London & Scotland Attacks Al-Qaeeda Inspired?

The question reeling everyone's minds - were these 'terrorist' attacks by Muslims inspired by Al-Qaeeda networks? Lets hope the security services carry out a more thorough investigation this time round with concrete evidence of those responsible for what could have been 2 very disastrous attacks. And here's to hoping UK Mosques and institutions will take this as yet another example of what the outcomes are of not teaching the youth to channel their (justified) frustration and anger over UK's foreign policy via democratic means.

Our Mosques need to reform and revive - fast - with programs to educate the community of how to make a difference democratically, how to lobby the media, how to counter islamophobia and misrepresentation in society, how to outreach to the non-muslim community, how to engage the youth and women in the community in the running of the Mosque...man the list goes on. Unfortunately, I have yet to know of a single Mosque with plans such as these in the pipelines (well apart from the outreach to non-muslims). I've been (trying!) to approach the few local Mosques in my area for a while now about these issues, but guess what - 'no women allowed!' So I have to overcome this barrier first (or dress like a man?!) before my views and suggestions are even heard of! Aaaaaagggggghhhhhhhhhhh!

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Scotland is reeling from its first al-Qaida-inspired attack, after a car bomb was rammed into Glasgow Airport. Security sources believe that the attack, which happened at 3.15pm today, is linked to the two attempts to devastate London's West End 36 hours earlier, also using vehicles packed with petrol.

Gordon Brown tonight convened a meeting of the government's emergency Cobra committee to discuss the latest incident and be given the first intelligence reports. Airports around the world were put on alert for a further wave of potential terrorist attacks.

In Glasgow a burning green Jeep Cherokee was driven at speed towards the front of the terminal. Robin Patterson, 42, of Rochester, Kent, described the moment he saw the car burst into flames at the airport.

'It was just a small fire at first. Then there was an enormous explosion and it really was a big explosion,' he said. 'The guy next to the car, his skin and clothes just fell off him. He came running away from the car and he was like an absolute lunatic. He was just literally running away from the police.'

Travellers described how they saw two Asian men, one of whom was on fire, coming out of the car. One of them was seen pouring petrol around the car and on himself before people at the airport jumped on him and he was led away. Strathclyde Police confirmed that they had arrested two men, but gave no further details.

Several witnesses gave dramatic accounts of the apparent attempt to storm the departure lounge and harm holidaymakers. Richard Gray said: 'A green Jeep was in the middle of the doorway burning. There was an Asian guy who was pulled out of the car by two police officers, who he was trying to fight off. They got him on the ground. The car didn't explode. There were a few pops and bangs, which presumably was the petrol.'

Louise Robertson, 49, from Helensburgh, was checking in for her flight to Mallorca with her husband and son. She said: 'We were in check-in and were about to go up to the desk when we heard people shouting that there was smoke. I knew instinctively that something wasn't right and we just ran to the nearest exit as fast as we could.

'When we got out I looked back and I could see the Jeep was stuck at the door and it was on fire. 'I then saw a man who was partly on fire running from the car and he was being chased by police who eventually caught him and wrestled him to the ground.

'I have heard that the police are concerned there may be [explosive] devices in the car park.'

One unnamed witness told the BBC: 'I heard the sound of a car's wheels spinning and saw smoke coming out. I saw a Jeep Cherokee apparently as if it was trying to get right through the doors into the terminal building. There were flames coming out from underneath, then some men appeared from in among the flames. The police ran over and the people started fighting with the police. I then heard what sounded like an explosion.'

Two men, one of whom was said to be badly burned, were reportedly seen being led away in handcuffs. The airport was evacuated and all flights suspended following the incident. Roads around the airport were closed.

A spokesman for the British Airports Authority said that the emergency services were at the scene. He added: 'Our advice to passengers is to check with their airline to establish if their flight will be operating.'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,2115693,00.html

RESULT: UNISON Votes To Boycott Israel!

Last month delegates at the inaugural congress of the UCU voted in favour of a motion calling for the circulation of 'the full text of the Palestinian boycott call to all branches for information and discussion'. Delegates deplored Israel's occupation of Palestine and the violation of Palestinian educational rights by curfews, checkpoints and travel restrictions. Although this is not a direct boycott of Israeli academia, the motion allows a Palestinian voice to be heard. This is a commendable decision made by the delegates at the UCU and highlights the moral stance of British academia.

As a result of this conceded campaign by the UCU, UNISON votes to boycott the Racist, Apartheid regime of Israel! Check out the following article by MPACUK:

http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/3772/64/

We Brits are known for our tolerance and sense of fair play. When Governments around the world stood by and did nothing about the apartheid in South Africa, it was ordinary men and women who stood against the racist regime. Over time their boycott spread from organisation to organisation, from churches and mosques, schools to universities, and finally the Governments of the World which had turned a blind eye to the injustices could no longer shy away, eventually taking their lead from the people.

UNISON is Britain's biggest trade union with over 1.3 million members. At its Annual Conference on 20th June 2007, the union passed Motion 53 on Palestine, stating that “ending the occupation demands concerted and sustained pressure upon Israel, including an economic, cultural, academic and sporting boycott.”

The motion, which was passed to cheers from the hall, urges Israel to respect the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and to establish a state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with its capital in Jerusalem.

MPACUK commends the decision made at the UNISON conference with their pledge to support Palestine.

This follows hot on the heels of the recent UCU motion to boycott Israel, please see:
- Support the Anti-Apartheid Boycott

We would encourage our readers to contact UNISON to offer their whole-hearted support and to thank them for leading the way in this noble effort.

Only if we the British people work together with our common sense of fair play can we give hope to our fellow men, women and children in the occuppied territories who are living under a brutal occupation. Let the people of Palestine know that they have not been forgotten.

What you can do:

- Contact UNISON thanking them for passing Motion 53 on Palestine.

email UNISION on:
irelations@unison.co.uk
And / Or

'Phone UNISON on:
0845 355 0845

Looks Like Mad Mel’s Been At It Again.

Notorious within the Muslim community with a title that seems more apt then just ‘Mad Mel’, Melanie Philips was named the "Most Islamphobic Media Personality of the Year " by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (in 2003).This time, she’s been in a major ding dong with Arab Media Watch and urged her fans/readers to write to them. Surprise, surprise, AMW were then inundated with racist hate mail…..coincidence? Me thinks not!


The Guardian on 18 June 2007 reported the row between Arab Media Watch and Daily Mail regular columnist and BBC Moral Maze regular Melanie Phillips, whose blog post urging her readers to write to us resulted in racist hate mail that we sent to the media.

This is what the Guardian had to say:

"An entertaining spat between the Mail's Melanie Phillips and Arab Media Watch has taken an unfortunate turn. The lobby group urged people to complain to the Mail over a Phillips column about the Arab-Israeli conflict. Phillips, in turn, suggested on her website that her readers might like to write to Arab Media Watch. And boy, have they written, reports its chairman Sharif Hikmat Nashashibi. 'One might wonder whether she hoped for the kind of vulgar, racist abuse, not to mention grammatical and linguistic embarrassment that her blog post generated,' he writes. No room to reprint the messages in full, thank goodness, but suffice to say they included the phrase f*** off back to where you came from'. With readers like that, does Phillips need critics?"

AMW's press releases concerning the hate mail received are available at:

http://www.arabmediawatch.com/amw/Articles/PressReleases/tabid/77/newsid391/3959/The-hate-mail-continues/Default.aspx

http://www.arabmediawatch.com/amw/Articles/PressReleases/tabid/77/newsid391/3946/AMW-responds-to-Melanie-Phillips/Default.aspx

Salman Rushdie

Today is Salman Rushdie’s birthday, and I’m sure it’s a wonderful present to him- certain countries endorse him being killed.

I personally do not have a view on him either way, and as with the others that are to receive knighthoods, do not really care. Who knighthoods are bestowed upon, at this moment in time don’t really bother me. (This post is not on the wrongs and rights of awarding Rushdie a knighthood.) I am too young to remember any of the original big furore over The Satanic Verses. I have never read any of his books, less still The Satanic Verses, so I can’t comment on his skills as an author, or his storylines. I do know others who have read Midnight’s Children, and my mother and one of my closest friends maintain it is one of the most well-written books they have ever read, and both are pretty well-read. I don’t know a single person who has ever read The Satanic Verses though. I vaguely remember a Bremner, Bird and Fortune sketch which mentioned the fatwa on Salman Rushdie, and them going on to argue that fatwas in everyday life would be pretty useful (although not killing ones). He was one of those people whom I’m sure I’ve asked about in the past, but forgot the answer, and whose books I’ve felt I should read.

And then this incident starts. I have to admit its pretty embarrassing explaining to someone that Islam is a peace-loving religion and then reading a headline “Rushdie title 'may spark attacks'”.

For those of you that do not know, (and I doubt any of you are as unclued up about this issues as me but just in case) the low-down of the Salman Rushdie affair (courtesy of Wikipedia and the BBC) is that in 1988 he published a book called The Satanic Verses. The book is described as “a cosmic battle between good and evil, set in contemporary England and combining fantasy, philosophy and farce…. It included an extended section that appeared to denigrate the prophet Muhammad and the Islamic faith.” It is this section that meant many Muslims, most without reading the novel, came to believe that it contained blasphemous references, leading to the book’s banning in several countries. In 1989 Ayatollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa that called for the death of Rushdie and claimed that it was the duty of every Muslim to obey. “A large bounty was offered to anyone who would execute him and the author was forced into hiding, with full-time police protection, a condition that endured for many years.” In July 1991 Hitosh Igarashi, the Japanese translator of the book, wass stabbed to death, and Ettore Capriolo, the Italian translator, was seriously wounded.

The issue has now risen up again as Salman Rushdie is to be awarded a knighthood. This has led Pakistan's national parliament to pass a resolution yesterday condemning the award. Now ain’t no expert on Pakistani politics, but from what I have read and heard of about the unrest in Karachi alone, surely they have more important problems to deal with? Instead Religious Affairs Minister Ejaz-ul-Haq stated “If someone commits suicide bombing to protect the honour of the Prophet Mohammad, his act is justified," he said, according to the translation by the Reuters news agency. "If Britain doesn't withdraw the award, all Muslim countries should break off diplomatic relations."

This type of thing makes me angry for many reasons. Lets’s break it down before my anger just ends up as an unreadable mess (well more-so)
1. It’s a flippin FICTIONAL book. What’s to get so worked up about? There are SO many more things to pay attention to. In Pakistan alone- poverty, UNEMPLOYMENT, disease, the rat children, women’s rights, all that feudal crap, racism, to name but a few. My personal belief is that where people do get worked up, its because they have nothing better to do with their lives. If these people had jobs and cared about their families, they would surely have bigger worries than an English written book, that had this mass hysteria not occurred, most people would not have heard of it anyway.
2. Break off diplomatic relations? Oh that’s a good idea. Let uss all act like we’re four again and when we don’t like what someone does we won’t talk to them. Let’s just alienate ourselves.
3. In this county, I will be mighty annoyed if anyone starts violently protesting. If you live in a democracy, other people expressing their view is a part of it. If this book was that offensive, if one had half a braincell, the author would be ignored until he faded into obscurity and past generations. As it is, he’s just received one hell of a lot of publicity.
4. I seriously can not believe people were killed over this? An innocent translator, who did nothing more than do his job. Is this something to proud of?
5. Let’s end with what a great advertisement this is of the religion. Not. We must remember, despite Islam being the fastest growing religion on Earth, most will never have met a Muslim in the flesh. Therefore the way the Muslim community acts in the news is how Islam will be judged. When it seems that all Muslims do is react against perceived insults, it makes people wonder why the religion can’t tolerate it, and I’m sorry to say it, but if they are all “savages”.

To clarify, I do not mean to belittle Salman Rushdie’s supposed insult to Islam. But I find it hard to believe that it will “encourage people to commit blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammad”. Islam is much stronger than that. Its so much more than that. And it is bloomin about time that the Muslims start rising above, and start acting like that.

British Government Can Help End Siege on Palestinians

Violence between Hamas and Fatah have caused nearly 100 lives, Abas has 'dissolved' the Hamas government, and a state of emergency has been declared. The Palestinian Solidarity Campaign group have hit the nail on the head and outline how this catastrophe was sadly an inevitable outcome of the illegal Israeli occupation and the west refusing to recognise the elected Palestinian government.

PSC Letter in the Guardian - Causes of the crisis in Gaza
Friday 15th June 2007

http://www.palestinecampaign.org/

Causes of the crisis in Gaza

The current crisis in Gaza and the West Bank (Fatah on the run as Hamas wages battle for Gaza's streets, June 14) is the predictable outcome of the policy of Israel and the west of boycotting the democratically elected Palestinian government, which has repeatedly offered a comprehensive ceasefire and negotiations with Israel. The deliberate creation of a humanitarian crisis by the EU, the US and Israel is a shameful and cowardly attempt at regime change.


The refusal to recognise Palestinian democracy, including a unity government representing 96% of the electorate, has created despair. Following the Palestinian elections in January 2006, Israel and the west have punished the Palestinian people by depriving the Palestinian Authority of its own tax revenues and aid. A brutal siege has been placed upon the Palestinians, with Israel preventing even humanitarian supplies such as food and essential medical supplies from entering. The use of aid agencies is ineffective, as graphically demonstrated in the recent Oxfam report, as well as UN documents and the report of the World Bank.

Democratically elected Palestinian parliamentarians have been abducted and imprisoned by Israel - a third of the Palestinian legislature is incarcerated by Israel. The responsibility for the crisis lies with governments, including our own, which have created these intolerable conditions for Palestinians and continue to deny Palestinians basic human rights.


We call on the British government to act now: to end the siege on the Palestinians and immediately reinstate the funding to the Palestinian Authority; to respect Palestinian democracy and fully recognise the Palestinian Authority; to ensure Israel releases the imprisoned MPs and all other political prisoners; to act to end the Israeli occupation; and to ensure Israel abides by international law. The foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, should use the EU meeting next Monday to press for these changes in EU policy.


Betty Hunter

Palestine Solidarity Campaign

March in June

Well I’m back again- for a while…..
Had exams, but unlike Abu Funza I can not prove that is what I was doing as, well, I’m pretty sure they don’t allow you to take photos in the exam room. I suppose I could have asked though.

Went last Saturday to the demonstration WA mentioned. There I was actually going to take pictures, but I have a real poor memory and left the two cameras on the kitchen table. You should probably be glad I did forget though when I have a camera I take pictures of anything that interests me. I tell you this because while my friend was buying some inspirational postcards in Trafalgar Square, I was watching the naked people cycle past. (It was legal and had something to do with highlighting climate change - I wasn’t just in a real dodgy part of London.) At one point whilst I was standing there with my mouth wide open, an old man, well over the age of 50, got off his bike and just stood there for a good couple of minutes, completely stark naked. I do believe I have been scarred for life. Had I remembered my camera, I would I have shared the image with you, my privileged readers.

The demonstration itself was probably one of the best I had been to- although that’s only because I actually got somewhere to sit, and the fact that at the end, a couple of people at the front started an impromptu Palestinian dance, and with a few minutes about 10 people had joined in, and another hundred had gathered round watching and taking photos. I think the original dancers were a little shocked.

On the serious side, I was struck how brave some of the people there were. I heard from famous Jewish actors/ actresses who risk there careers by coming out against Israel, because we all know how good the Zionist machine is. I listened to priests and ordinary people who had dedicated their lives to helping the Palestinian people, and trying to find a solution. Most inspiring however was an Israeli from Combatants for Peace - a truly impressive and amazing organisation set up by Israeli and Palestinian Individuals – whose courage and beliefs brings hope to the conflict.

So whilst I saw many Jewish and Christians there, I noticed, as usual, how little Muslims there were. By far the majority there were non-Muslims which kind of makes you wonder. Whilst the Muslims may complain in their houses, when there comes a legitimate way to express their grievances where are they?

Whilst I agree that it is unlikely the government will not be particularly affected by the demonstration, I don’t believe this is why the Muslims don’t turn up.

So is it laziness, ignorance, apathy? I find it hard to believe it is apathy, because I find it that is a general trend among Muslims, no matter how little politics they know, they will still know of the “Palestinian Brothers, Sisters and Mothers” they do so much for.

Whilst there were many Jews there, who I know may find it a little patronising me saying this but you have got to rate them as some risk social stigma, and for some, especially Israelis, it goes against everything they have been brought up with. The Muslims who have a religious obligation were nowhere to be found.

Somebody please explain to me….

Academics Get Smart and Boycott Israel

Last week University lecturers backed calls for an academic boycott of Israel at their inaugural national conference. Delegates at the University and College Union (UCU) conference voted 158 to 99 to circulate its branches with the boycott call from Palestinian trade unions for "information and discussion".

The motion calling for an Israeli academic boycott came jointly from the University of Brighton and the University of East London. They asked members to rally to the call from Palestinian trade unions "for a comprehensive and consistent international boycott of all Israeli institutions". Their motion also called on university lecturers to condemn the "complicity of Israeli academia in the [Palestinian] occupation".

And now our very own Tony Bliar is denouncing the boycott of Israel…man do these pro-Israeli lobbies have connections…

Blair: ‘Drop the boycott – it’s no good for peace’
http://www.thejc.com/

TONY BLAIR has led the worldwide condemnation of the British academics’ union supporting moves towards a boycott of Israeli universities. In the Commons on Wednesday, Mr Blair called on the University and College Union to drop the resolution, passed at its annual meeting last week.

“I hope very much that the decision is overturned because it does absolutely no good for the peace process or indeed for relations in that part of the world,” Mr Blair told MPs. “The only solution ultimately is to relaunch the framework for a negotiated peace with a two-state solution at the heart of it.”

The New York based Anti-Defamation League took out display advertisements in The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, the Financial Times and today’s JC pointing out that, at a time when journalists were being arrested in Iran, activists tortured in Zimbabwe and 400,000 people murdered in Darfur, “British unions have singled out Israel for boycott. That’s antisemitism.” – The inevitable anti-semtism card is played by the ADL!

A long term campaign has been launched by British Jewish leaders such as the Britain-Israel Communications and Research Centre (Bicom), the Jewish Leadership Council and Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks.

I guess at times like these you can truly rely on the pro-Israeli lobbies to kick into overdrive and prioritise Israel over and above Britain:

A fundraising effort was also under way. “We are in this to win and campaigns like this do not come cheap,” Ms Fitzsimons pointed out. “The aim is to persuade [UCU general secretary] Sally Hunt to do as she promised in her election manifesto and hold a ballot of all UCU members on the boycott motion.”

Taken from the British anti-Zionist Jewish blogger Mark Elf.

To thank the UCU for passing a motion clearly standing against the state of Israel and defending the rights of Palestinians, use the below details. It only takes 5 minutes to email/call and log your appreciation. The Zionist lobbies have mobolised and orchestrated a campaign to try and get Sally Hunt and the UCU to overturn the motion. The least we could do is support those who dare to stand up to Zionist bullies and advocate justice and peace in the Middle East.

Sally Hunt
Joint general secretary
shunt@ucu.org.uk
02076709729

Paul Mackney
Joint general secretary
pmackney@ucu.org.uk

Head Office:
hq@ucu.org.uk

Making a Stand...

Anyone going to the march tomorrow? Stay tuned in for a write up of our ‘marching’ over the next few days …

http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/

Enough! End the Israeli Occupation – Justice for the Palestinians!
2007 marks the 40-year anniversary of the Six Day War, in which the Israeli army took military control of the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Join the Enough! coalition demonstration tomorrow Saturday 9 July. Assemble 1.30pm at Lincoln's Inn Fields for the march to Trafalgar Square.

And speaking of actively making a stand…

Groningen University in Denmark is in talks with a law student who insists on wearing a full veil/Niqaab (face covering) to class. The university says the student may not take any exams with her face covered and has given her a few days to consider her position.

I still find it astounding that the veil can cause such uproar in today’s world. It just goes to show, the more we bury our heads in the sand and think these laws and discriminatory acts won’t affect us, the more likely it will ! So before it’s too late (and I say that lightly as the British government is not exactly improving its relations with the Muslim community) – wake up, get active, and play a role within the very systems and mechanisms (media, politics, etc) that make decisions about your rights and freedoms behind closed doors.

Muslim MPs - they are good for something! Well... one is at least

I cam across this on the MPACUK website:

Shahid Malik Signs EDM!

Last week the Muslim Public Affairs Committee reported that 3 British Muslim MPs had not signed an early day motion regarding Israel's Relationship with the EU. It has now come to our attention that Shahid Malik has signed the Early Day Motion. What is remarkable is that he has had the moral and ethical courage to sign it.

We would like to ask the supporters of a just peace in the middle east to email Shahid Malik MP to congratulate him for signing the early day motion.

Unfortunately Khalid Mahmood MP nor Sadiq Khan have signed the early day motion. Please do email or call them and ask them why they have not signed it yet. There is no shame by signing it but there is shame for not having their names on there

Read more here

It sad that Khalid Mahmood and Sadiq Khan couldn't be bothered to sign the EDM - you know, you'd think that Muslim MPs would atleast want to stand up against injustice, but it's a shame that isn't true.

Insha'allah as we get more Muslims finally getting involved in politics we can make a positive change cos the current ones aren't that good - but it is good to see that Shahid Malik is not a complete sell-out.

*cough* Khalid and Sadiq, sign the EDM *cough*

40th Anniversary

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the start of the 6 Day War, which resulted in the capture, occupation and colonisation of East Jerusalem, The West Bank, The Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights by Israel in contravention of every International Law.

Unfortunately the Democratic Nations of the West refuse to take decisive action to force Israel to honour International Law and give the Palestinians their long overdue right to statehood.

Israel shows no sign of relenting, it continues to build illegal colonies (commonly referred to as settlements) in strategic locations on the West Bank. These colonies are connected by highways that only Jewish residents can use and that also dissect the West Bank. All this means that it is incredibly difficult, near impossible, to create anything that can be referred to as a viable Palestinian state.

There is a march planned for Saturday 9th June to protest the 40th anniversary in London (see here)

Please tell your friends and family so that we get a large turnout for this important demonstration. The Palestinians have been stateless for far too long and Masjid Al Aqsa should be freed from the shackles of Israel's occupation.

Sunny Hundal Exposed

Props to Dr Xiang for exposing this ne'er good doer (I'd use more colourful language but my mum would beat me silly). There are 3 posts on this guys and his behaviour leaves alot to be desired.

Here are the posts:

Sunny Hundal - the Islamophobe, Proudly Flies the Flag for Israel

Sunny Hundal - Pro-Israeli Stooge

Sunny Hundal - Silent Regarding Israeli Human Rights Violations

I must say that after reading these posts about Sunny Hundal I've shocked at his behaviour and at how he can support Israel even when Israel commits acts of injustice against the Palestinians whose only crime is that they were born Palestinian.

I urge everybody to please contact Sunny Hundal to give him your views, or post on his blogs, websites or Guardian 'comment is free'.

He can be contacted at sunny@pickledpolitics.com.

We can't allow this media-bias to continue and should try our utmost to take on such Islamophobic journalists.

Sorry for going AWOL

Sorry for not posting on blog for so long, I had exams and went on a field trip to Surrey (I have pictures to prove it!!!)

But now I'm back :D

There's alot that's happened since I've been away, but don't worry I'm on it.

Btw, here's the proof:

See? I wasn't lying :D