Hijab woman Carnita Matthews sentenced to six months' jail
A MUSLIM woman who accused a New South Wales police officer of forcibly removing her face veil has been sentenced to six months' jail.
Carnita Matthews, 46, of Woodbine in Sydney's south, had in August pleaded not guilty to one charge of knowingly making a false complaint relating to events in June.
Memorial service for the martyrs of Church of Deliverance Massacre 31 October 2010
At Holy Trinity Church4 Brook Green, London, W6 7BL
On 12 November 2010
Father Nizar Samaan in his sermon: History will disgrace all of us if we do not expose to the world what happened, raise our voice, condemn the killing, and do our best to prevent it happening again.
We all for Iraq and Iraq for all of us, we will not leave Iraq and will not allow terrorism to win.
The murderers are not the only responsible for the massacre but who ever incites them are equally responsible.
We need to hear condemnation not only from politicians but now we need Islamic Authorities Fatwas to say killing the innocent of what ever religion is forbidden in Islam. Fatwa’s are issued for trivial matters but this is very important issue and we need to hear Fatwa now.
Geert Wilders hate speech trial collapses in Netherlands
Retrial ordered after it emerged that one of the judges in the case had tried to sway a potential witness
Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders (right) in court on the final day of arguments in his trial for hate speech. Photograph: Koen Van Weel/AFP/Getty Images
The hate speech trial of the controversial far-right Dutch leader, Geert Wilders, collapsed in disarray at the last minute today when the panel of judges in the case were deemed to be biased. A retrial was ordered.
The couple stayed for almost a month at the Landmark Hotel in London
A Saudi prince has been convicted of murdering his manservant, who was found beaten to death in bed at a plush London hotel. The defendant spent most of the trial trying to prove he was not gay. Why?
Before his trial began at the Old Bailey, Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz bin Nasir al Saud made strenuous efforts to keep the question of his homosexuality secret.
British group warning of spread of radical Islam seeks ties with US' Tea Party movement
LONDON — Tentative links are developing between supporters of the Tea Party movement in the United States and right-wing fringe groups in Britain that are opposed to what they call the "Islamification" of Europe.
The movements are not formally aligned, but the relatively new English Defence League — which warns that Islamic fundamentalism will soon engulf Britain — is seeking guidance and inspiration from some U.S. figures taking a similar stance.
French burqa ban to become law after constitutional court unexpectedly approves
Oct 8 2010
A ban on the burka, and other full-face veils will take effect in France from next spring after an unexpected ruling by the country’s highest legal authority last night.
In a decision that will divide the country, and may spark fears of Islamic fundamentalist reprisals, the Conseil Constitutionnel removed the final legal obstacle to the ban, by ruling that a so-called “anti-burka” law passed by both houses of the French parliament did not infringe fundamental liberties.
Ibrahim Eissa Dismissed from Dostor , The Boldest Egyptian Newspaper Is Near to Closing Down
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information is deeply disturbed by the shocking news that the owners of Dostor decided to dismiss Ibrahim Eissa , editor, on 4/10/2010 in a rather unexpectedly early move, however, Indicators pointed in that direction.
Pope Benedict XVI goes to war with 'atheist extremism'
Pope uses visit to argue Nazi desire to eradicate God led to the Holocaust and Britain should respect its Christian foundations
Pope Benedict XVI held mass in Bellahouston Park, Glasgow, at the end of the first day of his visit to Britain. Photograph: Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images
Benedict XVI used the first papal state visit to Britain to launch a blistering attack on "atheist extremism" and "aggressive secularism", and to rue the damage that "the exclusion of God, religion and virtue from public life" had done in the last century.
Follow the leader: Egyptian newspaper doctors Obama photo to show Mubarak in front
Egypt's state-run newspaper Al-Ahram has come under fire after it doctored a photo of the country's leader President Hosni Mubarak, placing him in front of the group when it was actually President Barack Obama who was leading the pack.
Mr Obama was hosting the Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian leaders at the White House for Middle East peace talks when the original photo was taken.
Al-Ahram showed Mubarak in front of the other four leaders - when in fact he was the one furthest behind.
Christian Copts Living As Slaves to Muslims in Egyptian Village
(AINA)
Since the Christmas Eve Massacre on January 6,2010, when six Copts were killed and nine seriously injured by Muslims in a drive-by shooting outside a church in Nag Hammadi (AINA 1-7-2010), the Coptic Patriarchate in Cairo has become a Mecca for oppressed Copts from all over Egypt.
Nearly every Wednesday, when Coptic Pope Shenouda III gives his weekly sermon, Copts go to complain to the Pope and make known their grievances to other Copts who never come to hear about those cases due to media blackout. They hope to meet with human rights activists attending the sermon without fear of getting arrested by State Security for congregating under the prevailing emergency laws.
Copts Protest Persecution in Egypt Ahead of Mubarak's DC Visit
(AINA) --
On the occasion of Egyptian President Mubarak's visit to Washington this week to attend the Mideast talks, Coptic Christians in the US and Canada staged a peaceful rally on September 2nd outside the White House to protest the persecution of Copts in Egypt. The Motto of the rally was "President Mubarak Make Peace in Your Country First."
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Tucked away in rural, north Gainesville, a small, fifty member church is getting international attention for its next church function: The burning of several hundred Korans on September eleventh.
25% increase in 'virginity repair' operations on the NHSamong Muslim brides in UK.
A growing number of Muslim brides are having "virginity repair" operations before marriage.
The NHS carried out 116 hymen replacement operations between 2005 and 2009, it emerged today. There were 30 last year - up 25 per cent from the 24 in 2005.
Private clinics in London, which charge between £1,850 and £4,000 for the half-hour procedure, are also reporting a surge in demand.
History professor presents Coptic studies paper at UCLA
Dr. Monica Bontty, an assistant professor of history at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, presented a paper at a Coptic studies conference in July.
Her paper, which examined how the spread of ideas over long distances impacts culture, was presented at the 12th annual University of California Los Angeles-St. Shenouda Conference of Coptic Studies, held at UCLA on Friday, July 16.
Two-thirds of British people would support a ban on Muslim women wearing face-covering veils in public, similar to the one approved by French lawmakers this week, a poll has found.
An online survey of 2,205 adults for Five News television found 67 per cent of respondents agreed that the burka - the full-face veil - should be banned.
Niqabs such as this will not be seen in any Syrian university once the country's new measures come into force. Photograph: Jonathan Hordle/Rex Features
Syria has banned the face-covering Islamic veil from the country's universities to prevent what it sees as a threat to its secular identity, as similar moves in Europe spark cries of discrimination against Muslims.
Council forces schools to rearrange exams and cancel lessons to avoid offending Muslims during Ramadan
Schools are being urged to rearrange tests, cancel swimming lessons and stop sex education to avoid offending Muslims during Ramadan.
Head teachers in Stoke-on-Trent have been issued with the guidance for treatment of Muslim pupils who may still be fasting when the new term starts in September.
But critics dismissed the advice as ‘over-zealous’ bureaucracy and said all pupils would be forced to miss out on activities as a result.
Muslim suicide bombers in Britain are set to begin a three-day strike on Monday in a dispute over the number of virgins they are entitled to in the afterlife. Emergency talks with Al Qaeda have so far failed to produce an agreement.
Women protest as French Cabinet gets veil ban bill
PARIS — One runs her own company, another is a housewife and a third, a divorcee, raises her children by herself. Like nearly 2,000 other Muslim women who freely wear face-covering veils anywhere in France, their lives will soon change and they are worried.
Pope Shenouda III (C), the 117th Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and Patriarch of the Holy See of St. Mark, stands with Coptic archbishops.
By Jacky Habib
A new grassroots movement among the Coptic Diaspora was established in Washington this past weekend. Almost 100 Coptic Christian community organizers from around the globe gathered to discuss religious freedom in the Middle East and future lobbying efforts for the rights of Egypt’s Coptic people.
Catholic school girl who refused headscarf for mosque trip labelled a truant
A Roman Catholic schoolgirl has been labelled a truant after she refused to wear a headscarf during a compulsory trip to a mosque.
Amy Owen, 14, and fellow girl pupils at a Catholic secondary school were told to cover their heads and wear trousers or leggings out of respect for their Muslim hosts.
But when her mother objected, saying she did not want her daughter to 'dress as a Muslim', she received a sternly worded warning letter from the headmaster saying she had no choice.
Arrested for Being Christian Preachers at Dearborn Arab Festival 2010
It cannot be said that we were arrested for causing a disturbance, because we did not approach anyone, rather everyone with whom we spoke first approached us. It cannot be said that we were harassing anyone, because the moment anyone said "stop talking to me", we would stop talking to them. And it cannot be said that we were spreading hate speech, because we said virtually nothing about Islam at all. On the contrary, we repeatedly affirmed our love for all Muslims. Whenever I was asked "Why would you love me?" I said "Because Jesus loves you, and he told me to love you."
The leader of UKIP has said the Islamic veil, the burka, should be banned as it represents fear and is a security risk.
Speaking in a phone-in on BBC 5 live, Lord Pearson said there was a "problem" within Islam because some people used the Koran to justify terrorist acts.
(Reuters) - A European Union judge in Kosovo has released from detention a Kosovo Albanian man wanted on U.S. terrorism charges but he must report to police twice a week, an EU mission spokeswoman said on Friday.
Bajram Asllani, 29, was arrested on Thursday by Kosovo and EU police after U.S. prosecutors in North Carolina accused him of providing material support to terrorism suspects and conspiring to kill and hurt people abroad.
The administrative court ruled today to suspend a lawsuit filed by 27-year-old Christian convert Mohamed Hegazy by which the latter had hoped to change the religion listed on his national ID card from "Muslim" to "Christian." Judges ruled to suspend the case until a ruling was issued on a 2009 Constitutional Court case that challenged the constitutionality of Article 47 of the Civil Code, which allows citizens to change their names and religions on official documents
A surveillance operation in parts of Birmingham with large Muslim populations has been halted after it was revealed the move was linked to counter terrorism.
House Members Press White House to Confront Egypt on Forced Marriages
By Joseph Abrams
Seventeen members of Congress are pressing the State Department to act on the "grim reality" faced by Coptic Christian women in Egypt, who frequently are coerced into violent forced marriages that leave them victim to rape and captive slavery.
Christians must rise to the challenge of Islam, says Italian cardinal
The murder of Bishop Luigi Padovese in Turkey is a reminder of the dangers facing Christians in Turkey and elsewhere in Europe, said Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi at a Mass for the slain prelate in his native Milan.
Cardinal Tettamanzi said that Italian Catholics need “to heed the cry—or better, the lament” from Turkey after the death of Bishop Padovese. The man who has confessed to the killing of the bishop, a driver who was placed in the bishop’s service by Turkish security officials, shouted “Allah akbar” after the assault, giving rise to the belief that the killing was arranged by Islamic extremists.
Congressional Members Urge State Department to Address Forced Marriage, Forced Conversion of Coptic Women and Girls in Egypt
WASHINGTON, April 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Eighteen Members of Congress, from both parties, expressed "concern over continuing reports of abductions, forced marriages, and exploitation of Coptic women and girls in Egypt".
Writing on the 16th of April to Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, Director of the State Department's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Office, the Members noted that they had received disturbing reports documenting "a criminal phenomenon that includes fraud, physical and sexual violence, captivity, forced marriage, and exploitation in forced domestic servitude or commercial sexual exploitation, and financial benefit to the individuals who secure the forced conversion of the victim."
Pope: The church will not accept anything that goes against the Bible
Protests, sermons have multiplied in recent days, denouncing state´s meddling in business of Coptic Orthodox Church. By Christophe de Roquefeuil – CAIRO
“They want to empty Egypt of Copts,” exclaims Girgis Guebrail about a court order that the Coptic church must remarry divorcees, seeing it as an attack on minority Christians in the predominantly Muslim country.
NHS relax superbug safeguards for Muslim staff... just days after Christian nurse is banned from wearing crucifix for health and safety reasons
Muslim doctors and nurses are to be allowed for religious reasons to opt out of strict NHS dress codes introduced to prevent the spread of deadly hospital superbugs.
The Department of Health has announced that female Muslim staff will be permitted to cover their arms on hospital wards to preserve their modesty.
Many human rights and democracy activists in the Middle East are disillusioned with Obama's lack of action. But Egypt's acceptance today of 21 human rights recommendations after a visit by Vice President Biden may signal a shift.
Egypt presented a rosy picture of its human rights credentials today, promising to implement most of the recommendations made by the UN Human Rights Council as part of a quadrennial review process.
Egypt, which had accepted 119 of the council's 165 recommendations in February, agreed to another 21 after Vice President Joe Biden had publicly urged it to implement the recommendations on a visit here earlier this week. They included those calling for better treatment of religious minorities, changes in its penal code to bring it into line with the UN Convention Against Torture, and the establishment of a fully independent electoral commission.
MoD apologise over Catterick Garrison firing range "mosques".
The Northern Echo
THE Ministry of Defence (MoD) started to dismantle models of mosques built on an Army firing range last night after being accused of helping to radicalise young Muslims.
North-East Islamic groups had condemned the seven cutouts erected on military ranges on Bellerby Moor, near Leyburn, North Yorkshire.
A campaign to improve the image of Islam has been launched after an opinion poll found that more than half of British people associate the religion with extremism and terrorism.
Muslims hope the campaign will boost their religion's image
"Inspired by Muhammad" aims to promote Islam as a faith which contributes positively to British society.
Coptic Pope Rejects Egyptian Court Ruling on Remarriage of Divorcees
(AINA) -- The head of the Coptic Church in Egypt has rejected a court ruling that orders the church to allow divorced Copts to remarry in the church. In a press conference held on Tuesday June 8, Pope Shenouda, reading from the statement issued by the Holy Synod's 91 Bishops including himself said "The Coptic Church respects the law, but does not accept rulings which are against the Bible and against its religious freedom which is guaranteed by the Constitution." He went on to say "the recent ruling is not acceptable to our conscience, and we can not implement it."
