Standing in Denver's main mosque on Christmas Eve, Christian, Muslim and Jewish community leaders launched an ad campaign promoting understanding and tolerance between the religious groups. "Love Thy Neighbor" ads on Denver buses are intended to combat anti-Muslim ads produced by the American Freedom Defense Initiative. The controversial group attracted attention with hateful posters in New York subways and DC metro stations.

The Colorado Muslim Society paid $5,000 for the "Love Thy Neighbor" ads, which focus on love as "a shared concept in the three religions." Other religious leaders and interfaith groups then publicly embraced the message:

They said the ad they unveiled — at a time on the calendar devoted to love and understanding — is meant to respond to recent national tragedies and to replace anti-Muslim ads placed on buses last month.

"Our country is in the midst of a lot of divisions," Temple Emanuel Senior Rabbi Joe Black said. "Hatred is only going to further violence and the breakdown of society."

Denver's tolerance initiative follows the lead of many faith groups around the country protesting the Islamophobic ads. The Denver ads proclaim: "9,757 Deadly Islamic Attacks Since 9/11/01. It's Not Islamophobia. It's Islamorealism." Colorado's religious leaders also stood together in solidarity after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

Public renunciation of anti-Muslim bigotry is much needed, as hate crimes against Muslims have held steady at a record high. Meanwhile, anti-Islamic rhetoric has become commonplace in mainstream media.

Think Progress, 25 December 2012

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Jewish, Hindu and Muslim leaders from Queens gathered with lawmakers to denounce the possible hate crime committed at a Kew Gardens Hills Mosque earlier this month, and city Comptroller John Liu suggested some of the NYPD's policies could make bias crimes more common.

"An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us," said Imam Shamsi Ali, of the Jamaica Muslim Center, who gathered religious leaders from around Flushing in the wake of the Nov. 18 attack.

At about 5 a.m., 57-year-old Bashir Amad was opening the doors of the mosque for morning prayers when he was beaten, bitten and stabbed by a suspect police described as a 6-foot white man between the ages of 35 and 45 and weighing 180 pounds. According to the NYPD, the man shouted anti-Muslim statements before ambushing Bashir outside the house of worship, at 72-55 Kissena Blvd. As of press time Tuesday no arrests had been made.

Liu condemned the incident and called for justice, assuring everyone that the NYPD was following all possible leads to find the attacker. But he also contended that policies, like the NYPD's practice of monitoring Muslims or barring Sikhs from wearing religious headwear while on the job, sends the message that it is acceptable to discriminate against these groups.

"Unfortunately, when Muslims are singled out for profiling, surveillance and other discriminatory actions, hate crimes such as this are more likely," he said. Liu was referring to the NYPD's controversial practice of infiltrating and monitoring mosques and student and business groups, even though the intelligence did not produce any indictments. The Police Department and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly have defended the practice as essential to protecting the city from terror attacks.

To show solidarity after the Kissena Boulevard attack, Ali called leaders from other houses of worship who gathered to decry the possible hate crime.

"Let's not pretend we are all the same," said Dr. Uma Mysorekar, of the Hindu Temple Society of North America. "We are different, but let's respect those differences."

Mysorekar stood with Amad and other members of the mosque, along with Rabbi Michael Weisser, of Flushing's Free Synagogue, who also encouraged tolerance and understanding between the different faiths. "No act like this will drive us apart – eventually that will only draw us closer together," he said.

TimesLedger, 28 November 2012

Update:  See also "Cops offer $2G reward for mosque hate attack suspect", Queens Gazette, 28 November 2012

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BALLWIN — Muslim, Christian and Jewish religious leaders joined civil rights leaders here this morning in denouncing recent attacks against mosques around the country. They say that kind of violence represents intolerance and a hatred of Muslims, and they worry it escalates during election season.

"This is a result of an atmosphere of hate that is being created by a small group of radical Islamophobes within this country," said Faizan Syed, executive director of the St. Louis chapter of CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations). Ghazala Hayat, with the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis, added: "We also see, usually the year of election, this rhetoric goes up."

At a news conference, they were joined by Barbara Jennings, with the Coalition of Catholic Sisters; Rabbi Brigitte Rosenberg, president of the Rabbinical Association; and civil rights leaders including Brenda Jones of the ACLU of Eastern Missouri and Karen Aroesty of the Anti-Defamation League.

A July 4 arson fire damaged a mosque in Joplin, Mo., and a second fire on Aug. 6 destroyed it. The second fire has been labeled suspicious. An investigation continues.

The national group CAIR is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for the attempted arson on July 4. Syed said the group had planned Wednesday to announce an increase in that reward to include the Aug. 6 fire, but he said they would wait until officials confirm that it was arson.

Syed said the St. Louis group has contacted Islamic centers in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma to warn them to beef up security measures, during Friday prayers and other times. He said what happened to the mosque outside Joplin underscored the anger sometimes directed toward such centers. He said that mosque had been targeted even before the arson attempt in July. Shotgun shells had been fired at the center's mailbox and people driving by had yelled profanities at children, he said.

Meanwhile, he said the mosque there will rebuild, thanks to a national fundraising campaign. He said about $400,000 had been raised in a short time, but that it will take close to $1.4 million to rebuild in or near Joplin. "We are really heartened by the response by non-Muslims to raise money so quickly," Hayat added.

St Louis Post-Dispatch, 15 August 2012

See also "Joplin, Mo., mosque fire called evidence of hatred", Associated Press, 15 August 2012

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French Jewish leaders are calling the tossing of two pig heads into a mosque not far from Toulouse "an odious desecration."

Worshippers at the Salam mosque in Montauban in southern France discovered two pig heads at the entrance to the building yesterday.

The CRIF, the umbrella organization of French Jewish communities, called the incident "an odious desecration" and said it "identifies with the outrage of the Muslim community, which was deeply offended by the act perpetrated during Ramadan."

The Jewish communities of France convey their "sincerest sentiments of friendship" to the Muslim community, the statement said.

France's Union of Jewish Students also said in a statement that it was appalled by an incident that had occurred in a "worrying climate of hatred."

JTA, 3 August 2012

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The police have today used their powers under the Public Order Act to prevent a counter demonstration to the presence of the right-wing and anti-Islamic EDL from going ahead in Bristol City Centre tomorrow (Saturday). Organisers of the rally, which had significant trade union backing, have been issued with legal notices enforcing restrictions on the counter demonstration, and have been told that they face potential prosecution if the rally goes ahead as planned. A statement from 'We are Bristol' reads,

Today's Bristol Evening Post includes information from police statements about a change of venue for tomorrow's (July 14th) counter demonstration against the EDL, moving the timing and location of the counter demonstration to Castle Park.

We Are Bristol wish to make clear that the police have imposed conditions on our demonstration backed by legal orders. This has placed the organisers of the counter demonstration under extreme duress, no agreement was reached with the police, and legal advice has been sought to defend our right to protest.

The original plan had been for counter demonstrators to meet at the Fountains in the centre of Bristol at 11am. The police have insisted that the demonstration must now start no earlier that 1pm, and will take place at Castle Park, some distance to the North of the centre.

Plans for the EDL demonstration are unchanged, and this will take place as planned at 1pm, in a central location. Other counter-protests, which have been organised separately to the 'We are Bristol event' are still expected to take place in the city centre, despite police opposition. Demonstrators have been called on to 'line the route' of the EDL march from 11am onwards.

The move to stop the 'We are Bristol' rally is merely the latest attempt by the police to undermine and restrict the rights of Bristol residents to protest against the presence of the EDL. Earlier this week, Bristol activists accused Avon and Somerset police of deliberately dissuading local people from attending any demonstration. Bristol Anti-Fascists claimed,

Avon and Somerset Constabulary have made appeals for locals not to attend any counter-demonstrations. These have often been targeted at Bristol's Muslim community. The police should not determine who is and who is not able to exercise their rights to protest.

Activists have also highlighted the police intention to use a 'heavy handed' approach with anyone demonstrating or assembling in the City centre without police approval. Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham has warned that those taking part in unauthorised protests, "must not be surprised at the policing response on the day."

Netpol have documented similar police strategies in other areas of the country, notably Leicester, where police strongly pushed a 'stay at home' message to Mosques and community forums, and distributed 20,000 leaflets to schools and youth centres warning young people not to attend protest related to the EDL. The leaflet also contained the statement; "There may be people who will try to get you involved in the event. They are doing this for themselves, not you."

Netpol are concerned that the police are operating an on-going strategy to undermine and reduce participation in lawful demonstrations against the presence of the EDL.

The police are quick to use the fear of violence and disorder to justify their actions, but their treatment of local communities, Muslim youth and anti-fascist protest groups can only increase the potential for confrontation. The police are perceived as operating a policy of appeasement towards an extreme right-wing, anti-Islamic organisation, which is permitted to have the run of City centres while local people and protesters are confined to the outskirts. This inevitably creates anger and resentment and heightens community tensions, setting the stage for more serious conflict.

Netpol, 13 July 2012

This Is Bristol has posted a statement by Zaheer Shabir, chair of Building the Bridge, who says that "the Muslim community did not encourage anyone to sign the e-petition demanding a ban on EDL marching in our City of Bristol" and "also met with UAF and We are Bristol to clarify our position on the counter protest requesting them not to confuse and entice Muslim youth to join their counter protest".

Further, "the Muslim community leadership have met with the EDL to create a pathway for future dialogue. This was the first of its kind in the UK and positive assurances were given by the EDL representatives".

It would be unfair to hold Zaheer Shabir and his colleagues entirely responsible for this spineless response to the threat from a gang of violent anti-Muslim racists. They are clearly following police advice as outlined last year by Adrian Tudway, head of the national domestic extremism unit at Scotland Yard, who in an email to a Muslim organisation stated that the EDL are "not extreme right wing as an organisation" and suggested that the Muslim community should open a "line of dialogue" with these racist thugs.

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British Freedom (as the British Freedom Party has been renamed, because BFP is "too closely sounding to BNP") reports that its executive council has held a meeting with the English Defence League leaders to discuss future political plans.

BF chairman Paul Weston will be attending an "SIOE (Stop the Islamisation of America)" event in New York on 11 September along with newly appointed vice-chairmen Stephen Lennon and Kevin Carroll. Presumably this is the SION conference to "fight blasphemy laws under the Sharia Islamic supremacist war on free speech" announced by Pamela Geller a couple of months ago, at which "English politician and freedom fighter Paul Weston" is an advertised speaker. According to the BF report: "This will be a high-profile visit with excellent opportunities to publicise British Freedom internationally."

So it would appear that the on-off relationship between Geller/Spencer and the EDL is on again. Whether US immigration officials will allow Lennon to attend the SION event is another matter, of course. When he arrived at JFK airport on his way to Geller and Spencer's "Ground Zero mosque" protest in September 2010 he was refused entry and sent back to the UK.

Apparently the international counterjihadist roadshow will also be paying a visit to Britain: "It was agreed that British Freedom in association with the EDL should organise a major international conference next year with top speakers from the anti-jihad/ freedom movement. Date, speakers and UK venue to be decided." Now there's something to look forward to.

Another international jaunt is also proposed, this time to Sweden: "Party leaders are planning to go to Stockholm to deliver a public apology on behalf of Luton for the fact that the Stockholm bomber was radicalised in the town."

The reference here is to Taimur Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, who killed himself in a failed suicide attack in the Swedish capital in December 2010. There is no indication that his residence in Luton played any part in his turn to violent extremism. When Abdaly turned up at the Luton Islamic Centre in 2007 and tried to win support for his (at that point still non-violent) extremist views he was confronted and forced out. So what Luton has to apologise for is unclear.

Domestic plans for BF include the following: "In order to raise the party's public profile, British Freedom representatives will attend EDL demos and other public events, using banners and placards to create a highly visible presence, and leaflets and other materials to promote the party."

I can't see that going down too well with some of the EDL members. The Demos study Inside the EDL found that 34% of them intended to vote for the BNP and 14% for UKIP. Although that survey was conducted before the public announcement of the lash-up between the EDL leadership and the BFP, it seems unlikely that many EDL supporters have abandoned well-established parties like the BNP and UKIP and transferred their allegiance to an minuscule sect like British Freedom. They will likely resent EDL demonstrations being used to raise the profile of an obscure organisation they don't support.

Other political initiatives include: "British Freedom is to contest the Bedfordshire Policing and Crime Commissioner elections. We will stand a senior member of the party, to be announced very soon." Furthermore: "British Freedom will also be looking closely at parliamentary by-elections, with Paul W., Stephen L. and Kevin C. each ready and willing to contest a suitable seat." In addition, they hope to raise £1 million to fight the 2015 general election. As if.

It will be interesting to see which "senior member of the party" decides to stand for police commissioner in Bedfordshire. Stephen Lennon would seem to be the obvious choice as he can claim first hand knowledge of the problems of policing, having received a twelve-month prison sentence in 2005 for assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. As for the plan to stand in parliamentary by-elections, I say bring it on. The humiliatingly low votes Weston, Lennon and Carroll can expect to receive will hopefully wreck their party long before it has a chance to contest the next general election.

Photo:  Carroll, Weston and Lennon at the EDL/British Freedom press conference in Luton on 5 May.

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The British National Party have announced that they are selling a "great new book on the Muslim tide, and how to turn it". The book is titled Inch'Allah? The Islamization of Europe, its author is Vlaams Belang leader Filip Dewinter, and the English version is translated and edited by none other than the BNP's own would-be führer Nick Griffin. Indeed, it would appear that Griffin's role in the production of the book went even further than that – he is now boasting about the new sections he introduced to improve Dewinter's original text.

Enthusiasm for Inch'Allah? evidently transcends the deep divisions within the BNP itself. Griffin's leading political opponent in the party, Andrew Brons, has published a glowing review of the book on his own Nationalist Unity Forum, hailing it as "one of the most comprehensive and well-researched works on the Islamic colonisation of Europe yet published on the continent". Mind you, that may have been before Brons realised Griffin had a hand in writing it.

Some of us will recall that the US Islamophobic bloggers Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer were sharply criticised by their former ally Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs for their participation at the Counterjihad Brussels 2007 conference alongside Filip Dewinter. Johnson accused Vlaams Belang of being white nationalists with fascist links.

Geller and Spencer indignantly denied this. Geller argued that "Vlaams Belang is the only party that has gone out of its way to support Israel. No political party in Belgium has supported Israel. Vlaams Belang has been the only party staunchly behind Israel for the past 10 years." Spencer agreed that VB are "the only ones in Flanders standing against the jihad and for Israel".

Given these expressions of support for Vlaams Belang, and their shared views on the threatened "Islamization" of the West, will Geller and Spencer be promoting the English edition of Dewinter/Griffin's book in the US? And if not, why not? I think we should be told.

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