Members of a Muslim family whose house was shot at during a drive-by Thursday evening think they were targeted because of their faith.

Tuesday, a stranger driving by Allie and Maryam Taghavi's home in southwest Oklahoma City stopped and asked their 21-year-old son the family's religion.

A large sign hung on the porch and visible from the road said, "as-salamu alaykum," an Arabic phrase often used by Muslims meaning "peace be with you."

Without any suspicion, their son told the stranger they were Muslim, Allie Taghavi said. The stranger then drove away.

Then, two days later on Thursday evening, Allie Taghavi was home with three of his adult children when shots were fired around 7:45 p.m. from a car driving south on S Olie Avenue near their home at SW 30. "I screamed when I heard the shots, but it was so rapid ... like firecrackers," he said.

Allie Taghavi ran from his bedroom into his 23-year-old daughter's room where a bullet had come through the east side of their house, piercing a wall a few feet away from where she was sitting at her computer desk.

Seconds later, shots were fired into the bedroom just to the south where Allie Taghavi had been. One bullet crossed the width of his bedroom and passed into a bathroom where it lodged in the wall.

No one was injured in the incident. The family fled its home after police cleared the scene a few hours later. Family members said they don't plan to return.

Police Master Sgt. Gary Knight said Oklahoma City's gang unit is investigating the incident because it was reported as a drive-by shooting. Police responded to a call about multiple rounds being fired into the home from a car driving south on S Olie Avenue.

Two bullet holes were found in the home. No one had been arrested as of Friday evening.

NewsOK, 2 February 2013

See also "CAIR-OK seeks bias probe of shooting attack on Muslim family's home", CAIR press release, 1 February 2013

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Thousands of people have signed a petition against an abstract light installation replacing the traditional Christmas tree in Brussels city centre.

More than 11,000 signatures have been gathered in the online petition and a Facebook page attacking the new feature has been launched. Critics accuse officials of opting for the installation for fear of offending non-Christians, especially Muslims. But the mayor's office said it was part of a theme this year of "light".

Traditionally, a 20m (65ft) pine tree taken from the forests of the Ardennes has adorned the city's central square, the Grand Place. This year, it has been replaced with a 25m (82ft) construction, though smaller real Christmas trees still decorate the square, a spokesman at the mayor's office said.

The city's website said the new "tree" was one of five "light" installations around the Grand Place this year, offering visitors the chance to climb to the top and enjoy "beautiful views" of the city.

Tourism councillor Philippe Close at the mayor's office said the aim was to show off the "avant-garde character" of Brussels by blending the modern and the traditional, to produce something new and different.

Erik Maxwell, from Brussels, told BBC News: "We think the tree has been put up for cultural reasons. A tree is for Christmas and Christians but now there are a lot of Muslims here in Brussels. So to avoid discussions they have just replaced a tree with a couple of cubes! I am more traditional, I prefer the usual tree. That's better for the Belgian people."

Parts of the Belgian press have been keen to suggest that the tree is an example of "political correctness", designed to be more appealing to non-Christian religious groups than a traditional fir tree, our correspondent says. However it seems likely that the media storm is influencing public opinion rather than reflecting it.

"What we want is just to modernise the pleasure of winter, of this Christmas market and all the image of Brussels," said Councillor Philippe Close. "The Christmas tree is not a religious symbol and actually lots of Muslims have a Christmas tree at home. For people who want a traditional religious symbol, we have the nativity scene here in the square. For people who want modernity, we have this new tree."

Semsettin Ugurlu, chairman of the Belgian Muslim Executive, representing the Muslim community in Belgium, said his organisation did not mind any kind of Christmas tree. "We know we are living in a country with a Christian culture, we take no offence over a traditional Christmas tree," he said.

BBC News, 1 December 2012

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Lord Ashcroft: 'Muslim is a religion not a race'David Cameron's controversial new campaign chief, Lynton Crosby, was in a fresh row last night after a leading Tory peer said his foul-mouthed rant against Muslims could be seen as "racist".

Former Conservative deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft told friends that outspoken Australian Mr Crosby's remark about "f****** Muslims" was a major error of judgment.

"The danger is that other people will see it as racist," Lord Ashcroft was heard to comment at the Spectator magazine parliamentary awards lunch at The Savoy in London. "Some people may assume he means effing Muslims, effing blacks and all effing immigrants and will not appreciate that Muslim is a religion not a race."

Mail on Sunday, 25 November 2012

The Mail also reveals that during Boris Johnson's mayoral election campaign "Mr Crosby reportedly joked: 'Let's put a rag round the battle bus' – referring to a Muslim headscarf."

Thanks to Lord Ashcroft's clarification, those of us who might otherwise be inclined to regard this "joke" as racist too can now see that it is nothing of the sort.

Crosby does have his admirers, though. On-and-off Tory (but currently crossbench) baroness Shreela Flather is quoted by the Mail as saying: "Lynton is right to say it is pointless for the Conservatives to chase Muslim votes. They are all on benefits and all vote Labour."

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A father-of-three working at the Torness nuclear plant sparked a security alert at Waverley Station by telling fellow travellers that two 
Muslim men were carrying a bomb.

David Rothenburg claimed innocent passengers Mohammed Shobair and Zaithoon Akhtar were terrorists as he hurled racial abuse at them. The 36-year-old, who had drunk seven pints of Guinness, followed the men around the station making the insults before being arrested by British Transport Police officers.

Rothenburg avoided a prison sentence yesterday at Edinburgh Sheriff Court after his lawyer made a "compelling argument" that his client was suffering from work-related stress. Instead, Sheriff Gordon Liddle ordered Rothenburg to carry out 200 hours of community service and pay a compensation order of £1500.

Rothenburg, of Cleethorpes, Yorkshire, earlier pleaded guilty to committing a racially aggravated breach of the peace on February 20.

The court heard that Rothenburg had been working at Torness, in East Lothian, and was staying at city hotel to see his partner before travelling to work at another power station. Defence solicitor Mark Harrower told the court that his client had argued with his partner the night before about the stress of his workload.

Mr Harrower said: "On the morning that the offence was committed, the accused went to Waverley Station at around 8am to buy a train ticket. He went to the bar and had his first drink and did not get on the train immediately. His partner works nearby and she was coming and going to the station to try and patch things up. He had seven pints of Guinness during the morning."

Mr Harrower said that he was duty solicitor that day and found first offender Rothenburg "devastated" when he visited him in custody and told him what had happened.

The lawyer added: "He completely understands the effect his behaviour would have had on his victims. It was always his intention to plead guilty. He has written a letter of 
apology to the complainers. He is full of remorse. It was a terrible mistake by someone who is normally a decent, law-abiding individual."

Mr Harrower said that his client had not had a holiday for 12 months before the incident. He added: "His job produces a lot of pressure. He works long hours for days on end."

Sentence had been deferred to obtain reports.

Sheriff Liddle said that the offence could attract a "fairly considerable custodial sentence" but said that a "compelling argument" had been made about the stress Rothenburg had been under.

Edinburgh Evening News, 2 November 2012

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A man launched a drunken attack on a mosque after watching a news report about the desecration of Commonwealth graves in Libya.

Barry Stanbury, 42, was caught on CCTV cameras at shortly before 2.30am on March 5, wandering around the Exeter Mosque before a window was smashed, Exeter magistrates heard.

The court was told Stanbury was wearing "a distinctive hoodie" with a logo of a large cross on it, and a police officer recognised the defendant.

Clifford Howard, prosecuting, said: "The criminal damage occurred at the Exeter Mosque at 2.23am. We have the precise time because it was caught on CCTV."

When interviewed Stanbury said he was "so drunk he did not remember doing it".

Mr Howard said he told police his motive for carrying out the religiously aggravated criminal damage was seeing on the news that Commonwealth graves had been desecrated in Libya.

Stanbury, of Laxton Avenue, Exeter, denied racially or religiously aggravated criminal damage at the mosque but was convicted after a trial. Magistrates sentenced him to 80 hours unpaid work, £100 compensation and pay £150 costs.

Exeter Express and Echo, 1 November 2012

Via ENGAGE

The claim that Stanbury's attack was suddenly triggered by a news report is clearly nonsense. A glance at his Facebook page confirms that he is a member of the English Defence League (its Kingston-upon-Thames division, as he now lives in Reading) and his list of "likes" includes virtually every far-right organisation in existence, from the British National Party to the National Front.

Following the EDL's Luton demonstration in May this year, Stanbury commented that he was "fed up with peaceful protest". As support for the EDL's street protests continues to shrink, it can be anticipated that more disgruntled members like Stanbury will turn to direct acts of violence against the Muslim community.

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A Queens man has been trapped in Europe for the last 17 days, says a civil rights group, because his name is allegedly on the no-fly list.

Samir Suljovic, 26, first tried to fly back home to New York from Vienna, Austria, on October 1. Airline agents told the New Yorker that he could not board a return flight at the request of his own government.

On Wednesday, the New York Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) issued a statement that demands that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) allow Suljovic to return home from his current location, Germany.

Muneer Awad, executive director of the CAIR-NY, said he has no way to know whether this is a case of mistaken identity because he claims authorities have been unresponsive.

"This is not a unique case for American Muslims who have been traveling abroad," Awad told the Daily News. "He has no criminal record, he has never been charged with anything criminal. A Muslim happened to be traveling abroad and it raised a red flag for no other reason than that he is Muslim."

Suljovic tried to contact the DHS and CBP liaison at JFK International Airport but has not received a response, says the rights group. He was advised to ask for help from the Germany's U.S. embassy. But instead of support he was allegedly interrogated and his cell phone was searched without his consent.

"I cannot sleep, eat, and sometimes I feel like I can't breath [sic], knowing my son is homeless in a strange land and our government has done nothing to help us," Suljovic's mother was quoted by CAIR-NY as saying.

"This is an abuse of power by our federal agencies," said Awad. "Our government cannot ban American citizens from returning home without due process of law."

CAIR-NY sent a letter with its demands to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, New York members of the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Embassy in Munich, Germany.

"The denial of Mr. Suljovic's right to return home without due process of law constitutes a grave violation of his civil rights and liberties," the letter reads. "Instead of protecting this young U.S. citizen while he traveled abroad, the government has effectively stranded him in an unfamiliar country without shelter or protection."

Suljovic, born and raised in Oakland Gardens, Queens, was attending Queensboro Community College, according to CAIR-NY's statement. He initially traveled to Europe to visit family and friends in Montenegro.

"He has never done anything wrong," his mother said. "He choses [sic] to be a good Muslim. That's not a crime in America."

New York Daily News, 17 October 2012

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Police are looking into whether or not to launch an inquiry into Facebook posts made by Finns Party municipal election candidate Amon Rautiainen. The Kotka candidate reportedly criticised Islam and said it would be "patriotic" to eliminate Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen and Finance Minister Jutta Urpilainen.

Among the more inflammatory comments allegedly made by the Finns Party standing for election in the southeastern municipality of Kotka was a call for Muslims to be cooked alive.

He was also said to have written that it would be "patriotic" to execute Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen and Finance Minister Jutta Urpilainen, leaders of the National Coalition and Social Democratic parties respectively.

Rautiainen however removed the provocative texts Monday, claiming that he did not know that they would be publicly available on the social networking site. He said that he regretted the posts and that they had been written on the spur of the moment.

"I wrote the posts with humour and in the heat of the moment," he said. The Finns Party member said that he was not opposed to any ethnic group but that he was extremely concerned about the spread of extreme Islam.

Police are currently considering whether to open an investigation into the updates.

Yle, 24 September 2012

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Louisiana Rep. Valarie Hodges, R-Watson, is retracting her support for Gov. Bobby Jindal's voucher program, after realizing the money could be applied to Muslim schools, Livingston Parish News reports.

Hodges initially supported the governor's program because she mistakenly equated "religious" with "Christian," according to the report. Jindal's reform package allowsstate education funds to be used to send students to religious schools.

"Unfortunately it will not be limited to the Founders' religion... We need to insure [sic] that it does not open the door to fund radical Islam schools. There are a thousand Muslim schools that have sprung up recently. I do not support using public funds for teaching Islam anywhere here in Louisiana," Hodges was quoted as saying in the Livingston Parish News.

Huffington Post, 7 July 2012

See also "Louisiana Republican: When I voted for state funds to go to religious schools, I didn't mean Muslim ones", Patheos, 5 July 2012

And "Republican horrified to discover that Christianity is not the only religion", Jezebel, 6 July 2012

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Four employees of the IHOP restaurant chain with a combined 45 years experience claim they were fired in 2010 because of their national origin and their religious beliefs.

The men are Arab and Muslim, and they allege that that was the basis for their termination. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission agreed, determining there was "reasonable cause" that the men were harassed and terminated because of their national origin.

The men's attorneys filed suit Tuesday against IHOP and Anthraper Investments, which owns the four local franchises involved in Plano, Fort Worth, Arlington and Burleson.

Attorney Jay Ellwanger said the men experienced a hostile work environment for a long time. "I'm Christian; I'm white," Ellwanger said. "I couldn't imagine being fired for my job because that's who I am."

The lawsuit claims the men were all fired despite repeated positive evaluations from supervisors.

"It's shocking that in this day and age we're still going through this, and still fighting this fight," said co-counsel Sara Wyn Kane.

In their lawsuit, the men state that they heard repeated discriminatory remarks from Anthraper Investments owners, such as "Arab men treat women poorly and with disrespect, we're going to let these people go and have new faces coming in."

The lawsuit states that one owner equated Muslims waiting to break the fast during Ramadan to "dogs waiting for their meal."

Kane and Ellwanger will accompany their clients at a rally outside the federal court building on Wednesday morning.

WFAA, 17 April 2012

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