Moroccan women in Inezgane court over dress

The two were arrested in Inezgane last month, after a market trader drew attention to what they were wearing and a crowd gathered round, reports say.

An internet petition calling the arrest an attack on personal freedom has attracted thousands of signatures.

There was controversy in May when a Jennifer Lopez performance in Morocco was considered "sexually suggestive".

There have been a number of demonstrations over the case in Morocco, with protesters saying that women should be free to wear what they want.

Activists also gathered at the court house on Monday to support the detainees.

The two women, 23 and 29, are being tried under an article in the penal code which says that anyone found guilty of committing an act of "public obscenity" can be jailed for up to two years. [BBC] Read more

Media scares about ‘sharia marriages’ miss the point

.... However, when such unions, whether Muslim or not, do break down, it is mostly women that face financial hardship. So it is time the law was reformed in England and Wales to remedy the injustice faced by cohabiting women of all backgrounds. Scotland has already provided greater protection to cohabitees in the area of maintenance and property.

As for Muslims that want to get married, they should not cherry-pick parts of marriage that benefit them. They should accept their full responsibilities as spouses by also making a legal commitment and registering the marriage.

Campaigns to simply get more Muslims to register their marriages will have a limited impact because they will only speak to those who want to be in legally recognised marriages. Instead we should follow France and make it illegal for anyone to conduct a religious wedding ceremony without a prior civil marriage.

Combining such a policy with greater protections for cohabitees would help solve a great number of problems – which are faced by many Muslim and non-Muslim women alike. [Guardian Cif] Read more

Life for British Muslims since 7/7 – abuse, suspicion and constant apologies

.... I’m sick and tired of this relentless hostility towards Muslims; the negative headlines; the climate of fear and suspicion; the constant collective blaming. As one of only a handful of commentators who happen to be Muslim, I have spent the past decade appearing on TV and radio panels and phone-ins to try and challenge anti-Muslim bigotry on the one hand, and violent extremism on the other.

How emotionally exhausting, how dispiriting and demoralising it is to have to publicly affirm your “Britishness” and your “moderation” again and again.

.... The self-styled jihadists offer confused and angry young Britons a sense of identity and belonging. How do “we” – Britons, Muslims, officials, members of the public – offer something better? More inclusive?

In 2007 a fresh-faced MP spent two days at the home of a Muslim family in Birmingham and then wrote boldly of how it wasn’t possible to “bully people into feeling British: we have to inspire them”; “you can’t even start to talk about a truly integrated society while people are suffering racist … abuse … on a daily basis”.

He continued: “By using the word ‘Islamist’ to describe the threat, we actually help do the terrorist ideologues’ work for them.” If only the David Cameron of 2015 would heed the advice of the David Cameron of 2007. [Mehdi Hasan, 1382 comments]

[TOP RATED COMMENT 291 votes] I am sorry Britain has not been "inspiring enough" for the author of this article to support it! But does he have no awareness whatsoever that the British people who have hosted him and millions of his co-religionists are sick of being physically threatened with death, abused, hated and taken for a general ride by him?

He blames the rest of us! But the sheer level of acceptance of violence against us hosts by his community is breathtaking! He does nothing whatsoever to address that here. There is little hope that a peaceful resolution to this massive problem of terrorist attacks on British soil can be found if an attitude of both victimhood and blame by him persist like this.

Just grow up and confront the violent message that is constantly preached up and down the country. And stop blaming "non-believers" (kafirs I think you call them), otherwise the future looks grim indeed, and terrorism will continue unabated against a Britain that this author seems to both blame and hate.

[2ND 258] Well if you think that's bad try being an atheist or a Christian or an apostate in many Muslim countries.

The fact is that you have chosen to follow a belief system that manifests itself across much of the world through totalitarianism, persecution of minorities, violence against non-believers and suppression of free speech.

You can do all the radio interviews you like and write all the columns you can about how moderate most Muslims are, but you can't change the fact that across huge swathes of the planet the most terrible evils are carried out in the name of the religion you follow. I do feel sorry for moderate Muslims having to confront this fact every day of their lives, but I suggest perhaps your anger is pointed in the wrong direction.

[3RD 226] "The London bombings, in fact, opened the floodgates to what has become a familiar litany of condemnation and demonisation: honour killings, sharia law, halal slaughter, FGM, gender segregation, the face veil, child sex grooming."

Can you blame people for being concerned about this? Also ask yourself this question honestly - how many mosques throughout Europe and the ME have their congregations chanting "death to [insert whatever group]"? This I think is one of the root causes people view islam with such suspicion.

[4TH 222] Mehdi points out that Muslims are often suspected of being hostile to the British way of life.

Unfortunately survey after survey has shown that many British Muslims are indeed hostile. Surveys show that a significant minority support terrorism, believe apostates should be executed, want the introduction of full Sharia into Britain and so on.

That is where the problem lies

[5TH 218] The vast, vast majority of Muslims follow elements of the Koran that promote brotherhood and understanding. Islam is a part of their lives that is completely compatible to being a decent human being.

A significant minority though have developed a world view that is bigoted, racist, violent and medieval - this world view is taken from a literal reading of the same book. You cannot ignore the fact that Islamists are called islamists because the Koran is their guidebook to not only a private religious life, but how society should be run. This is a recipe for disaster as we have seen.

Also this passage here: “The London bombings, in fact, opened the floodgates to what has become a familiar litany of condemnation and demonisation ... wherever you turn, it seems, those dastardly Muslims pose a threat to you, your families and your way of life.”

Sorry but why the snarky tone? I don’t think the things you mention pose a threat to me – but some DO pose a threat to poor kids growing up in families where a literal translation of the Koran is used to raise a family. What you describe is child abuse, and this is carried out under the guise of religion.

Now I’m sorry you feel picked on (you’re first thought on 7/7 was “We’re screwed? How compassionate) but Islam as an idea cannot be given a pass just because people like you try to tie religion to race (“perhaps second or third generation Muslim"? Don’t the kids get a choice? Ah yes, the price of apostasy is death).

Treating someone differently or objectifying someone because of the colour of their skin is racism. But face up to flaws of slavishly following a medieval book as a guide to living in the 21st century please

[6TH 215] Business as usual then Mehdi, Muslims must remain the victims at all times and jihad is nothing to do with Islam.

When are you going to wake up and smell the coffee?

[7TH 215] I don't support the demonisation and persecution of Muslims in Britain. But I'd much rather be a Muslim in Britain than I would be a Christian in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt or really any Muslim country in the world. Strangely, Muslim governments don't tend to be generous and sympathetic towards the rights of religious minorities in their own countries. [Guardian Cif] Read more

2 Christian pastors may face death penalty in Sudan for openly practising their faith

Two Christian pastors are facing trumped-up charges punishable by death in Sudan for openly practising their faith in a country known for persecuting Christians.

A court in Sudan recently ruled that Presbyterian pastors Yat Michael Ruot and Peter Yein Reith may be charged with espionage and for undermining the constitution, which is punishable by death.

They are also facing charges for allegedly promoting hatred among or against sects, offending Islamic belief, disturbing public peace, and committing blasphemy. [Christian Today] Read more

School removes student's artwork of a mother breastfeeding her baby – in case it offends Muslims during Ramadan

A school has been slammed by a sixth form pupil for removing her paintings of a mother breastfeeding her child - because it could offend Muslims during Ramadan.

Tapton Secondary School in Sheffield told Martha Armitage, 18, that her A-level paintings would not be displayed with other pupils' artwork because the space is currently being used as a prayer room for the duration of the religious period.

Now Miss Armitage has hit out at the decision because she believes she is being 'censored' and says she is proud of her four paintings, which took 15 hours to create, and wants them to be displayed.

But the school has defended the decision, saying it was a matter of 'tolerance and respect' to not put them on show in the prayer room and claimed that the pictures are on display - but in a different section of the school.

Miss Armitage, who works part-time in a cafe, chose the subject of Mother and Baby after being given four choices for her A-level finals. [Daily Mail] Read more

Islamism prevails even as we suppress free speech

No one could have predicted that the Bangladeshi writer Rafida Bonya Ahmed would make it to London last week. That she is alive at all is a miracle – to use a word of which she would thoroughly disapprove.

As I watched her deliver the British Humanist Association’s annual Voltaire lecture , I saw a dignified and principled intellectual it was our duty to emulate and defend. I could not understand why anyone would want to harm, let alone kill, her

But many do. In February, Islamist fanatics hacked her husband, Avijit Roy, to death with meat cleavers as the couple left a book fair in Dhaka. They nearly killed Ahmed too: slicing off her thumb and covering her body with wounds.

To hear her talk about her murdered husband made me long to have met him. He was a typical intellectual – hopeless with anything practical but in love with literature, science and free debate. [Guardian Cif] Read more

More Britons believe that multiculturalism makes the country worse - not better, says poll

More people in Britain believe that multiculturalism makes the country worse than those who believe it makes the country better, according to a new survey.

The survey by YouGov, commissioned by the Huffington Post, demonstrates a large decrease in the proportion of the population who believe that multiculturalism benefits the country.

The latest figures, polled for the anniversary of the 7/7 bombings in London, show the changing views of the country - the proportion of people who felt that Islam, as distinct from Islamic fundamentalist groups, poses a major threat to Western liberal democracy jumped from one in ten in 2001, to 27 per cent.

In addition the amount of people who regard Islam as a threat to Western liberal democracy had risen from 32 per cent in 2001, to a majority of 56 per cent. [The Independent] Read more

Sorry, but you can’t take the Islam out of Islamic State

The unpalatable truth is that they believe what they are doing is theologically right — and a sizeable proportion of the Islamic world would concur.

At last, British politicians have been galvanised into action by the appalling events last weekend in the Tunisian resort of Sousse, in which 38 people were murdered by an Islamist terrorist. Yes, yes, about time, you might be muttering to yourself — but credit where it’s due, please. They may be a little late to the party but at least they have arrived.

A convocation of 120 of our MPs, including Boris Johnson, have demanded strong and forthright action. They have written to the BBC demanding that it stop using the term ‘Islamic State’ to describe the organisation responsible for the attack, because it might upset that seemingly diminishing, if still large, proportion of Muslims who don’t wander around shooting people, or chopping their heads off, or blowing themselves up. [The Spectator] Read more

Young Muslims fuel huge rise in Sharia marriage

Britain is seeing a surge in Sharia marriages — many of them polygamous — as young Muslims shun legally binding unions.

As many as 100,000 couples are living in such marriages, which are not valid under UK law, and bypassing register offices, experts said. Ministers have raised fears that women can be left without the right to a fair share of assets if the relationship ends, while others are forced to return to abusive “husbands”.

A leading Islamic family lawyer warned that the increase in Sharia ceremonies among the 2.7 million-strong Muslim population in Britain was also behind a growth in “secret polygamy”.

“Probably a quarter of all couples I see involve polygamy issues,” Aina Khan told The Times. “There has been a huge rise in recent years because people can have a secret nikah [Islamic marriage] and no one will know about it.”

.... Amra Bone, Britain’s first woman Islamic judge on a Sharia council, a Muslim scholar and chaplain at Bristol University, denied that the councils discriminated against women. They were there to help women out of “failed marriages” and to move on with their lives, she said. “We apply Sharia principles... within the law of the land. We are a voluntary body and can’t make orders — we just advise. People don’t want us to be judgmental.”

.... Mrs Bone said that most Muslims did not take more than one wife. Some women wanted “part-time husbands”, she said. “Most men will tell you: ‘I can’t look after one wife, never mind more than one.’ But we cannot — and the government cannot — ask Muslims not to have more than one wife. People have a right to decide for themselves.” [452 comments]

[TOP RATED COMMENT 134 votes] "We cannot - and the government cannot - ask Muslims not to have more than one wife"

As polygamy is illegal in this country, I would have thought that the government would not so much ask as insist that Muslims in Britain do not have more than one wife. Ms Khan is at pains to emphasise that "we apply Sharia principles....within the law of the land." Well, the law of this land allows you but the one spouse.

[2ND 132] It's very simple.

Ban the burqa and hijab.

Close down mosques that peddle and support extremism

Ban halal slaughter (and schetita, just to keep Mr Burgess happy))

Ban praying in the road

Withdraw UK citizenship of Anjem Choudary and deport him to Saudi

Ensure that no funding from halal certification goes to support extremism

[3RD 119] Is the Child Support Agency on top of this or are we funding all the children of apparently single mothers under this system?

[4TH 116] About 15 years ago, a very liberal friend of mine told me that Muslims aimed to instal Sharia in Britain. I thought it was a preposterous claim. How right he was. How wrong I was.

[5TH 111] Good to see another example of integration into their chosen society.

[6TH 106] Our country is walking, perhaps stumbling, in slow motion towards a point where in a decade, it will be unrecognisable as England.

Already, the most popular boy's name is Mohammed.

Adieu, farewell beautiful England.

[7TH 103] "...the government cannot — ask Muslims not to have more than one wife."

Yes.

Yes it can, because that's the law in this country. [The Times (£)] Read more

UK's Female Sharia Judge Says Muslims Cannot Be Asked to Obey the Law

In an article in Breitbart, Amra Bone - the UK's only female sharia 'judge' - has stated that Muslims "cannot" be asked to have only one wife. In other words, the law of the land should not apply to Muslims.

Bone goes on to say that "people have a right to decide for themselves" and in doing so, evokes the language of freedom that is so manipulated by Islamists. One does, and should, have personal freedom in Britain, but what Islamists like Bone don't appear to understand is that this doesn't include the freedom to break or live outside of the law of the land.

Sharia Watch has stated many times that a parallel system of family law is alive and kicking in Britain - and much of it is at odds with the UK's laws. Domestic violence is permitted, women have no unilateral right to divorce, and child custody is to fathers only - regardless of circumstances or the well-being of the child. The British Government must start taking this seriously. [Sharia Watch] Read more

Islamists only want one thing. We cannot appease them

.... the distinction between violent and non-violent extremism is merely operational. Islamists feel morally free to achieve their aims peacefully or violently, publicly or secretly, whichever suits.

They follow a revolutionary doctrine, so there are no moderates. Islamism is declaredly determined to overthrow our way of life. Recent years prove its determination is matched by actions almost every day, almost everywhere. Like the Bolsheviks between 1905 and 1917, Islamists have moved fast from ranting to ruling, and they preach their creed globally. The phrase “existential threat” fits. [Charles Moore, 3640 comments]

[TOP RATED COMMENT] We cannot possibly fight muslim extremism abroad when, through idiotic and misguided political correctness, we have completely surrendered to it at home.

[ANOTHER] I noticed that a “Muslim Book Store” had opened in my town and popped in. I was wandering around taking a look when the shop assistant stopped me and asked if he could help. So I asked for a copy of the Australian Immigration Policy book regarding Muslims.

The assistant said, “F*& off, get out, and stay out!” I said, “Yes, that's the one"

[ANOTHER] The political buffoonery of recent years has taken us to the point where decent citizens are now harbouring much more extreme thoughts. Charles Moore puts the case in a very sensible way.

Our hospitality has been sorely abused, and we still haven't woken up to the fact - at least our politicians haven't. We have to tackle the 'muslim' problem boldly, and make it clear that this is Britain, and those who don't embrace the British way of life should get out. I'm certainly not going to dilute my way of life to accommodate them, and those politicians who think that I should, are in for a big surprise. [The Telegraph] Read more

7/7 Bombings Anniversary Poll Shows More Than Half Of Britons See Muslims As A Threat

More than half of Britons now regard Muslims as a threat to the UK, far more than in the immediate aftermath of the 7/7 bombings a decade ago, an exclusive poll for The Huffington Post UK has found.

The research, conducted by YouGov, also showed that more than three quarters of people surveyed - 79% - believe another attack on the scale of 7/7 in Britain is likely.

And the figures reveal there has been a large decrease in the proportion of people who think multiculturalism benefits Britain.

The poll was conducted to mark the start of The Huffington Post UK's Beyond The Bombings series, which revisits 7/7 on the 10th anniversary to explore how Britain has changed in the years since. [The Huffington Post UK] Read more

Young British Muslims are fuelling a rise in Sharia weddings and secret polygamous marriages, claims Islamic family lawyer

Young British Muslims are increasingly opting for Sharia marriages – sparking fears of a rise in ‘secret polygamy’, it was claimed last night.

Around 100,000 couples are living under such arrangements, which are not recognised under UK law.

Because the practice bypasses register offices, it is feared men are taking more than one wife without the authorities’ knowledge.

Islamic family lawyer Aina Khan said she was seeing a ‘huge’ increase in issues with polygamy as a result of such ‘secret’ marriages.

She said: ‘Probably a quarter of all couples I see involve polygamy issues. There has been a huge rise in recent years because people can have a secret nikah (Islamic marriage) and no one will know about it.’

It has been estimated that there are as many as 20,000 polygamous Islamic unions in the UK. [Daily Mail] Read more

Rise in Sharia marriages prompts polygamy fears

The UK has seen a surge in sharia marriages with many of them involving polygamy.

A lawyer dealing with cases claims there are now up to 100,000 such marriages mostly involving young Muslim men - which are not recognised under UK law and leave women without full legal rights.

Last year a report by AURAT, a charity which supports victims of honour-based violence, revealed that two thirds of Sharia marriages in its study were polygamous.

London-based solicitor Aina Khan specialises in cases of Sharia law and told the Times: "Probably a quarter of all the couples I see involve polygamy issues. There has been a high rise in recent years because people can have a secret Nikah (Islamic 'marriage' ceremony) and no one will know about it."

She estimated that there were “potentially 100,000 Muslims without legal recognition”.

The marriages have left Muslim women without full legal rights upon divorce. [The Telegraph] Read more

Intervention: Police save Christian couple from lynch mob

The couple – a labourer and his wife – were beaten up after local clerics accused them of committing blasphemy.

When the police were informed of the incident, DPO Sohail Zafar Chattha ordered rescuing the couple at all costs. By the time the DPO arrived on the scene, a large number of people from the neighbouring villages had also poured into Makki, with hundreds of policemen surrounding the village.

A local told The Express Tribune that “we hadn’t seen many of the people in the village before, and we didn’t know where they had come from either”. [The Express Tribune] Read more

A Muslim mayor of London would 'send message to the haters', says Sadiq Khan

A Muslim mayor of London would send a message to all “the haters in Iraq and in Syria” that the city is a beacon of tolerance and respect, Sadiq Khan, one of Labour candidates for the job, has said.

Khan, the first Muslim MP to be elected in London, set out his case for why it would be helpful for the capital to have a Muslim mayor just days after the terrorist attack on British tourists in Tunisia and ahead of the 10th anniversary of the 7/7 bombings next week.

The former cabinet minister is the only Muslim running to be the Labour candidate. Syed Kamall, an MEP and potential Conservative candidate, is also a Muslim.

Khan, the son of a bus driver from Pakistan, said the extremist bombers who killed 52 people on 7/7 were against British values and the British way of life, so electing a Muslim mayor would send a “phenomenal message and would say something about our confidence as a city”. [1890 comments]

[TOP RATED COMMENT 381] Tower Hamlets would suggest electing a mayor based upon religious ideas is not a good idea.

How about electing as mayor the best candidate, regardless of religion?

There's a message there somewhere.

[2ND 305] The Dutch city of Rotterdam has a Muslim mayor (Ahmed Aboutaleb) but for some reason ISIS and their lot still seem to hate our country.

[5TH 212] He has been an extremely brave vocal critic of ISIS etc and got death threats etc.

Which is the barrier. Any Muslim mayor of London would have to demonstrate libertarian views, which by its nature, would alternate a significant proportion of their electoral base.

Can you imagine a Muslim mayor at London Pride? Or talking to the London Jewish community? It would be admirable and worthy but they would bebe a target for extremists within their own community.

[3RD 260] Labour have got no chance of winning the general election ever again.

[4TH 237] I think I'll vote based on the policies they have any previous track record rather than any simple trait they happen to have, thanks.

[6TH 199] Is "sending a message to the haters" really all the job is about? [The Guardian] Read more

Afghanistan Said to Overturn Death Sentences in Woman’s Lynching

An Afghan court has overturned the death sentences of four men convicted in the lynching of a woman who had been falsely accused of burning the Quran, a lawyer connected to the case and a politician said on Thursday.

In a nation in which violence against women is commonplace and so-called honor killings often go unpunished, the death in March of the woman, named Farkhunda, managed to galvanize Afghanistan as no other case had.

Videos of her final moments, taken by members of the mob that surrounded her, showed Farkhunda pleading as she was kicked and stomped, and was later tied to the back of a car and dragged to the garbage-strewn banks of the Kabul River. There her attackers set fire to her body. [NYTimes.com] Read more

Isil stands for Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. Does David Cameron not realise this?

....As the historian of the ancient world Tom Holland put it, when Islamic State fighters smash the statues of ‘pagan’ gods, they are following the example of the Prophet, who cleared the pagans from Mecca.

When they proclaim themselves the shock troops of a would-be global empire, they are merely following the imperial pretensions of the early Islamic armies. When they execute prisoners of war, impose discriminatory taxes on Christians, and take the women of defeated opponents as slaves, they are doing nothing that the first Muslims did not do. As Holland neatly put it,

"Such behaviour is certainly not synonymous with Islam; but if not Islamic, then it is hard to know what else it is."

Truth is meant to be the first casualty of war, but you are also meant to know your enemy. If David Cameron does not understand the truth about Islamic State’s Islamist ideology, if he has to make up stories, and order journalists to repeat lies so blatant a child could see through them, I cannot see how he can take part in a campaign against it. [The Spectator] Read more

Primary school teacher struck off for praising Isil murder of Alan Henning

A primary school teacher has been banned from the classroom for life after praising Isil for beheading aid worker Alan Henning in string of offensive social media posts.

The Muslim teacher, Nargs Bibi, put up forty offensive and malicious messages immediately after the tragic Briton's murder by 'Jihadi John' urging Isil to kill all non believers.

Divorcee Bibi, 31, who had worked at Knowsley Junior School, Oldham, for three years before being fired over another matter, also hurled a diatribe of abuse at Mr Henning's wife.

In some of the comments Ms Bibi called his wife "a b****" and a "slag". She also referred to people aid workers in Syria as "barking dogs". [The Telegraph] Read more

Isis militants destroy 2,000-year-old statue of lion at Palmyra

Islamic State jihadis have destroyed a 2,000-year-old statue of a lion outside the museum in the Syrian city of Palmyra, the country’s antiquities director has said.

Maamoun Abdelkarim said the statue, known as the Lion of al-Lat, was an irreplaceable piece. “IS members on Saturday destroyed the Lion of al-Lat, which is a unique piece that is three metres [10ft] tall and weighs 15 tonnes,” Abdelkarim told AFP. “It’s the most serious crime they have committed against Palmyra’s heritage.”

Unesco to use satellites to monitor ancient sites threatened by Isis

The limestone statue was discovered in 1977 by a Polish archaeological mission at the temple of al-Lat, a pre-Islamic Arabian goddess, and dated back to the 1st century BC. [The Guardian] Read more

Muslim women fight for right to wear Islamic headscarf

Several lawsuits have been filed on behalf of Muslim women in Michigan who said they were told to remove their hijab, which violated their religious beliefs.

When Raghdaa Ali of Dearborn Heights attempted to walk into a cash advance store one day last summer to get a money order, an employee pointed to the Islamic headscarf Ali wore and said: "You need to take it off."

The Advance America Cash Advance store in Inkster has a sign outside that reads: "Please Remove hat and Sunglasses" and requires customers to be buzzed in to enter and temporarily remove their head coverings for security reasons.

But as an observant Muslim woman who keeps her head covered in accordance with her faith, Ali tried to explain why she unable to remove her scarf, known as hijab. She was denied entry and told that unless she left, police would be called. [Detroit Free Press] Read more

To Medina and Back

.... It is understandable, then, that up until a few years ago, Hirsi Ali thought Islam was unreformable. And something of an intellectual industry has sprouted up in the West for making that case. Somewhat surprisingly, however, she claims that the Arab Spring—botched as it was—proved her wrong.

While it facilitated the rise of some Islamist and jihadist movements, it also gave millions of Muslims an opportunity to renounce them. Islamists came to power in Tunisia and Egypt, for example, but were quickly removed in spasms of buyer’s remorse.

Hirsi Ali cites a 2014 Pew Research Center poll surveying 14,000 Muslims worldwide showing that huge majorities, almost everywhere, fear the Medina Muslims—92 percent of Lebanese, 80 percent of Tunisians, and even 75 percent of Egyptians.

It remains to be seen whether or not those majorities become the catalysts of a reformation. [Commentary] Read more

Cameron, the takfiri

.... Ideologically, IS does not represent Islam as a whole but it does represent one established strand within Islamic thought, even if many people regard that strand as an aberration. There's no hope of combating IS ideologically unless we (Muslim or non-Muslim) recognise its Islamic roots.

An important principle is at stake here. When someone self-identifies as Muslim we have no right to reject their self-description. We may feel they don't think or act as a Muslim should but that doesn't entitle us to pronounce them apostates.

What Cameron et al don't seem to appreciate is that by insisting IS is not really Islamic they are getting into the business of takfirism – the practice of declaring others (usually those you disagree with) to be outside the faith. [al-bab.com] Read more

Christians targeted by Islamic terror groups across the globe

THE MIDDLE East’s population of 12 million Christians will be halved by 2020, if current demographic trends continue, writs World Review expert, Lord Alton. Christians made up a quarter of the Middle East’s population 100 years ago, now they are less than five per cent.

.... Aleppo’s Melkite Greek Catholic archbishopric in Aleppo has been hit more than 20 times by mortar shells and was under fire again in June 2015. Christians have been killed, lost homes and livelihoods and are being traumatised by Syria’s civil war.

There are fewer than 100,000 of the 250,000 Christians left in Aleppo. Thousands have been killed, churches and ancient monasteries blown up, whole communities forced to flee, bishops and priests abducted, some executed. Torture, beheadings and even ‘crucifixion’ - by hanging corpses of the executed on crosses - has become commonplace. [World Review] Read more

100 extremists a year lecture at universities: Fanatics given a platform to spread hatred of the West despite ministers demanding crackdown on radicalism

Universities are providing a platform for more than 100 Islamist extremists every year, a disturbing report will reveal next week.

The fanatics are being allowed to make speeches at leading academic institutions despite ministers calling for a crackdown on radicalism.

The study says that more than 20 students who attended UK universities have been convicted of terrorism, or have lost their lives waging jihad in Syria.

They include young men guilty of planning a 'dirty bomb' attack and a plot to blow up a crowded London night club.

The report was compiled by the Student Rights group, which is a project run by the Henry Jackson Society – a respected Westminster think-tank.

It revealed that a string of student bodies have refused to participate in the Government's anti-extremism strategy, Prevent. [Daily Mail] Read more