Thursday 17 December 2009

Tulay Goren case

The Guardian, Father jailed for life for 'honour killing' of Tulay Goren, 17 Dec 09 "Mehmet Goren must serve minimum of 22 years for murder of 15-year-old who ran away to live with man from different Islamic sect"

Wednesday 16 December 2009

'Chasing Mirrors'

National Portrait Gallery, London, Studio Gallery, Chasing Mirrors, 9 October 2009-10 January 2010

"Chasing Mirrors is an exhibition of new work exploring alternative forms of self-representation and portraiture by contemporary artist Faisal Abdu’Allah and the Chasing Mirrors Collective, a group of young people from Arabic speaking communities in Brent, Barnet and Ealing."

I saw this recently, and found it a very interesting use of multimedia. It's worth catching if you are in London.

Tuesday 15 December 2009

Muslims in UK

Daily Mail, Britain's tolerance to Islam results in more than 1m Muslims setting up home here, 14 Dec 09

Based on various reports

'Conversions' to Islam in UK

Richard Reddie, Guardian, Face to faith: We should understand, not fear, the rise in black conversions to Islam, 12 Dec 09 "As a young man growing up in Bradford, I occasionally had the misfortune to sit through church sermons where the visiting preacher warned the virtually all-white congregation of the spiritual and social threat posed by the city's Muslim population. As one of the few black faces in the congregation, I could never relate to this message, which fused the religious with the "racial" to engender fear."

Wednesday 9 December 2009

Harrow mosque

TheJC.com, Rabbis attack Harrow anti-Muslim campaign, 8 Dec 09 "Leading community members in Harrow have condemned anti-Muslim campaigners planning a protest in the borough this weekend."

Muslim schools: parliamentary question

theyworkforyou.com/Hansard, Faith Schools: Islam, Children, Schools and Families, Written answers and statements, 3 December 2009

"(1) what all-Muslim girls' boarding schools there are in England; and how many pupils attend each one;

(2) how many (a) boys' and (b) mixed-sex Muslim boarding schools there are; and how many pupils attend each.

Monday 7 December 2009

Amir Khan

Guardian, Amir Khan can 'take the world' and leave the booing minority behind, 7 Dec 09 "Well, how about that? They train for months and it is all over in 76 seconds, not time enough to put the kettle on."

Islam Online, Racism Haunts UK Muslim Boxer, 7 Dec 09 ""If you go on the message boards and chat forums there are always people who have to get the religious thing in.

"But the racist slurs never discouraged the Muslim boxer.

""It made me stronger, it made me come back stronger and made be a better fighter.""

Nottingham: protests

BBC News, Nottingham police face £500,000 bill over protests, 6 Dec 09 "Policing two demonstrations in Nottingham involved 700 officers and will cost more than £500,000, it has been estimated."

Telegraph, English Defence League protest leads to clashes with police in Nottingham, 5 Dec 09, "About 500 protesters from the English Defence League (EDL), many with their faces covered with scarves and hooded tops, marched through Nottingham yesterday decrying Allah and shouting: "We want our country back"."

Friday 4 December 2009

Harrow mosque

MuslimMatters.org, Yet Another Harrow Mosque Protest: Stewards Wanted, 3 Dec 09 "it is refreshing to see that, in the face of yet another threat of SIOE protest, the mosque’s trustees are taking proactive steps to prevent such chaotic scenes from playing out again on the streets of Harrow. The following is a message requesting responsible Muslim men (yes, they do exist, masha’Allah), to step forward and volunteer as stewards at the next event ..."

Tuesday 1 December 2009

World Aids Day


Robert Pigott, BBC News, Imam aims to break Aids taboo, 1 Dec 09 " ... the African HIV Policy Network has asked imams to break the taboo by talking openly about HIV.

"One of them, Mohamed Bashir of the North Brixton mosque in London, says imams need to acknowledge "that not everyone practices their religion to the letter"."

Details: African HIV Policy Network

Warsi pelted with eggs

Islam in Europe, UK Muslim peer pelted with eggs, 30 Nov 09 "Conservative peer Baroness Warsi of Dewsbury, named Britain's most powerful Muslim woman, has been pelted with eggs during a visit to Luton.

"Baroness Warsi was taking part in a walkabout in the predominantly Muslim Bury Park area of Luton when she was confronted by a group of protesters."