A Sheffield cabbie has been left unable to work after his vehicle was set on fire while he was praying at his local mosque.

Mohammed Joydu Miah, aged 40, of Nidd Road East, Darnall, was at morning prayers at the Aaliya Mosque, on Staniforth Road, when his cab went up in flames. Mr Miah, a married father-of-two, said he had only parked his cab 10 minutes earlier when it was targeted.

He said while police are investigating the arson attack and his insurance company deals with his claim, he is unable to work – leaving him short of money.

Mr Miah said he was upset about the attack and was suspicious about a group of teenage boys who raised the alarm by banging on the mosque doors and shouting "fire, fire" while he prayed. He said he had never seen the boys before and he has heard other cabs in the area have also been targeted.

"There were about 60 or 70 of us inside the mosque for morning prayers when we heard banging on the doors and people shouting 'fire, fire'. We went outside and my car was well alight," he said.

"There were eight to 10 boys hanging around who I have never seen before, which I am suspicious about. I don't know why anybody would want to do this – there were so many people at the mosque, the flames could easily have spread and injured somebody.

"I am upset because until my insurance claim is sorted out I am unable to work – I could hire a car but it would cost me £200 a week, which I can't afford."

Sheffield Star, 8 August 2012

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A man who was due to stand in Sheffield's local elections for UKIP has been stripped of the candidacy over comments made on his blog.

Steve Moxon, a former government whistle-blower, is standing in the Dore and Totley ward. On his blog he said Norwegian killer Anders Breivik's thesis on Islam and political correctness was accurate. Mr Moxon said he "resolutely does not agree with" his crimes. UKIP said his comments were at odds with its policy.

Mr Moxon, a former civil servant, first came to prominence in 2004 when he made claims that key checks were waived by immigration staff in Sheffield to make the numbers coming to Britain seem less dramatic when the EU expanded.

He told BBC Radio Sheffield he had been "amicably" removed as a candidate but remained a member of UKIP. He said: "I would stress that I do not in any way agree with Anders Breivik's actions. In the unlikely event I get elected I guess I would be an independent at least for a while."

In a statement, UKIP said: "We note that Steve Moxon has not condoned the actions of the maniac Breivik. However, he has made a number of remarks on subjects such as the Breivik manifesto and Islam that are at odds with UKIP policy and perspective."

Mr Moxon posted the comments on his blog last August. UKIP said it was unaware of the remarks when it selected him as a candidate, as it would have taken an "inordinate amount of time" to read everything written by prospective candidates during the vetting procedure.

BBC News, 1 May 2012

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A lecture by a controversial Muslim speaker has been called off at the last minute by Sheffield Hallam University – the second cancellation in a month.

Jalal Ibn Saeed had originally been asked to speak at an event titled The Pursuit of Paradise organised by the Sheffield Hallam Islamic Society but pulled out at short notice. The society booked another speaker, Murtaza Khan, claimed by opponents to be an anti-Semitic extremist.

But university authorities stepped in and told the society to cancel the meeting as the speaker had been changed at a late stage. A spokesman said: "Changing the speaker invalidated the conditions of the booking and therefore event due to take place last night had to be cancelled. The society were advised of this."

Last month a talk by preacher Assim Al Hakeem was also cancelled at the last minute after pressure from campus authorities and protests from students. Al Hakeem had been invited by the Islamic society to speak on the position of women in Islam.

Students planned to picket and said Al Hakeem was an opponent of homosexuality and favoured the subjugation of women in marriage. Similar concerns were raised about Khan, also said by opponents to be homophobic and anti-Semitic.

Pressure group Student Rights said the situation was worrying. Spokesman Rupert Sutton said: "The ease with which the Islamic Society at Sheffield Hallam University tried to replace one extremist speaker with another shows the sheer scale of a problem which too many people seek to downplay – as well as demonstrating a worrying lack of judgement by the society committee."

The Star, 26 April 2012

The university authorities obviously employ double standards when it comes to free speech. They had no objection to the student atheist society holding a meeting last month on the question "Is it racist to criticise Islam?", which was advertised with a flyer featuring an illustration (taken from the film Persepolis) of two Muslim women abusing a child. The leaflet accused Islam of making "demands for undue power & privileges" and held the faith responsible for "assaults upon RE teachers, riots over plays & cartoons, suicide bombings".

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