Thousands Say Nike Air Max Sneaker 'Offensive' To Muslims, Petition For Recall

An online petition with nearly 15,000 signatures asks Nike to recall its Nike Air Max 270 shoe, saying the logo resembles the word Allah in Arabic and “will surely be trampled, kicked and become soiled with mud or even filth.”

The Change.org petition, created by a person named Saiqa Noreen in the U.K., says it’s “outrageous and appalling of Nike to allow the name of God on a shoe.”

“This is disrespectful and extremely offensive to Muslim’s and insulting to Islam,” Noreen writes in the petition.

The Air Max 270, which recently went on sale in new colors, retails for $150 and features “AIR MAX” stamped into the sole. The design makes part of the logo look like the word Allah in Arabic, petitioners contend

.... “Nike respects all religions and we take concerns of this nature seriously,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “The AIR MAX logo was designed to be a stylized representation of Nike’s AIR MAX trademark. It is intended to reflect the AIR MAX brand only. Any other perceived meaning or representation is unintentional.” [The Huffington Post UK] Read more

Pakistani Islamists to Rally Against Freed Christian Woman

A radical Islamist party in Pakistan says it has called on its followers to hold nationwide protests over the weekend against the acquittal of Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman who spent eight years on death row after being convicted for blasphemy.

Mohammad Shafiq Amini, acting leader of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik party, is urging the country's transport operators to stay off the roads on Friday and join their protest. He says police have arrested hundreds of the party's supporters following Tuesday's acquittal of Bibi to deter them from holding rallies.

Bibi, who is in hiding at an undisclosed location, is expected to join her daughters abroad soon. Her ordeal began in 2009 when she was accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad and was sentenced to death. [Associated Press] Read more

Muslim school will not allow girls to eat lunch until after boys have finished, Ofsted chief says

A Muslim school will not allow girls to eat lunch until after boys have finished, an Ofsted chief has told MPs.

Al-Hijrah school in Birmingham is still segregating boys and girls despite a Court of Appeal ruling in 2017 that found it was unlawful, according to Luke Tryl, director of corporate strategy at Ofsted.

Addressing the women and equalities select committee, he said that Ofsted inspectors are trying to hold schools account for discriminating against girls but feel “isolated” when their stance is not backed up by ministers.

“Our inspectors are going out and having to make some quite tricky judgements where there are those potential clashes [between equalities laws and religious freedoms],” Mr Tryl said.

.... He said that Al-Hijrah school was enforcing a “very strict gender segregation” which included “denying the girls to have their lunch until the boys had had theirs”. “And we had some very discriminatory texts for instance, encouraging violence against women,” he said.

Mr Tryl said that Ofsted welcomed the Court of Appeal's ruling that gender segregation within the school fell foul of equalities laws, but despite the case concluding in mid-2017 the school has still not de-segregated. [The Telegraph] Read more

Racism warning as Muslim pupils asked to draw God

Concerns have been raised after a teacher asked Muslim children to draw a picture of god, in breach of Islamic law. The incident was revealed by an academic who has warned of widespread racism and cultural ignorance in Scottish schools.

Khadija Mohammed, a lecturer and leading figure in Scotland’s equal rights movement, said that minority children faced covert and explicit racism in class, and teachers were denied promotion because of their ethnicity.

She has urged minority teachers not to “assimilate” into white culture, and to use their backgrounds to educate children about other societies. [The Times (£)] Read more

Asia Bibi blasphemy acquittal upheld by Pakistan court

Pakistan's top court has rejected a challenge to the acquittal of a Christian woman on blasphemy charges.

The Supreme Court upheld its decision to overturn Asia Bibi's conviction and death sentence.

She was originally convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a row with her neighbours, and spent eight years on death row.

She has always maintained her innocence in a case that has polarised Pakistan.

The Supreme Court's quashing of her sentence last October led to violent protests by religious hardliners who support strong blasphemy laws, while more liberal sections of society urged her release.

Hardliners had petitioned to overturn this ruling.

"Based on merit, this petition is dismissed," Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa said in court on Tuesday. [BBC] Read more

Jolo church attack: Many killed in Philippines

Two bombs at a Roman Catholic cathedral in southern Philippines have killed 20 people and injured dozens more, local officials say.

The Islamic State (IS) group said it was behind the attack on Jolo island, where jihadist groups are active.

The first blast happened as Sunday Mass was being celebrated. A second device exploded outside as soldiers responded.

The attack came days after a majority-Muslim area in the region voted for greater autonomy in a referendum.

A statement from IS said the attack was carried out by "two knights of martyrdom" against a "crusader temple".

Jolo has long been a base for militants, including those of the Abu Sayyaf group. Several of its factions have declared allegiance to IS. [BBC] Read more

‘INSULTING TO ISLAM’ Thousands of Muslims demand Nike recall ‘offensive’ Air Max trainer with ‘Allah written on the sole’

NIKE has been urged to recall “offensive” Air Max trainers because they have “Allah’s name in Arabic” on the sole.

Saiqa Noreen was appalled when she spotted text on the bottom of the shoe and accused the sports brand of “blasphemy”.

The illustrative wording appears to spell out the words Air Max in a joined up font.

However, Saiqa is not convinced and at the very least believes Nike have made a clumsy error - offending millions of Muslims in the process.

In Muslim culture showing the sole of your shoe is seen as the height of disrespect.

The shoe is considered dirty because it touches the ground and is associated with the foot – the lowest party of your body.

Saiqa launched a petition for Nike to recall their train with more than 4,800 signing it.

She fumes: “Nike has produced the Nike Air Max 270 shoe with the script logo on the sole resembling the word Allah in Arabic, which will surely be trampled, kicked and become soiled with mud or even filth. [The Sun] Read more

Why I had to leave Saudi Arabia

In October 2018 I was asked to leave Saudi Arabia, the country of my birth, and a place where I had thought I might be able to build a new life. I was overheard discussing an article about female activists who had been detained in Saudi Arabia, while I was filming a BBC documentary about my attempt to see if I could settle there.

I had to leave the country immediately and was told that my behaviour apparently “criticised the kingdom”.

In that moment, the only thing I felt was shock. All I’d done was read an article - at most I thought I’d be reprimanded and told not to speak any further about the activists who campaigned for women to be given the right to drive.

Then the worry and the fear set in. I started to doubt myself; maybe I had done something truly terrible. It all happened so quickly, I had no time to think.

If I’d dared to stay, they could have cancelled my visa. I booked a flight to Heathrow and arrived home the same day. [BBC] Read more

Pakistan's top court to decide Asia Bibi's fate as Muslim extremists demand her death

Pakistan's top court will decide next week whether a challenge against the acquittal of Christian mother Asia Bibi can proceed as radical Islamists continue to call for her execution.

Bibi’s lawyer, Saiful Malook, revealed that on Jan. 29 Pakistan’s Supreme Court will review a petition launched by Islamists calling for her blasphemy conviction to be overturned, the Pakistani news outlet Dawn reports. If the court rejects the petition, Bibi will finally be free to leave Pakistan.

The 47-year-old mother-of-five, who was on death row for eight years, was accused by Muslim farm laborers of having insulted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, which is an offense punishable by death in Pakistan.

She was convicted despite denying the charges, and in October the Supreme Court overturned the guilty verdict. The decision sparked nationwide protests by Muslim hardliners, prompting authorities to take Bibi into hiding. Since her acquittal, she has since been living at a secret location, under guard. [Christian Post] Read more

Holy row as councils supplying schools with halal meat accused of "normalising cruelty to animals"

Secretly filmed footage from a halal abattoir caused an outcry in 2016, showing sheep writhing in agony on a bloody floor after having their throats cut while still alive.

The abattoir, Simply Halal, has since been shut down by the Food Standards Agency and last year the owner and a slaughterman were fined for animal welfare offences, but the issue of the slaughter of livestock while still conscious is as inflamatory as ever.

By law, all animals should be stunned before slaughter, but UK and European Union rules give exemptions on religious grounds.

Kirklees in West Yorkshire is one of 17 councils that provides halal meat to schools from animals that have not been stunned before having their throats cut.

Last week council leader Shabir Pandor questioned whether those campaigning to ban non-stun slaughter really have animal welfare at heart.

.... Other groups that have criticised the slaughter of unstunned animals include the British Veterinary Association and the RSPCA, which says: “Our concern is solely with the welfare of animals and we're calling for all farm animals to be stunned with no exceptions, to ensure they are unconscious and insensible to pain when killed.”

“With around 84% of halal animals already being pre-stunned and certified as halal it highlights that humane slaughter and religious practices can work together. [Daily Mirror] Read more

Iran arrested 7,000 in crackdown on dissent during 2018 - Amnesty

Amnesty International says Iran arrested 7,000 people last year in a "shameless campaign of repression".

Those swept up by the crackdown included protesters, students, lawyers, journalists, environmental and women's rights activists, and trade unionists.

Hundreds were sentenced to prison or flogging. At least 26 protesters were killed and nine others died in custody.

The crackdown was a response to unrest over poverty, corruption and the lack of political and social freedoms.

"From underpaid teachers to factory workers struggling to feed their families, those who have dared to demand their rights in Iran today have paid a heavy price," said Philip Luther, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa director.

Amnesty said at least 112 were arrested or remained in detention during 2018, when women began standing on raised structures in public places and taking off their headscarves to protest against the compulsory hijab law. [BBC] Read more

Council of Europe calls for Muslim couples in UK to legally have to register marriage before or during Islamic ceremony

Muslim couples getting married in the UK should be legally required to civilly register their union before or during the Islamic ceremony, the Council of Europe has said.

Raising concerns about the role of sharia councils in family, inheritance and commercial law, the human rights organisation made up of 47 member states, called for obstacles stopping Muslim women from accessing justice to be removed.

A resolution called on British authorities step up measures to provide protection and assistance to those who are in a vulnerable position and run awareness campaigns which teach Muslim women about their rights.

.... The Council of Europe’s new resolution welcomed the recommendations put forward in last year’s Home Office review.

It also called on the UK to ensure councils operate within the law “especially as it relates to the prohibition of discrimination against women, and respect all procedural rights”. [The Independent] Read more

A warning from India for European liberals on how to manage relations with Muslim minorities

.... European liberals, especially in leftist parties such as the UK Labour Party, have tried to tap into the minority vote. In doing so, they have sometimes turned a blind eye to illiberal tendencies in socially conservative milieus, such as sex segregation in faith schools. During the Salman Rushdie affair and repeatedly since, many Muslims in Europe and elsewhere have called for a ban of criticism of Islam as “hate speech” or blasphemy. Such calls are hardly compatible with free speech. Yet, they have fallen on fertile ground with many European liberals.

However, as in the case of Indian secularism, there is considerable risk of a backlash from parts of the majority. European liberals should therefore reconsider their coalition building with illiberal minority brokers, Muslim or otherwise. Unless European liberals understand this sooner rather than later, the current wave of populism will continue and may eventually sweep away the liberal establishment.

That is what happened in India, where Modi and his allies almost wiped out the parliamentary presence of the Congress and other secularist parties. [The Conversation] Read more

Muslim girls should not be forced to wear a hijab at school simply because of pressures at home, head of Ofsted says

Muslim girls should not be forced to wear headscarves in schools just because they are facing pressures from their families, the head of Ofsted has suggested.

Amanda Spielman, the chief inspector of Ofsted, made the comments as she was grilled by MPs about Muslim primary school children being questioned about hijabs during inspections.

It follows a recommendation by the schools watchdog in 2017 that officials should ask girls who wear garments such as hijabs “why they do so in school”.

Ms Spielman last year publicly offered her backing to the headteacher of a primary school when she faced a backlash for trying to ban the youngest Muslim girls wearing the hijab.

.... “My concern is that children at school should be free from the pressures that exist in many communities outside of school.

“We know that some children are feeling pressurised to wear headscarves, that it can make children unhappy to be told they are not good because they are not wearing a headscarf.

“This is something that is difficult and is contested, but I don’t think we can say that children should simply be ‘allowed to look like their mothers’ is the solution.” [The Telegraph] Read more

The people most contemptuous of other religions

Egyptian-Canadian writer Said Shoaib, in a discussion with German-Egyptian political scientist Hamed Abdel-Samad, author of Islamic Fascism, talks about the problem of imams in the West who teach a supremacist form of Islam - and the naivete of the Canadian government:

.... Said Shoaib: I take a stand against people who hate Canada and want to destroy it. These people have stated that this is their intention. They even said so in books that this library approved, can you believe that? A normal Muslim – whether he was born here or whether he immigrated – has no alternative form of Islam. You find this form of Islam in the mosques, in the sermons… This is the form of Islam that you see in the Islamic schools here. I did not send my daughters to Islamic schools here, out of fear. They conceal their curricula, force young girls to war the hijab, and so on… If a Muslim here does not become a terrorist, he must be a great man. We should thank him for being a good, peace-loving human being, because the natural course of events is for him to become a terrorist. […]

Hamed Abdel-Samad: A strange thing is that when these people lived in their countries of origin, they did not allow the Christians to build churches, they despised the Christians and the Baha’is, and they did not help people of other religions with their rights. But when they come to the West, they not only demand their right to worship, and their right to practice their religious rites freely, but they also demand that no one criticize their religion. Here in Canada, they audaciously criticize the Christians, the Jews, the West, and secularism… There is no such thing as “secular-phobia”… There is no "Christian-phobia".... [Mick Hartley] Read more

Ahok release a reminder of 'weaponised' blasphemy law in Indonesia

The former governor of Indonesia's capital will be released from prison on Thursday, nearly two years after being jailed for blasphemy against Islam.

And Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who is commonly known as Ahok, is widely tipped to re-enter Indonesian politics – though that is unlikely to happen until after the April 17 presidential election, according to his long-time friend and human rights campaigner Andreas Harsono.

Ahok, who is an ethnically Chinese Christian, took over as governor of Jakarta when Joko Widodo was elected President in 2014.

In September 2016, Ahok was accused of blasphemy after he suggested a verse of the Koran did not state that Muslims could not be led by a non-Muslim.

The comments triggered sprawling, violent street protests by hardline Islamists, a high-profile trial, Ahok's shock conviction in May 2017, and struck a blow against pluralism and tolerance in Indonesia that is still being felt more than two years later.

Harsono, who is a researcher for Human Rights Watch Indonesia, suggested Ahok would not quit politics but that "we are in a wait-and-see moment" and that an immediate return was unlikely. [The Sydney Morning Herald] Read more

Rahaf al-Qunun has raised a major taboo: that some Muslims reject their faith

The case of Rahaf al-Qunun is well known. Having fled Kuwait and away from alleged abuse, she landed in Bangkok and claimed asylum. The world watched as she used Twitter to effectively raise her case since she said that if she were returned to her family, she would probably be killed.

There are three things that stuck in my mind about this case. The first is that Rahaf was genuinely frightened for her life and the claims of harassment paint a picture of severe and complete control over her by her family. The second was that she raised an issue that is affecting many families in the region around the way men and women are treated so differently, and the third was she said she had rejected her faith, in this case Islam.

.... What I found was that many ex-Muslims feel isolated when they openly come out as atheists. This is further compounded by their immediate families, who disengage with them or think it’s simply a phase they are going through. There was a real fear of the threat of physical and mental harm against ex-Muslims when they openly rejected Islam. When they find out this is not the case, threats and intimidation – particularly against women – have formed part of the pressure on ex-Muslims. [Metro.co.uk] Read more

Muslims call for boycott of M&S toilet tissue as it has ‘Allah’ symbol on it

Muslims are calling for people to boycott M&S toilet tissue because it is allegedly embossed with the Arabic word for God. Footage taken by an unidentified man shows the Aloe Vera 3-ply toilet tissue with the indentation in question. Speaking on the video, the man urges his ‘brothers and sisters’ not to buy the £2.50 roll because ‘every toilet tissue has the name of Allah on it’. But Marks and Spencer have denied the claims, responding on Twitter to confirm the pattern is ‘categorically of an aloe vera leaf’.

The clip, which has been shared widely over the last few days, shows one roll taken out of the £2.50 pack and placed on the roof of a car. The man speaks over the video whilst zooming in on the Aloe Vera 3 ply toilet tissue. He said: ‘Recently I bought toilet tissue from Marks & Spencer and when I opened one of them, it has the name of Allah, as you can see. ‘So please brothers and sisters, prevent yourselves from buying this particular toilet tissue, or try boycott Marks & Spencers, because every toilet tissue has the name of Allah on it. [Metro.co.uk] Read more

Christian pair refuses to renounce faith inside Iranian court

A Christian man and woman appealing against jail sentences for "spreading propaganda against the regime" have refused during a court appearance to renounce their faith.

Saheb Fadaie and Fatemeh Bakhteri face 18 months and twelve months respectively if two Tehran-based judges uphold their sentences - originally passed in September 2018.

It has emerged the pair were asked by the judges - who have both previously been accused of involvement in human rights violations - to renounce their Christian beliefs.

They have been accused of attacking Islam by discussing Christian doctrine in house churches.

Mervyn Thomas, chief executive of the religious freedoms charity Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) said: "The conviction of Mr Fadaie and Ms Bakhteri for asserting Christian doctrine is not only a grave violation of their right to espouse a religious belief of their choosing, but also criminalises the Christian faith, which the Iranian constitution purports to recognise." [Premier] Read more

Egypt TV host Mohamed al-Ghiety jailed for interviewing gay man

An Egyptian TV presenter has been sentenced to one year of hard labour for interviewing a gay man last year.

A court in Giza also fined Mohamed al-Ghiety 3,000 Egyptian pounds ($167; £130) for "promoting homosexuality" on his privately owned LTC TV channel.

The gay man, whose identity was hidden, had talked about life as a sex worker.

Homosexuality is not explicitly criminalised in Egypt, however, the authorities have been increasingly cracking down on the LGBT community.

They routinely arrest people suspected of engaging in consensual homosexual conduct on charges of "debauchery", immorality or blasphemy.

The most recent case came about after lawyer Samir Sabry, who is well known in Egypt for taking celebrities to court, filed a lawsuit against Ghiety for his interview which took place in August 2018. [BBC] Read more

Turkey's women face dangerous conditions to obtain legal abortion

Women seeking an abortion in Turkey face considerable danger and many hurdles. While the procedure is legal, experts say in reality there is a de facto ban, believed to be orchestrated by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"I thought I'd go to some sort of hospital. But instead, it was an apartment on the second floor of a three-story building. A man with a cigarette in hand opened the door. I entered an apartment with a living room and kitchen. The bathroom in what apparently was the parents' bedroom had been converted into an abortion room. The operating table was filthy and covered in blood."

Horror takes hold of Gul as she describes the place in Istanbul's Alibeykoy district where she went to have her pregnancy terminated. What she encountered was one of Turkey’s illegal abortion clinics, often housed in converted apartments despite the procedure being legal in Turkey. [Deutsche Welle] Read more

Imam Who Converted to Christianity: My Own Family Now Want to Kill Me

A former imam from Pakistan who migrated to Germany and converted to Christianity now claims that he faces death threats in his native country from many including members of his own family.

The 34-year-old said he grew up in a religious household in Pakistan and trained from the age of eight to become an imam, just as his father and grandfather had been before him. Following missionary work in Greece, where he had planned to start his own mosque, he began his conversion to Christianity and now says he fears for his life in Pakistan, German tabloid Bild reports.

The German paper identifies the imam under a different name, Haroon Masih, for his own safety, and according to Mr Masih it was the charity of a Christian couple in Greece that began his journey to Christianity, saying that he had previously been taught to reject other faiths.

.... After converting Masih moved back to Pakistan where he founded an underground church which was eventually discovered. After the discovery, he claims he was “beaten half to death” by members of his own family and friends along with others from his town. [Breitbart London] Read more

Universities double invitations to extremists

It is the university league table in which no one wants to be first. King’s College London and Birmingham are among the elite institutions topping Britain’s rankings of extremist speakers at universities, published next week.

Universities and student societies organised at least 200 events with extremist speakers last year — up from 107 in 2016-17, according to the Henry Jackson Society think tank.

The number, based on the government definition of extremism, is probably an underestimate because some events are not made public. [The Times (£)] Read more

‘Racial hatred’ prompts opposition to halal meat in school meals

Kirklees Council Leader Shabir Pandor, above, accused animal rights campaigners of stirring up racial hatred.

Rejecting calls to end the policy of providing halal meat he said:

"This debate has been generated deliberately on the back of creating divisions, hatred and putting communities against one another. I cannot commit myself or my cabinet to review this policy. The answer has to be no."

The announcement has disappointed the National Secular Society, which raised the issue of non-stunned meat in school last year. It said the council was:

"Normalising cruelty to animals."

Clr Pandor’s comments followed deputations both in support of serving non-stunned halal meat, and against.

The debate was prompted after more than 7,000 people signed an online petition calling for all meat served in the borough’s schools to be stunned before slaughter. [The Freethinker] Read more

A new definition of Islamophobia could be a recipe for trouble

There is a looming risk the Government will soon subscribe to a definition of Islamophobia that will function as a backdoor blasphemy law shielding one religion from valid criticism, even by fellow believers. At worst, the proposed definition of Islamophobia could pave the way to a police state in which none of us can be sure when we might be arrested.

Until 28 January, the Home Affairs Committee is calling for evidence on Islamophobia. It is considering the definition proposed recently by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on British Muslims, co-chaired by Anna Soubry and Wes Streeting. It has proposed the following definition:

‘Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.’

If this definition becomes law, no one would be sure which forms of words could land them in court. [The Spectator] Read more