Thursday 29 March 2012

aQ 'recruit'



"A British man arrested as he landed at Mogadishu airport said yesterday he was in Somalia to join al-Qaeda but wanted none "of the violent stuff" and was looking for "somewhere sunny" to "relax" with fellow Muslims."

Wednesday 28 March 2012

Galloway in Bradford by-election

Guardian, Bradford West byelection: George Galloway shakes up Labour relations "The Respect candidate is doing well in the bookies' odds, capitalising on discontent with Labour rule in the constituency and tension in the Asian community."

 More information on the Respect party [other political parties are available]

Also see thetelegraphandargus.co.uk, George Galloway attacked over soldier comments at Bradford West debate

Monday 26 March 2012

Daily Mail on 'Islamic marriage guide'

FYI:

Daily Mail, 'Pull her by the ear, beat her by hand or stick': How the Islamic guide to a happy marriage advises husbands to treat their wives, 26 Mar 2012 "An Islamic 'marriage guide' book has sparked outrage - by advising men on the best ways to beat their wives.

 "A Gift For Muslim Couple tells husbands that they should beat their wives with 'hand or stick or pull her by the ears'.

 "But the book has faced a backlash from moderate Muslims who claim that it encourages domestic violence."

There's some reaction to this in the Washington Times, Marriage manual, "A Gift for a Muslim Couple" causes outrage in Canada, 26 Mar 2012

The book was written by Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvni (1863 – 1943) some years ago, but remains for sale. It seems that the 'controversy' started in Canada (background in al-Arabiya).


Abu Qatada's new home

Daily Mail, Qatada, the happiest man in England: Brother boasts of hate-preacher's delight as he is given a more expensive home, 26 Mar 2012 "The terror suspect has told relatives in his native Jordan that he is the ‘happiest man in England’ after he was rehoused to the more expensive property."

Halal food issues

alarabiya.net, ‘Cruel’ halal slaughter methods under attack in the UK, 21 Mar 2012 "British ministers are seeking to change a law to ensure that meat slaughtered using Islamic, or halal, methods cannot be sold without proper labelling."

Friday 23 March 2012

Panorama: "Britain's Crimes of Honour"

Panorama: Britain's Crimes of Honour, BBC One. This was broadcast on 19 March 2012 and is still available in the UK on the BBC iPlayer.

 Details: Panorama, My daughter was killed for 'honour'

 Also see Telegraph & Argus, ‘Honour’ beatings are ‘inexcusable’

"Mohammed Rafiq Sehgal, President of the Council For Mosques, spoke out after findings from a new poll of young British Asians were released."

I haven't seen the full programme yet; there is a summary on the Panorama website.

Peterborough’s Ghousia Mosque

peterboroughtoday.co.uk, Peterborough’s Ghousia Mosque in English Heritage book, 20 Mar 2012 "The Ghousia Mosque, in Gladstone Street, is going from holy books to the history books after it was selected for a publication being compiled by English Heritage, the Government’s adviser about the UK’s historic environment.

 "The book, which has as its working title The British Mosque: An Architectural and Social History, will examine the social, cultural, and architectural significance of mosques across the country."

Ghousia Mosque

Also see more on this interesting English Heritage project: ‘The British Mosque: a social and architectural history‘ by Shahed Saleem

"UK Muslims, Sikhs Oppose Gay Marriage"

OnIslam, UK Muslims, Sikhs Oppose Gay Marriage, 20 Mar 2012 "Britain's Muslims and Sikhs have joined forces to oppose government plans to legalize same-sex marriages, describing the move as an assault on religion."

Ken Livingstone: "I will make London a beacon of Islam"

Andrew Gilligan, Telegraph, Ken Livingstone: I will make London a beacon of Islam, 23 Mar 2012 "Ken Livingstone has promised to turn London into a “beacon” for the words of the Prophet Mohammed in a sermon at one of the capital’s most controversial mosques."

Ken Livingstone's "sermon" is here:
 

Monday 5 March 2012

Snookered - theatre review


Charles Spencer, Telegraph, Snookered, Bush Theatre, review "Snookered memorably captures the confusion of young men who find themselves caught between two cultures. Their Asian background and tradition clearly matters to them, but they are also English, and deeply resent being viewed as outsiders."

Details: Bush Theatre, Snookered

Looks like an interesting production.

Archery revival in Shah Jahan Mosque

OnIslam, Surrey Mosques Revive Centuries-Old Archery "Teaching Muslim youth an attractive sport, Shah Jahan Mosque was praised for its role in encouraging young Muslims to play a sport while observing the daily prayers at the mosque."

Friday 2 March 2012

Review of 'Make Bradford British'

Anita Singh, Telegraph, Make Bradford British: thanks for nothing, Channel 4
"There is an interesting, thought-provoking television programme to be made about Bradford and the challenges it faces. This wasn’t it."

I started watching this on 4oD, but I am not really a fan of 'reality shows' such as this.  I think it has potential to address some important issues, so will watch it again sometime.

New book: 'Towards Building a British Islam'

Haifaa A. Jawad, Towards Building a British Islam: New Muslims' Perspectives, Continuum Books "Despite the current negative image of Islam in Europe there has been a steady growth of converts to Islam over the past few decades. British converts are a highly diverse group, with different social, economic and educational backgrounds. Recently this group has grown in confidence and become increasingly active in influencing positive Islamic discourse in Britain. The book sheds light on the intellectual and spiritual contributions of some of the prominent figures of this group of ‘new Muslims’, and assesses their efforts in shaping Islam in British society; including: Martin Lings, Gai Eaton, Tim Winter and Hamza Yusuf."