Toxic Politics (part 97)

This is just the latest evidence showing the scale of Islamophobia in the Conservative Party.

Last week Birmingham Cllr Rick Payne was forced to resign after HOPE not hate revealed his use of an anonymous X account to spew anti-Muslim hatred.https://t.co/3xI1XIjo64

— HOPE not hate (@hopenothate) April 18, 2024

Masjid Ramadan

Gillian Duncan, The National, UK's oldest Turkish mosque at risk of closure, 27 Mar 2024 "Erkin Güney, the owner of the Masjid Ramadan, in Dalston, north-east London, said the building’s bills have tripled in recent years and he is struggling to cover them alongside rising maintenance costs."

The 'Young Imam'

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas, Mirror, 'I'm one of Britain's youngest Imams - one day I want to have my own TV show', 30 June 2023

"Based at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in South London, Sabah says he enjoys being able to speak to Muslims and non-Muslims from around the world on his Instagram page, where he is known as the 'Young Imam' and has amassed some 11,500 followers."

Sisterhood FC

Hannah McKay, Reuters/Guardian,Sisterhood FC: football club for Muslim women breaks barriers – photo essay

I didn't see this photo-essay about Sisterhood FC when it originally came out earlier this month. "A female-only football club in London is giving Muslim women a chance to shine on the sports field. Buoyed by a surge in interest in women’s football after England’s Euro 2020 triumph, Sisterhood FC has grown to almost 100 players"

Mapping Mosques

Here's an interesting site containing a map of every prayer room and mosque in London: Islamic Music Hub, Map Of Every Prayer Room & Mosque In London I would think this has potential as an app?
(tip: Sadek Hamid)

Arrests on Anti-Semitic Abuse Charges

ITV News, Four men arrested over video of 'anti-Semitic abuse being shouted from car' in London "Footage on social media showed a convoy of cars covered with Palestinian flags passing down Finchley Road, in north London, with passengers heard to shout offensive language and threats against Jews."

Vaccinations

⁦@EnfieldCouncil⁩ community Covid vaccine webinar. Qari Asim from MINAB informs us that the Covid vaccine is completely halal & having a vaccine in Ramadan does NOT break your fast “If anyone saves one life, it is like saving the whole of humanity” (Quran) #getthejab pic.twitter.com/VM6vgQNUwx

— Farzana Hussain (@fhussain73) February 17, 2021

Bradford Central Mosque to become a Covid-19 vaccination centre https://t.co/vMjPuzzsD5

— Telegraph & Argus (@Bradford_TandA) February 17, 2021

Bradford Central Mosque has become the latest mosque to open its doors to become a community COVID-19 vaccination centre.

It follows the likes of other mosques in the region, such as the Jamia Ghausia Centre in Sheffield and Keighley Mosque.https://t.co/6FVTfG8tZL

— Miqdaad Versi (@miqdaad) February 17, 2021

Million Women Rise

Photos/video put together by my 'other half' recording participants at Million Women Rise in March 2020. https://t.co/81OfzGQdPe

— Gary Bunt (@garybunt) May 3, 2020

Regent's Park Mosque - retrospective

Regent’s Park Mosque tarawih and eid prayer in the 1990s was a whole vibe unto itself. https://t.co/Vu1c2ggI5q

— Khadijah Elshayyal (@DrKElshayyal) April 27, 2020

London Bridge Attack Inquest

Guardian, London Bridge attack: inquest told of 'high and terrible drama' "The London Bridge inquests began at the Old Bailey on Tuesday with details of the attack on 3 June 2017 being read out by Judge Mark Lucraft QC, the chief coroner. Details emerged of an off-duty nurse killed as she tried to help the wounded, and a passerby who desperately tried to tackle the terrorists with a skateboard."

Honours for Muslims tell untold story about the UK

Imam Mahmoud, Standard, Honours for Muslims tell untold story about the UK "While gaps between us widen, a political elite seems too often to be distracted from or unbothered by the issues ordinary people face. Yet I know of another story that is being written too: by determined and selfless people pulling us together every day. The New Year’s Honours list in many ways speaks to this story. It is indicative of a country’s people working together — in spite of all we’re up against. "

Mosque hosts Shoah Exhibition

Times of Israel, Golders Green mosque to host exhibit on Muslim heroes of Shoah "Golders Green Mosque is to host a unique one-day Yad Vashem exhibition at the beginning of the new year, highlighting the Muslim Albanians who helped, protected and rescued their Jewish neighbours during the Holocaust."

Mitzvah Day (and associated controversy)

BBC News, Mitzvah Day: Jews and Muslims come together to cook chicken soup 

"Volunteers from Muslim Aid and Stoke Newington Shul came together to make 1,000 bowls of chicken soup for the local homeless population."

Also see opinion/speculation: Middle East Eye, Was the Jewish-Muslim 'chicken soup challenge' cooked up by UK's Home Office?

"Jews and Muslims from youth groups, mosques and synagogues attempted to cook a thousand portions of the traditional Jewish dish as part of a programme organised by Mitzvah Day, a charity that promotes a day of social action led by the Jewish community.

"But the Chicken Soup Challenge was also backed by the UK Home Office, through a programme that provides funding and support for counter-extremism projects, a detail that went unmentioned in reports produced by BBC News and The Guardian. "

Meghan Markle returns to kitchen to see Grenfell survivors

MSN, Meghan Markle returns to kitchen to see Grenfell survivors as cookbook is hailed a success, 21 Nov 2018 "Meghan, expecting her first child, came up with the idea for the cookbook in January after going to the kitchen at the Al Manaar Muslim cultural heritage centre where a group of women came together to cook in the aftermath of the fire."

Twelver Shia networks in Britain

Oliver Scharbrodt, Aminority within a minority?: the complexity and multilocality of transnational Twelver Shia networks in Britain, Contemporary Islam

"To analyze the multilocal spatial manifestations and connections of these network, the article utilizes Werbner’s notion of ‘complex diasporas’ (2002, 2004, 2010) and recent contributions to the development of a spatial methodology in Religious Studies (Knott 2005; Vásquez 2010; Tweed 2006; McLoughlin and Zavos 2014). The article thereby constitutes the very first attempt to apply recent contributions on the nature of diasporic religions and their spatial multilocality to the case study of Twelver Shia networks based in London."

How London's Southall became 'Little Punjab'

Guardian, How London's Southall became 'Little Punjab', 4 Apr 2018 "A new project explores the largest Punjabi community outside India – from possibly Britain’s first Indian shop to race riots and the fight for rights."

Finsbury Park attack - trial

Daily Mail, CCTV 'captures the moment Finsbury Park murderer ploughed his rental van into a crowd of Muslim worshippers leaving one man dead after asking for directions to the nearest mosque', 23 Jan 2018 Comprehensive coverage of this case, showing the roles of social media and internet content. Also see Wales Online, Cardiff man accused of carrying out Finsbury Park attack told pub-goers 'I’m going to kill all Muslims', court hears, 23 Jan 2018

Parsons Green attack

Independent, Parsons Green attack: No evidence Isis is systematically using refugees for terror plots, research finds, 19 Sep 2017

Grenfell Tower Disaster - Update

Imams Online, London’s Muslim Community Provides Aid to Grenfell Tower Victims "Some of the first community responders to come to the aid of the victims and provide support, shelter and food for those that had been left stranded and homeless by this tragedy were faith communities from across West London. Alongside churches and temples, Mosques and the Muslim community rallied to provide support in any way they could." Also see @Muslim_Aid and general coverage from BBC News, Twelve dead after huge tower block fire

'Lucy Sherriff, Twitter, Young Muslim boys were banging on our doors to wake everyone up.' - Locals praise Muslim community following #GrenfellTower #GrenfellFire

Yahoo News, Grenfell Tower fire: Muslims who were still awake because of Ramadan saved residents’ lives  

BBC, The man who filmed the events of the Grenfell fire
 

London attack 3 June 2017 - updated 6 June 2017

This is a brief round-up of coverage associated with the attack in London on 3 June. Note that I posted in real-time on my Twitter feed @garybunt, and some of that content is also below. Selected articles are here:

BBC News, London attack rolling coverage

Metro, Police arrest more ‘a number of people’ in East London in early morning raids "Scotland Yard said seven women and five men aged between 19 and 60 were arrested under the Terrorism Act in Barking on Sunday. A 55-year-old man was later released without charge." Useful time-line of events.

Sky News, Photo shows the moment armed police ended London Bridge terror attack

MCB, Statement on London attacks

Evening Standard, Mosques and Muslim leaders 'united in disgust' after London Bridge terror attack (especially for the photos)

AP,  Attack brings out the best in London’s Borough neighborhood
 

Huffington Post,  Donald Trump Condemned For ‘Exploiting’ London Terror Attacks To Promote His Muslim Travel Ban

Metro, Isis claim London attack but put the wrong date  

Zaid M. Belbagi, Arab News, This is the London that is my home 

Standard, London Bridge attacker, known as 'Abs', was extremist who had been reported to authorities and featured in documentary "MI5 and police faced growing pressure today over whether the London Bridge murders could have been prevented after it emerged that at least one of the attackers was a known extremist who had been reported to the authorities."

Aisha Gani, Buzzfeed,  More Than 130 Imams Are Refusing To Perform Funeral Prayers For The London And Manchester Attackers "The faith leaders — including Dr Timothy Winter of University of Cambridge; Sheikha Selina Begum Ali, the director of the Beacon Institute; and Imam Qari Asim of Leeds mosque — said they will refuse to perform Salat al-Janazah due to "ethical principles which are quintessential to Islam.""

Sky News, Third London attacker named as Youssef Zaghba "He was reportedly stopped at Bologna airport in March last year while trying to take a flight to Istanbul, before potentially travelling on to Syria."