Wednesday January 31 2007/12 Muharram 1428 
Levy arrested over perversion of justice
Sandra Laville and Will Woodward, The Guardian
Tony Blair's chief fundraiser and confidant Lord Levy was arrested for a second time yesterday on suspicion of perverting the course of justice over his role in the cash for honours affair. The dramatic development suggests Lord Levy, who answers directly to the prime minister, is suspected of allegedly lying or withholding evidence from detectives as part of a cover-up. Police are known to be following a trail of encrypted emails and electronic trails on computer hard drives as part of their 10-month inquiry.

Tories accused of anti-Muslim bias
Karen McVeigh and Will Woodward, The Guardian
The Muslim Council of Britain accused the Conservative party of bias against Muslims yesterday and of "scaremongering about the so-called Islamic threat". In a report published yesterday, the party singled out the leading Muslim group for criticism and claimed that many Islamic organisations in Britain were keener to promote ideology than the communities they "claimed" to represent. In response, the MCB said the report was an attempt by the Tories to "marginalise Muslim organisations".

Cameron hits out at 'loud' Muslim groups
Daily Mail
Ministers must pay less attention to "loud" Muslim groups who often do not represent the views of their communities, David Cameron has insisted. The Tory leader said on Tuesday many such groups pursued an agenda of "separation rather than integration", and the Government could not afford to "defer" to their views. Speaking at the launch of an interim report by his National and International Security policy think-tank, Mr Cameron said the "sea" of support in which terrorists swam had to be drained. That meant bringing down barriers that divided communities, and making sure every Muslim had the chance to do well in life, he said.

Cleric 'wed vulnerable woman to live in UK'
Daily Mail
A foreign-born Islamic preacher has been accused of marrying a London woman with the mental age of seven in order to live in the UK. The bride's family, which is planning to sue the imam for abandoning his wife, has criticised the Home Office for its failure to deport the cleric. Mohammed Anhar Ali, who is from a village in Bangladesh, was granted indefinite leave to remain after the arranged marriage. The Home Office admitted today there was little it could do to revoke his status. A legal dossier on the case reveals attempts by the bride's local MP Jim Fitzpatrick, the Labour minister for London, and even her social worker to get the imam thrown out.

Eight men arrested in Birmingham anti-terror raids
Adam Fresco and Daniel McGrory, The Times
Eight people have been arrested in dawn raids in a major anti-terrorist operation involving two police forces that is believed to have thwarted an "Iraqi-style" kidnapping. John Reid, the Home Secretary, has been informed about the arrests and is receiving regular updates about the ongoing operation. The men were arrested at several addresses in Birmingham this morning at 4am. Security sources said a major terrorist plot had been stopped. The plan, which was in its later stages, is believed to have been a departure from recent al-Qaeda style bombings and was thought to involve the kidnapping of an individual rather than to cause mass casualties.

And check out:
Leap of faith (Guardian, Education)

Tuesday January 30 2007/11 Muharram 1428 
'If it can happen to me, it could happen to anyone'
Madeleine Bunting, The Guardian
Six weeks ago, Mustafa al-Mansur heard a knock at the door at six in the morning. It was the beginning of one of the less pleasant episodes in the young businessman's life. Arrested on suspicion of terrorism activities, he was not allowed even to say goodbye to his wife and three-year-old son. Taken from his home in Edmonton, north London, to Paddington Green high security police station, he was strip-searched and questioned for seven days on every aspect of his life: the state of his marriage, what kind of food he ate, what sports he played, the meaning of text messages on his phone...

Muslim fanatics are 'like BNP'
David Wooding, The Sun
MUSLIM extremists who preach hate are a “mirror image” of the British National Party, David Cameron said yesterday. The Tory leader claimed both groups were racist and hellbent on tearing society apart. He said home-grown Islamo-fascists reflect the vile aims of the far-Right party. He also identified five “barriers” to community cohesion — extremism, multi-culturalism, uncontrolled immigration, poverty and poor schools. He also urged ministers to stop hiding behind a “screen of cultural sensitivity” to ensure that Muslim women have the opportunity to get a job and go to university.

Tory report calls for end to Muslim ghettos
George Jones, Daily Telegraph
Muslim groups will be criticised by the Tories today for being too concerned with their own preservation rather than with promoting understanding. David Cameron, the Conservative leader, will attend the launch of a mid-term report of a policy group on community cohesion headed by Dame Pauline Neville- Jones, a former head of the Joint Intelligence Committee. The report, entitled Uniting the Country, also attacks multi-culturalism in Britain for "tending to foster difference for its own sake''. Publication of the interim findings of the Conservative Group on National and International Security - one of several policy groups set up by Mr Cameron - follows a speech in which the Tory leader called some Muslim extremist groups the "mirror image'' of the British National Party.

Muslim Youth report “a sham”
BLINK
AN OPINION poll claiming to show that multiculturalism has driven Muslim youth to extremism dominated yesterday’s news headlines. But further investigation has shown the Policy Exchange report to be little more than a sham. The first warning signs were the refusal of the think tank to reveal their methodology and the questions they asked. Closer analysis of the “Living Apart Together” report indicates a high level of spin in the conclusions. Experts say that far from being an “independent” think tank, Policy Exchange is actually a right-wing neo-Con leaning outfit, a reality that journalists failed to spot amid a blitz of media coverage yesterday (29th January 2007).

Cameron got it wrong
Inayat Bunglawala, Guardian CIF
Yesterday the Conservative leader, David Cameron, sought to further broaden his appeal by lashing out in a speech at two targets: multiculturalism and Muslim extremists... This persistent scaremongering in recent years has had a noticeably corrosive impact on attitudes towards British Muslims and it seems that this is precisely what those who engage in it want. To see Mr Cameron pandering to a rabid and discredited form of neo-conservatism from the other side of the Atlantic and to those who howl about the emergence of "Eurabia" is, to be frank, depressing. The Nasty Party indeed.

Muhammad Anwar: Contributions welcome
Chris Arnot, Guardian Education
Muhammad Anwar cuts a dapper figure among the casually dressed students hunched over cappuccinos in a cafe at Warwick's University House. He sips at his drink, which has been delivered in a cardboard receptacle, with politely disguised distaste. Bone china would be more his cup of tea, one suspects. A handkerchief the colour of burnished gold protrudes from the top pocket of his well-cut suit, and dazzling white cuffs from the sleeves. He has a style and presence that make it easy to picture him at the forthcoming honours ceremony where he is to be presented with an OBE for services to higher education.

Halal is hot
Jessica Shepherd, Guardian Education
This week, chefs at Manchester University have been learning how to cook, serve and handle halal meat. The university's main campus canteen nearly always serves a halal meat option, chosen by around 400 of the 2,500 daily diners. But catering manager Alison Aucott wanted more of her staff to know about the dietary needs of Manchester's Muslim students, so she invited Middlesex-based halal caterers Cater Direct to visit. "Students often ask us how the halal meat has been cooked and handled," she says. "I wanted to make sure my staff were fully informed. This will be our second training course. It has been extremely useful and has widened our understanding of halal."

And check out:
Tories set sights on separatist British Muslims (The Guardian)
Cameron: Muslims must be taught English, believers in shariah are like the BNP (Rolled Up Trousers)
Tories set sights on 'separatist' British Muslims (Islamophobia Watch)

Monday January 29 2007/10 Muharram 1428  [Ashura]
Special needs fees are £57,000 a child
Alexandra Frean, The Times
The costs of educating children with special needs privately risk spiralling out of control, with little indication of whether the money spent represents good value, research from the Audit Commission suggests. Each year councils in England and Wales pay for about 11,000 children with special educational needs (SEN) to be educated in private or charitable residential schools because there is no suitable local state provision. But fees have risen by 79 per cent in six years, a survey of the local authorities has found. The Audit Commission’s research shows that residential school costs are running at more than £500 million a year.

Cuts threaten services at British Library
Hugh Muir, The Guardian
It is at the heart of Britain's cultural, literary and political life. Each day writers, academics and researchers join those who have crossed the world to access the fruits of every publication produced in the UK and Ireland, from the humblest tome to the Magna Carta. But according to the British Library, government-imposed spending cuts may soon put the proud traditions of a national institution at risk. Ahead of the Treasury's 2007 spending review, library officials have drawn up a briefing paper outlining measures they would have to take if the widely speculated cuts of between 5% and 7% come to fruition.

Islam youths are 'rejecting UK'
George Pasco-Watson, The Sun
MORE than 100,000 young UK Muslims hold extremist or anti-British beliefs, a shock report suggests today. Tens of thousands think Muslims who switch religions should be punished by death. More than a third want Taliban-style Sharia law, which regards women rape victims as guilty and says adulterers should be killed by stoning. And more than one in ten of the 16 to 24-year-olds polled “admire” Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda and other terror groups. The survey was carried out last month for centre-right think tank Policy Exchange. Census figures show there are about 320,000 British Muslims in the age group polled — suggesting 100,000 are rejecting British values and culture.

More young Muslims back sharia, says poll
Stephen Bates and agencies, The Guardian
A growing minority of young Muslims are inspired by political Islam and feel they have less in common with non-Muslims than their parents do, a survey reveals today. The poll, carried out for the conservative-leaning Policy Exchange thinktank, found support for Sharia law, Islamic schools and wearing the veil in public is significantly stronger among young Muslims than their parents. In the survey of 1,003 Muslims by the polling company Populus through internet and telephone questionnaires, nearly 60% said they would prefer to live under British law, while 37% of 16 to 24-year-olds said they would prefer sharia law, against 17% of those over 55.

Muslims urged to refuse 'un-Islamic' vaccinations
Ruth Elkins, The Independent
A leading Islamic doctor is urging British Muslims not to vaccinate their children against diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella because they contain substances making them unlawful for Muslims to take. Dr Abdul Majid Katme, head of the Islamic Medical Association, says almost all vaccines contain un-Islamic "haram" derivatives of animal or human tissue, and that Muslim parents are better off letting childrens' immune systems develop on their own. Dr Katme, an NHS psychiatrist, said: "If you breastfeed your child for two years - as the Koran says - and you eat Koranic food like olives and black seed, and you do ablution each time you pray, then you will have a strong defence system."

These US-style culture wars seeping into Britain are an absurd distraction
Madeleine Bunting, The Guardian
On the same day as parliament was having its first debate for two and a half years on the Iraq war, the row blew up over the Catholic church's plea for exemption on allowing gay couples to adopt. No prizes for guessing which issue dominated the front pages, the blogs and the airwaves. While gay adoption and Catholicism prompted a vigorous, passionate debate, the one about the Iraq war languished down the running order. Of course, it's daft. A war that has cost more than half-a-million lives and destabilised one of the most volatile regions of the world is finally being debated in the institution...

Xenophobes, not workers, are uniting across Europe
Yudit Kiss, The Guardian
The long awaited and welcome accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union has already had a nasty side-effect. It has made it possible for the extreme right to form its own group in the European parliament - giving its parties extra time and money - Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty. Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front, formerly a vociferous opponent of the EU's enlargement, has delegated Bruno Gollnisch, a recidivist Holocaust denier, to head the group. He has received with open arms the five representatives of the Greater Romania party and Dimitar Stoyanov of the Bulgarian Ataka party, who had already made his debut in the European parliament commenting on the bodies and purchase price of Gypsy women.

And check out:
Young, British Muslims 'getting more radical' (Daily Telegraph)
Younger Muslims 'more political' (BBC News Online)
Multiculturalism 'drives young Muslims to shun British values' (Daily Mail)
Cameron: Radical Islam is mirror-image of neo-Nazis (Islamophobia Watch)
Younger Muslims 'more political' (Islamophobia Watch)
Sufism: Legitimate Resistance? (Eteraz)

Sunday January 28 2007/09 Muharram 1428 
Terror searches 'to be scaled back'
Ben Leapman and Tom Harper, Sunday Telegraph
Stop-and-search powers for police conducting counter-terrorist operations are to be reviewed after complaints from Muslims that they feel victimised. The move could end the use of "profiling", in which young Asian men are targeted because they fit the expected profile of a terrorist. Commander Richard Gargini of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) admitted that the review might lead to fewer people being searched under powers set out in the Terrorism Act, 2000. He announced the plans in a speech to the Muslim Safety Forum at East London Mosque, in which he even accused British police forces of "bias" against Muslims.

And check out:
Nick Cohen: crude parodies and a thinly veiled agenda (Indigo Jo blog)

Saturday January 27 2007/08 Muharram 1428 
Senior Muslims tried to reverse Holocaust memorial day snub
Vikram Dodd and Hugh Muir, The Guardian
Senior leaders within the Muslim Council of Britain tried to reverse the controversial decision to stay away from Holocaust memorial day, the Guardian has learned. Key figures such as Sir Iqbal Sacranie were desperate for the organisation to change tack, arguing that the current stance was damaging the MCB's reputation among the government and public. A secret meeting of the ruling committee saw more than a third of its senior figures vote to join Jewish leaders and those from other religions in the commemoration, which marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. But the policy was upheld by 23 votes to 14 in a secret ballot.

Racists who beat Asian to death face life in jail
Paul Stokes, Daily Telegraph
Four racist white teenagers were facing life sentences last night for the murder of an Asian taxi driver who was ambushed as he responded to a fare. Mohammad Parvaiz, 42, was stoned and battered to death after he inadvertently became caught up in a dispute between neighbours. He was lured to an isolated dead end, dragged from his cab and set upon by a gang armed with stones, bricks and fence posts. During the unprovoked attack they were heard shouting racist taunts as they rained blows and kicks on their defenceless victim. Minutes later Christopher Murphy, 18, who had stamped on Mr Parvaiz's head, inspected blood stains on his shoe and remarked to a friend in a pub: "I wonder if I've got Paki juice on the bottom of my shoes?"

Muslims defend Catholic stance in gay row
Ruth Gledhill, The Times
The Muslim Council of Britain has backed the leaders of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches in the adoption row. The intervention adds to the pressure on the Government to create an exemption for religious adoption societies under the new Sexual Orientation Regulations. This week the Anglican Archbishops of Canterbury and York entered the debate with a strong statement of support for the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, who wrote to every member of the Cabinet warning that Catholic agencies could not accept a law that would force them to place children with gay couples.

Friday January 26 2007/07 Muharram 1428 
French bring virtual riots to Second Life
Channel 4, More 4 News
More trouble in Second Life - and this time there are politicians behind it. The extreme right French party, the Front National, has set up an office in the virtual universe of Second Life. The regular residents aren't happy about it, and they've been expressing their displeasure with guns, bombs, and exploding pigs. Ben King put on his virtual riot gear to bring us this report... (streaming video)

Thursday January 25 2007/06 Muharram 1428 
From Aladdin to Lost Ark, Muslims get angry at 'bad guy' film images
Lucy Ward, The Guardian
Popular films ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to children's cartoons are depicting "crude and exaggerated" stereotypes of Muslims and perpetuating Islamophobia, according to a study published today. A report by the Islamic Human Rights Commission argues that films as diverse as The Siege, a portrayal of a terrorist attack on New York starring Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis, the Disney film Aladdin and the British comedy East is East have helped demonise Muslims as violent, dangerous and threatening, and reinforce prejudices.

Court extends detention of Halifax terror suspects
Press Association, Guardian Unlimited
Detectives have been given more time to question two men arrested under the Terrorism Act in West Yorkshire this week. Officers now have until Tuesday January 30 to hold the pair, aged 25 and 29, who were arrested in Halifax during a series of dawn raids.  They are being held "on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism". The warrants of further detention for the pair were granted by the City of Westminster magistrates court after an application from the counter terrorism command of the Metropolitan police.

Wailing at synagogue noisy but not 'a nuisance'
Frances Gibb, The Times
A dispute between an Orthodox rabbi and his Muslim neighbour over the noise emanating from the rabbi’s synagogue and school ended yesterday when the High Court ruled that the noise was not a nuisance. Two judges said that the “chanting” and “wailing” from Rabbi Moshe Rottenberg’s synagogue and school did not amount to a statutory nuisance and ordered London Borough of Hackney, which brought the case, to pay £7,120 in legal costs. But lawyers for Hackney council said that the ruling had far-reaching implications because it contradicted the professional views of council officers who investigated the claims and did not follow the officers’ recommendations based on their evidence.

Anti-racism has to go beyond a facile representation game
Priyamvada Gopal, The Guardian
A penitent Jade Goody is off to India to beg forgiveness for the remarks she made on Celebrity Big Brother, if yesterday's reports are to be believed. But neither that, nor her tearful eviction and encounter with a stern Davina McCall, nor the weight of media condemnation, is a triumph for anti-racism. But it does tell us something about the trivialising of politics and narrowing of political consciousness. What has triumphed is an anaemic political correctness that will eventually undermine real anti-racist work. The offensive remarks made on Big Brother certainly reeked of playground racism and xenophobia.

Blair caves in over adoption laws
James Chapman, Daily Mail
Tony Blair has dramatically caved in over the row about gay adoption. His hopes of a deal to avoid a direct clash with church leaders were shattered by fierce Cabinet opposition. Instead, in a sign of the Prime Minister's crumbling authority, the Government will insist that Roman Catholic adoption agencies must not turn away homosexual couples. Church leaders have already said the agencies - which find homes for around 230 children a year - will close down rather than place a child with a gay couple. The Prime Minister's official spokesman had urged the Cabinet to focus on the "practicalities" of the issue...

Wednesday January 24 2007/05 Muharram 1428 
Dawn raid on men 'who helped terror suspect'
Russell Jenkins and Daniel McGrory, The Times
Police drew up careful plans before their anti-terror arrests yesterday to avoid antagonising local Muslim communities. After the violent aftermath of the botched arrests by Scotland Yard in Forest Gate, East London, last year, police had printed leaflets explaining their actions at the ready and also held a series of meetings with Muslim leaders minutes after raids in Halifax and Manchester yesterday. Two men were arrested in Halifax and three in Manchester. Senior officers have intensified their strategy to ensure that their counter-terror operations in Muslim communities do not provoke mistrust and street violence.

Tuesday January 23 2007/04 Muharram 1428
Five arrested in early morning anti-terror swoops
Daily Mail
Five men were arrested under the Terrorism Act in early morning raids today, Scotland Yard said. Two men, aged 25 and 29 were held in Halifax, West Yorkshire under suspicion of terrorism. Three others were arrested by anti-terror detectives in the Greater Manchester area. Two men, aged 24, were arrested at an address in Cheetham Hill. Another, aged 32, was arrested in Longsight. It followed police raids on four addresses. However, police stressed the operations in Halifax and Manchester were not linked. Anti-terrorism officers from the Metropolitan Police supported by colleagues from the West Yorkshire force made the arrests in Halifax at around 6am.

Monday January 22 2007/03 Muharram 1428 
Warning for Muslim WPc who refused to shake Met chief's hand
By Ben Fenton, Daily Telegraph
Scotland Yard said yesterday that a Muslim woman police who refused to shake hands with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police at her passing-out ceremony would be dismissed if she did not "engage" with people as other officers do. Sir Ian Blair personally congratulated all 200 recruits at a ceremony in London last month, but shook hands with only 199 after the woman specifically requested that she should not be required to do so, apparently for religious reasons. She also asked not to have her photograph taken with Sir Ian, Scotland Yard said, but a spokesman refused to confirm reports that the officer had cited her concern that a picture would be used for "propaganda purposes".

SAS unit moves to London in terror fight
Michael Evans, The Times
An SAS unit is now for the first time permanently based in London on 24-hour standby for counter-terrorist operations, The Times has learnt. The basing of a unit from the elite special forces regiment “in the metropolitan area” is intended to provide the police with a combat-proven ability to deal with armed terrorists in the capital. The small unit also includes surveillance specialists and bomb-disposal experts. Although the Metropolitan Police has its own substantial firearms capability, the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian electrician who was mistakenly.

Call to tackle 'segregated' schools
Press Association, The Guardian
Schools which are dominated by children from Muslim families should be closed and replaced with "multi-faith" academies, a senior Government adviser said. Sir Cyril Taylor, chairman of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, said police faced problems in areas where different communities were concentrated in separate schools. He suggested that such "segregated" schools should be replaced with privately sponsored academies, where the schools and communities concerned supported the change.

And check out:
Muslim father gets legal aid to fight school over veil ban (Daily Mail)
HMD censors events (Rolled Up Trousers)
The social engineering of integration (Indigo Jo)

Sunday January 21 2007/02 Muharram 1428 
Muslims in police will rise up, Bakri insists
Mike Hirst and Adam Lusher, Sunday Telegraph
Moderate British Muslims in the police, Armed Forces and Civil Service will one day revolt against the system to "crush it from within", according to Omar Bakri Mohammed, the notorious Islamic extremist. In claims condemned as a cynical attempt to create division, the co-founder of the extremist al-Muhajiroun group said that Britain was "digging a deep hole" for itself by allowing Muslims into the Services and Whitehall. Speaking exclusively to The Sunday Telegraph in Lebanon, where he moved in August 2005 — at about the time it emerged the British authorities might charge him with incitement to treason — he claimed police officers, soldiers and civil servants would one day become radicalised.

Guantánamo must stay open, say MPs
Ben Leapman, Sunday Telegraph
America's Guantánamo Bay detention camp for terrorist suspects must stay open for now, because many detainees remain "a real threat to public safety", a House of Commons committee has concluded. However, MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee say the Government needs to work with America on alternative arrangements so the camp, an enclave in Cuba, can be closed as soon as possible. In their report, published today, they said: "Those detained at Guantánamo must be dealt with transparently and in full conformity with all applicable national and international law. But we recognise… that many of those detained present a real threat to public safety and that all states are under an obligation to protect their citizens and those of other countries from that threat."

Britain open to terror suspects in EU loophole
Ben Leapman, Sunday Telegraph
Foreign terrorist suspects are free to enter Britain because an EU "wanted" list cannot be checked by British immigration officers. Police chiefs have warned Parliament that the loophole is putting national security at risk. Ministers have asked Brussels to grant Britain access to the list, but the request has been blocked by a legal wrangle. The revelation comes as a further blow to John Reid, the Home Secretary, who is battling to restore his reputation after it emerged his department failed to record on the police national computer the names of 27,500 Britons convicted overseas.

Reality unchecked
Jenny McCartney, Sunday Telegraph
It's supposed to be entertainment, but the racism, bullying and ignorance displayed in 'Celebrity Big Brother' is also an indictment of the divided nation we have become. And it won't stop with Jade Goody's eviction. At the start of the current, and fifth, series of Celebrity Big Brother, the format seemed almost drearily familiar: a motley bunch of "personalities" would be locked up in a house together to bicker over the washing-up. Few people would have guessed that, by last week, the Celebrity Big Brother house would have erupted in the most extraordinary race row which would generate more than 39,000 complaints.

TV 'preachers of hate' escape police action
Tom Harper, Sunday Telegraph
A Muslim leader is urging police to investigate Islamic extremism in mosques after "preachers of hate" were caught ranting on film by an undercover cameraman. Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, the head of the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain, called for imams and mosque leaders to be questioned amid claims that forces were reluctant to act. He also expressed concern that a Muslim primary school teacher, secretly filmed while he delivered a diatribe against Jews, Christians and "filthy non-Muslim doctors", has been allowed to remain in his job. Undercover Mosque, a Channel 4 television documentary shown last week, featured preachers at Sparkbrook mosque, Birmingham, telling followers to set up an Islamic "state within a state" in Britain.

I cannot shake your hand, sir. I'm a Muslim and you're a man
Martin Smith, Mail on Sunday
A Muslim woman police officer has sparked a new debate by refusing to shake hands with Britain's most senior police chief for religious reasons. The incident happened at a passing-out parade where Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair was inspecting a line-up of 200 recruits. In addition to refusing a traditional congratulatory handshake from Sir Ian, the WPC - who wore a traditional Muslim hijab headscarf - also declined to be photographed with him as she did not want the picture used for 'propaganda purposes'. The woman had earlier insisted that it was contrary to her religious teaching for her to touch a man.  Personally, I would have refused to shake his hand because he's a fu...

Jade: 'I Hate Myself'
Sky News Online
Celebrity Big Brother star Jade Goody has admitted that fellow contestant Shilpa Shetty had been subjected to "bullying and racism" in the programme. She told the News of the World her behaviour towards the Bollywood star had been the biggest mistake of her life. And she said she is concerned about her family receiving abuse from the public as a result of her behaviour. Jade admitted Shilpa had been the victim of racist bullying and said she was "shocked and disgusted" by her behaviour on the Channel 4 show. On Friday she was evicted from the Big Brother house in a public vote after Shilpa was subjected to alleged racial bullying.

And check out:
Schools 'must act on Brother row' (BBC News Online)
C4 boss faces Big Brother backlash (The Observer)
Uncovering ‘Undercover Mosque’ (Yahya Birt)

Saturday January 20 2007/01 Muharram 1428 
Street-Porter apologises for swearing at neighbour but denies being racist
Cahal Milmo, The Independent
The broadcaster and journalist Janet Street-Porter has apologised "unreservedly" for swearing at a neighbour but denied she had used racist language. The former I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here contestant confirmed that she had sworn at her neighbour, Julie Mbemba, during an altercation late last year outside her home in Clerkenwell, central London. Ms Street-Porter, 59, who is editor-at-large of The Independent on Sunday, said she had been distressed because she was returning from the funeral of her sister, who died in November last year. But the broadcaster, who was arrested on Tuesday in connection with an alleged racially aggravated public order offence and released on police bail, strongly denied making any racist remark.

Verdicts from the playground
Rosemary Bennett, The Times
Alice Jackson, Year 10 pupils at Capital City Academy, a multiracial comprehensive in Brent, northwest London: “Jealousy is the heart of it. It is the same at school if a girl is jealous of the attention another girl gets from boys. The bully makes fun of her, laughs at her and talks about her behind her back. Bullies pick on anything in the heat of the moment and in Shilpa’s case it was that she was Indian. I don’t think that’s racism. But Shilpa has not helped things. She has the sort of life where she has never had to defend herself.”

Bomb suspects caught on film
Neville Dean and Anna Farley, The Independent
CCTV footage of two of the alleged July 21 bomb plotters buying more than 200 litres of the main ingredient for their homemade rucksack bombs has been shown in court. The pictures showed Manfo Kwaku Asiedu and Muktar Said Ibrahim grinning at each other and chatting casually as they completed the purchase of 208 litres of hydrogen peroxide - just two days before the July 7 terror attacks. Their order, comprising 13 boxes, each with four four-litre bottles, was so large that the manufacturers had to make a new batch of hydrogen peroxide to meet it.

And check out:
Veil row woman challenges sacking (BBC News Online)
More on Misbah Rana (Indigo Jo blog)

Friday January 19 2007/29 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427 
I'm not racist, says TV's Goody
BBC News Online
Jade Goody, at the centre of an alleged race row on Celebrity Big Brother, has been evicted from the Channel 4 show. Goody, 25, was up against Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty, who had been the target of the alleged abuse from Goody and others in the reality TV show. After being shown clips from the Big Brother show, which had led to the allegations, Goody said: "It's nasty. I'm not racist, but looking at that film I can see why it has had the impact it's had," she said. "I look like one of those people I don't like." Like a piece of scum sucking vermin, you mean?

And check out:
Undercover Mosque documentary 'leapt on by anti-Muslim bloggers' (Islamophobia Watch)
31% back MCB over 'Genocide Day' (Islamophobia Watch)
Dutch top diplomat says Muslims lack tolerance 'gene' (Islamophobia Watch)
Abdel Kareem Nabil (Closer)

Thursday January 18 2007/28 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427 
Defendant 'married four days before the attempted attacks'
Sean O’Neill, The Times
Yassin Omar, the alleged Warren Street bomber, married in an Islamic ceremony four days before the attempted attacks, the court was told. Mr Omar’s wedding was conducted at Finchley mosque, North London, by an imam with whom he had clashed a few months earlier about the legitimacy of suicide bombings. Imam Sayed Bukhari said that the argument had occurred after he had spoken out against suicide attacks at Friday prayers in early 2005. Another witness told Woolwich Crown Court that Mr Omar had previously worshipped at Finsbury Park mosque and had invited him to hear Abu Hamza al-Masri preach.

Wednesday January 17 2007/27 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427 
Fireman 'confronted bomber on Tube'
Duncan Gardham, Daily Telegraph
Dramatic film of a fireman confronting one of the alleged July 21 bombers on a Tube train as other passengers fled in panic was shown to a jury yesterday. The CCTV footage showed Ramzi Mohammed, 25, wearing a rucksack and boarding the busy Northern Line Tube at Stockwell, south London. He turned his back towards a mother with a child in a pushchair before detonating his device. The detonator exploded, although the main charge, made up of liquid hydrogen peroxide and chapati flour, failed to go off.

Threats against Big Brother house after 10,000 calls about bullying
Adam Sherwin, The Times
Threatening e-mails were sent to Celebrity Big Brother housemates last night after 10,000 complaints about the alleged racist bullying of one contestant. Hertfordshire Constabulary would not say if the two e-mails were related to the furore surrounding the comments made by several housemates about the Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty. A spokesman said: “Hertfordshire Constabulary has been made aware of two e-mails that have been received by the television studios that contain unspecified threats against a number of the housemates.”

'Dream of martyrdom revealed by suicide note'
Sean O'Neill, The Times
One of the alleged 21/7 bombers wrote a suicide note in which he prayed for Allah to accept his deed as an act of martyrdom, Woolwich Crown Court was told yesterday. Nigel Sweeney, QC, for the prosecution, said that two copies of the note written by Ramzi Mohammed, the alleged Oval bomber, were found during the police investigation. One, in draft form, was found torn into pieces but the second, perfected version, was said to have been discovered intact. The Crown also alleged that a suicide video was filmed at some point by the 21/7 cell. A digital camera was recovered when Hussein Osman was arrested in Rome but its memory card was blank.

Terrorist suspect flees police in mosque
Daniel McGrory and Richard Ford, The Times
A British-born terror suspect was on the run last night after breaking his control order and evading police by taking shelter in a mosque. The man, aged 26, is thought to have escaped abroad after claiming that he wanted to undertake terror training in Afghanistan. His disappearance is a further embarrassment for John Reid, the Home Secretary, as he is the third terror suspect under a control order to escape in less than six months. It raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the orders, which were introduced by Government in 2005 and are designed to control and monitor terrorist suspects who can’t be prosecuted or deported from Britain.

We live in the spotlight
Inayat Bunglawala, Guardian CIF
Last Monday's edition of the Channel Four documentary programme Dispatches entitled Undercover Mosque was heavily trailed with adverts being placed in several national newspapers to help promote it. We were told that as part of a 12-month investigation Dispatches had sent an undercover reporter to a number of UK mosques (well alright, I counted four out of a total of over 1,200 UK mosques) "that claim to be dedicated to moderation and dialogue with other faiths" but in reality preach "chilling sermons" and "preach hatred for non-Muslims and for Muslims who do not follow their extreme beliefs". This "message of hatred" was allegedly "influenced by the religious establishment of Saudi Arabia."

And check out:
Sun admits 'Muslim yobs' story was baseless (islamophobia Watch)

Monday January 15 2007/25 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427
Egypt religion minister bans niqab for some employees
AFP, via DNAindia.com, France (RNB)
The Egyptian minister of religious endowments has forbidden his ministry’s religious counsellors from wearing the face veil, or “niqab,” the press reported on Monday. “I totally reject the appointment of fully veiled women working as counsellors meant to guide people in religious matters,” minister Hamdy Zaqzuq told the daily Al-Masri Al-Youm newspaper. Zaqzuq’s ministry oversees religious affairs in this predominantly Muslim country as well as managing religious properties, and has appointed around 50 of these counsellors across the country.

Time to break silence
Gary Younge, the Guardian CIF
This Martin Luther King day it is time to break with tradition. Rather than endlessly replay his most famous speech - I have a dream - it might make more sense to concentrate on his most pertinent for our era - Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence. King's views on racial harmony and how to achieve it remain key and his speech at the March on Washington - arguably one of the best ever delivered in the English language - remains vintage. But Americans have always found it easier to co-opt his views on racial equality - in principle although clearly not in practice - than they ever have his take on US imperialism.

And check out:
Reflections on "Undercover Mosque" (Indigo Jo blog)
Undercover Mosques: The Transcripts (MPACUK)

Sunday January 14 2007/24 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427
UK preacher in secret web call for jihad
Abul Taher, Sunday Times
ONE of Britain’s most vocal, extremist preachers has been using a false name on a secret website to incite Muslim followers to go on jihad, or holy war, in Somalia.
Anjem Choudary, former spokesman of the banned group Al-Muhajiroun, has posted a statement on a jihadist internet forum telling followers they must join the “divine call of jihad” in the African state. His call in the password-protected site came days before America mounted air raids on suspected Al-Qaeda units in southern Somalia and news emerged that seven British passport holders had been captured in Somalia by Ethiopian troops.

Dublin imam takes on the fanatics
Henry McDonald, The Observer
Beneath a basketball net in a freezing sports hall, a Muslim cleric is waging war on Islamic extremism. Imam Shaheed Satardien is taking a stand against those Muslims in Ireland whom he claims are too sympathetic to Osama bin Laden and the cult of the suicide bomber. At Friday prayers in the sports hall in north-west Dublin, the South African-born former anti-apartheid activist warns his multinational congregation against blaming other religions and the West in general for all Muslims' ills. Cast out by the majority Islamic community in Dublin for his outspokenness, the 50-year-old preacher says he has received death threats.

Muslim mums told to speak English at home
Julie Henry, Sunday Telegraph
Muslim mothers who do not speak English at home are stunting their children's literacy levels, one of the Government's most influential education advisers said last night. Sir Cyril Taylor, the chairman of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, said that the failure of parents to speak English at home was a key reason why some schools were at the bottom of newly-published-league tables. The problem, described by Sir Cyril as a "major issue", should be addressed by a national campaign to encourage the mothers of ethnic minority children to attend English classes, he said.

And check out:
'James Bond harpoon' to stop terrorist attack from the Thames (Sunday Telegraph)
Assault blog allows Egypt’s feminists to let rip - Women - Middle East Times (Closer Blog)

Friday January 13 2007/23 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427 
Muslim-only kitchen kit for jails
Julie Moult, The Sun
JAILS are spending thousands on colour-coded kitchen tools for Muslims, it was revealed last night. They are getting special red handled equipment to prepare Halal meals. The move comes after an MPs’ committee recommended more should be done to meet the needs of Muslim prisoners. So far 900 kits — costing £500 to £800 — have gone to jails across the UK. The Koran prohibits eating pig meat, which is considered unclean. So the serving spoons, ice cream scoops and ladles are kept in special locked chests to prevent contamination by those used for other inmates.

Misbah's father denies school bid
BBC News Online
The father of runaway schoolgirl Misbah Rana has denied reports that she is to study Islam at a controversial religious school in Islamabad. The 12-year-old, also known as Molly Campbell, left Scotland without her mother's consent last August to be with her father, Sajad Rana in Pakistan. She fled from Stornoway in the Western Isles to Lahore. Mr Rana said his daughter had visited friends at a madrasa in Islamabad but had no intention of enrolling to study.  It had been reported that Misbah had moved out of her father's home and enrolled at the Jamia Hafsa madrasa - said to be one of several schools investigated by Pakistani authorities amid claims they have links to terror group al Qaida.

Racist attacker tried to rip veil off Muslim woman
Hampshire News
AN attacker tried to rip off the veil of a Muslim woman while racially abusing her, police said today. The 37-year-old woman was crossing a busy park near Solent University in Southampton on Thursday when a white man aged in his 20s approached her. He started shouting racial abuse and told her to remove her veil. Police said the attacker then attempted to take the veil off, but failed as the woman managed to push him and walk away. Pc Leigh Walker said: ''This attack was particularly degrading for the victim who has strong religious beliefs that don't allow her to remove her veil in public with men around."

And check out:
Hammer gang batters boy of 15 in school 'race attack' (Daily Mail)
Idi Amin: brute, not a buffoon (Joel Kibazo, Guardian)

Friday January 12 2007/22 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427 
'Britons' held after US strikes in Somalia
Jonathan Clayton, The Times
Terrorist suspects carrying British passports were reported to have been arrested last night after fleeing the American airstrikes in Somalia. The suspects were among 11 people held by Kenyan antiterrorist police as American special forces joined the hunt for key al-Qaeda suspects responsible for a string of terror attacks in East Africa. Hundreds of US troops were dropped by helicopter from warships off the coast of Somalia after officials were forced to admit their airstrikes had failed to kill their main targets. Local residents said that US teams were involved in heavy fighting around the town of Hayo, which is said to be the suspects’ main base near the Kenyan border.

Muslims want an Islamic NHS
The Sun
MUSLIMS should get special treatment within the NHS, a top medic claimed last night. Prof Aziz Sheikh called for “faith-based health services”. He wants same-sex doctors, information to ensure treatments do not contain alcohol or pork, extra prayer rooms and circumcision for baby boys on the NHS. The professor, from Edinburgh University, said in the British Medical Journal: “Muslims have the poorest overall health profile but there are few faith-centred initiatives aiming to improve health outcomes for our largest minority faith community. “Many Muslims, to maintain modesty, prefer to see a same-sex clinician but such choice is typically unavailable. Male infant circumcision should be available throughout the NHS and more access is needed to prayer facilities.”

Muslims 'should get special health care'
Daily Mail
Muslims should be provided with faithbased services - including male circumcision - on the NHS, says one healthcare expert. Professor Aziz Sheikh is also calling for women patients to see same-sex medics, better access to prayer facilities in hospitals and more information so Muslims can avoid alcohol and pig-derived drugs. Writing in the British Medical Journal, the University of Edinburgh professor also claims Muslims should be given health advice on attempting the Hajj pilgrimage-to Mecca which he insisted was a "religious obligation and not a holiday". The BMJ contrasts his opinions with those of Professor Aneez Esmail, of Manchester University, who says in another article that it would not be practical to meet everyone's demands for special services based on religious identity.

BNP Barnbrook seals ballerinas' fate
Lester Holloway, BLink
THE FAR-RIGHT BNP leader in London sealed the fate of fellow party member and ballerina Simone Clarke when he turned up at the ballet to support her. The move by Richard Barnbrook means the English National Ballet (ENB) have no choice but to sack the self-styled "BNP Ballerina." ENB had insisted up to now that Clarke's membership of the neo-Nazi outfit was a personal matter. But the appearance of Barnbrook outside the home of English ballet to support Clarke means the ENB can no longer use that argument to avoid taking action against their leading ballet dancer. Barnbrook lent his support to Clarke as over 50 anti-fascist protestors demonstrated outside the Collusium before the start of a a new show this lunchtime.

Thursday January 11 2007/21 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427 
In public, Molly wore purple ... but two hours later The Times found her in a black burka in a madrassa linked to the Taleban
Zahid Hussain and David Lister, The Times
Molly Campbell, the 12-year-old girl at the centre of an international custody battle, is wearing a burka and living in a religious seminary suspected of harbouring Islamic militants, The Times has learnt. Barely four months after fleeing her mother’s home in the Outer Hebrides to live with her father in Pakistan, Molly, who wants to be known by her Islamic name Misbah Rana, has enrolled at the Jamia Hafsa madrassa in Islamabad, known for its pro-Taleban views and suspected links to al-Qaeda.

Protests To Mark Fifth Anniversary Of Guantánamo
RFE/RL
Human rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are marking the anniversary with fresh calls for the U.S. government to close the Guantánamo facility, saying the detainees should be charged with crimes or released. Amnesty International Secretary-General Irene Khan said in a statement that no individual can be placed outside the protection of the rule of law, and no government can hold itself above the rule of law. She called on the United States to immediately shut Guantanamo and end what she called a "travesty of justice." Washington has said the prison is a necessary part of the war against terrorism, and that information gathered from detainees there has helped thwart terrorist threats and save lives.

Can "Little Mosque" Live Up To The Hype?
Safiyyah Ally, Alt.Muslim
If self-deprecating humour is a distinctly Canadian characteristic, then Zarqa Nawaz's production of Little Mosque on the Prairie is testament to the rich multicultural heritage in the North. The first of eight episodes of Little Mosque on the Prairie aired last night amid much hype and a baffling amount of media attention, including coverage in various parts of the world, a feature story by CNN's Paula Zahn, a CBC promotional event that involved camels traipsing about in downtown Toronto, and an email alert from CAIR-CAN urging Muslims to watch the show.

And check out:
Influx of immigrants forces council to build four new schools (Daily Mail)
'Molly Campbell' joins Taliban (Islamophobia Watch)
Britain's New Preachers of Hate (Daily Mirror)

Wednesday January 10 2007/20 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427 
Backed by British money and men
Daniel McGrory, The Times
A number of young people from Somali families living in Britain are among the international brigade who have volunteered to fight with the country’s Islamic militia. The authorities concede that they have no accurate figure for the number of British passport holders who took part in the recent battles but they believe that it is “in the dozens, not the hundreds”. Most are thought to have dual nationality. While in the past decade some British Muslims have been smuggled into terror training camps run by al-Qaeda and its affiliates inside Somalia, this latest wave travelled to their ancestral homeland to support the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which held sway in Mogadishu, the capital, until last month.

Muslim Rapper "Walks" To The Top Of The Charts
Zahir Janmohamed, Alt Muslim
One of the few places where Islam has found a place in modern Western culture is in hip-hop music. Artists like Mos Def and Jurassic 5 have shown that it is possible for Muslim identities and Islamic values to find their place amid the bling of the hip-hop world. Now, a street-smart Muslim kid from Chicago has attracted a lot of attention, proving that the aforementioned artists aren't a fluke. Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, otherwise known as Lupe Fiasco, grew up in Chicago's southside and began rapping while in high school. Raised in a family of 9 children, Fiasco was immersed in global cultural influences (thanks to his well-travelled mother) and grounded in the local Muslim community.

Police are obsessed by diversity, says Britain's oldest bobby
Tahira Yaqoob, Daily Mail
As Britain's oldest bobby on the beat, Mick Mountain has certainly been around the block a few times. But with four decades' experience under his belt, he has warned proper policing is being hampered by an obsession with diversity and human rights legislation. And he has criticised lax sentencing, which means criminals feel free to indulge in violence without fear of punishment. Mr Mountain, 60, who will become the nation's longest-serving officer in April, said: "There are many more laws dealing with diversity and equality, which have been triggered by the compensation culture.

And check out:
MPs focus on MI5's role over detainees (The Independent)
Regent's Park Mosque is accused of extremist links (Islamophobia Watch)
The not-so-simple truth (Soumaya Ghannoushi, Guardian CIF)

Tuesday January 09 2007/19 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427 
Why is my dad far away in that place called Guantánamo Bay? Young boy's plea to Tony Blair
Ben Russell, The Independent
Ten-year-old Anas el-Banna will walk to the door of Number 10 Downing Street this week to ask for an answer to the question he has been trying to have answered for four years: Why can't my Dad come home? His father, Jamil, is one of eight British residents languishing among the almost 400 inmates at the American base at Guantánamo Bay, which opened five years ago to the day this Thursday - the day of Anas's protest. Mr Banna, was taken to Guantánamo Bay four years ago after being seized in Gambia along with fellow detainee Bisher al-Rawi. He was accused of having a suspicious device in his luggage. It turned out to be a battery charger. No charges have been made..

US airstrike in Somalia targets embassy bombers
AP - The Independent
US airstrike in Somalia today targeted an al-Qa'ida cell wanted for two 1998 US Embassy bombings and killed large numbers of Islamic extremists, government officials said. The attacks, by a heavily armed AC-130 gunship, came after the terror suspects were spotted hiding on a remote island on the southern tip of Somalia and close to the Kenyan border, Somali officials said. It is the first overt military action by the US in Somalia since the 1990s and the legacy of a botched intervention - known as Black Hawk Down - that left 18 US servicemen dead.

Canada gets quirky look at Muslim life in the sticks
Suzanne Goldenberg, The Guardian
For Zarqa Nawaz, a hijab-wearing Muslim woman living in the Canadian prairies, life in the west has always provided certain conundrums. For example, is a woman obliged to cover herself in the presence of a gay man? Now Islam meets sitcom in a new Canadian show called Little Mosque on the Prairie. The show, the first of its genre to deal with the Muslim experience in North America since the September 11 terror attacks, begins tonight. "It always struck me as hilarious. What if that man has no interest in you sexually, does he count?" Ms Nawaz, the show's creator, told the Guardian. "You normally can't ask those questions out loud in your community because they think it's too out there, so this series is almost a form of therapy for me."

Thirty Welsh pilgrims on £4,000 organised trip stranded in Mecca
Martin Shipton, Western Mail
Around 30 pilgrims from Wales have been stranded in Mecca after being let down by the company that organised their trip. The group is among about 250 British Muslims who paid up to nearly £4,000 each to a travel company based in Blackburn called British Hajj and Umrah Services. The firm promised a deluxe service for those attending the Hajj pilgrimage in the two Saudi holy cities of Mecca and Medina. But the pilgrims, who are mostly professionals, say the trip has fallen far short of expectations.

MI5 Chief's 7/7 'No Threat' Blunder
Sky News Online
The head of MI5 reportedly told MPs the day before the July 7 bombings in London the country faced no imminent terrorist threat. Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller gave the assurance to a gathering of Labour whips, it has been claimed. The Guardian says a "number" of people who attended the meeting at the House of Commons have spoken about it. Shadow home secretary David Davis seized on the story to renew demands for an independent inquiry into the run-up to the attacks. "It is absolutely necessary for the continued security of the British public that we know precisely if, when and how security failures occurred," he said. Fifty-two people were killed and hundreds injured in the July 7 blasts on three Tube trains and a bus in central London.

And check out:
Bangladesh: a democracy in crisis (The Guardian)
China 'anti-terror' raid kills 18 (BBC Online)
September 11 plotter jailed (The Telegraph)
Public to Get Email Terror Alerts (Sky News Online)
United 93 takes online film prize (BBC News Online)
The trouble with caged ‘islam-critics’ (Closer blog)
An open letter to the prime minister (George Monbiot, Guardian CIF)

Monday January 08 2007/18 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427
Guantánamo Detainee Losing Sanity: 'Worse Than Death Row'
Sky News Online
A British resident being held in Guantánamo Bay is on the brink of losing his sanity, his lawyer has warned. Bisher al Rawi's lawyer Clive Stafford-Smith said the former public schoolboy was showing signs of secure housing unit psychosis. It is a recognised clinical condition that afflicts high-security prisoners. Mr Stafford-Smith told The Observer: "I have had several clients on American death rows who have developed it and it's clear to me that he is sliding down that path. "The conditions in which he is being held are worse than any death row I've ever seen." Other sources told the Sunday Times that British officials had indicated Mr al Rawi, 35, could be freed within four months.

Many more sons will die while the Democrats do nothing to stop the war
Gary Younge, The Guardian
Only the squeaking of the boots of the military pallbearers could be heard in the Calvary church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Thursday as Chad Vollmer's coffin was wheeled to the front. By the time the service was over their steps were inaudible amid the chorus of sobs and sniffles. Vollmer died two weeks ago when a makeshift bomb exploded near his vehicle in Salman Pak, Iraq. His funeral was a profoundly patriotic affair. Family members and fellow soldiers praised the 24-year-old as a young man who "honoured his country, family, and God". Huge billowing flags lined the entrance to the church and one hung over the pulpit; the first hymn was America the Beautiful. "There are two who have died for all of us today," said the army chaplain, Major Timothy Mattison. "Jesus and the US soldier. Jesus died for the freedom of the soul; the US soldier died for the freedom of our land."

And check out:
Beware of Islamophobes bearing gifts.... (Watandost blog)
Former CIA Analyst Says West Misunderstands Al-Qaeda (RFE/RL)

Sunday January 07 2007/17 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427 
Court 'cursed' as cartoon protester is convicted of incitement
Sean O'Neill and David Brown, Sunday Times
Extremists screamed insults at an Old Bailey judge yesterday as a British Muslim was convicted of inciting murder during protests against the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Umran Javed, 27, had shouted “Bomb, bomb USA” and “Jihad is the path to Allah” as he led a 300-strong crowd in chants during a demonstration in London last year. The unemployed web designer was a prominent figure in the rally outside the Danish embassy at the height of worldwide Muslim anger at the appearance of the cartoons in a Danish newspaper.

Ramallah: Demonstration against violence towards journalists
Ma'an News Agency, Electronic Intifada
On Sunday, the Palestinian union of journalists organized a sit-in strike in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, in protest of the Israeli invasion of the city on Thursday. The invasion resulted in the deaths of four Palestinians and the injury of over 30 civilians. The Ma'an news agency photojournalist Fadi Arouri was seriously injured while attempting to cover the invasion. Dozens of journalists, PLC members, faction leaders and civil dignitaries participated in the protest, despite the heavy rain. Foreigners showing solidarity with Palestinian journalists were also there. Protestors also called on the abductors of the Peruvian photographer to release him.

Revealed: preachers' messages of hate
Jamie Doward, The Observer
An undercover investigation has revealed disturbing evidence of Islamic extremism at a number of Britain's leading mosques and Muslim institutions, including an organisation praised by the Prime Minister. Secret video footage reveals Muslim preachers exhorting followers to prepare for jihad, to hit girls for not wearing the hijab, and to create a 'state within a state'. Many of the preachers are linked to the Wahhabi strain of Islam practised in Saudi Arabia, which funds a number of Britain's leading Islamic institutions.

Saturday January 06 2007/16 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427 
Man guilty of inciting race hate
Shenai Raif, The Independent
A Birmingham man was found guilty yesterday of calling for the murder of American and Danish people during a demonstration in London. Umran Javed, 27, was said to have been one of the leaders of the demonstration against the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed. He was recorded on video by police who filmed the protest. He was found guilty of soliciting murder and stirring up racial hatred, and was remanded in custody for sentencing in April. There were shouts of protest from the public gallery as the verdicts were returned.

They have made a killing
Terry Jones, The Guardian
Early this year the Bush administration is to ask Congress to approve an additional $100bn for the onerous task of making life intolerable for the Iraqis. This will bring the total spent on the White House's current obsession with war to almost $500bn - enough to have given every US citizen $1,600 each. I wonder which the voters would have gone for if given the choice: shall we (a) give every American $1,600 or (b) spend the money on bombing a country in the Middle East that doesn't use lavatory paper?

Friday January 05 2007/15 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427 
'My crime was to protest at Israeli assassinations'
Conal Urquhart, The Guardian
They said they wanted to teach her to be a "good Jew" as she sat with her arms handcuffed to the legs of her chair for 16 hours a day. But if Tali Fahima was not prepared to be a good Jew then Shin Bet, the Israeli secret service, was determined to put her in jail for as long as possible regardless of what she did. Ms Fahima, 30, was released from jail on Wednesday after serving almost 30 months in jail for travelling to the West Bank, meeting an enemy agent and translating a simple army document. "My first crime was that I refused to work with Shin Bet, the second was that I insisted on going to see the Palestinians and the third was that I protested against the Israeli policy of assassination," Ms Fahima told the Guardian in her first interview since her release.

Blair is criticised over his silence on Saddam execution
Andrew Grice, The Independent
Tony Blair has been accused of double standards after he declined to comment on the execution of Saddam Hussein after returning from his holiday in Miami. MPs are demanding a statement from the Prime Minister about the taunting and unauthorised filming of the former Iraqi dictator just before he was hanged last Saturday. They recalled that Mr Blair has commented on the deaths of footballers, musicians and disc jockeys as well as speaking for the nation after the death of the Princess of Wales and the Queen Mother. In 1998, he authorised a Downing Street statement backing a campaign for the release from prison of Deidre Rachid, a character in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.

'Yappy slappers' film attacks
The Sun
YOBS are using mobile phones to film pit bull-type dogs attacking people in the latest sick version of so-called “happy slapping”.  One incident, in which a dog sinks its teeth into a screaming teenager’s leg while rap music blares, has been seen by The Sun. Footage — where yobs goad the snarling beast into a frenzy — was filmed near to where Ellie Lawrenson was killed. The youths are dressed in hoodies and LA gang-style clothes. Yesterday solicitor Trevor Cooper, who specialises in cases involving the Dangerous Dogs Act, said: “These owners should be banned from having any animal.”

And check out:
Christian students in legal fight (BBC News Online)
Victim of the bloggers (Brian Whitaker, Guardian CIF)

Thursday January 04 2007/14 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427
Britain should integrate into Muslim values
Sarfraz Manzoor, The Guardian
In 2006 the gloves came off in the fight to define what it means to be British. Whereas the dominant response to the London bombings was confusion over how anyone raised in this country could commit such atrocities, the veil debate detonated by Jack Straw and the teaching assistant Aisha Azmi was notable for its muscularity. Sentiments that might once have been considered too insensitive were openly expressed. "The right to be in a multicultural society," argued the prime minister in a speech last month, "was always implicitly balanced by a duty to integrate, to be part of Britain." Behind these remarks was an assumption that integration is a one-way street. However, there are many things that the rest of the country could learn from Muslims.

Muslim and Jews join gay-laws protest
Steve Doughty, Daily Mail
Prominent Muslims and Jews united with Christians yesterday to voice concern at laws boosting gay rights. Churches are organising demonstrations next week against the Sexual Orientation Regulations, which are due to come into force in April. Campaigners claim the rules will force religious groups to promote homosexual rights in contradiction to their teachings and could persecute those who disapprove of homosexuality on moral grounds. Dr Majid Katme, of the Islamic Medical Association, yesterday urged Muslims to join protests against the "unjust" laws, including a torchlight parade in Westminster to coincide with a Lords debate next Tuesday.

Tashkent Among 2007 'Capitals Of Islamic Culture'
RFE/RL
Mustapha Zebakh, an official with the Morocco-based Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, told RFE/RL's Uzbek service that the Uzbek capital was chosen to represent the Asian continent. "This year there [are] four capitals, two from the Arab world: Fez from Morocco, Tripoli from Libya, and we have chosen Dakar, capital of Senegal, for the African region, and Tashkent for the Asian continent," he said. "We choose cities that have a long Islamic heritage [and] monuments." Tashkent is home to several museums, mosques, and an Islamic university.  Last year the historical city of Isfahan in Iran was among the cities chosen.

And check out:
Is Ken really the man for this job? (Indigo Jo)

Wednesday January 03 2007/13 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427
Muslim on racial hatred charges
David Brown, The Times
A Muslim protester called for the bombing of Denmark and the United States during a demonstration against the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, the Old Bailey was told yesterday. Umran Javed is accused of soliciting to murder unbelievers and Danes and Americans, and of inciting racial hatred, in a speech outside the Danish Embassy in Central London in February last year. Police video of the protest, played to the jury, showed Mr Javed, 27, leading chants of “Bomb, bomb USA. Bomb, bomb Denmark”. Officers in charge of monitoring the demonstration told the court that they did not arrest any of the protesters on the day because of fears that it would lead to violence.

Pat Robertson Predicts Mass Killing
AP, via SFGate.com, USA/RNB
Virginia Beach, Va. (AP) — In what has become an annual tradition of prognostications, religious broadcaster Pat Robertson said Tuesday God has told him that a terrorist attack on the United States would result in “mass killing” late in 2007.“I’m not necessarily saying it’s going to be nuclear,” he said during his news-and-talk television show “The 700 Club” on the Christian Broadcasting Network. “The Lord didn’t say nuclear. But I do believe it will be something like that.” Robertson said God told him during a recent prayer retreat that major cities and possibly millions of people will be affected by the attack, which should take place sometime after September.

Prescott attacks 'deplorable' images of Saddam execution
Andy McSmith, The Independent
An Iraqi prosecutor revealed yesterday that he almost halted the execution of Saddam Hussein because of the behaviour of witnesses who were taunting the condemned man. The Iraqi government announced an inquiry into chaotic scenes at the execution, which the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, condemned as "deplorable". Munqith al-Faroon, one of the prosecutors in the trial, said two officials who were present at the execution had broken the rules by bringing their mobile phones, which were used to record the event. The leaked footage of the former dictator's final moments has provoked a backlash among Sunni Arabs, who see the execution as an act of sectarian revenge by Iraq's Shia-dominated government.

A new forum
Inayat Bunglawala, Guardian CIF
IslamToday.com is run under the direct supervision of one of the most influential of these Saudi Islamic scholars, Shaykh Salman al-'Awdah and seeks to engage non-Muslims as well as Muslims. Shaykh Salman was prominent in the "sahwa" (Islamic awakening) movement in the 1980's and was imprisoned by the Saudi authorities for five years in the 1990's for being a co-signatory of a charter calling for reform in the corrupt Saudi government machinery. A paper written in 2005 for a US government think tank noted that al-'Awdah's imprisonment only served to increase his popularity especially at a time when establishment religious figures had become largely discredited for their refusal to speak out against the Saudi regime's perceived subservience to the United States.

And check out:
Pork soup for homeless is not racist ploy, says French judge (The Guardian)
Ethiopia joins Bush’s imperialist crusade (Socialist Worker)

Tuesday January 02 2007/12 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427
Terrorism search in woods 'may cost police up to £30m'
Stewart Tendler, The Times
Counter-terrorist police have completed the biggest search of a crime scene in Britain after investigating 1,000 acres of woodland. Hundreds of officers worked for 20 weeks searching for clues in investigations into an alleged plot to blow up airliners in mid-air. So many officers were needed for the operation that the final bill could run to more than £30 million. The search of King’s Wood and Booker Common near High Wycombe began after police made 24 arrests in investigations into the alleged plot. Fourteen people have been charged.

Somalia's Islamist fighters flee last urban base as pro-government alliance closes in
Xan Rice, The Guardian
Somalia's Islamist fighters abandoned their last urban stronghold yesterday as their war with Ethiopian and government forces neared its endgame. Thousands of militiamen left the southern port city of Kismayo, moving into the bush near the Kenyan border as the pro-government alliance closed in. Having already abandoned their base in the capital, Mogadishu, the Islamists' only option appears to be the guerrilla war they have long threatened. "Do not think that the Islamic Courts have abandoned the country," Sheikh Yaqub Ishak, an Islamist commander, told the news agency Agence France Presse. "We have left the cities, but we remain in action and our enemies will face an insurgency."

Saddam's demo daughter
Emily Smith, The Scum
THE eldest daughter of tyrant Saddam Hussein yesterday joined a protest over her father’s execution. Raghad, 38, thanked hundreds staging a sit-down in Jordanian capital Amman where she lives in exile. She told them: “I want to thank you for this show of support. May God protect you.” She also described her father as “a martyr”. The former Iraqi president, 69, was hanged on Saturday for ordering the mass killing of 148 Shia Muslims. Raghad has remained fiercely loyal to Saddam, even though he had her husband Hussein Kamel murdered. It emerged yesterday that Saddam refused to telephone Raghad or other daughter Rana, 36, before his death fearing he would break down.

These shameful events have humiliated the Arab world
Ghada Karmi, The Guardian
The spectacle of Saddam Hussein's execution, shown in pornographic detail to the whole world, was deeply shocking to those of us who respect propriety and human dignity. The vengeful Shia mob that was allowed to taunt the man's last moments, and the vicious executioners who released the trapdoor while he was saying his prayers, turned this scene of so-called Iraqi justice into a public lynching. One does not have to be any kind of Saddam sympathiser to be horrified that he should have been executed - and, so obscenely, on the dawn of Islam's holy feast of Eid al-Adha, which flagrantly defies religious practice and was an affront to the Islamic world.

Calming our fears
Tariq Ramadan, Guardian CIF
There is nothing unique about the controversy over religious symbols currently raging in Canada. In the wake of heated debate over the issue of the "islamic headscarf" in France, many western countries have been the scene of similar protests. These have targeted excessively visible crucifixes, then overly prominent minarets in Switzerland; there have been complaints against "offensive" religious garb in Holland and England, and now, a series of curious decisions involving the removal of Christmas trees in the United States and Canada. Is something catching? At every turn, we are confronted with impassioned and irrational reactions that either feed into a sense of victimhood among those who see Islamophobia wherever they turn, or that magnify the feeling that a country's cultural homogeneity is at risk, that is being colonised by a foreign religion.

And check out:
Saddam was model prisoner, says nurse (The Guardian )
Christian lawyers to petition Queen to block gay rights bill (Daily Mail)
Iraqi Government Probes Filming Of Hussein Execution (RFERL)

Monday January 01 2007/11 Dhu Al-Hijjah 1427
Don't overlook the impact of empire on our identity
Madeleine Bunting, The Guardian
A spate of soul searching is guaranteed by two major anniversaries that loom this year: the abolition of the slave trade in the British empire in 1807, and the Act of Union of England and Scotland in 1707. Both will feed into Britain's nagging sense of self-doubt: who are we? As the debates around integration and multiculturalism show no sign of flagging, both anniversaries will be mined for their contemporary relevance. Add the imminent arrival of a Scot as prime minister - and one who has invested time and energy into mastering the history of British identity - and the stage is set for intense national introspection. Television programmes, books, ceremonies, conferences and newspaper supplements have been in the planning for months.

2007: no end to chaos in the Middle East
Soumaya Ghannoushi
I have never been a pessimist. But despair is what I feel as I sit through the scenes of random killing, gratuitous bloodshed, piled-up bodies in street corners and comprehensive chaos through Iraq's towns and villages. Three years ago, the Americans blasted their way through Baghdad, smeared the stars and stripes across Saddam's face in Firdus Square and announced the end of dictatorship and birth of the New Iraq. But what Iraq have they begotten? Every day that goes past takes with it over 500 Iraqi lives. Last week, I met an Iraqi family friend who had returned from a visit to the homeland after years in exile.

BNP ballerina defies rising clamour to sack her
Hugh Muir , The Guardian
Officials from the English National Ballet faced calls to sack one of their leading dancers yesterday after Simone Clarke defied criticism and gave a detailed interview defending her support for the British National party. Two weeks after she was named by the Guardian as a card-carrying member of the far right group, the ballerina hit out at her critics, voicing her belief that the BNP seemed to be the only party "willing to take a stand" against immigration. She claimed that her boyfriend Yat Sen-Chang, who is also an acclaimed lead dancer, encouraged her to join the BNP. Sen-Chang is of Chinese-Cuban extraction.