The EDL march in Cambridge

The EDL, and its supporters, claim that Cambridge is under the thumb of extremists, that it needs to target Cambridge because it’s full of intolerant preachers, people who make the streets unpleasant, and of course terrorists.

They’ve got it half right I suppose – in the past week I’ve heard a pretty fundamentalist preacher in the shopping centre, had a brush with some rather unsavoury types near the mosque and heard that a terrorist had been arrested. The only problem is – I’m fairly sure none of these were Muslim. [Harry’s Place] Read more

English Defence League march ends after failed bid to target mosque

Members of the English Defence League (EDL) made a failed bid to target a Cambridge mosque after they marched through the city.

The incident came after a relatively peaceful march by the EDL through the city centre in which scuffles with police broke out along with bottle-throwing.

Officers threw up a cordon around the mosque in Mawson Road and managed to quell the troublemakers. A man was arrested but was allowed to go free after he calmed down. [Cambridge News] Read more

Europe rights court rejects cases against Swiss minaret ban

The Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights said it would not consider the cases because the plaintiffs "cannot claim to be 'victims' of a violation" of the European Convention on Human Rights, which the court enforces.

One of the cases was brought by a former spokesman for the mosque of Geneva and the other by a number of Swiss Muslim associations.

Switzerland held a referendum in November 2009 in which citizens voted to ban the construction of new minarets, a move that drew criticism worldwide. The vote inserted a new line in the Swiss constitution stipulating that "the construction of minarets is forbidden".

The plaintiffs had said the ban violated their religious rights, but judges in Strasbourg said they had not proven the ban "had any concrete effect" on the plaintiffs. [AFP] Read more

Former Czech PM sued over anti-Islam statements

Known for making virulent statements in the past, former Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman is being sued over comments he made toward Islam at a June conference on Europe.

“The enemy is the anti-civilization spreading from North Africa to Indonesia. Two billion people live in it and it is financed partly from oil sales and partly from drug sales,” Czech news servers quoted Zeman as saying about Islam at the recent conference.

.... Zeman said on Thursday that Muslims believe in the Qur’an like Nazis believed in racial supremacy and anti-Semitism and communists in class struggle and dictatorship of the proletariat. [Bikya Masr] Read more [via The Iconoclast]

Saudi Arabia's religion police step up crackdown on women drivers

Opposition sources said Saudi Arabia has used its religious police to arrest women drivers. They said the religious police marked the lead agency in the crackdown against women who violated a ban on driving in the Wahabi kingdom.

"If Saudi police think arresting women drivers is going to stop what has already become the largest women's rights movement in Saudi history, they are sorely mistaken," Saudi Women for Driving said. [WorldTribune.com] Read more

Thanks to the EU your 'no-stun slaughter' steak won't be labelled

.... there’s one deeply disappointing aspect of the new European legislation: the amendment which would have introduced compulsory labelling of meat and meat products from animals slaughtered without stunning was withdrawn at the last minute.

This means that the current situation will remain unchanged: meat from animals slaughtered without stunning will continue to enter the mainstream food chain without being labelled, depriving consumers of their right to make an informed choice on animal welfare grounds. [telegraph.co.uk] Read more

Your rape culture is not my religion

.... a much-heated debate on the Hudood Laws revealed the anatomy of rape, conflicting legalities involving misinterpretations of Shariah Laws and the deeply engrained distorted public perceptions.

For those who followed the debate, there should be no qualms in admitting that it made the inherent flaws in interpretations of the law and the systematic distortion of a society sensitive to violence and abuse evident.

The women protection bill implemented later that year made it possible for a woman to convict on the basis of forensic and medical evidence. Aimed at encouraging women to report the crime, which was deterred due to the farcical ‘four witness’ rule enforced by the Hudood ordinance, the act has been strongly opposed by Jamaat-i-Islami, whose activists and leaders continue to lobby against the act. [Dawn Media] Read more [via The Samosa]

Investigating Qur’anic inheritance laws

The traditional view of inheritance in Islamic law comes from the following verses:

Allah enjoins you about [the share of inheritance of] your children: A male's share shall equal that of two females (Qur'an 4:11); If there are many brothers and sisters, the share of each male should be that of two females. (Qur'an 4:176)

While the above seem clear enough, and were taken as the basis for the inheritance laws laid down by the traditional schools of Islamic law, there is on the other hand the fact that the Qur'an also tells all Muslims to make a will specifying inheritance of their assets.

.... The question now arises, what is the Qur'anic position on inheritance? Is inheritance to happen according to the specified formulae, in which case women will inherit half as much, or according to an individually decided will, in which case no formulae apply? There is an obvious contradiction between these two alternatives. [altmuslim] Read more

An Update on Iran Stoning Case Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani and her Lawyer Houtan Kian

According to a recent report received by the International Committee against Stoning, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani remains in Tabriz Central Prison. Ashtiani and her family, namely her son, Sajjad Ghaderzadeh, are not permitted to have contact with International media outlets.

After arresting her son, Sajjad, and her lawyer, Houtan Kian, the Islamic Republic of Iran exerted pressure on them and aired a programme on the state-run Press TV in which Ashtiani was forced to ‘describe’ her role in her husband’s death.

Ashtiani and her son were under the impression that they would be released after the airing of the film. This was not the case and Ashtiani remains in prison and her situation remains uncertain. [Maryam Namazie] Read more

Pakistani Islamic party leader: a woman should not report rape unless she has four witnesses

Munawar Hasan is the President of Jamaat-e-Islami of Pakistan, the country's largest and most powerful pro-Sharia party. This video is not in English, unfortunately, but in it he says that a woman should not report being raped unless she has four male Muslim witnesses who saw the act.

In this he is on solid Qur'anic ground: "Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah" (Qur'an 24:13). [Jihad Watch] Read more

Legal move against minaret ban thrown out

The European Court of Human Rights has rejected two appeals against a ban on the construction of new minarets in Switzerland. Judges ruled that the plaintiffs – three Muslim organisations and a private citizen – were not victims of an alleged human rights violation.

The Strasbourg-based court on Friday announced that the complaints by the applicants were not admissible.

“The main complaint was that a disputed constitutional provision offended their religious beliefs. However, they did not allege that it had had any practical effect on them,” the statement said.

The applicants could not prove either that they were indirect victims because none of them was planning on building a mosque with a minaret in Switzerland in the near future, it added. [swissinfo.ch] Read more [via The Iconoclast]

LA Sheriff’s Muslim Community Affairs Unit - Is A Civil Rights Lawsuit Waiting To Happen

.... Muslim is not a race. Muslims are merely followers of Shariah Islam. The MCAU is a taxpayer funded religious group operating inside the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department at the behest of Sheriff Leroy Baca. Civil Rights Lawyer’s may argue the MCAU violates the Establishment Clause mandate of government neutrality toward religion.

Steve Whitmore, LASD Senior Media Advisor, confirmed the Muslim Community Affairs Unit receives taxpayer funds approximating $128,400 per year for two full time Deputies.

When this reporter asked Mr. Whitmore if any other , religions, had a LASD Community Affairs Unit and received equal taxpayer funds, Whitmore replied, “There are no other religious Community Affairs Units in the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department.” [The United West] Read more [via Jihad Watch]

Islamic banking, instrument of oppression

.... Okoh, who spoke to newsmen, yesterday .... said it was a follow up to demands by Boko Haram for the application of Sharia all over the country.

He said: “In 10 years from now, it would have grown and matured to what it is intended to be- a religious oppressive instrument and tool for social coercion of the poor to convert to Islam. It is heavily skewed to put other non-interest banking at disadvantage. [Vanguard] Read more [via National Secular Society]

Hundreds protest against extremism in Tunis

Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Tunis Thursday to condemn extremism amid unease over last month's attack by Salafist Muslims on a cinema showing a film about secularism.

Demonstrators held aloft banners in support of "a modern, independent Tunisia" and "a progressive state" as they marched along Mohamed V avenue in the rally which followed calls by several political groups.

"It's a citizen initiative that aims to show that Tunisia belongs to everyone, that we are witnessing worrying phenomena that must quickly come to an end," said Ahmed Brahim, leader of the left-wing Ettajdid party. [AFP] Read more

Undercover police watching hairdressers for "un-Islamic" mingling of men and women

.... Therein lies a source of inherent instability in any Islamic state: once the right to rule is attached to Islamic piety, the enforcement of Sharia is a basic measure of a regime's legitimacy.

Since Sharia is a totalitarian system that rules over every aspect of human conduct, public and private, there can always be more Sharia. As the aim of jihad in all its forms is to impose Islamic law, someone will always want more Sharia and be willing to fight and kill for it. [Jihad Watch] Read more

Kenan Malik's Article Shows How Far Even The Most Advanced of Muslims Have To Go

.... He needs to be taken to task, not admired, and made to feel he must discuss what is in those texts.

And he must explain why Muslims do not wish to assimilate into Infidel societies, wish to remain outside them, or to enter into them only in order to protect their position, and to work from withiin to undo whatever it is -- the legal and politicial institutions, the social arrangements and assumptions -- that constitute, for Muslims, obstacles to the spread, and then the dominance, of Islam.

Kenan Malik's article is part of the problem. He lies, he half-lies, he omits, he exaggerates, he does whatever he has to to protect Islam. [The Iconoclast] Read more

Hardline Islam a bigger threat than terrorists

Indonesia's success in dealing with Islamist terrorists is impressive, but there are other Islamist organisations that are of much more immediate concern. These are public organisations that share a commitment to enforce very conservative interpretations of orthodox Sunni Islam. Indonesians call them ''hardliners''.

Unlike the terrorists, the hardliners are adept at working within the official system and have a real capacity to influence policy. Like the terrorists, their ultimate aim is to replace the state or at least remake it, but they seek to do so from within the system.

They exploit the post-Suharto democratic state's more open political framework to gradually legislate much of what terrorists have sought unsuccessfully to achieve with bombs. [The Australian] Read more [via National Secular Society]

Muslim prayers at Toronto school provoke outcry

A Toronto school's accommodation of student religious beliefs by allowing imams to lead them in prayer in its cafeteria has provoked a public outcry by parents and others demanding secular schooling.

The parents are backed by Hindu, Jewish and even one Muslim group that fear radicalization of students at the Valley Park Middle School by fundamental imams leading the services.

The school board's Jim Spyropoulos told the daily Globe and Mail the arrangement allows for some 300 observant students at the school to attend prayer without leaving school property and missing classes. [AFP] Read more

Mohammed Amin: Why the Muslim organisations that criticise the Prevent Review are wrong

.... Every terrorist group has had fellow travellers, who believe in the same ideology but have no active terrorist involvement.

Believing something has never been a crime in Britain, but such fellow believers are the easiest people to recruit into active terrorism; even when not recruited they provide intellectual and emotional support to the terrorists. Therefore the ideology of Al Qaeda must be countered in parallel with counter-terrorist security measures. [ConservativeHome] Read more

Combating Religious Intolerance When Freedom of Speech Enables Hate Speech

.... Islamophobia and its impact, like racism and anti-Semitism, must be countered by creating a climate in which hate speech and discrimination in the public square are not tolerated even when bigots exploit freedom of speech.

Today, one can engage in anti-Islam and anti-Muslim hate speech and threats in print, media, and protest rallies that promote a popular culture that paints the religion of Islam, not just terrorists, as a threat to America.

These preachers of hate and Islamophobia must be rejected and marginalized. Their mission to polarize our society must not be allowed to threaten our belief that religious tolerance and free speech are indeed compatible.

[A COMMENT] Apparently­, John Esposito is only in favor of freedom of speech that he agrees with. His wish to ban speech that he disagrees with, I think, identifies­, John Esposito as the fascist in this instance. I don't know of anyone in the anti-Islam movement who wishes to ban people such as Esposito from saying what they wish. [The Huffington Post] Read more

Iran threatens 'serious action' over BBC plans to screen documentary series on Muslim prophet Muhammad

The BBC is courting controversy with its plans to broadcast a documentary series about Muslim prophet Muhammad.

Three-part series The Life of Muhammad has already been blasted by officials in Iran, who claim the country will take 'serious action' if it is screened.

The Iranian minister of cultural and Islamic guidance, Mohammad Hosseini, who has yet to watch any of the series, has branded the film an attempt by the 'enemy' to 'ruin Muslims' sanctity'. [MailOnline] Read more

EU Follows Obama into the Brotherhood Abyss

Following quickly after the revelation that the Obama administration had resolved to establish contact with the Muslim Brotherhood , the European Union has announced that it, too, is interested in talking with the group.

Michael Mann, a spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, explained: “We are always open to dialogue with anyone who is interested in democracy.”

Ashton thus becomes the latest in a long line of Western officials who have confused democracy with the practice of voting itself, and ignored the manifest fact that the Muslim Brotherhood is dedicated to ideals that all free societies should oppose. [Front Page] Read more

Hamas arrests male hairdresser for Gaza woman's haircut

The Hamas government in Gaza has begun enforcing a law introduced last year banning men from cutting women's hair.

Until now, the law had not been enforced, but this week at least one male hairdresser in Gaza was arrested.

Male hairdressers for women are regarded by many Muslims as against Islamic tradition.

The move is seen as an attempt to bolster Hamas's Islamic credentials against critics who say it has become too moderate. [BBC] Read more

Muslim reformers expose scandal of undocumented British marriages

.... Up to 80 per cent of Muslim marriages in Britain are not documented or registered. ‘It’s creating a time bomb’, Aina Khan, Senior Consultant Solicitor at Russell Jones and Walker, told the gathering.

Relationships without legal recognition maintained a condition of Victorian servitude for women who are regarded as chattels, she said.

Yet classical and historical sources indicate that the lack of a contract in modern British Islam is the exception not the rule.

Sheikh Barkatullah, an Islamic Shariah Advisor, said cultural practices from poor parts of the Muslim world from which many Muslims have migrated to Britain are being perceived as religious duties. [Lapido Media] Read more

Dutch Government Defends Wilders and Rejects OIC Demands to Silence him

A first happened today in the Netherlands. Uri Rosenthal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs responded promptly to defend Geert Wilders and Free speech against demands to ‘silence him’ by the Organization of Islamic Co-operation, the new name for the 57 nation Organization of the Islamic Conference.

The OIC in its new guise had accused Wilders of conducting a “Campaign of Hatred” by simply criticizing Islam for its totalitarian credo.

The OIC was endeavoring to override the recent acquittal in a decision by the Amsterdam District Court of Wilders of all charges brought against him under Dutch hate speech laws. This was patent intimidation of a sovereign nation by the OIC. [The Iconoclast] Read more