for alleged “intimate relations” outside marriage, with a total of six couples subjected to the brutal ordeal, carried out in accordance with Sharia law.

The beatings were handed out on Monday after the couples were arrested several months ago following a police sweep of a hotel in Bande Aceh in Sumatra, where flogging is a common punishment for a wide range of offences, ranging from gambling, alcohol consumption, and gay sex. The Aceh province, located at the tip of Sumatra, is the only one in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, where Islamic law is imposed. The 12 people involved were arrested late last year, and all had served several months in prison prior to their punishment. [Daily Express] Read more

Fierce Backlash For Birmingham MP Who Defended Parents Boycotting LGBT Lessons

A Labour MP has come under intense criticism after she appeared to defend a group of parents who protested against lessons about homosexual relationships being taught at a primary school.

For weeks, the ‘No Outsiders’ programme on same-sex relationships and equality has been at the centre of a fierce row at Parkfield community school in Saltley, Birmingham, with some parents saying it promotes same-sex relationships.

On Friday around 600 Muslim children were withdrawn from the school for the day, parents told the Guardian newspaper. The school would not confirm the number. Parkfield school announced on Monday that it would be “pausing” the programme, following the backlash.

In a video posted to her Twitter account, Shabana Mahmood, MP for Birmingham Ladywood, is shown telling parliament last week that she had been contacted by constituents who were concerned about young children being taught lessons about homosexuality. [The Huffington Post UK] Read more

Heroic British Transport Police officer slammed for not being 'proper Muslim' - because she wears uniform

British Transport Police has revealed how one of its officers was told they were not a "proper Muslim".

The policewoman was hit by the scathing comment from a "selfie-taking crowd", according to BTP.

The cop was told she was not a "proper Muslim" because she was wearing the force's uniform.

In a post, uploaded to the BTP London account last night, the force wrote: "Yesterday one of my officers was accused of not being a 'proper' Muslim because she wears the uniform.

"As she helped a man who cut his own throat.

"By a crowd who were taking selfies of the incident.

"I don't understand how that logic works, but I know I'm very proud of her."

The incident is believed to have taken place in London. [Birmingham Mail] Read more

Parkfield School says No Outsiders WILL continue after Easter as parents deliver protest petition

Parkfield Community School has insisted its 'No Outsiders' programme will return after Easter - as angry parents delivered a protest petition.

The school has temporarily halted the LGBT lessons for the rest of this term, according to reports in the Daily Mail and Guardian.

But the Saltley school has confirmed to BirminghamLive that No Outsiders - a syllabus which promotes equality and supports LGBT - will return after Easter.

It says RE lessons have temporarily replaced No Outsiders until after the Easter break (Monday, April 29) and, according to school leaders, this was already determined last summer.

Last week it was reported that hundreds of parents had withdrawn their children from the Parkfield Road school in protest. [Birmingham Mail] Read more

Tories suspend 14 members over alleged Islamophobia

The Conservative party has suspended 14 members for allegedly making Islamophobic comments after a string of abusive posts were uncovered on social media.

The party was responding to racist and abusive remarks that were discovered and collected online by the @matesjacob Twitter account and made by people who had said or indicated they were members of the party.

The suspensions come at a time of growing scrutiny of the Conservative party’s record on Islamophobia. The former Tory chairman Sayeeda Warsi again called for an internal inquiry and suggested the most senior figures in the party – including Theresa May – needed to take the problem more seriously.

The messages included one from an individual who wrote that they would like to “turf all Muslims out of public office”. Another said they wanted to “get rid of all mosques”. Many comments were found on a Facebook group supporting Jacob Rees-Mogg. [The Guardian] Read more

The Satanic Verses is still creating monsters, even new book-burners

The battle over Rushdie’s novel had a profound impact not just on Muslim communities but on liberals, too, many of whom were as disoriented by the breakdown of boundaries, and equally sought solace in black-and-white certainties. Some saw in the Rushdie affair a ‘clash of civilizations’. For others it revealed the need for greater policing of speech in a plural society.

Thirty years on, both sentiments have become entrenched. We live in a world in which many view Muslims as the Other who don’t belong. And others want to ban – even burn – The Satanic Verses to ‘respect Muslims’.

Azhar had never read The Satanic Verses. Reading it now, he found some passages offensive. Yet, he insisted, “that does not mean I want to curb other people’s right to write things”. “As a community,” he observed, “we need to be able to stomach debates about our culture and our religion, even if we find them offensive. Only when we can do that will the ghost of The Satanic Verses be put to bed.” [Guardian Cif] Read more

Saudi Arabia prepares to prosecute women’s rights activists

Saudi Arabia is moving to prosecute a group of women’s rights activists who have been detained for several months, its state news agency has announced.

The kingdom’s public prosecutor is thought to be preparing the trials of nine people arrested in June last year on suspicion of harming the country’s interests and offering support to hostile elements abroad.

The group comprised five men and four women.

At the time of their detention international rights groups reported that at least 11 prominent activists, mostly women, had been arrested.

They had previously campaigned for the right to drive and an end to the kingdom’s male guardianship system.

Some were later released, but activists have said that several of the women were held in solitary confinement for months and faced torture and sexual harassment. [The Independent] Read more

The Tories’ response to raging Islamophobia? Turn a blind eye

.... the latest statistics split by party preference show that there is a particular tendency for anti-Muslim racists to vote for the Conservative party, over and above others.

While we cannot be certain of the driver, it is noticeable that these sentiments appear at the same time as the Conservative party is being seen to be trying to placate the hard right. Let’s look at one of the statistics – about Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (popularly known as Tommy Robinson), who is described as a far-right Islamophobic extremist by Hope Not Hate.

An unbelievable 42% of Tory voters have a positive view of the way Yaxley-Lennon highlights issues ignored by the media (compared with 18% of Labour voters).

One might have assumed that such a positive view about a widely reviled and hateful figure would not have any place in a modern Conservative party membership.

.... The right way to deal with the monumental weight of evidence would be for the Tories to launch an inquiry into all these accusations in an open, transparent and credible way.

If no action is taken, many more will believe that British Muslims – only 11% of whom appear to have voted Conservative in 2017 – are being ignored as they are electorally insignificant compared to the large numbers of Tory supporters with racist views. [Guardian Cif] Read more

Furious Muslim parents withdraw 600 kids from Parkfield School over ‘LGBT' row

Furious Muslim parents reportedly withdrew 600 children from Parkfield Community School today after claiming they were being 'brainwashed' over gay lifestyles.

The pupils were taken out of classes as the row surrounding LGBT lifestyles being taught openly in the classroom escalated.

Some reports suggest as many as 80 per cent of the children at Parkfield Community School in Saltley have been removed - around 600.

Kids have been withdrawn over the school's "undermining of parental rights and aggressively promoting homosexuality", according to Alum Rock Community Forum.

The forum adds: "Dialogue, petitioning and protests by parents have been repeated and arrogantly ignored.

"Our children, Our Choice - Work with parents not against them."

The school has sent out a letter to parents appealing with them to stop the weekly protests for fears it is disrupting and upsetting the children, teachers and families. [Birmingham Mail] Read more