UK terror threat now 'critical'

The UK's national terrorism threat level has been raised to "critical", Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has said.

The announcement came after a meeting of the government emergencies committee Cobra, following a burning car being driven into a Glasgow airport terminal.

Ministers, police and security service officials began their third meeting in three days at 1900 BST, this time with a video link to ministers in Scotland.

Cobra met earlier in the day to discuss the two car bombs found in London.

Police in the capital are checking CCTV footage in their investigation into the planting of two car bombs.

Strathclyde Police have arrested two people in connection with the incident at Glasgow Airport.

Eyewitnesses have described a Jeep Cherokee being driven at speed towards the main doors of Glasgow airport's terminal building with flames coming out from underneath shortly after 1500 BST.

The threat levels are:

*
critical - an attack is expected imminently
*
severe - an attack is highly likely
*
substantial - an attack is a strong possibility
*
moderate - an attack is possible but not likely
*
low - an attack is unlikely

Downing Street has refused to comment on whether the events in Scotland and London are connected, saying it was a matter for the police.

The BBC's Andy Tighe said there were "worrying similarities" between the two incidents but no-one in authority had yet made any "firm linkage."

Vigilance call

All flights to and from the airport have been suspended.

Both Mercedes were found to contain explosive materials

A Scottish government spokesperson said Scottish Ministers are in touch with their Whitehall opposite numbers and First Minister Alex Salmond and have spoken to prime minister Gordon Brown.

Mr Salmond and Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill will be taking part in the Cobra meeting.

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Bill Aitken said details about the incident were still "scant" but added: "Once the full information is available from Strathclyde Police we will need to react.

"I am sure that there will be a calm and realistic assessment and in the meantime one can only feel desperately sorry for the thousands of passengers who will have been inconvenienced as a result of what is clearly a serious incident."

Earlier in the day, Cobra met to discuss the London car bomb attempts.

Terror threat

In the early hours of Friday, two Mercedes containing petrol, gas cylinders and nails were found left outside the Tiger Tiger club in Haymarket and a nearby street but the devices did not detonate.

Unconfirmed reports suggest police may have an image of a suspect leaving the vehicle left outside the Tiger Tiger club.

Police increased patrols and security for events in London over the weekend, including the Gay Pride parade, the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium and the Wimbledon tennis championships.

raw fotage from airport

Police have urged anyone with information to phone the confidential Anti-Terrorist hotline number on 0800789321.

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Dewsbury's Muslim MP Shahid Malik has joined Brown's new team as junior minister for international development.

Magistrate walks out in veil row

A Manchester magistrate who refused to deal with a defendant because she was wearing a full Muslim face veil could face disciplinary action.

Ian Murray, a Cheadle Hulme taxi driver who has served on the bench for 12 years, walked out of Manchester Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

Zoobia Hussain, 32, of Crumpsall, who is charged with criminal damage, plans to write and complain, her lawyer said.

Mr Murray said he had been concerned about the defendant's identity.

'Deeply embarrassed'

If a complaint is received, Mr Murray will automatically face an internal investigation, a spokesman for the Judiciary of England and Wales said.

Hussain's lawyer, Judith Hawkins, said: "She [Mrs Hussain] remains shocked and distressed.

Mrs Hussain remains shocked and distressed
Mrs Hussain's lawyer, Judith Hawkins

"She suffered hurt feelings and felt intimidated and deeply embarrassed by the treatment she received at court.

"She is also concerned for the feelings of others who were present in court."

Mrs Hussain covered her entire face apart from her eyes when she faced the three magistrates.

A statement from the Judiciary of England and Wales said: "Mr Murray is concerned about questions of identity when the full veil is worn in court.

"However, he agrees that he acted unwisely in disqualifying himself without giving reasons, and acknowledges that he should have sought the advice of his legal advisor in court, and discussed the provisions of the national guidelines with his colleagues on the bench, before taking action.

"Mr Murray is supportive of those of different faiths and cultural traditions and acknowledges and regrets his action could be misinterpreted."

Mr Murray is "continuing to work as normal" while no complaint exists, a judiciary spokesman said.

Mrs Hussain's case was dealt with immediately after Mr Murray withdrew and was adjourned until 18 July.

Hussain, 32, believed to be a mother of five, appeared for what was due to be a brief administrative hearing this week before bench chairman Mr Murray and two colleagues at Manchester Magistrates Court.

She denies causing £5,000 worth of criminal damage including graffiti to a housing association property from which she had been evicted.

Her solicitor, Judith Hawkins, said Hussain wanted to appear in the dock in the niqab because she "observed the Muslim religion and remains covered in public places when men are present".

Veil row magistrate investigated

UK to spend over a million dollars to "unlock potential of Muslim women"

Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly is announcing a new community leadership fund today to support Muslim communities to unlock the potential of women and young Muslims in making communities resilient and stronger in facing down the voices of violent extremism.

She will launch a new £650,000 Preventing Violent Extremism: Community Leadership Fund which will provide grants to programmes across the country.

Ruth Kelly believes that supporting Muslim communities to play a greater leadership role in civic life and shaping the places they live will help promote greater equality and strengthen resilience to extremism in local communities.

The fund is expected to support the following types of projects:

* New community-led programmes that break down the barriers to the progression and participation of Muslim women in mosques and wider society. For example, building on the work of organisations such as the British Muslim Forum and the Sufi Muslim Council who are encouraging greater access to mosques and mosque committees for women.
* A major expansion in community leadership training courses for Muslim women and young Muslims, including work around confidence building, communication skills, negotiation and mediation. Courses run by organisations like Common Purpose could cover the chance to meet and work as apprentices for senior decision-makers and leaders across communities, business and voluntary sectors. Participants can also visit prisons, housing developments, businesses, hospitals and manufacturing plants to help learn the leadership skills necessary in influencing people and confronting difficult issues.
* New local projects that promote opportunities for Muslim women and young Muslims to play a greater role in civic life such as becoming magistrates, local councillors or school governors. This will help promote equality and the skills that strengthen communities’ resilience to extremism. Roughly only 0.4 per cent of councillors are Asian women. In 2006 there were 75 Asian female councillors and 438 Asian male councillors. In total, only 2.8 per cent of councillors were Asian, compared 4.6 per cent of the adult population.

Anything about "teaching against the jihad ideology of Islamic supremacism"? Of course not.

Cartoon protest 'death threats'

A protester called for UK and US troops in Iraq to be brought back in body bags during a protest against anti-Islamic cartoons, a court was told.

Mizanur Rahman, 24, a web designer of Palmers Green, north London, also called for the beheading of opponents of Islam, the Old Bailey heard.

He denies inciting murder of troops and others.

The offence allegedly took place during a demonstration near the Danish Embassy in central London on 3 February 2006.

The court heard Mr Rahman said: "We want to see them [troops] coming home in body bags.

"We want to see their blood running in the streets of Baghdad."

Mr Rahman also had placards calling for the annihilation and beheading of those who insulted Islam, said Peter Wright QC, prosecuting.

Mr Wright said: "He incited or encouraged others to murder in the name of religion."

He said the speech through a loudhailer had continued: "We want to see the Mujahideen shoot down their planes the way we shoot down birds, we want to see their tanks burn in the way we burn their flags."

Up to 300 people marched to the embassy to a demonstration against the publication of a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed in Denmark and other European newspapers.

The case continues.

you decide from the video below.

Lockerbie bomber allowed appeal

The man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing has been granted leave to make a second appeal.

Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi was jailed for the 1988 atrocity in which 270 people died when Pan-Am flight 103 exploded over the Scottish town.

The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, which has been investigating Megrahi's case since 2003, recommended the second appeal.

In light of the review findings, the Libyan reiterated his innocence.

The commission is responsible for looking into possible miscarriages of justice.

It said the Lockerbie review, which cost £1.1m, was a "difficult" one to deal with.

The chief executive of the group, Gerard Sinclair, said it was the "longest, the most expensive and singularly most complex case we have had to investigate and review".

There were four main areas for referring the case back to court.

They included the "reasonableness" of the court's verdict; additional evidence; new evidence and "other" evidence.

Scotland's Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini said it was inappropriate for her to comment on the basis of the commission's decision.

Year away

However, she added that she had appointed Ronald Clancy QC and advocate Nick Gardiner as the Crown's counsel in the event of an appeal going ahead.

It is likely to be held in Scotland before a panel of three judges and is unlikely to be heard for about a year.

The commission had the option to refer the case to the High Court for a second appeal or reject the submissions by Megrahi's lawyers.

The Glasgow-based body looked at the way Megrahi's defence was carried out, as well as the way the panel of three judges handled the case.

Announcing the decision, the chairman of the commission, the Very Reverend Dr Graham Forbes, said: "The commission has a very special role within the Scottish criminal justice system and has been given extensive statutory powers to enable it to carry out this role.

"The function of the commission is not to decide upon the guilt or innocence of an applicant.

"We are neither pro-Crown nor pro-defence. Our role is to examine the grounds of review identified, either by the applicant, a third party, or by our own investigations, and to decide whether any of the grounds meet our statutory test."

Megrahi said in a statement on Thursday that he was never in any doubt that he would be allowed a fresh appeal.

He added: "I was not involved in the Lockerbie bombing whatsoever.

"I am confident that when the full picture is put before the ultimate arbiters, the Lords Commissioners of Justiciary, I shall finally be recognised as an innocent man."

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said the ability to look into alleged miscarriages of justice was a vital part of the criminal justice system, adding that it was now time to allow the independent legal process to take its course.

He told the Scottish Parliament: "Let us never forget that 270 men, women and children lost their lives in December 1988. Whatever the eventual outcome of this process, their loss can never be recovered."

Lawyers representing Megrahi have always maintained he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

He has already had one appeal following his conviction in January 2001.

That was heard at Kamp van Zeist, the former Dutch air base where he and his co-accused, Al-amin Khalifa Fhima, were tried.

Mr Fhima was acquitted and flew home to Tripoli.

Megrahi's appeal was rejected in March 2002 and since then he has been held in Gateside Prison in Greenock.

On 21 December 1988, the Boeing 747 was en route from London to New York when it exploded in mid-air.

All 259 people on board were killed, along with 11 people on the ground.

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The impending smoking ban in England could spell the end for cafes which practise the ancient habit of shisha.

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Terror suspect hands himself in

A man subject to a nationwide manhunt after going missing from a terrorism control order has handed himself in.

Cerie Bullivant, 24, was remanded into custody at the Old Bailey a day after walking into Belgravia police station, in London.

Mr Bullivant was known only as "AG" until ministers said in May he had failed to report in accordance with his control order, a form of house arrest.

The east London man faces 13 charges of breaching his control order.

Honour killings 'linked to terrorism'

The Crown Prosecution Service has found links between so-called 'honour killings' and terrorism.

The CPS said an Islamist terror group was behind another murder, as well as a case where a woman was threatened and is in hiding, according to a BBC investigation.

The CPS's national leader on honour crime, Nazir Afzal, told Radio 4's File on 4 programme the threats to kill a woman known as Miss B, who is now in hiding, came from her family but originated in an Egyptian terrorist group.

"They told her husband that if he didn't put his wife in her place then they would do it themselves."

Mr Afzal also said Heshu Yones, who was stabbed to death by her father, Abdalla Yones, had links with a Kurdish nationalist organisation: "You have a second generation youth who have an exaggerated concept of what home is like."

"They get their identity and their ethnicity from these traditions", he said.

"We know they are bizarre and outdated but they get their identity from those traditions and they feel very strongly that how you treat your women is a demonstration of your commitment to radicalism and extremist thought."

Official police figures show 19 confirmed "honour killings" in the last decade, but the British courts are dealing with a further eight cases.

In the most recent case of honour violence, Banaz Mahmod, 20, was strangled with a bootlace on the orders of her father and uncle, both Iraqi Kurds who believed she had disgraced their family. Although, there is no evidence that this case is terror related.

It is not extremist, or fascist, or illiberal to demand stringent immigration controls

Leading the Church of England demands moral gymnastics that would equip archbishops for starring roles with the Cirque du Soleil. On gays, women priests, abortion, war and poverty, successive primates have demonstrated a genius for contortionism.

There is scarcely a great issue of the day which our religious leaders fail to dodge, swinging nimbly from trapeze to trapeze. This helps explain why the poor old C of E is in such bad shape.

If a sect appears neither to hold nor to demand from its followers clear beliefs, it is hardly surprising that trade falls off.

As Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002, George Carey was the embodiment of decency and ineffectuality, the wets' wet. Churchill described prime minister Ramsay Macdonald as The Boneless Wonder. He would have been lost for an epithet if confronted with George Carey.

Yet suddenly, and as so often happens after a man retires, Lord Carey has found a voice. Speaking on Radio 4's Sunday programme, he urged Gordon Brown as Prime Minister to restrict immigration.

Immigration control

The Government's projection is that immigrants will account for 83 per cent of our future population growth

"The issue will not go away," he said. "I hope he will impose stricter controls on those entering the United Kingdom."

Amen, most of his listeners will have muttered, after themselves sounding the same alarm for years. Many, I suspect, also said to each other: "Why couldn't he have said that while he was Archbishop?"

Why not, indeed? Yet we welcome the sinner that repenteth, and we know the answer. Churchmen want to be seen to adopt "Christian" attitudes.

Forgetting all the bloodcurdling policy statements in the Bible, they identify Christianity with reflex liberalism. The liberal establishment thinks that it is a sin against God and man to close Britain's doors in the face of outsiders, and especially against the poor and oppressed.

Lord Carey was at pains on Sunday to qualify his remarks about immigration by calling for clemency towards asylum-seekers.

He wants it both ways: to reflect the views of most of his British flock, who know that further curbs are essential; and to add a "compassionate" footnote, to avoid falling out with his friends.

Yet there is no case for weasel words. The reality facing this country is simply stated. An almost unlimited number of people from poor countries, and from societies where they are oppressed and threatened, want to come to Britain.

At present, they are arriving in numbers which threaten our social stability and the capacity of communities to absorb them, and indeed promise to change the character of this country.

George Carey

The former Archbishop of Canterbury said he hoped the new PM will impose stricter controls on those entering the UK

By the Government's own projections, immigrants will account for 83 per cent of our future population growth, and will require us to build more than 200 houses a day for the next 20 years to provide them with roofs.

Most native Britons fiercely resist and resent the influx, and feel betrayed by the entire political class which is allowing it to happen.

The Government professes to believe in restricting entry, but refuses to enforce effective controls. It is unnecessary to be a conspiracy theorist to believe that many Labour ministers and MPs simply do not mind.

They told us in 1997 that they intended to bring about "an irreversible change in the nature of British society". Wholesale immigration contributes mightily to this process, as few newcomers vote Tory.

As Home Secretary, John Reid has belatedly talked and acted more toughly. Reid realises the immense strains and passions generated by immigration in Labour's urban heartlands, especially in the North of England. But Reid is about to quit office. We have no idea what his successor will do.

The Government still rejects the only convincing means of checking the flow: an absolute limit on numbers, which should be set not only far below the current 300,000 a year, but also down from the Government's future projection of 145,000.

After a decade in which Britain's population has increased by 1.6 million according to official figures - many more if an unknown number of illegals is added - the Government has the effrontery to claim that it now operates "tight" rules.

This causes Sir Andrew Green of Migration Watch to say: "If the present system amounts to 'tight controls', I dread to think what loose ones might mean."

Whitehall's efforts to stem the huge traffic in arranged marriages, notably from Pakistan, are feeble. The Government is least uncomfortable when quoting our net population figure, because this deducts the 100,000 British people who quit this country every year.

Immigration

Lord Carey has urged Gordon Brown as Prime Minister to restrict immigration

While almost all emigrants are, of course, professed Christians, a huge number of those who come in are Muslims.

And there's the rub. Since so many have no desire to adopt the values and customs of our society, their presence has drastically altered the appearance and character of Britain's inner cities.

Lord Carey said on Sunday that he hopes Gordon Brown "will not forget the importance of Christian identity at the heart of being a part of the United Kingdom". It seems fanciful to suppose that his wish will be fulfilled.

For the new Prime Minister to act convincingly on immigration will require a huge investment of political capital, and a row with the liberal establishment which it is doubtful Brown has the stomach for.

He also needs to believe that failure to act will cost him votes. This is unlikely, as long as the Conservative Party maintains its current low profile on the issue.

I am an admirer of Tory leader David Cameron. But it seems extraordinary that he scarcely opens his mouth about a subject which alarms most British people vastly more than Iraq, the environment or Europe.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis makes some fierce noises. The Conservatives have produced policy documents calling for a much firmer line on the entry of dependants, and for an overall upper limit.

But the leader himself, even in a big speech such as the one he made in Tooting, South London, last week, seems determined to stay off this dangerous turf.

Cameron is scarred by the memory of the Tories' fate at the 2005 election, after Michael Howard talked tough about immigration. I do not believe that had anything to do with Howard's defeat, but the Cameron camp think they did.

They are bent upon shaking off their old image as the "nasty" party. They are surely correct: a Right-wing Tory leader cannot win a General Election in today's social democratic Britain.

But immigration should not be an issue of Right versus Left. It is about the future of this country, and everybody who cares should have a voice.

Today, as a result of the Tories' near-silence, more than a few of their natural supporters seep away to lunatic fringe groups.

The worst thing Enoch Powell did to British politics was to make it so hard to argue rationally about immigration. Ever since Powell, who was indeed pretty mad, it has been thought somehow unclean and not for polite society to say that we do not need or want millions of foreign migrants.

Stifling this debate is wrong and dangerous. It denies the British people a political voice on something they care deeply about.

Lord Carey's remarks on Sunday should achieve one important purpose. They show that it is not extremist, or fascist, or even illiberal to demand vastly more stringent immigration controls. It is vital common sense.

It will be welcome if David Cameron learns the lesson. And even more so if Gordon Brown does.

Up to three in four marriages revealed as 'sham' as immigration rules are tightened

muslims killing muslims.

A murder inquiry has been launched after a 34-year-old Iraqi man died in hospital from severe injuries.

Detectives have not revealed how the man was injured, but he was found badly hurt in a Scunthorpe street at about 0330 BST on Sunday.

He was taken to the town's general hospital but later died.

Nine men in their 20s from the Iraqi-Kurdish community were arrested at the scene a spokeswoman for Humberside Police said.

'Anything suspicious'

The scene was expected to be cordoned off for most of Sunday.

Det Chief Insp Simon Walker said: "I want to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious, or was aware of any tensions in the area at around that time.

"I would appeal for everyone, especially those living in the Iraqi-Kurdish community, to contact us immediately if they have any information which could help this investigation."

A post-mortem examination was being carried out on Sunday afternoon.

Why We Rarely Hear from Moderate Muslims

Because this is what happens when they try to do the right thing: Britain’s first Muslim MP to stand down after death threats.

A Labour MP is stepping down after receiving death threats over his role in bringing three racist killers to justice.

Mohammad Sarwar, who became Britain’s first Muslim MP in 1997, said he feared the lives of his family were also in jeopardy.

He was instrumental in arranging the extradition of Imran Shahid, Zeeshan Shahid and Mohammed Faisal Mushtaq after they fled to Pakistan. The three were jailed for life last year for the abduction and racially aggravated murder of teenager Kriss Donald, who was kidnapped, tortured and killed in Glasgow in 2004.

Mr Sarwar, 54, told the Daily Record: “Life is not the same, to be honest with you, since I brought them back. I was subjected to threats. I was told they wanted to punish my family and make a horrible example of my son - they would do to him what they did to Kriss Donald. I received threats to my life, to murder my sons, to murder my grandchildren.”

Mr Sarwar used his high-level connections in Pakistan to arrange the extradition of the Shahids and Mushtaq. The trio fled to Pakistan shortly after Kriss’s murder in February 2004, and were brought back after 18 months of negotiations involving the MP and British and Pakistani authorities. The killers were the main players in a violent gang that terrorised the Pollokshields area of Glasgow.

Mr Sarwar said he recognised the risks of trying to bring them to justice but knew that “it was the right thing to do”.

The judge in the case, Lord Uist, said Kriss, 15, had been selected as a victim “only because he was white” and because he was walking in the district where the three men were seeking a victim.

UK Labour Peer Compares Rushdie to 9/11 "Martyrs"

British Labour peer Lord Ahmed, rather than helping to bring sanity to the Salman Rushdie frenzy, has given an interview to French newspaper Le Figaro comparing Sir Salman to the “martyrs” of the 9/11 attacks.

Wow.

Interviewed in Le Figaro newspaper in France, the Labour peer Lord Ahmed of Rotherham added fuel to the row when he hit out at Mr Rushdie.

“This honour is given in recognition of services rendered to Great Britain,” he said. “Salman Rushdie lives in New York. He is controversial man who has insulted Muslim people, Christians and the British. He does not deserve the honour.

“Two weeks ago Tony Blair spoke about constructing bridges with Muslims. What hypocrisy.

“What would one say if the Saudi or Afghan governments honoured the martyrs of the September 11 attacks on the United States?”

opps dids he mis this story.........

Pakistani member of Parliament Sami ul Haq says that if Britain is going to knight author Salman Rushdie, Muslims should confer the title of “sir” on Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar.

Day of Pakistan Rushdie protests

Radical Islamic groups in Pakistan have been staging protests over the UK's decision to confer a knighthood on the author Salman Rushdie.

They have held small-scale demonstrations in the southern port of Karachi, the eastern city of Lahore and in the capital, Islamabad.

Around 300 people in Islamabad chanted "Damn Rushdie" and "Down with Britain".

Sir Salman's 1988 book, The Satanic Verses, was condemned by Islamic states as insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

'Deserve death'

"Giving an award to such a big criminal is an insult to the entire Muslim world," Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman, a pro-Taleban cleric and parliamentary opposition leader, said.

Religious leaders across the country echoed his views.

"Rushdie hurt the feelings of the Islamic world by writing a blasphemous book. Awarding the knighthood is an attempt to weaken the ongoing dialogue between religions," Liaquat Baloch, parliamentary leader of the radical MMA alliance of religious parties, told the AFP news agency.

The Speaker of the Punjab provincial assembly, Chaudhry Mohammad Afzal Sahi, said that he would kill Sir Salman Rushdie if he came face to face with him.

"Such blasphemers deserve death. Islam does not allow suicide attacks but it would be justified in the case of a blasphemer, who is worthy of death," he said.

Some protesters also called on Pakistan to expel the British high commissioner, a demand which correspondents say is unlikely to be met.

Giving an award to such a big criminal is an insult to the entire Muslim world
Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman, Pakistani opposition leader

The chief minister of southern province of Sindh, Arbab Ghulam Rahim, said he was so enraged by the decision to honour Sir Salman that he was returning medals won by his grandfather and other relatives to the British High Commission.

Meanwhile the Pakistani parliament has renewed a call to withdraw for Britain to withdraw the knighthood.

"The British government has not withdrawn the title which has not only disappointed the entire Pakistani nation but has also hurt it," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Niazi told the assembly.

"This august house again calls on the British government and its Prime Minister Tony Blair to immediately withdraw the title... and tender an apology to the Muslim world."

'Clear misunderstandings'

Britain has defended the knighthood - which entitles the author to be known as Sir Salman - arguing that it upholds free speech and is part of its desire to honour Muslims in the British community.

Protests called by religious and militant groups have also been held in Indian-administered Kashmir, where a shutdown is being observed in the capital Srinagar and other towns.

The BBC's Altaf Hussain in Srinagar says that shops in most parts of the capital are closed and traffic has been affected.

On Thursday, a group of Pakistani Islamic scholars said they had awarded their highest honour to al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in reaction to the British move.

The Ulema Council said it had awarded Bin Laden the title of "Saifullah", or "the Sword of Allah".

The Pakistani religious affairs minister said that he hoped to go to the UK soon to help "clear misunderstandings" about the Rushdie affair.

He said earlier this week that extremists could justify suicide attacks because the knighthood insulted the Prophet Muhammad.

British Muslims fuel Rushdie outcry with London rally

Muslims angered by Britain's decision to honor author Salman Rushdie with a knighthood were rallying in London today, warning anger over the award could match the fierce reaction to publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in Denmark in 2006.

Organisers of a protest outside Regent's Park Mosque, London, claimed several hundred demonstrators planned to denounce the decision to reward Rushdie, whose novel "The Satanic Verses" led to a death threat from Iran in 1989.
"This knighthood is just another example of Tony Blair and his government's attempts to secularize Muslims and reward apostates," said Anjem Choudray, protest organizer and an ex-head of the British wing of the banned radical group al-Muhajiroun.

"Rushdie is a hate figure across the Muslim world because of his insults to Islam," Choudray said."This honor will have ramifications here and across the world".

A prominent Iranian cleric has said the fatwa death warrant against author Salman Rushdie issued by the late Iranian Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini in 1989 was "still alive" in the Islamic Republic.

The comments by Ahmad Khatami at Friday prayers broadcast on state radio were the latest sign of the anger in Iran sparked by Britain's decision to award a knighthood to Rushdie.

Muslims say his novel "The Satanic Verses" blasphemed against Mohammad and ridiculed the Koran. "In the Islamic Iran that revolutionary fatwa of Imam (Khomeini) is still alive and cannot be changed," Khatami, who often rails against the West, told worshippers in Tehran.
Day of Pakistan Rushdie protests

In 1998, Iran's government formally distanced itself from the death warrant, but hardline groups in Iran regularly renew the call for his murder, saying Khomeini's fatwa is irrevocable.

Pakistan's parliament renewed a call on Friday for Britain to withdraw a knighthood for author Salman Rushie and apologise for hurting Muslim feelings.
Rushdie, whose 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses" outraged many Muslims around the world, was awarded a knighthood for services to literature in Queen Elizabeth's birthday honours list last week.

Pakistan and Iran have protested against the honour and the Pakistani parliament condemned it in a resolution on Monday.

The National Assembly lower house of parliament passed another resolution on Friday expressing dismay Britain had not reversed its decision.

"The British government has not withdrawn the title which has not only disappointed the entire Pakistani nation but has also hurt it," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Niazi told the assembly.

"This august house again calls on the British government and its Prime Minister Tony Blair to immediately withdraw the title... and tender an apology to the Muslim world."
Muslims say Rushdie's novel blasphemed against the Prophet Mohammad and ridiculed the Koran.

Voices from the Muslim world

Britain has defended the knighthood, stressing the importance of free speech and saying it was part of a trend of honouring Muslims in the British community.

At least five people were killed and scores wounded in protests against the book in the Pakistani capital in 1989.

Two days after that, the late Ayatollah Rohallah Khomeini, Iran's supreme religious leader, issued a fatwa, or religious decree, calling on Muslims to kill the Indian-born British writer, who spent the next nine years living in hiding.

Religious Affairs Minister Mohammad Ejaz-ul-Haq, son of Pakistan's late military president Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq, told the assembly this week that if someone committed a suicide bombing to protect the Prophet Mohammad's honour, his act was justified.

He later said he did not mean such attacks were justified but was merely saying militants could use the knighthood as a justification for violence.

A hardline cleric called on Wednesday for Rushdie to be killed and the next day the speaker of the Punjab provincial assembly said blasphemers should be killed.

A group of traders in Islamabad on Thursday offered a reward of 10 million rupees ($165,000) to anyone who killed Rushdie.

'Suicide' minister may go to UK

The Pakistani minister who said that the knighthood given to British author Salman Rushdie could justify suicide attacks has said he may visit the UK.

Religious Affairs Minister Ijaz-ul Haq said his visit may happen next month.

He said that extremists could justify suicide attacks because the knighthood insulted the Prophet Muhammad.

An official in the British embassy in Islamabad said that the minister was a regular visitor to Britain, and no steps would be taken to prevent him.

"I am not aware of any specific invitation being given to him, and I do not know whether he holds an up-to-date visa," the official said.

Mr Haq told the AFP news agency that he may travel to the UK as part of a delegation invited to discuss the most effective ways of engaging khateebs and imams (sermon deliverers and prayer leaders) in "constructive dialogue".

"The visit would also help clear many things and misunderstandings about my remarks about the knighting of Salman Rushdie by Britain," the minister said

Ignore Islam, 'ex-Muslims' urge

A group saying it represents large numbers of "ex-Muslims" is urging policy-makers to ignore the faith.

Campaigner Maryam Namazie said 25 founding members were being named at the body's Westminster launch, representing people scared to speak.

The Council of ex-Muslims believes it represents the views of a majority of secular-minded Muslims in Europe.

The Muslim Council of Britain, the largest umbrella body in the UK, declined to comment on the launch.
Ms Namazie said the new organisation would be a branch of a growing network of secular "ex-Muslims" who oppose the interference of religion in public life.

We are quite certain we represent a majority in Europe and a vast secular and humanist protest movement in countries like Iran
Maryam Namazie

It is supported by the British Humanist Association and National Secular Society and is associated with groups in other European countries, principally Germany.

Iranian-born Ms Namazie is a human rights activist whose family fled the country during the 1980 Islamic Revolution. She has frequently challenged religious thinkers for the way she says they try to control the lives of individuals, particularly women.

The new group would be an alternative voice to bodies like the Muslim Council of Britain, she told the BBC, saying many people who disagreed with the opinions of religious leaders were scared of speaking out.

Ms Namazie urged governments to stop dealing with Islamic organisations that were pushing their values on other people and limiting free speech.

"We are taking a stand for reason, universal rights and values, and secularism. We are quite certain we represent a majority in Europe and a vast secular and humanist protest movement in countries like Iran," she said.

"People can have their beliefs but they must be kept in the private sphere."

"We don't think people should be pigeonholed as Muslims or deemed to be represented by regressive organisations like the MCB," she said.

Apostasy debate

Ms Namazie added: "Those of us who have come forward with our names and photographs represent countless others who are unable or unwilling to do so because of the threats faced by those considered 'apostates' - punishable by death in countries under Islamic law."

In some parts of the Islamic world, apostasy is punishable by death - Italy gave asylum in 2006 to an Afghan man who said he would have been killed for converting to Christianity.

Other thinkers, including European scholars, argue that the call for punishment is too literal and ignores a key section of the Koran that says people cannot be compelled to religion.

The UK government and local authorities have policies of dealing directly with faith bodies, including providing funding. However, ministers are debating whether to change the rules to ensure money goes on boosting cohesion between different peoples.

The Rushdie Seethefest is Spreading

Muslim rage at Britain for knighting Salman Rushdie is spreading and growing, as the leaders of the Religion of Tolerance™ continue throwing fuel on the flames: Muslims hold new protests against Rushdie knighthood. They’re working themselves up for a nice big explosion on Friday, the day of prayer.

Anger mounted in the Muslim world Wednesday over Britain’s knighthood for novelist Salman Rushdie, with protests spreading to Malaysia for the first time and fresh demonstrations in Pakistan. ...

In Kuala Lumpur about 20 members of Malaysia’s main Islamic opposition, the Pan-Malaysia Islamic party, shouted “Go to hell Britain! Go to hell Rushdie!” outside the British High Commission. They handed a one-page memorandum to the British envoy during the rare half-hour demonstration, which was watched by police with riot shields and helmets. The police contingent was about as large as the protest.
“In the name of peace and mutual respect, we demand that the award be withdrawn, and the British government distance itself from a provocateur like Salman Rushdie,” party president Abdul Hadi Awang said in a statement.

In Pakistan hundreds of people protested in the central city of Multan, where an effigy of Rushdie and a British flag were burned for the third day running. Effigies of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II were burned earlier this week. Traders, religious students and members of a religious party held separate demonstrations.

“Britain has tried to ignite the controversy of the cursed author Rushdie after more than a decade,” said Akhtar Butt, the leader of a local traders’ body. “It’s a deliberate attempt to provoke Muslims.”

seething, threatening British Muslim leaders,

Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency has the breaking story of seething, threatening British Muslim leaders, enraged by the granting of knighthood to Salman Rushdie; they blame Tony Blair.

Notice that instead of calling for tolerance and calm, the UK’s Islamic spokesmen add fuel to the fire—and they have no compunctions about issuing veiled threats.

“Many will interpret the knighthood as a final contemptuous parting gift from Tony Blair to the Muslim world,” said secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, Abdul Bari.

Bari said that the Indian-born author earned “notoriety among Muslims for the highly insulting and blasphemous manner in which he portrayed early Islamic figures much-loved and honoured by them.”

“The insensitive decision to grant Rushdie a knighthood can therefore only do harm to the image of our country in the eyes of hundreds of millions of Muslims across the world,” he warned.

His criticism came as Pakistan’s parliament joined in the international condemnation by calling on the British government to reverse the decision or face further protests from Muslim nations.

Labour peer Lord Ahmed described Blair’s decision to approve the honor just before his steps down from power next week as double standards.

“It’s hypocrisy by Tony Blair who two weeks ago was talking about building bridges to mainstream Muslims, and then he’s honouring a man who has insulted the British public and been divisive in community relations,” Ahmed said.

Bradford Council for Mosques in northern England also criticized the knighthood as an insult to Muslim religious sensibilities and as an endorsement of the author’s views.

“The British government has acted extremely irresponsibly in knighting Rushdie at a time when it should be seeking to restore and strengthen the confidence of its Muslim subjects that it has their best interests at heart,” said council spokesman Ishtiaq Ahmed.

Effigies of Salman Rushdie and the Queen have been burned by Muslim students in Pakistan

An update on this story. Not just Iran is angry, but at least some in our Friend and Ally Pakistan. And they're calling for blood.

Salman Rushdie faced fresh threats of suicide attacks this afternoon following his knighthood.

A senior minister in the Pakistani government insisted he be stripped of the honour which was described as an affront to Muslims and a justification to kill the author.

In 1989 Rushdie's book Satanic Verses caused outrage in the Muslim world and led to the issuing of a fatwa calling for his death. Sir Salman went into hiding with round the clock protection but was slowly able to return to public life by 1999.
The inflammatory remarks by religious affairs minister Mohammed Ijaz ul-Haq could reignite the threats to his life.

Mr ul-Haq told the Pakistani parliament that the writer's knighthood announced in the Queen's Birthday Honours "was an occasion for the (world's) 1.5billion Muslims to look at the seriousness of this decision".

He added: "The West is accusing Muslims of extremism and terrorism. If someone exploded a bomb on his body he would be right to do so unless the British government apologises and withdraws the 'sir' title." [lol islamic logic]

Activists of Jamat Ahle Sunnat chant slogans against knighthood given to Salman Rushdie as they burn a British flag during a protest in Lahore. (Reuters)

In the city of Multan, hardline Muslim students burned effigies of the Queen and Rushdie. About 100 students carrying banners condemning the author chanted, "kill him, kill him".

Pakistan's lower house of parliament passed a resolution proposed by minister for parliamentary affairs Sher Afgan Khan Niazi, who branded Rushdie a "blasphemer".

Mr Niazi said: "The title from Britain for blasphemer Salman Rushdie has hurt the sentiments of the Muslims across the world. Every religion should be respected. I demand the British government immediately withdraw the title as it is creating religious hatred."

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said Islamabad would protest to London, adding: "We deplore the decision of the British government to knight him. This we feel is insensitive."

Downing Street declined to comment on the row today, with Prime Minister Tony Blair's official spokesman saying he would not get drawn into it.

The British High Commission in Islamabad defended the decision to honour Rushdie who won the Booker Prize for Midnight's Children in 1981.

Jo Glanville, editor of Index on Censorship, said: "The idea that Muslim sensibilities or any religious sensibilities are somehow beyond offence is something that we have to vigorously challenge and resist.

"It's anathema to free speech and anathema to freedom of expression. This [the knighthood] isn't about Islam, it's a celebration of one of Britain's, and one of the world's, finest writers."

The Satanic Verses explained

rising toll of deaths before dishonour

A Sunday Telegraph investigation has established that honour killings are increasing rapidly in Britain

Dirty bomb threat high and rising

The threat of terrorists attacking Britain with a radioactive "dirty bomb" has grown rapidly in recent months, a leading defence expert has warned.

	Jailed: Dhiren Barot

Prof Sandra Bell spoke out following the sentencing last week of seven al-Qaeda "foot soldiers" who had plotted dirty bomb attacks in Britain and the United States.

The men were jailed for a total of 136 years at Woolwich Crown Court. Their leader, Dhiren Barot, is serving life for conspiracy to murder.

Prof Bell, the director of homeland security at the Royal United Services Institute, said: "The threat from dirty bombs is now higher than it was two years ago, and has increased significantly over the last six months.

"I used to think you had more chance of winning the lottery than of being attacked with radiation weapons, but times are changing." She said that turmoil in parts of Africa and the former Soviet Union had created a black market in radioactive materials which could be used to lace a conventional bomb.

"Rather than maximise civilian casualties, the terrorists are now trying to cause as much disruption to public services as possible," she said. "Widespread radiation emitted by dirty bombs would be ideal for this."

The Sunday Telegraph has learned that in an effort to combat the growing threat, the Government has begun secretly installing radiation detectors and X-ray machines at ports, which are perceived to be less secure than airports. The first of the devices, which scan cargo and containers for hazardous material, is already in operation at Southampton. It has been donated by US authorities under Washington's Secure Freight Initiative.

Detectors have also been installed at Port Busan in South Korea, whose neighbour North Korea exploded an atom bomb in a test last year, and at Port Qasim in Karachi, Pakistan.

Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, the former head of MI5, warned three years ago that it was "only a matter of time" until terrorists launched a dirty bomb attack on the West.

Special units to crack down on honor killings

Dedicated teams of senior prosecutors are to be deployed in the UK's honour killing hotspots in the wake of the failings exposed this week by the case of a young Kurdish woman murdered by her family.
The prosecutors, who have all had experience of complex organised crime cases, will start work this month as part of an overhaul of how cases are handled. The move is designed to boost conviction rates and improve protection for victims.
The Crown Prosecution Service has revealed the changes after the justice system was criticised for doing too little to protect vulnerable women. Senior police officers told the Guardian that there are systemic failures in how cases are handled - measures proposed years ago have been shelved, delayed or ignored, they warn.
Chief constables and the Home Office are also working together with other agencies to ensure that women in danger are identified early and dealt with properly to improve protection for victims. Plans to be published soon by the Association of Chief Police Officers will tell forces to follow new risk assessment models to ensure women are taken seriously if they complain of family violence.
The changes come after Banaz Mahmod, a 20-year-old Kurd, was murdered by her father and uncle because they disapproved of her boyfriend who was not a strict Muslim and was not of their tribe.
She was found dumped in a suitcase, with the shoelace used to kill her around her neck. She had repeatedly told police her family were trying to kill her. In one instance where she had escaped from her father, she was not taken seriously, and described as melodramatic and manipulative by an officer who interviewed her.
A police inquiry is under way.
The CPS will this month pilot its new approach in four "hotspot" areas. A team of 20 prosecutors are to be based in London, the West Midlands, West Yorkshire and Lancashire. Each one will be trained by a number of different agencies including the police, the government's forced marriage unit and the independent victims group, the Southall Black Sisters.
The complex investigation and three-month trial for Ms Mahmod's murder relied on initiatives more often used to tackle organised crime, such as the use of covert investigative techniques and special measures for key witnesses, two of whom needed police protection. Such techniques are increasingly used to deal with honour crimes.
The CPS will also introduce a "flag" for any forced marriage or honour crime cases, so they can be logged and monitored.
Nazir Afzal, the CPS lead on honour-based violence, said that such crimes are often elaborate, pre-planned and can involve many suspects.
One in nine honour killings in the UK is carried out by hit men, he said. It is also common for the youngest member of the family to carry out the murder, with the others playing a lesser role.
"Some families carrying out these types of crimes are very subtle in how they go about it," said Mr Afzal. He said the CPS was determined to prosecute every individual involved. Under the new Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act, if a person fails to intervene to protect a family member they too can face justice.
Mr Afzal said that the CPS was committed to extraditing honour crime suspects who flee abroad and that it was seeking to extradite the two remaining suspects in Ms Mahmod's murder, believed to be in Iraqi Kurdistan. Ms Mahmod named the two, Omar Hussein and Mohammed Ali, as among those she believed were plotting to kill her in a letter she handed to the police the month before she was killed nearly 18 months ago.
However, the service is facing legal obstacles. The new 2005 Iraqi constitution does not allow subjects to be extradited.

'Honour killings' increasing in Britain as women stand up for their rights

Give us a Mufti, say UK Muslims

MOST British Muslims think there should be a single leader for their religion in Britain to act as their voice and help them to integrate.
They think a British Mufti, to represent them alongside other religious leaders such as the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster and the Chief Rabbi, would help to ease tensions between Muslims and other groups.
It would also help to ensure a more positive image in the media, according to a poll of 622 Muslims carried out by the online pollster YouGov.
Divisions between Muslims would make the creation of a British Mufti difficult. While 57% of Sunnis and 53% of other Muslim groups are in favour, the proportion falls to just 30% among Britain’s Shi’ite Muslims.
The poll, carried out between April 19 and May 16, shows that among Sunnis a three-to-one majority thinks that a recognised religious leader would have a positive impact, but 7% more Shi’ites disagree than agree.
There are about 1.8m Muslims in Britain and more than 90% are believed to be Sunni, which is also the dominant denomination worldwide.
Among Sunnis, 67% said that a Mufti would give them a voice in the media; 63% that it would make them feel they were making a positive contribution to society; and 58% that it would give them a sense of belonging and ensure they were taken seriously by the government.

See the poll results in full

Dirty Bomb Plot Gang Get 136 Years

Seven members of a terror cell run by al Qaeda 'general' Dhiren Barot have been jailed for a total of 136 years.

The gang were vital to his deadly plans to attack the UK and the US, Woolwich Crown Court was told.

Barot was jailed for life last year for plotting to kill "hundreds if not thousands" of people using explosives-packed limousines and a 'dirty' radiation bomb.

His plans also included using a petrol tanker to cause an explosion.

Mr Justice Butterfield, sentencing, told the seven: "Barot was the instigator of this terrorist planning, he was by some considerable distance the principal participant in the conspiracy.

"Anyone who chooses to participate in such a plan ... will receive little sympathy from the courts."

The judge told the defendants the suffering their families would experience "is but a tiny fraction of the suffering that would have been experienced had your plans been translated into reality".

Abdul Aziz Jalil, 34, from Luton, Bedfordshire, was jailed for 26 years, Junade Feroze, 31, from Blackburn, Lancashire, for 22 years and Mohammed Naveed Bhatti, 27, and Nadeem Tarmohamed, 29, from London, for 20 years each.

profile of the 7 muslim terroists

Zia Ul Haq, 28, from London, was given 18 years while Omar Abdur Rehman, 23, from Bushey, Hertfordshire, and Qaisar Shaffi, 28, also from London, received 15 years each.

Shaffi was convicted of conspiracy to murder after a month-long trial which ended earlier this week.

The other six pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to cause explosions likely to endanger life.

The places the bomb plotters aimed to target

Missing terror suspect identified

A UK terror suspect under a control order who absconded can be named as Zeeshan Siddiqui, court has ruled.

The BBC won a battle to name the former London Underground worker of Hounslow, west London, who trained with a London suicide bomber in Pakistan.

The 26-year-old was subject to a UK control order in 2006, meaning he could only be identified as AD.

He was one of the first men to abscond from an order, jumping from a window at a mental health unit in September 2006.

Mr Siddiqui was named in court evidence as a member of a British network of men including bomb plotters.

Other members of this network were Mohammad Sidique Khan, the London suicide bomber and Omar Khyam, the recently jailed ringleader of a plot to build a massive homemade fertiliser bomb.

Mr Siddiqui associated with these men in Pakistan and attended the same paramilitary training camp as other British extremists.

According to evidence heard at the Old Bailey during the fertiliser bomb plot trial, the Hounslow man was proposed as a potential suicide bomber.

Papers relating to Mr Siddiqui released to the BBC as part of the court case, including his diary, indicate he aspired to so-called "jihadi" martyrdom, although they do not detail any clear plan.

Evidence during the trial suggested the suicide bomb idea was dropped because he himself did not think it would work.

However, the papers also reveal he, along with other British men, met Abd Al Hadi al-Iraqi, a senior al-Qaeda figure now being held by the US military in Guantanamo Bay.

Pakistan arrest

Mr Siddiqui was arrested in Pakistan in May 2005 and questioned for three months, during which time he alleged he was tortured.

Later deported to the UK, he worked in customer services for a firm with links to the Euro-Disney resort in Paris. He sought to alter his control order's ban on travel, saying it prevented him attending training at the theme park.

Soon after, he was hospitalised suffering hallucinations and flashbacks, saying he had been tortured in Pakistan.

The papers also show Mr Siddiqui rejected allegations in intelligence reports that he was involved in extremism and that he was the victim of "untested allegations".

please view video

In his witness statement he said he had travelled widely in Pakistan over two years as part of a personal spiritual mission to better understand Islam.

He said he ended up carrying out humanitarian work in areas of Pakistan close to the Afghan border where people were fleeing fighting.

Some 30 pages of his statement have been blacked out by officials on national security grounds. These pages appear to relate to his time in Pakistani detention and a meeting with British officials after the 7 July suicide bombings.

Jihadi diary: Inside the mind

Sikh protesters demand protection

SIKHS took to the streets of Birmingham demanding police protection from "Muslim extremism".

About 100 protesters chanted and held up traffic as they marched from Soho Road, in Handsworth, to West Midlands Police headquarters at Lloyd House over allegations that young Sikh girls were being forced to convert to Islam.

The group's leaders held talks with senior police officers over the issue while the protesters waited peacefully outside.

The issue came to light after claims a teenage Sikh student was allegedly forced to denounce her faith and become a Muslim.

She was placed under police protection after an armed gang smashed their way into a house in Erdington last month and threatened the occupants, apparently in search of her.

The girl, thought to be a student at Sutton Coldfield College, was reported missing from her family home in West Bromwich a few days earlier.

Concerns were expressed that she was being held against her will and was being forced to convert to Islam.

Police said at the time that she had been placed in protection, and was safe and well.

another muslim demo in the uk.

A HATE-FILLED poster urging Muslims to “rise against British oppression” has been put up in the chippie where a 7/7 bomber worked.

Locals were stunned by the leaflet, which advertises a Downing Street demo.

It tells Muslims to visit an anti-cop website that has the logo: “Police Target Muslims. Will You Be Next?”

The Ocean Fisheries chippie used to be owned by the family of suicide bomber Shehzad Tanweer, 22.

He worked there before he blew himself up on a London Tube — killing seven of the 52 people who died in terror attacks on July 7, 2005.

he shop is in Beeston, Leeds, where two other 7/7 bombers — Mohammad Sidique Khan and Hasib Mir Hussain — also grew up.

Tanweer’s family is understood to have no connection with the chippie now.

The shop’s sign says its owner is Neil Kay, but it is not clear if he still has a connection with it. An Asian man claiming to be the owner yesterday refused to give his name.

He said of the poster: “I can only read a little. There is nothing wrong with it.” When told about the website he shrugged his shoulders.

A colleague said: “I don’t think he’s bothered.”

The website initially urges people to “demonstrate peacefully” on June 15.

However, it then carries a series of inflammatory statements and gives advice on how to react if arrested under the Terrorism Act.

It is registered in the name of Faruk Miah but gives a false Manchester address.

Philip Davies, Tory MP for Shipley, West Yorks, said putting up the poster in the chippie was “insensitive.”

He added: “Anything calling for a rising up against Britain is completely unacceptable.

“There are plenty of countries where people really do know about oppression, and Britain is not one of them.

“If people don’t like it here they should leave.”

Former Leeds mayor Mohammed Iqbal said: “It’s shocking that people are doing this in this place. It is insensitive to the July 7 victims and families.”

Guilty of terror Tube plot

BRITISH Muslim terrorist Quaisar Shaffi was convicted yesterday of involvement in a plot to blow up a Tube train under the Thames.

Shaffi, 28, was a henchman of al-Qaeda general Dhiren Barot, 34, now serving at least 30 years.

The pair intended to explode a “dirty bomb” and detonate gas cylinders stacked in limos in car parks under tall buildings in London. The Heathrow Express was another potential target.

Shaffi, of Harlesden, North West London, will be sentenced with six other gang members at London’s Woolwich Crown Court tomorrow.

Two caged for racist violence

TWO Asian racists were jailed yesterday for a savage attack on a white man — for sitting next to them on a tram.

Jagpal Pritam, 22, and Balvinder Hunjan, 20, screamed “Asian Power!” and called Brian May, 47, a “f***ing white b*****d” as they punched and kicked him in the face.

The pair were pulled off their victim by horrified witnesses who feared they might kill him, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

Mr May suffered multiple facial injuries in the assault last August in Birmingham.
Pritam, from Wednesbury, West Midlands and Hunjan, of nearby Smethwick, admitted racially aggravated assault.
Judge Philip Gregordy locked up both for 18 months saying: “Anybody who engages in violence of this nature will go to jail.”

Later Chief Insp Allan Gregory, who headed the police investigation, said: “They behaved like animals.”

Iraqi Kurd on park murder charge

A 22-year-old Iraqi Kurd has been charged with murdering a fellow countryman who was stabbed in a park.

The victim, 20, of Portsmouth, died in hospital on Monday after a fight in the Queen Elizabeth Country Park near Petersfield, Hampshire, on Saturday.
Fakher Mohammed, also from Portsmouth, is due to appear at South East Hampshire Magistrates Court later.
Two men, aged 32 and 26, who had also been in custody, have been released on police bail pending further inquiries.
two other men are currently on police bail in connection with the death.

A woman, 20, also arrested, was freed with no further action to be taken.
The victim has yet to be formally identified.
Police said earlier that there had been a large annual gathering of Iraqi Kurdish families at the park

Gross-Out Fatwa of the Day

Here’s much more than you really want to know about the bodily fluid fatwa recently issued by the Mufti of Egypt, Dr. Ali Gomaa: Egyptian Mufti: The Companions of the Prophet Blessed Themselves with His Urine, Sweat and Saliva.

When not issuing these freaky fatwas, the good Doctor can be seen meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, discussing how to improve the teaching of Islam in Britain.

In his book Religion and Life – Modern Everyday Fatwas, Egyptian Mufti Dr. Ali Gum’a wrote that the companions of the Prophet Muhammad would bless themselves by drinking his urine, and described an incident of urine-drinking from a hadith: “Umm Ayman drank the urine of the Prophet, and the prophet told her: ‘This stomach will not be dragged through the fire of Hell, because it contains something of our Lord the Messenger of Allah...’

”This blessing,“ Al-Gum’a added, ”[can also] be done with the honorable saliva, sweat, hair, urine or blood of the Prophet. This is because anyone who knows the love of the Messenger of Allah is not repulsed [by these]; just as a mother is not repulsed by the feces of her son, this is even more so [in the case of] our Lord the Messenger of Allah, whom we love more than our fathers, sons, and wives. Anyone who was or is repulsed by the Messenger of Allah must recant his faith.“

Woman in UK 'groomed' as bomber

The former wife of a British Islamist extremist has said her husband suggested she carry out a suicide bombing against the UK.

Speaking exclusively to the BBC's Newsnight programme, the woman said her husband showed how she should strap an explosive belt around her body.

She told the BBC that three weeks before the 2005 London bombings she was warned "something big" would happen.

The woman said her husband was a threat to the UK and completely "brainwashed".

The BBC is not identifying the South Asian woman for security reasons. However, her husband is known to have fallen in with UK extremists sympathetic to the aims of Osama bin Laden.

In the interview, the woman told Newsnight's Richard Watson how her husband and fellow extremists would talk about what they believed to be their duty to follow a course of "jihad" - in this context referring to attacks against the perceived enemies of Muslims.

"He used to say we should all do jihad because he used to give an example of a woman who was a suicide bomber in India, who killed herself," she said in the interview.

"My husband told me I should join him to participate in jihad as well."

The woman told the programme her husband attempted to give her instructions in how to turn herself into a suicide bomber by concealing explosives under baggy, traditional, Islamic clothes.

"He would tell me how to use a [bomb] belt around the waist," she said. "Whenever he would discuss these matters I just would ignore him and go to the kitchen."

He doesn't care if British people die. He was so brainwashed by the radicals, he could do anything

The woman said: "I told him I'm not interested at all. He was very clever. He told me how the girls tied the suicide belt around their waist and [wore] the hijab over the top.

He doesn't care if British people die. He was so brainwashed by the radicals, he could do anything

Former wife of extremist, speaking to Newsnight's Richard Watson

"I would go to the kitchen or visit my friend. I told him that I don't want to listen to these sorts of things. Why should one spoil her or his life to kill innocent people? I would walk away."

In the interview, the woman claimed that three weeks before the 7 July 2005 London bombings her husband and his jihadi associates were warning about an attack.

"He said that som ething would happen and he would flee but I would be trapped. I told him I'm not going anywhere, I will stay.

"He said all his other colleagues are sending their wives away so I should leave as well."

Asked what kind of threat her former husband posed, she said: "He doesn't care if British people die. He was so brainwashed by the radicals, he could do anything."

'Honour' killing relatives guilty

A father has been found guilty of killing his daughter in what police described as an honour killing.

The body of Banaz Mahmod, 20, was found in a suitcase buried in a garden in Birmingham last year.
Her father Mahmod Mahmod, 52, and uncle Ari Mahmod, 50, from Mitcham, south London, were both convicted of murder at the Old Bailey.
A third defendant, Darbad Mares-Rasull, was cleared of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Ari Mahmod was also found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Miss Mahmod was killed after falling in love with a man her family did not want her to marry.

Killed for loving the wrong man

Lover 'heartbroken' over killing

'Honour killing' sister breaks her silence

Girl, 11, rescued from marriage

An 11-year-old girl has been rescued from a forced marriage, the Home Office has said.

Minister Baroness Scotland said the girl, who was born in Britain, was taken to Bangladesh at the age of six to care for her disabled mother.
At 11, she was forced into marriage but her aunt in the UK reported the case to authorities who brought her back to Britain and put her in foster care.
It is one of 5,000 cases handled by the government's forced marriage unit.

Baroness Scotland told the BBC's Asian Network: "We've just rescued an 11-year-old who'd been forced into marriage, who'd been raped.

"Since she was six she'd been looking after her disabled mother and two siblings. And with the help of her aunt we were able to rescue her and bring her back."
The forced marriage unit was set up just over two years ago to help victims and survivors of forced marriage.
It deals with 250 cases a year and has rescued 300 people, many of them very young girls.

News of the rescue coincides with the launch of a new handbook, offering survivors help and information.
A survivors' network has also been launched in partnership with Karma Nirvana, a forced marriage NGO, to provide long-term emotional support.
Plans to make forced marriage a criminal offence were rejected last year because of fears it would drive the practice underground.

Instead, a two-year government strategy intended to raise awareness and highlight the help available has been launched.
And the Forced Marriages Bill, which would enable the courts to order a range of measures to prevent forced marriages, is due to enter the grand committee stage on Thursday.

Baroness Scotland said: "Forced marriage is terrible for those women, children and men who find themselves in an often violent and abusive situation against their will.

"It's something that should not be happening in the modern world - it's not a respected cultural or religious tradition.

"Neither does it have anything to do with honour - there can be no honour in a marriage based on force and hostility."

Cabbie banned for guide dog bar

What an idea! If a cabbie tries to impose Sharia rules in his cab, fire him! Now, why didn't anyone think of that before?
All he got here was a seven-day suspension. But it's a start.

A cab driver who refused to let a blind customer bring her guide dog into his car has been disqualified from driving.
Liakath Ali, 21, shouted "no dog" at Paula Thomas, of London, leaving her distraught as she tried to enter the taxi, Westminster magistrates heard.
It has been compulsory for licensed taxi drivers to carry guide dogs since the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Ali, of Woodstock Road, Bedford, was banned for seven days for refusing to carry a person with a guide dog.
District Judge Quinton Purdy rejected Ali's claim he has an allergy to dog hair and told him he behaved disgracefully.
Minicab drivers who claim they are allergic to dogs must have and are required to display in their vehicle, a medical certificate to prove exemption. To obtain a certificate, a driver must apply to his licensing authority, in this case the London Public Carriage Office, which stipulates drivers must provide expert evidence of an allergy from a detailed Consultant's report.

Paula Thomas who is an Advice Worker at RNIB said: "When the cab arrived, the driver refused to take the dog. I asked him why he was refusing to take the dog. He replied, "I'm not taking the dog". Stuart reminded him that he was breaking the law. Another couple who had agreed to share a cab with us to Walthamstow asked the driver why he was refusing. He continued to respond by saying, "I'm not taking the dog".

"At no point did the driver suggest he was allergic to dog hair. We now know that in order to refuse to take a working dog he is required to have a medical exemption certificate displayed in his cab. He didn't have one and still hasn't got one.
Mr Quinton said: "You knew they wanted a cab and offered no explanation at all.
"Your own doctor acknowledged no apparent problem with you."

Notes to Editors

• The charge against Mr Ali, was brought under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, of refusing to carry out a booking made by, or on behalf of, a disabled person on the grounds that: The disabled person was accompanied by her assistance dog. From 2003 this law applied to all taxis who carried out bookings.
• This offence is a criminal offence. For a driver who is found guilty - the court can impose a fine of up to £1,000 - apply penalty points to a drivers licence or remove a drivers licence.
• If you or anyone you know has a sight problem call the RNIB Helpline on 0845 766 9999.

Norway: Blind People Rejected by Muslim Taxi Drivers

Australia: Muslim taxi drivers refuse to take blind customers

Muslim Taxi Drivers vs. Seeing-Eye Dogs

Muslim women abuse soldier at troops hospital

A British Army officer has been abused by Asian women while on a hospital visit to troops injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Company Sergeant Major Neil Powell was surrounded and heckled by three young women in the unprovoked verbal attack at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham.
The women, in traditional Asian dress, ranted about the presence of British troops in Muslim countries.
The incident took place in a public area of the hospital used by both civilians and military personnel

Mohammed No2 name for tots

MOHAMMED is now the second most popular name for baby boys in the UK — and is expected to top the list by the end of the year.

It was shared by 5,991 newborns last year, ahead of Thomas, Joshua and Oliver respectively. Jack was the most popular name.

The official register places the name spelled as “Mohammed” at number 23 in the list — but it is second when its 14 different spelling variations are taken into account.

The Islamic prophet’s name first hit the top 30 in 2000. Muslims account for three per cent of the population — about 1.5million. But their birthrate is three times that of non-Muslims.

Experts said the name’s popularity was driven by the rising number of young Muslims having families and their desire to name their kids after the prophet.

Warwick University professor of Ethnic Relations Muhammad Anwar said: “Muslim parents like to have something showing a link with their religion.”

UK police prevented by law from taking fingerprints and DNA from terror suspects

Police are prevented by law from taking fingerprints and DNA from terrorist suspects on control orders, John Reid, the outgoing Home Secretary, admitted yesterday. The revelation shocked opposition parties who said it was the first they knew of this startling omission in the 2005 Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, called it ''an astonishing revelation''. He added: ''It merely underlines the profound flaws in the whole control-order regime.''

Six people on control orders have absconded, their whereabouts still unknown.

Cerie Bullivant, 24, Lamine Adam, 26, and his brother, Ibrahim, 20, are among Britain's most wanted men after vanishing last month. The Adams's third brother, Anthony Garcia, was one of the fertiliser bomb plotters and was jailed for life in April.

Bestun Salim, an Iraqi, vanished from his Manchester flat last summer after being charged with seven offences of breaching his control order.

Another suspect, known only as AD, escaped from a mental health unit last September, and is alleged to have been a friend of Asif Hanif, a British man who detonated a suicide bomb in Israel.

The final absconder is a Pakistani who fled in January.

Police guard girl 'forced to become Muslim'

"We are working closely with the police to deal with a number of sensitive issues being raised by members of the community and will be working together with other interested parties to consider the wider and longer term implications for the city." I hope they will consider those implications to the fullest possible extent.

A TEENAGE Sikh girl was today being guarded by police amid claims she had been forced to convert to Islam.

An armed gang smashed their way into a house in Erdington last month and threatened the occupants, apparently in search of the girl.

She was reported missing from her family home in West Bromwich a few days earlier.

They are concerned that the girl, understood to be a student at Sutton Coldfield college, could have been forced to switch religion, it was reported.

"This lady has been located and is currently in the care of West Midlands Police," a force spokesman said.

"We would like to reassure the community that this lady is safe and well."...

"We are conducting inquiries into the motive for this attack," the spokesman said.

"We are not ruling the possibility this may be linked to a report received concerning the whereabouts of an 18-year-old female from West Bromwich, who was reported missing by her family."

He added: "Her family are clearly concerned about her welfare as are the wider communities.."

A spokesman for Birmingham City Council said: "We are working closely with the police to deal with a number of sensitive issues being raised by members of the community and will be working together with other interested parties to consider the wider and longer term implications for the city."