Islamic jihadist teaches at London School of Economics

Hizb ut-Tahrir espouses the replacement of republican governments in the West with Sharia states, and the establishment of a global caliphate. "LSE's Hizb ut-Tahrir teacher Reza Pankhurst and the secretive 'Brothers' Circle,'" from The Times, January 16

An Islamist radical whose teaching role at a leading university was exposed yesterday by The Times led a secretive "Brothers' Circle" at which he espoused his hardline views.

Reza Pankhurst, a senior figure in the hardline group Hizb ut-Tahrir, gathered a group of male members of the London School of Economics (LSE) Islamic Society for private talks.

Mr Pankhurst, whose party advocates the creation of an Islamic state governed by Sharia, is a research student employed as a teacher in the LSE's government department.

He is due to teach undergraduate classes this term in three topics covering nationalism and revolution in the Arab world.

Mr Pankhurst retained his position in the Islamic Society and the college despite a number of students raising concerns last year about the overt political content of his sermons at Friday prayers.

The Students' Union confirmed that it had reported those concerns to the Islamic Society and raised them "informally" with academics.

Hizb ut-Tahrir is banned in Germany for anti-Semitism and covered by the National Union of Students' policy of "no platform" for racist and fascist views....

With thanks to JihadWatch

British universities have become centers of jihad recruitment

Over here they're centers for Leftist recruitment, and then the products of the two work neatly hand-in-hand. "British universities: seats of learning - and loathing," by Ruth Dudley Edwards in the Telegraph, January 2

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab "never gave his tutors any cause for concern, and was a well-mannered, quietly spoken, polite and able young man", explained University College London, as it busily seemed to wash its hands of any responsibility for fostering a suicide bomber who attempted to down a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day.

While of course, said Provost Malcolm Grant, the authorities would be reflecting very carefully, students were admitted on merit and there could be no vetting "of their political, racial or religious background or beliefs"....

Did no tutor talk to him about his life outside engineering? Did it concern no one that this lonely boy had taken to wearing Islamic dress?

Wasn't anyone worried about the radicalism of the "War on Terror Week" Abdulmutallab organised as president? Did anyone know he had asked a "hate-preacher" to address the society? Or did UCL think their job was simply to teach the boy engineering in exchange for his father's large cheques?...

Good questions!

It's not that universities haven't had enough warnings. Sheikh Musa Admani, an imam at London Metropolitan University, pleaded with both the Home Office and academic leaders to supervise and control Islamic societies.

He spoke eloquently of vulnerable, friendless first-year students, confused about the conflict between Islam and hedonistic secular values, who are natural prey for Islamist evangelists offering companionship, brotherly love and a clear sense of identity.

Admani's common-sense advice - for instance, that prayer rooms should be open to all, not just Muslims, and that speakers should be vetted - were seemingly ignored by most academics and officials.

So what he had observed continued: university after university provided Muslim prayer rooms that were all too often taken over by extremists who changed the locks, showed innocent freshers heavy-duty propaganda films of Muslim suffering at the hands of wicked Jews, Americans and Brits, and brought to the campus inspirational speakers who encouraged the young to sacrifice themselves for Allah.

Then there was Professor Anthony Glees who, four years ago in his book When Students Turn to Terror, named more than 30 universities where "extremist and/or terror groups" were to be found.

He was denounced by the National Union of Students and met with hostility from the academic establishment.

The following year, when an all-party parliamentary commission reported on the rise in anti-Semitism that was accompanying increasing support for Islamism on campuses, in the words of its chairman, the respected Denis MacShane, "university vice-chancellors and the university lecturers' union pooh-poohed our concerns".

And when the Government finally became alarmed, its suggestion that academics should keep an eye on their students and report signs of extremism was angrily rejected by the same union (University and College Union), which boasts a substantial minority who want an academic boycott against Israel....

Read it all at the Telegraph

With thanks to JihadWatch.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab: one boy’s journey to jihad

On the rubble-strewn outskirts of Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, is a religious university, al-Eman, notorious among US intelligence officials for its suspected links to terrorism.

Last September, sitting quietly among the ranks of young men was Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the man now accused of trying to kill almost 300 people by blowing up a transatlantic passenger jet.

According to his visa documents, the 23-year-old Nigerian should have been studying Arabic at an institute a few miles away. But the University College London graduate was already a fluent Arabic speaker and was interested in a far bigger agenda.

“He told me his greatest wish was for sharia and Islam to be the rule of law across the world,” said Achmed Hassan, a classmate at the language institute. Abdulmutallab was routinely skipping his Arabic lessons for lectures at the al-Eman University.

American authorities say the university’s founder, Abdul Majeed al-Zindani, is a “global terrorist” who acts as a recruiting sergeant for Al-Qaeda training camps. He denies the claim. An alumnus of the university murdered three American missionaries in Yemen in 2002.

Abdulmutallab was particularly interested in one of the university’s firebrand speakers, the American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, whose lectures, it has now emerged, Abdulmutallab attended during a visit to Sana’a in 2005.

Awlaki is part of a new generation of internet-savvy preachers and has been linked to several terrorists, including some of the 9/11 hijackers, and the US army major charged with shooting dead 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in Texas. Awlaki described the gunman as a “hero”.

Six weeks after he arrived in Yemen last year, Abdulmutallab left his Arabic classes. It was later said he had travelled to Hadramawt, a poor eastern province that is an Al-Qaeda stronghold.

On Christmas Eve, this previously pious student re-emerged with murderous intent, boarding Northwest Airlines flight 253 bound for Detroit. About 80 grams of a highly explosive chemical, PETN, was carefully sewn into his underpants. It was only a technical glitch, as Al-Qaeda leaders in Yemen later put it, that stopped the bomb going off 20 minutes from landing.

Relief that a fresh atrocity on American soil was narrowly averted on Christmas Day was rapidly overtaken by questions about intelligence failures.

There were a number of significant warnings about Abdulmutallab’s intentions. Last night it emerged that during his time in London, Abdulmutallab had come onto MI5’s radar because of his “multiple communications” with extremists in the UK, including several radical figures at mosques.

One Whitehall official said: “This was a young man who while he was in the UK was starting his journey and was exploring an interest in radical Islam. He was making contact and reaching out to people who were MI5’s targets of interest.”

MI5 concluded that Abdulmutallab did not pose a threat to national security.

Officials believe he decided to become a suicide bomber only after leaving UCL last year and travelling to Yemen. They also think that up to a dozen young British Muslims are receiving terrorist training in that country.

Read it all at TimesOnline

London mosque that Flight 253 jihadist attended is shocked, shocked by his terror attack

Every Muslim group that ever had anything to do with Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is trying to make sure that no one gets the idea that he learned jihad from them. School officials are not sure whether or not the Flight 253 jihadist went to an Islamic school in Houston.

And in Nigeria, they've never seen al-Qaeda and are all moderates. And now we hear the same thing from his London mosque.

"London Mosque 'Appalled' By Terrorist Attack," from the Daily Express, December 29

THE mosque that Abdulmutallab was reported to have visited in Britain distanced itself from the terrorist attack yesterday....

Mosque secretary Ayub Khan said: "The mosque condemns in the strongest possible terms the alleged attempt to blow up a transatlantic airliner in the USA."

He added that the mosque "is appalled that it should be associated with such heinous acts".

However, he said the public mosque was visited by 20,000 people a year and so "cannot comment on whether this individual came".

Abdulmutallab studied mechanical engineering at University College London from 2005 to 2008.

Last night, a college spokesman said that "quietly spoken" Abdulmutallab "never gave his tutors any cause for concern".

With thanks to JihadWatch

Failed Nigerian bomber took trip to Buckingham Palace

FAILED bomber Umar Abdulmutallab posed for a photo outside Britain's Buckingham Palace, an iconic symbol of Western wealth.

It was also a symbol of power the Nigerian grew to despise, it emerged today.

The terrorist also visited the British Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square, and at age 15 was beginning to adopt the extremist views that would turn him into a potential mass murderer.

At the time of the 2001 school trip to London, Abdulmutallab was known as "The Pope" by classmates at the British International School in Togo because of his "saintly" views.

He already disagreed with Western foreign policy, a view that would be radicalised a few years later while studying for an engineering degree in London.

A former teacher, Briton Michael Rimmer, revealed that in a 2001 discussion about the Taliban Abdulmutallab defended their actions, then excused his radical views saying he was playing devil's advocate.

On the trip to London, Abdulmutallab became upset when the teacher took students to a pub. He said it was wrong to be in a place where alcohol was being served.

Rimmer also revealed how Abdulmutallab chose to give £50 (A$90) to an orphanage rather than spend it on souvenirs.

"His nickname was 'The Pope.' In one way it's totally unsuitable because he's Muslim, but he did have this saintly aura.

"He was a good-looking guy, bright, from a good family and heading for a job in a top profession. Somewhere along the line he met fanatics and they turned his mind," he said.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2785736/Bomber-Umar-Abdulmutallab-at-Buckingham-Palace.html

The Australian

Suspicions Follow Third Viva Palestina Convoy

Viva Palestina, an organization that materially and morally supports the terrorist organization Hamas, launched its third convoy to Gaza last Sunday.
Dubbed "The Return to Gaza," the convoy is an international effort, with groups joining from the UK, the U.S. and dozens of other countries.

While some members of the Viva Palestina USA branch met their counterparts over the weekend in London, most will be joining the convoy in Istanbul on December 15^th. The convoy plans to enter Gaza on December 27^th after traveling through France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Egypt.

It does so amid an ongoing British government inquiry and American-based requests for investigations to determine whether its support for Hamas has broken any laws.

The brainchild of British MP George Galloway, the first Viva Palestina UK convoy publicly gave over $1 million to Hamas officials in March 2009. The second convoy, which departed New York in July with approximately 200 Americans, raised more than $1 million from fundraising events, largely through Galloway's speaking engagements around the country.

The money was purportedly transferred to Egypt where supplies were purchased for distribution in Gaza. Due to a blockade imposed by Egypt, the group spent only 24 hours in Gaza, meeting with Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and visiting Hamas run-facilities, such as the Ministry of Prisoners, which is devoted to helping the families of Palestinian martyrs in Israeli jails.

One of Viva Palestina's stated goals is to "distribute necessary medical aid to the Palestinian people." However, a closer look at the activities of the past two convoys indicates that the organization actually benefits Hamas more than individual Palestinians.

After the U.S. convoy in July, questions were raised about where the medical aid and the cash donations went. Several participants noted in personal blogs that they were concerned over the matter. As an example, one participant wrote:

"I did not witness the presentation of the ten truck-loads of medical aid that VIVA PALESTINA purchased in Cairo and was donated by Egyptian businesses. I was told by VIVA PALESTINA leaders that that aid was distributed to several NGOs. I wish that VIVA PALESTINA would report an inventory of the contents, of the trucks, and a list of the NGOs who received the aid."

Perhaps in response to such doubts, as well as to complaints addressed to the federal government about its support for Hamas, Viva Palestina USA released a statement on its website on October 31^st titled "Viva Palestina Addresses Concerns."

It claimed that the organization "does not and in fact will not favour any political party within Palestine" and "the donations were given to a non-governmental consortium in Gaza called Expertise in Consulting and Development (CODE) which was, in turn, responsible for distributing the aid in a manner consistent with our goals, as well as with the community's needs."

CODE receives significant funding, however, from the Union of the Good, designated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 2008 as an organization created by Hamas to "transfer funds to the terrorist organization."

The Treasury press release notes, "In addition to providing cover for Hamas financial transfers, some of the funds transferred by the Union of Good have compensated Hamas terrorists by providing payments to the families of suicide bombers."

More at IPT

London: Hizb ut-Tahrir barred from university debate

The University of London has cancelled the appearance of a speaker from an Islamic group that opposes democracy and integration into British society.

A representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir was due to appear at Queen Mary college in east London to debate Sharia law in the modern world.

But the group was told it could not take part after students campaigned about its "blatantly
aggressive" views.

The university's union said the debate organisers acted to avoid controversy.

(..)

A union spokesman said the society's members were adamant Hizb ut-Tahrir would not use the event to "espouse hateful views", but decided to find a new speaker to avoid controversy.

But a spokesman for Student Rights said: "Hizb ut-Tahrir speakers have been known to condone suicide bombings and support Islamist movements which undertake terrorist acts such as Islamic Jihad.

"This can be frightening and intimidating for the student body."

He added: "On university campuses it is simply incomprehensible how such blatantly aggressive organisations can be invited to speak."

A Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman said: "By lobbying to stop this week's event those organisations seem to believe their inability to effectively counter our arguments gives them the right to stop others debating with us.

"Their actions only prove how empty their rhetoric on free speech and human rights is."


(more)

Source: BBC, h/t Islamophobia Watch

With thanks to Islam in Europe

London: 60% increase in honor-based incidents

Police have seen 'honour' crime surge by 40 per cent due to rising fundamentalism, new figures show.

Honour-based violence, including crimes like murder, rape and kidnap has rocketed in London during the past year.

Reported instances of intimidation and attempts at forced marriage have also increased by 60 per cent.

A report into the scale of the problem by Scotland Yard found there were 161 honour-based incidents recorded in 2007-8, of which 93 were criminal offences.

But in 2008/9 the number of incidents had risen to 256, with 132 being criminal offences.

The latest figures indicate that the trend is continuing, with 211 incidents reported in the last six months until October, of which 129 were offences - more than double the number in the same period last year.

Police define honour crimes as offences motivated by a desire to protect the honour of a family or community.

Diana Nammi, of the Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation, said the group is now dealing with four times more complaints relating to honour than two years ago.

She said: 'More women are coming forward. They are becoming more aware of their rights in the UK, that there is help available and they feel confident enough to report matters to the police.

'But I also think cases and violence are increasing.

'One reason is the rise in fundamentalism. The problem is increasing in communities around the UK.

'We are seeing a rise not only in honour killings, but also in female genital mutilation and polygamy.'

She added: 'The rise in Sharia courts is another indication of more fundamental beliefs.

'There must be more support from the Government to organisations who are working to combat this problem.'


(more)


Source: Daily Mail

Islam in Europe

UK Muslims make case for Sharia law

Colin Randall, Foreign Correspondent

LONDON:Flanked by Islamic bookshops in one of the shabbier corners of London, the modest facade of the Masjid Tawhid bears no resemblance to the solemn grandeur of the Royal Courts of Justice in the centre of the capital.

But tucked away inside a building that also offers ample accommodation for prayers, classes and social functions is a tiny room where justice is dispensed with no less seriousness than in the official courts.

Here in Leyton High Road, in London’s East End, and in nearby premises previously used by the Islamic Sharia Council of the UK, some 10,000 cases have been dealt with during the past 27 years. The workload is increasing and senior Muslim scholars who administer the system believe it is only a matter of time before Sharia is formally accepted within the framework of British law.

But this growth has generated fierce criticism in some quarters. A report by the think-tank Civitas earlier this year claimed 85 Sharia courts were operating in the UK, sometimes giving the Muslims who turn to them illegal advice on matrimonial and divorce issues. Its allegations are firmly challenged by the council, but Britain’s Conservative opposition is expected to impose restrictions if it takes power next year.

For Sheikh Haitham al Haddad, one of the council’s most senior members, the work of such tribunals can be “complementary to the civil courts” and in certain cases find solutions that would be beyond the established legal system.

He suspects the hostility of some non-Muslims is based on confusion with such punishments as the stoning of adulteresses, amputation of thieves’ hands and flogging for drinking alcohol.

British public concern has been heightened by demonstrations in which militants have demanded the full application of Sharia.

As a devout Muslim, Sheikh Haddad, born in Saudi Arabia to Palestinian parents, considers physical punishment consistent with Islamic teaching, but points out that this is a philosophical issue that has nothing to with the council, which deals purely with civil disputes.

“We are not asking for the flogging of people for drinking or stoning for adultery,” he said. “These things simply have no place in our discussions.”

More at the National

Why Al Qaeda Wants a Safe Haven

BY JIM ARKEDIS

Take it from someone who has spent the last half-decade studying terrorist plots: A homeless al Qaeda is the best guarantee against large-scale attacks.

As deliberations about the Obama administration's strategic direction in Afghanistan unfold, the White House is weighing whether al Qaeda, in fact, needs an Afghan safe haven -- an expanse of land under the protection of the Taliban -- to reconstitute its capability to attack the United States.

Many noted scholars doubt it. In a recent Washington Post op-ed, Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass bluntly stated, "Al Qaeda does not require Afghan real estate to constitute a regional or global threat."

He's wrong. Although the group has been significantly weakened since late 2001, the only chance al Qaeda has of rebuilding its capability to conduct a large-scale terrorist operation against the United States is under the Taliban's umbrella of protection.

Objections like Haass's are rooted in the following arguments: that terrorists don't need physical space because they can plot online; that the London and Madrid bombings prove deadly attacks can be planned in restrictive, Western, urban locations under the noses of local security services; and that denying terrorists one safe haven will simply compel them to move to another lawless region.

I spent five years as a counterterrorism analyst for the Pentagon and rigorously studied plots from Madrid to London to 9/11. The above arguments may have merit in a piecemeal or abstract sense, but fall apart in the specific case of what we all dread: a large-scale, al Qaeda operation aimed at the United States.

It is certainly true, for example, that terrorist groups can accomplish much online. Individuals can maintain contact with groups via chat rooms, money can be transferred over the Web (if done with extreme caution), and plotters can download items like instruction manuals for bomb-making, photographs of potential targets, and even blueprints for particular buildings.

But all the e-mail accounts, chat rooms, and social media available will never account for the human touch. There is simply no substitute for the trust and confidence built by physically meeting, jointly conceiving, and then training together for a large-scale, complex operation on the other side of the world.

Read more here,,,,

Source: Foreign Policy

London denies UK Muslim spy charge

The British government has denied that a programme for tackling religious extremism is used by its security agencies to spy on Muslim communities.

In a statement released on Saturday, the Home Office said its $230m Preventing Violent Extremism strategy did not engage in covert intelligence-gathering on potential terrorists.

"Any suggestion that Prevent is about spying is simply wrong," the Home Office said.

"Prevent is about working with communities to protect vulnerable individuals and address the root causes of radicalisation."

Launched in 2006, the programme's mission was to fund projects aimed at rejecting extremist ideology and employing youth workers and teachers to help young Muslims deemed vulnerable to radical organisations.

But in a critical report, the Institute of Race Relations claimed the programme has, in effect, established "one of the most elaborate systems of surveillance ever seen in Britain".

Arun Kundnani, the report's author, concludes that far from tackling extremism, Prevent actually fostered division, mistrust and alienation.

"The Prevent progamme constructs the Muslim population as a 'suspect community' ... encourages tokenism, facilitates violations of privacy and professional norms of confidentiality, discourages local democracy and is counter-productive in reducing the risk of political violence", Kundnani said.

Read more here,,,,

Source: Al Jazeera (English)

Gov't condemns former London mayor interview with Mashaal

The British government has condemned former London mayor Ken Livingstone for his interview with Hamas head Khaled Mashaal, published in a UK current affairs publication on Friday.

Foreign Office Minister Ivan Lewis accused Livingstone of handing a "propaganda coup to the leader of a terrorist organization" after an interview with the Hamas leader, who lives in exile in Damascus, appeared in the latest edition of the left-wing political weekly New Statesman.

"Ken Livingstone rightly earned praise for his strong and responsible leadership in the aftermath of the 7/7 attacks on London," Lewis said on Friday. "It is therefore particularly regrettable that he learned the wrong lessons from history by handing a propaganda coup to the leader of a terrorist organization."

Britain, along with the European Union and US, deems Hamas a terrorist group and has pledged to isolate it until it adopts the Quartet principles - recognizing Israel, renouncing violence and accepting previous interim peace accords.

"Hamas has not only breached international law by firing rockets at civilian populations in Israel but continues to violate the human rights of Palestinians in Gaza," Lewis added.

New Statesman described the interview as a "world exclusive." Popular UK blog "Harry's Place" disagreed saying it was an exclusive "only in the sense that no other mainstream publication in the world would print it."

Relations between Livingstone and the Jewish community deteriorated during his time as mayor following a number of incidents, including an invitation to a Muslim cleric who condoned Palestinian suicide bombers.

In 2005 Livingstone likened a Jewish journalist to a Nazi concentration camp guard and refused to apologize. The following year, after disagreement over a building project, he suggested that Indian-born Jewish property developers, the Rueben brothers, should "go back to Iran and see if they can do better under the ayatollahs." He claimed later he did not know the Ruebens were Jewish.

New Statesman has also had a strained relationship with the Jewish community over the years. In 2002, the weekly was accused of anti-Semitism when it published a story under the title "A Kosher Conspiracy?" The cover was illustrated with a gold Star of David piercing and dominating a UK flag.

In 2007, the magazine compared the Marva and Gadna IDF youth programs to Islamic Jihad "summer camps."

In 2006, it sponsored the planting of new olive trees in Palestinian areas as an incentive to subscribe to the magazine.

Source: JPost

Airline bomb plot leader to serve minimum of 40 years in jail

The ringleader of a plot to put liquid bombs on transatlantic airliners was jailed for life with a minimum of 40 years today for planning what the judge said was an atrocity comparable with the September 11 attacks.

Abdulla Ahmed Ali, a British-born extremist, planned to detonate home-made liquid bombs on board flights bound for major North American cities, Woolwich Crown Court in South London heard.

Ali, of Walthamstow, East London, was found guilty along with Assad Sarwar and Tanvir Hussain of conspiracy to murder on a mass scale by detonating bombs on airliners following the largest-ever counter-terrorism operation in the UK.

Sarwar was jailed for life with a minimum of 36 years and Hussain told that he would have to spend at least 32 years in jail.

Mr Justice Henriques, the trial judge, said that the gang was guilty of "the most grave and wicked conspiracy ever proven within this jurisdiction".

"The intention was to perpetrate a terrorist outrage that would stand alongside the events of September 11, 2001 in history," he said.

He added that the plans had "reached an advanced stage in its development" and the men had "sufficient chemicals for 20 home-made detonators of commercial strength".

"I’m satisfied that there is every likelihood that this plot would have succeeded but for the intervention of the police and the security service."

Referring to a video of a mock explosion on board an airliner, Mr Justice Henriques said: "I could only conclude the chance of an aircraft surviving such an explosion at altitude was remote. Had this conspiracy not been interrupted, a massive loss of life would almost certainly have resulted - and if the detonation was over land, the number of victims would have been even greater still."

The judge said the e-mails at the centre of the retrial - which were unavailable to prosecutors in the first trial last year - were "a vital source of information as to the control, progress and scope of this conspiracy".

Read more here,,,,

Source: Times Online

Compassionate Immigrants forbid Natives to remember Victims of 9/11

Friday, September 11, 2009
9/11 Memorial Demonstration Goes Sour as Muslims in London Attack SIOE Demonstrators.......

The Muslim street lock arms to keep the infidel from approaching

Atlas: Seven people were arrested for possession of offensive weapons including a hammer, a chisel and bottles of bleach. Police believe these arrests were not linked to the SIOE protest. (BBC)

They will not tolerate dissent, Islam will refuse the non-Muslim the right to protest against it. So they do what they do best in quashing dissent, start a riot to help end the demonstration quickly.
Riot police quell clashes at anti-Islam demo in London

LONDON (AFP) – Riot police intervened Friday to quell clashes between Muslims and anti-Islamic extremists protesting outside a London mosque on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, an AFP correspondent said.Police moved in after a crowd of angry Muslim youths, some wearing masks over their faces, threw sticks and stones at a small group of anti-Islamic protesters near the mosque in Harrow, northwest London."

This is England, I should be able to demonstrate," said one of the group of about a dozen mostly shaven-headed anti-Islamic protesters."I have got two sons in the army. They are out in Afghanistan fighting, but the police doesn't (sic) want to defend us here today," said the man in his late 40s, who declined to give his name.In a tense atmosphere after initial clashes subsided, police surrounded the white demonstrators, to shield them from the angry Muslims some 500 metres (yards) from the mosque.The demonstration near Harrow Central Mosque was organised by Stop Islamification of Europe (SIOE), which said ahead of the demo that it planned to remain peaceful.

Read All here: http://tundratabloid.blogspot.com/2009/09/911-goes-sour-as-muslims-in-london.html

8 arrested at protest outside mosque in London

Protesters threw bricks and bottles Friday at police outside a mosque in London after about 1,000 people showed up to counter a planned a right-wing demonstration there, police said.

One person was arrested "to prevent a breach of the peace," police said in a statement. The right-wing demonstration's organizer, Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE), said on its Web site one of the demonstration's planners had been arrested.

Seven other people were arrested during the melee for possession of "offensive weapons" -- including bottles of bleach, a hammer and a chisel, police said.

Police said incidents at the scene began when the crowd -- believed to be either members of an anti-fascism group or there to provide support to the Harrow Central Mosque -- went after three youths, "caught up with them, and assaulted them," police said.

"Police had to intervene to prevent the crowd from continuing with their attack."

It was not immediately known if the youths were affiliated with any political group.

Police said they had identified and stopped a number of people believed to be heading to the right-wing protest prior to the demonstration's start time, preventing them from reaching the area.

It was not immediately known how many, if any, of the group's supporters had successfully arrived outside the mosque.

"One person was arrested to prevent a breach of the peace as police believed if the SIOE demonstration started it would have resulted in serious disorder," police said.

The group said on its Web site that the demonstration had been called off and that Stephen Gash, listed as one of the group's contacts, had been arrested "to prevent a breach of the peace."

"If you are on your way to the demo, don't go, it's being called off right now," the post read. "The police can't handle the muslim counter demonstrators [sic]."

The group describes itself on its Web site as an alliance of people "with the single aim of preventing Islam becoming a dominant political force in Europe."

Source: CNN

Everyone should fast for a day 'to understand Muslims', says Boris Johnson

By Daily Mail Reporter

London Mayor Boris Johnson today encouraged people to undergo a day of fasting to help understand their 'Muslim neighbour'.

He said Muslims in the capital were 'challenging traditional stereotypes' to show they wanted to be part of the mainstream during a visit to the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre.

Mr Johnson's visit coincided with the holy period of Ramadan in which participating Muslims fast from dawn until sunset.

He said: 'Whether it's in theatre, comedy, sports, music or politics, Muslims are challenging the traditional stereotypes and showing that they are, and want to be, a part of the mainstream community.

'That's why I urge people, particularly during Ramadan, to find out more about Islam, increase your understanding and learning, even fast for a day with your Muslim neighbour and break your fast at the local mosque.

'I would be very surprised if you didn't find that you share more in common than you thought.'

He added: 'Muslims are at the heart of every aspect of society. Their contribution is something that all Londoners benefit from.

'Muslim police officers, doctors, scientists and teachers are an essential part of the fabric of London.

'Islamic finance is contributing to the economy by changing the way Londoners invest, save, borrow and spend.

'There are valuable lessons that people of all backgrounds can learn from Islam such as the importance of community spirit, family ties, compassion and helping those less fortunate, all of which lie at the heart of the teachings of Ramadan.'

Source: Daily Mail

H/T: Vlad Tepes and Gramfan

London: another Step toward "One-Way Understanding"

Everyone should fast for a day ‘to understand Muslims’, says Boris Johnson
By taffyincanada September 4, 2009

Is it haram to for the mayor to be serving Londoners dhimmi soup during Ramadan?

Boris Johnson arrives at the East London Mosque with his Director of Communication Guto Harri this afternoon where he talked about the need for greater understanding of Muslims
MailOnline…

London Mayor Boris Johnson today encouraged people to undergo a day of fasting to help understand their ‘Muslim neighbour’.

He said Muslims in the capital were ‘challenging traditional stereotypes’ to show they wanted to be part of the mainstream during a visit to the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre.
Mr Johnson’s visit coincided with the holy period of Ramadan in which participating Muslims fast from dawn until sunset.

He said: ‘Whether it’s in theatre, comedy, sports, music or politics, Muslims are challenging the traditional stereotypes and showing that they are, and want to be, a part of the mainstream community.

‘That’s why I urge people, particularly during Ramadan, to find out more about Islam, increase your understanding and learning, even fast for a day with your Muslim neighbour and break your fast at the local mosque.

‘I would be very surprised if you didn’t find that you share more in common than you thought.’
He added: ‘Muslims are at the heart of every aspect of society. Their contribution is something that all Londoners benefit from.

‘Muslim police officers, doctors, scientists and teachers are an essential part of the fabric of London.

‘Islamic finance is contributing to the economy by changing the way Londoners invest, save, borrow and spend.

‘There are valuable lessons that people of all backgrounds can learn from Islam such as the importance of community spirit, family ties, compassion and helping those less fortunate, all of which lie at the heart of the teachings of Ramadan.’

Source: Vlad Tepes Blog

Chechen rebels put fatwa on separatist leader living in London for abandoning Islam

Chechen rebels have today called for prominent separatist leader Akhmed Zakayev to be killed, saying he has abandoned Islam.

Zakayev, who lives in London, represents the moderate wing of the separatist movement and has clashed with radical Islamic insurgents in Russia's southern republic of Chechnya.

An Islamic rebel website said Zakayav had recognised the authority of Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed leader of the region.

'Public remarks show that he (Zakayev) has fallen away from Islam,' the website said, adding that Doku Umarov, Chechnya's most wanted separatist leader, was behind the order.

'The court has ruled that the killing of this apostate is a duty for Muslims.' It did not say what court had issued the ruling.

Zakayev, 50, fought against Russia as a senior rebel commander in two wars with Moscow from 1994 to 2000.

After Russia regained control of the province, he fled to Europe and acted as an official rebel envoy until 2007.

Russia has tried to extradite Zakayev for 13 alleged crimes including kidnapping and murder, but a British court rejected the request in 2003, causing a diplomatic row.

Kadyrov said last month that he would welcome Zakayev's return and possibly offer him a job in the regional culture ministry. But there were no indications Russia was ready to drop charges against him.

Kadyrov faces strong criticism from human rights bodies after kidnappings and killings of human rights and charity activists in Chechnya.

He denies any link to the killings.

Source: Mail Online
H/T: JihadWatch

The Muslim cleric who blames British mosques for the 7/7 bombings, says multiculturalism is a disaster and would throw Islamic fanatics out

Terror: The bus destroyed in the 7/7 London bombings

By Richard Pendlebury

You can usually find at least one in any saloon bar, ready to give you the benefit of their peppery views on the parlous state of Britain today.

This particular example is a clean shaven, middle-aged man with the de rigueur attire of carefully knotted mustard tie and blue, golf club-style blazer.

Brass cuff buttons flash as he pounds an angry fist on to his knee.

'I will give £5 to anyone in Britain who wants to live under Sharia law,' he declares. 'It will help pay for their ticket to Sudan, Yemen, Pakistan, or wherever it is customary to live under Sharia law.

'Please, please go and leave us alone. This is Britain, not 10th century Arabia!'

We are indeed sitting in a bar, on a busy main road in Oxford.

Violence: Dr Taj Hargey deplores fanatics such
as the suicide bombers who targeted London

But the man before me is no stereotypical Islamophobe.

For one, he is sipping a glass of water rather than something more inflammatory.

More importantly, though by no means obviously, Dr Taj Hargey is himself an Islamic cleric; perhaps the most controversial imam in Britain today.

In an age when the highest-profile Muslim preachers are bearded, anti-Western firebrands such as Abu Hamza or Omar Bakri Dr Hargey seems an anomaly.

He does not care much for male facial hair. He believes that women can be both seen and heard, even in a mosque at Friday prayers.

And don't even get him started on the sort of fanatics who blow up London buses, or the poisonous teachings that inspired them.

After three men were cleared this week on charges of assisting the July 7 bombers, there have been calls for an inquiry into blunders made by the security services.

But Dr Hargey has little doubt who, and what, is truly to blame for unleashing such terrorism on our streets.

'It is the extremist ideology present in many UK mosques which is the cement behind nihilistic plots such as this,' he says. 'They are twisting Islam.' Read more ...

Source: Daily Mail

Dr. Taj Hargey
Latest recipient of The MASH Award

Hundreds expected at anti-sharia demo in London

Ruth Gledhill

One Law for All, the group that campaigns against the adoption of Islamic law or sharia in the UK, is planning a mass demonstration in the centre of London tomorrow, Saturday. 'We know we have a huge fight ahead and can only win if we do this together. We must mobilise a mass anti-racist movement that defends people's rights and lives and gives them precedence over culture and religion,' says organiser Maryam Namazie. The protest is timed to coincide with International Women's Day.

Maryam says: 'This is your chance to voice your opposition to sharia law and all religious-based tribunals in Britain and elsewhere, demand one secular law and full citizenship rights, demand an end to cultural relativism and racism, and defend universal rights.' Read more ...

Source: Times Online