Abu Dharr September 2008

Abu Dharr (Daily Terror) September 2008
Sunday September 28 2008 Firebomb attack on book publisher Jamie Doward & Mark Townsend, The Observer A petrol bomb is believed to have been thrown through the door of Martin Rynja's Ł2.5m town house in Islington's Lonsdale Square, which also doubles as the headquarters of his publishing company, Gibson Square. The Observer has learned that police told Rynja late on Friday night to leave his property. His company recently made headlines when it announced it was to publish The Jewel of Medina. Written by US journalist Sherry Jones... Guide dog allowed to enter mosque Asian Image A blind Muslim student has become the first person to be allowed to take a guide dog into a UK mosque. Mahomed-Abraar Khatri, 18, can now enter his place of worship in Leicester with canine companion Vargo after the Muslim Law (Shari'ah) Council UK issued a historic fatwa in response to his request. The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association described the decision as "a massive step forward for other blind and partially-sighted Muslims". Police take no action on leaflets Asian Image Police are to take no action over leaflets sent to to homes accusing Muslims of being responsible for Britain's heroin epidemic. The leaflet has been distributed to homes in Burnley - which suffered race riots in 2001 - and is also reportedly circulating in parts of Cumbria and Yorkshire. It says people should "heap condemnation" on Muslims and it is time for them to "apologise" as it claims they are responsible for 95% of the world's heroin trade. Don't be soft on Islam, says EU terror chief Jason Burke, The Observer Europe's anti-terror chief has launched a stinging attack on the political correctness that he says is hampering the campaign against militant Islam. Gilles de Kerchove, the EU counter-terrorism co-ordinator, said last week that concern about stigmatising Muslim populations was hampering policy-making and thus prevention. 'One of the problems ... is that some member states are extremely reluctant to be explicit about the link with religion,' said de Kerchove. Words can never hurt us Inayat Bunglawala, Guardian CiF Today marks the 20th anniversary of the publication of Salman Rushdie's novel, The Satanic Verses. At the time, extracts from the novel were circulated by some Islamic organisations to mosques and Islamic societies across the country to help acquaint British Muslims with its contents. I was in my second year at university and could not comprehend why someone like Rushdie, who had been brought up in a Muslim family, would write a provocative novel... Saturday September 13 2008 Humanists sue as exam agency blocks GCSE Polly Curtis, Guardian Humanists are suing the government's exam agency over its decision to prevent a board giving humanism equal status to faiths in a religious education GCSE. The OCR board had proposed allowing children to study humanism in as much depth as Christianity, Islam and Judaism in the GCSE but the move was barred by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority's regulator Ofqual. It said the syllabus put forward meant students would be able to study only humanism... Group warns minorities against joining force Sandra Laville, Guardian The National Black Police Association is threatening to run a public campaign urging ethnic minorities to boycott the Metropolitan police in an escalation of the race row engulfing the force. Leading members have drawn up battle plans after a week in which the internal disputes of the Met have spilled out in public in a bitter war of words. The NBPA told the Guardian it is planning a march on Scotland Yard of black and Asian officers from across the country... Scottish Islamic Foundation formed Asian Image Scottish Muslims are planning a radical campaign to play a greater role in the country's civic life, to change the perceptions of their religion and to promote Scotland as an ideal country for Muslims to live and invest in. Members of the newly formed Scottish Islamic Foundation (SIF) are planning to launch the campaign, which will engage with issues such as the removal of nuclear weapons from Faslane and the environment. Anglicans back Darwin over 'noisy' creationists Alexandra Frean and Lewis Smith, Times The Church of England expressed deep concerns last night about the spread of creationist views as it prepared to unveil a website promoting the evolutionary views of Charles Darwin. Anglican leaders fear that “noisy” advocates of a literal interpretation of the Bible - especially in the United States, where even the Republican vice-presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, is a vocal supporter - are infecting the perception of Christianity worldwide. Sarkozys greet pontiff in Paris Angelique Chrisafis, Guardian Pope Benedict began his first visit to France yesterday amid controversy over the French separation of church and state and Nicolas Sarkozy's public interest in God. The French president and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy went beyond protocol requirements to personally meet the pontiff at the start of a three-day tour, in which he will address a crowd of at least 200,0000 people in Paris today and another 250,000 at the southern pilgrimage shrine of Lourdes tomorrow. Round-up of coverage of Imam W. D. Mohammed's passing (Akram's Razor) Pro-McCain Group Dumping 28 Million Terror Scare DVDs in Swing States (Tabsir) Thursday September 11 2008 Outrage at Muslim killing computer game Asian Image A computer game in which players aim to kill as many Muslims as possible has been branded tasteless and highly offensive. Muslim Massacre sees the player take control of an 'American Hero' armed with an array of weapons. He then parachutes into a Muslim country targeting the population, before taking on Osama bin Laden, the Prophet and finally Allah. The Ramadhan Foundation, a national Muslim group expressed its deep condemnation and anger at the computer game. ['Muslim massacre' computer game condemned -Josie Clarke, Independent] Cleared: Jury decides that threat of global warming justifies breaking the law Michael McCarthy, Independent The threat of global warming is so great that campaigners were justified in causing more than Ł35,000 worth of damage to a coal-fired power station, a jury decided yesterday. In a verdict that will have shocked ministers and energy companies the jury at Maidstone Crown Court cleared six Greenpeace activists of criminal damage. Jurors accepted defence arguments that the six had a "lawful excuse" to damage property at Kingsnorth power station in Kent... Muslims accused of aircraft bomb plot to face retrial Cahal Milmo, Independent Seven young British Muslims are to be retried for plotting to blow up transatlantic passenger jets using home-made liquid explosives in soft drink bottles. Three men were convicted after a four-month trial of conspiring to commit mass murder by using the bombs against potential targets including Heathrow and Parliament. But a jury at Woolwich Crown Court, south-east London, could not decide whether they and four other men had planned to target airliners. Tuesday September 09 2008 Two thirds of newspaper stories say British Muslims are 'a threat' or 'problem' Rebecca Wood, IRR A new report has found that, since 2000, two thirds of newspaper articles about Muslims in Britain portray British Muslims as either 'a threat' or 'problem' and increasingly utilise negative and stereotypical imagery. The forty-page report, entitled Images of Islam in the UK, set out to analyse a representative sample of newspaper articles in British tabloids and broadsheets between 2000 and 2008. In particular the authors, the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies... Faith schools can best generate the common purpose that pupils need Madeleine Bunting The Guardian Steve Chalke, a Baptist minister with a motor mouth and bags of charm, is a very busy man. Six new academies run by his charity, Oasis, have just begun their first terms. Oasis already had three, and another three more are planned for next year. Opening one academy in Bristol late last week, Chalke explained, between bursts of loud cheering in the background, his idea of a faith school. Asif Ali Zardari: the godfather as president Tariq Ali, guardian.co.uk Asif Ali Zardari – singled out by fate to become Benazir Bhutto's husband and who, subsequently, did everything he could to prevent himself from being returned to obscurity – is about to become the new President of Pakistan. Oily-mouthed hangers-on, never in short supply in Pakistan, will orchestrate a few celebratory shows and the ready tongues of old cronies (some now appointed ambassadors to western capitals) will speak of how democracy has been enhanced. Wednesday September 03 2008 Let Muslim women speak Shelina Zahra Janmohamed, Guardian CIF The last few weeks have been particularly eventful for Muslim women on Comment is Free. We would have felt extremely exhausted by all the excitement, were it not for the fact that - with the notable exception of Samia Rahman and Reefat Drabu - we were spared the ignominy of having to participate in the debate ourselves. AC Grayling started us off by equating the headscarf with an iron shackle and stating that Muslim women are complicit in their own oppression. Unarmed freedom fighters Muzamil Jaleel, Guardian CIF lowing black beard, a headband with "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) and a fluttering green flag. This has been the trademark picture of the recent azadi (freedom) processions of Kashmir, where hundreds of thousands marched the streets of this disputed Himalayan region seeking a separation from India. From a distance, it seems as if the past has returned to Kashmir. But the present contains an irrefutable truth: in place of guns, the people carry slogans. Dutch Clinic Counsels Ramadan Patients (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) Rhythms and Rhymes of Life: Music and Identification Processes of Dutch-Moroccan Youth - Miriam Gazzah (CLOSER) Ramadan across Europe (Islam in Europe) Muslim quits over bare arm policy (BBC News Online) MPs too scared of Muslim voters to challenge forced marriage, claims Cryer (Islamophobia Watch) Tuesday September 02 2008 Asian officer loses racial bias case against Met Cahal Milmo, Independent One of the two senior Asian officers suing the Metropolitan Police for racial discrimination has lost his claim after alleging that a "golden circle" of white officers had been chosen to run Britain's largest force. Commander Shabir Hussain, 45, who is one of the highest-ranked ethnic minority officers in the country, brought an employment tribunal case alleging he had been repeatedly overlooked for promotion by Sir Ian Blair, the Met's commissioner, because "my face did not fit..."
index

Abu Dharr (Daily Terror) September 2008

Sunday September 28 2008
Firebomb attack on book publisher
Jamie Doward & Mark Townsend, The Observer
A petrol bomb is believed to have been thrown through the door of Martin Rynja's Ł2.5m town house in Islington's Lonsdale Square, which also doubles as the headquarters of his publishing company, Gibson Square. The Observer has learned that police told Rynja late on Friday night to leave his property. His company recently made headlines when it announced it was to publish The Jewel of Medina. Written by US journalist Sherry Jones...

Guide dog allowed to enter mosque
Asian Image
A blind Muslim student has become the first person to be allowed to take a guide dog into a UK mosque. Mahomed-Abraar Khatri, 18, can now enter his place of worship in Leicester with canine companion Vargo after the Muslim Law (Shari'ah) Council UK issued a historic fatwa in response to his request. The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association described the decision as "a massive step forward for other blind and partially-sighted Muslims".

Police take no action on leaflets
Asian Image
Police are to take no action over leaflets sent to to homes accusing Muslims of being responsible for Britain's heroin epidemic. The leaflet has been distributed to homes in Burnley - which suffered race riots in 2001 - and is also reportedly circulating in parts of Cumbria and Yorkshire. It says people should "heap condemnation" on Muslims and it is time for them to "apologise" as it claims they are responsible for 95% of the world's heroin trade.

Don't be soft on Islam, says EU terror chief
Jason Burke, The Observer
Europe's anti-terror chief has launched a stinging attack on the political correctness that he says is hampering the campaign against militant Islam. Gilles de Kerchove, the EU counter-terrorism co-ordinator, said last week that concern about stigmatising Muslim populations was hampering policy-making and thus prevention. 'One of the problems ... is that some member states are extremely reluctant to be explicit about the link with religion,' said de Kerchove.

Words can never hurt us
Inayat Bunglawala, Guardian CiF
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the publication of Salman Rushdie's novel, The Satanic Verses. At the time, extracts from the novel were circulated by some Islamic organisations to mosques and Islamic societies across the country to help acquaint British Muslims with its contents. I was in my second year at university and could not comprehend why someone like Rushdie, who had been brought up in a Muslim family, would write a provocative novel...

Saturday September 13 2008
Humanists sue as exam agency blocks GCSE
Polly Curtis, Guardian
Humanists are suing the government's exam agency over its decision to prevent a board giving humanism equal status to faiths in a religious education GCSE. The OCR board had proposed allowing children to study humanism in as much depth as Christianity, Islam and Judaism in the GCSE but the move was barred by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority's regulator Ofqual. It said the syllabus put forward meant students would be able to study only humanism...

Group warns minorities against joining force
Sandra Laville, Guardian
The National Black Police Association is threatening to run a public campaign urging ethnic minorities to boycott the Metropolitan police in an escalation of the race row engulfing the force. Leading members have drawn up battle plans after a week in which the internal disputes of the Met have spilled out in public in a bitter war of words. The NBPA told the Guardian it is planning a march on Scotland Yard of black and Asian officers from across the country...

Scottish Islamic Foundation formed
Asian Image
Scottish Muslims are planning a radical campaign to play a greater role in the country's civic life, to change the perceptions of their religion and to promote Scotland as an ideal country for Muslims to live and invest in. Members of the newly formed Scottish Islamic Foundation (SIF) are planning to launch the campaign, which will engage with issues such as the removal of nuclear weapons from Faslane and the environment.

Anglicans back Darwin over 'noisy' creationists
Alexandra Frean and Lewis Smith, Times
The Church of England expressed deep concerns last night about the spread of creationist views as it prepared to unveil a website promoting the evolutionary views of Charles Darwin. Anglican leaders fear that “noisy” advocates of a literal interpretation of the Bible - especially in the United States, where even the Republican vice-presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, is a vocal supporter - are infecting the perception of Christianity worldwide.

Sarkozys greet pontiff in Paris
Angelique Chrisafis, Guardian
Pope Benedict began his first visit to France yesterday amid controversy over the French separation of church and state and Nicolas Sarkozy's public interest in God. The French president and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy went beyond protocol requirements to personally meet the pontiff at the start of a three-day tour, in which he will address a crowd of at least 200,0000 people in Paris today and another 250,000 at the southern pilgrimage shrine of Lourdes tomorrow.

Round-up of coverage of Imam W. D. Mohammed's passing (Akram's Razor)
Pro-McCain Group Dumping 28 Million Terror Scare DVDs in Swing States (Tabsir)

Thursday September 11 2008
Outrage at Muslim killing computer game
Asian Image
A computer game in which players aim to kill as many Muslims as possible has been branded tasteless and highly offensive. Muslim Massacre sees the player take control of an 'American Hero' armed with an array of weapons. He then parachutes into a Muslim country targeting the population, before taking on Osama bin Laden, the Prophet and finally Allah. The Ramadhan Foundation, a national Muslim group expressed its deep condemnation and anger at the computer game.
['Muslim massacre' computer game condemned -Josie Clarke, Independent]

Cleared: Jury decides that threat of global warming justifies breaking the law
Michael McCarthy, Independent
The threat of global warming is so great that campaigners were justified in causing more than Ł35,000 worth of damage to a coal-fired power station, a jury decided yesterday. In a verdict that will have shocked ministers and energy companies the jury at Maidstone Crown Court cleared six Greenpeace activists of criminal damage. Jurors accepted defence arguments that the six had a "lawful excuse" to damage property at Kingsnorth power station in Kent...

Muslims accused of aircraft bomb plot to face retrial
Cahal Milmo, Independent
Seven young British Muslims are to be retried for plotting to blow up transatlantic passenger jets using home-made liquid explosives in soft drink bottles. Three men were convicted after a four-month trial of conspiring to commit mass murder by using the bombs against potential targets including Heathrow and Parliament. But a jury at Woolwich Crown Court, south-east London, could not decide whether they and four other men had planned to target airliners.

Tuesday September 09 2008
Two thirds of newspaper stories say British Muslims are 'a threat' or 'problem'
Rebecca Wood, IRR
A new report has found that, since 2000, two thirds of newspaper articles about Muslims in Britain portray British Muslims as either 'a threat' or 'problem' and increasingly utilise negative and stereotypical imagery. The forty-page report, entitled Images of Islam in the UK, set out to analyse a representative sample of newspaper articles in British tabloids and broadsheets between 2000 and 2008. In particular the authors, the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies...

Faith schools can best generate the common purpose that pupils need
Madeleine Bunting The Guardian
Steve Chalke, a Baptist minister with a motor mouth and bags of charm, is a very busy man. Six new academies run by his charity, Oasis, have just begun their first terms. Oasis already had three, and another three more are planned for next year. Opening one academy in Bristol late last week, Chalke explained, between bursts of loud cheering in the background, his idea of a faith school.

Asif Ali Zardari: the godfather as president
Tariq Ali, guardian.co.uk
Asif Ali Zardari – singled out by fate to become Benazir Bhutto's husband and who, subsequently, did everything he could to prevent himself from being returned to obscurity – is about to become the new President of Pakistan. Oily-mouthed hangers-on, never in short supply in Pakistan, will orchestrate a few celebratory shows and the ready tongues of old cronies (some now appointed ambassadors to western capitals) will speak of how democracy has been enhanced.

Wednesday September 03 2008
Let Muslim women speak
Shelina Zahra Janmohamed, Guardian CIF
The last few weeks have been particularly eventful for Muslim women on Comment is Free. We would have felt extremely exhausted by all the excitement, were it not for the fact that - with the notable exception of Samia Rahman and Reefat Drabu - we were spared the ignominy of having to participate in the debate ourselves. AC Grayling started us off by equating the headscarf with an iron shackle and stating that Muslim women are complicit in their own oppression.

Unarmed freedom fighters
Muzamil Jaleel, Guardian CIF
lowing black beard, a headband with "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) and a fluttering green flag. This has been the trademark picture of the recent azadi (freedom) processions of Kashmir, where hundreds of thousands marched the streets of this disputed Himalayan region seeking a separation from India. From a distance, it seems as if the past has returned to Kashmir. But the present contains an irrefutable truth: in place of guns, the people carry slogans.

Dutch Clinic Counsels Ramadan Patients (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies)
Rhythms and Rhymes of Life: Music and Identification Processes of Dutch-Moroccan Youth - Miriam Gazzah (CLOSER)
Ramadan across Europe (Islam in Europe)
Muslim quits over bare arm policy (BBC News Online)
MPs too scared of Muslim voters to challenge forced marriage, claims Cryer (Islamophobia Watch)

Tuesday September 02 2008
Asian officer loses racial bias case against Met
Cahal Milmo, Independent
One of the two senior Asian officers suing the Metropolitan Police for racial discrimination has lost his claim after alleging that a "golden circle" of white officers had been chosen to run Britain's largest force. Commander Shabir Hussain, 45, who is one of the highest-ranked ethnic minority officers in the country, brought an employment tribunal case alleging he had been repeatedly overlooked for promotion by Sir Ian Blair, the Met's commissioner, because "my face did not fit..."

index

daily terror
			A.D. archive Sept 2008