Showing posts with label security. Show all posts
Showing posts with label security. Show all posts

Evidence of institutional Islamophobia in Germany's security services

on Sunday, March 24, 2013

Employees of the department tasked with observing militant Islamists reportedly throw around deeply offensive, Nazi-affiliated words in private of the kind which would be unthinkable in a public setting.

These range from Herrenrasse, the German for "master race" to Muselmann - originally a German word meaning "Muslim man" later used by the Nazis as a slang word for emaciated death camp inmates who had surrendered to their fate - to Ölauge, a derogatory name for "greasy" dark-eyed foreigners. 

In one case currently the subject of an internal investigation, an agency employee is said to have offended co-workers in his office by positioning a doll of a Teutonic Knight with his sword pointing at a miniature mosque, wrote the paper.

Employees of the department tasked with observing militant Islamists reportedly throw around deeply offensive, Nazi-affiliated words in private of the kind which would be unthinkable in a public setting.These range from Herrenrasse, the German for "master race" to Muselmann - originally a German word meaning "Muslim man" later used by the Nazis as a slang word for emaciated death camp inmates who had surrendered to their fate - to Ölauge, a derogatory name for "greasy" dark-eyed foreigners. 

In one case currently the subject of an internal investigation, an agency employee is said to have offended co-workers in his office by positioning a doll of a Teutonic Knight with his sword pointing at a miniature mosque, wrote the paper.

German spies accused of racism, Islamophobia



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Campus extremism, freedom and security conference at LSE

on Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Campus Extremism, Freedom and Security Conference

12 March 2013, 4pm – 7:30pm, at the New Theatre, East Building, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

In light of the increased opposition among student groups and university lecturers around the government's counter-terrorism strategy, the LSE Students' Union is convening this conference to provide a forum for dialogue and discussion between key stakeholders in the debate around campus extremism, freedom and security.

Speakers:

1) Trevor Phillips, Former Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission
2) Dr Phyllis Starkey, Former MP and Chair of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee
3) Professor Ian Cram, Head of the Law School at the University of Leeds
4) Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari MBE, The East London Communitites Organisation
5) Jonathan Birdwell, Head of the Citizens Programme at Demos
6) Hicham Yezza, Editor-in-chief of Ceasefire Magazine and the 'Nottingham Two'
7) Pete Mercer, Vice President of the National Union of Students
8) Michael Chessum, President of the University of London Union
9) Omar Ali, President of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies

Chaired by: Dr Kai Spiekermann (LSE) and Dr Jasmine Gani (LSE)

This Conference is supported by the University of London Union (ULU) and the Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS)

Suggested hashtag for Twitter users: #LSExtremism

For further information, visit: http://bit.ly/14gctyY



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Threats against Muslims prompt extra security at Texas capitol

on Friday, February 1, 2013

AUSTIN — A string of threats is prompting a boost in security at the State Capitol.

The threats are directed at hundreds of Muslims who are in Austin for 'Muslim Day at the Capitol.' They represent Islamic organizations and mosques from across the state of Texas.

According to the Texas Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), threats were posted online and also came in over the phone. Law enforcement stepped up protection, making additional Department of Public Safety troopers visible along the south steps of the building.

The Texas Muslims are visiting the Capitol to meet with lawmakers and ignite positive interactions. There have been similar rallies at the start of a new legislative session for a few years now. However this year, threats against the group escalated.

According to CAIR people started posting messages on a blog site called Bare Naked Islam a few weeks ago. Some people threatened gun violence. Others wrote about killing and capturing participants.

"We feel we are in the front lines," explained President of the San Antonio CAIR chapter Sarwat Husain. "We are not doing anything wrong here. We are doing what anybody else does. So for anybody to feel threatened or not to like it, it is ridiculous. We are protecting our First Amendment [rights]."

Husain says about 300 Texas Muslims registered to attend 'Muslim Day at the Capitol.' Some backed out after the threats intensified.

"The fear is on both sides. Our community is afraid of the politicians, of the law enforcement, of the people in common, you know, because of all these threats. We also want to teach the politicians," said Husain.

The threats are not new to the group. Back in 2011 CAIR says they called on the FBI to investigate similar messages posted on the same website, threatening mosques across the state. The group is asking law enforcement to look into who's behind the online messages.

KVUE, 31 January 2013

See alo "Security boosted for Texas Muslim event following online threats", CAIR press release, 31 January 2013



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Malala Yousafzai Will Have To Live Under Security for The Rest Of Her Life

on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani teenager ,was recently shot by the Taliban because she refused to abandon campaigning for girls’ education in the country. According to sources she is now a target for enemies and will have to live under tight security for the rest of her life.

This 15-year-old girl was shot in the head by a Taliban member as she was riding a bus home from school. Right now she being taken care of in a Britain hospital and is recovering quite well. Ever since the attack that occurred in October, there has been a campaign that has been started for her to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Malala has said to her caretakers that she wants to return to her home country of Pakistan, but the Interior Minister Rehman Malik says that she will be a target and it will be quite unsafe for her to return. The Interior Minister has also said that the school that she used to attend in Mingora will still bear her name despite many people protesting that there may be attacks that could occur on the school. There are around 120 students that are protesting and are not attending school; they are also ripping up pictures of Malala Yousafzai to protest the renaming of Sadiu Sharif Girls College to Government P.G Malala Yousufzai. The students have given a three day deadline for the district to change the name of the school because they fear that they might face attack while Malala is completely safe in Britain.

The students say that they want the government to remove everything that bears her name because the Taliban are totally against Malala. They are out to destroy everything that has her name on it, including the girls’ college. Mr. Rehman Malik said that they will not change the name of the school because it is a tribute to honor her courage in the country. Mr. Malik has also said that he is very grateful to the British Government for being so kind and offering to treat her at the Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The doctors there are taking good care of her and will decide when it is appropriate to send her back to Pakistan.

Rehman Malik and the people of Pakistan are hopeful that when she gets better she will be able to move, walk, talk, and live a normal life. The only thing is that she will have to remain under tight security for the rest of her life, for the courageous act that she has committed. Ever since this attack, Malala has not just become popular in Pakistan, but she has gained a reputation as a hero all over the world. She is now an icon for the education of females and a role model for the country of Pakistan. This 15-year-old girl has shown a lot of courage that much older individuals are not even able to accomplish, and this is why she is an icon for many Pakistanis.

 



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Florida Muslim businessman sues Homeland Security over harassment

on Sunday, December 23, 2012

A Central Florida Muslim businessman detained by authorities at airports and border crossings more than 30 times since June has filed suit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

It's the second such lawsuit Sadique M. Jaffer has filed in Orlando against the federal agency in almost four years, in response to what he says are baseless and harassing detentions.

Jaffer, who lives in Windermere and works in real estate and computer sales in multiple states, claims he has been detained more than 50 times since 2007 as he has traveled domestically and internationally.

Jaffer said in his latest legal filing that he drew the attention of the FBI when he filed a slander and libel lawsuit against members of a local Shia Muslim community board in 2007. Even though a local FBI agent told Jaffer's attorney in May 2007 that his client was not a person of interest, an agent in New York nominated Jaffer to the federal watch list, the lawsuit said.

Jaffer said he has agreed to cooperate with authorities and notify the FBI if he learned of any threats emanating from the Orlando Shia Muslim community, but that did not prevent him from being detained.

Neither the FBI nor Department of Homeland Security would answer questions about Jaffer or comment on the lawsuit.

"We understand the need to protect this country from terrorists," said Jaffer's attorney, J. Christy Wilson III. "But we also have a constitution in this country. We have certain rights." The constant detentions have created hardships, are embarrassing and disheartening to Jaffer, his attorney said.

According to Jaffer's lawsuit, he was detained in August 2007 when he arrived in Houston from a business trip in Costa Rica. He was escorted off the airplane and detained for four hours, according to the suit. He was not given water, food or allowed to use the restroom and was ordered to sit and stare at a wall. "If he so much as turned his head, he was verbally abused for doing so," Jaffer's lawsuit says.

Dozens of detentions would follow when Jaffer traveled, and in some instances, his wife and children were detained. Jaffer's attorney wrote several letters to authorities complaining of unwarranted detentions, but federal officers continued to stop him while traveling.

In October 2008, Jaffer and his attorney voluntarily met with FBI agents in New York, the lawsuit says. At the end of the questioning, agents told Jaffer they would initiate the process to stop the detentions, but there proved to be no immediate relief.

In April 2009, Jaffer filed suit in Orlando federal court against the Department of Homeland Security. Four months later, he was removed from the watch list, and the detentions stopped. Jaffer dropped that suit after receiving the requested relief.

Then in June 2012, Jaffer was detained while traveling from New York City to Orlando. Since then, the businessman claims, he has been detained more than 30 times.

Wilson said Jaffer does not know why he has been placed on the federal watch list again and that they have offered to meet with federal authorities. "We're not trying to hide anything," Wilson said. "We're willing to talk to them … and answer their questions as he's done before."

Orlando Sentinel, 22 December 2012



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Taliban to provide security to Imran khan?

on Saturday, October 6, 2012

Taliban to provide security to Imran khan?

The most controversial news doing rounds is of Taliban providing security to Imran khan in his rally in Waziristan. But Imran khan is denying all such reports as its going to be a peace march against the CIA drone attacks which are constantly taking place in Waziristan over the years and no government is taking any serious actions regarding them.

While talking about the provision of security is concerned, A Taliban spokesperson said, “We are ready to provide them security if they need. We endorse Imran Khan’s plea that drone strikes are against our sovereignty. The anti-drone rallies should have been taken out by the religious leaders long ago but Imran had taken the lead and we would not harm him or his followers.”

But rubbishing the news, the PTI chief had said in a press conference that “Mehsud, Burki and Bhittani tribes of Waziristan had assured him of providing security to participants of the rally.”

Said a reporter “The military has been in the hold-mode and since the launch of its Operation Rah-i-Nijat in October 2009, the 2,419 square-kilometre area in the Mahsud territory officially remains a conflict zone, facing 1,144 incidents of fire-raids, rocket and mortar attacks and roadside bombings in 2011. Such attacks continue unabated with the military continuing to sustain casualties.

The entire Mahsud population was flushed out and displaced. Out of the approximately 350,00 Mahsuds, only 40,000 or so have so far volunteered to return after thorough screening and verification. The standing joke among the Mahsuds is that there are now more soldiers in their land than their fellow tribesmen.

It has been three years since the military entered South Waziristan but even now those entering the Mahsud land are required to get a ‘rahdari’ duly attested by two tribal elders and the political administration.”

All the above mentioned hindrance is not blocking the ideas and beliefs sof Imran khan who has strong faith in Almighty Allah — the merciful and the beneficent, Imran khan is still going into the region as the losses being made in those areas are costing the live s of our very own people “Imran khan is of the view that there is acorrelation between drone attacks and suicide bombings as such kind of violence started after the first drone strike in 2004. The fact is that there were 413 incidents of violence including 11 suicide bombings before the first drone strike. Terrorist activities have little or no link with drones. In 2009, there were 53 drone attacks and the casualties in the war on terror were 11,704 while in 2010, the number of strikes increased to 117 but the causalities decreased to 7,435.”

Taliban has denied from providing any security to the PTI and any persons going along with him, in fact it’s more challenging now to reach those areas and wide spread the message across the country that we need to get out of war of America which is killing our innocent people brutally. Taliban are not providing any security is made clear by the members and the chief of PTI in a press conference held recently.

 


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About the author

Momo Khan

Life has given you wings to fly, why to crawl through your life !!
Freelance writer and an agony aunt to my friends.
Dreamer, Love my family and is a peaceful creature !!



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Daily Star claims security services saw Newham mosque as potential terrorist threat to Olympics

on Monday, September 10, 2012

It looks like the right-wing press is resuming its hysterical campaign against the proposed Tablighi Jamaat markaz at the Riverine Centre in Newham. "Bomb fear at mega mosque" is the shock horror headline to an article in the Daily Star Sunday, which follows the recent scaremongering report in the Evening Standard.

According to the Star: "Security forces feared extremists could use boats to smuggle explosives on to the site of a proposed mega mosque in East London during the Games. Spooks conducted a series of boating missions to test the possibility of terrorists bringing bombs into the Stratford area. Anti-terror chiefs thought they might use the River Thames, River Lea and a tributary known as the Channelsea River, which runs adjacent to the planned 12,000-seater mosque site in West Ham, East London."

For confirmation of this dubious story, for which the Star offers no sources at all, the paper turns to local right-wing Christian bigot Alan Craig, who is quoted as saying: "No doubt the security forces have been watching it. I spoke some time ago to a number of anti-terror officers about it and they were certainly watching the situation with the Olympics coming up. This site is less than half a mile from Olympic stadia. They were quite concerned." Craig adds: "Officers had been out in rubber boats on the river assessing the possibility of getting ordnance in via the river."

It was Craig who issued a disgraceful press release in July 2007 claiming that Tablighi Jamaat had inspired the attempted terrorist attacks in Glasgow and London. I suppose it's possible that anti-terror officers discussed their operational plans with this fundamentalist crank, but it strikes me as highly unlikely.

Having stirred up its readers with unsubstantiated accusations of association with terrorism, the Star concludes its report by quoting the trustees of the Riverine Centre as stating: "There are no such security concerns regarding Tablighi Jamaat. These people are just interested in constructing a building that is suitable for their faith. There is nothing sinister going on."



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Rhode Island Muslims ask for FBI, police security help after mosque vandalism

on Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Members of Rhode Island's Muslim community have asked to meet with police and the FBI to request heightened security at their places of worship after the sign for a mosque in North Smithfield was vandalized.

Farid Ansari, president of the Rhode Island Council for Muslim Advancement and an imam at the Muslim American Dawah Center of Rhode Island in Providence, said Tuesday they are concerned because of the fatal attack on a Sikh temple in Wisconsin on Sunday and a suspicious fire at a mosque in Missouri on Monday.

"Hopefully, it's just a simple case of vandalism, but we can't be sure. Of particular concern is what happened within the Sikh community," Ansari said. "We can't just not pay attention to these types of things. We don't know if they are connected or not."

The incident at the Masjid Al-Islam happened early Sunday morning. Surveillance video showed a person walk up to the mosque's sign, struggle with it then knock down a large piece of it, put it into a car and drive away, said North Smithfield Police Capt. Tim Lafferty. The vandalism was first reported by The Providence Journal.

Lafferty said detectives are investigating it as vandalism, although he said it was too early to rule out a possible hate crime. He said the video is grainy and the person is difficult to identify. They also can't see the license plate. "We have no suspects. We just have the video," he said.

Lafferty said police have stepped up patrols around the mosque, including extra checks of the building.

Ansari said they had reached out to the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office and Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements to convene a meeting so they could to express their concerns and ask for heightened security.

Associated Press, 7 August 2012

See also "CAIR issues safety advisory after another mosque targeted", CAIR press release, 7 August 2012

And "North Smithfield police: We don't need FBI's help investigating vandalism of sign at mosque", Providence Journal, 7 August 2012



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Frank Gaffney and the Center for Security Policy

on Sunday, July 22, 2012

"Gaffney has turned up so many 'Muslim infiltrators' in government or civic positions that it is difficult to keep track. If a Muslim runs for political office, or even wants to get involved in their local community, or establish any sort of institution, whether they are a Republican or a Democrat, outrageous charges of 'creeping Sharia prononent',  'stealth jihadist', 'Muslim Brotherhood plant', etc. are made by Islamophobes."

Sheila Musaji examines the record of the man who inspired Michel Bachmann's Muslim Brotherhood conspiracy theory.

The American Muslim, 21 July 2012



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EEOC files suit against security company who fired Philadelphia woman for wearing headscarf

on Friday, July 20, 2012

Tahira B. El, a practicing Muslim, faced religious discrimination when she was fired by her employer, a security company providing guards to the Pennsylvania Convention Center, because she refused to remove a head scarf she wore for religious reasons, according to a federal lawsuit filed in Philadelphia on her behalf Wednesday by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The suit said that El, of Philadelphia, was hired by ABM Security Services, of California, to work at the center on Feb. 21, 2011. She was fired the next day, the suit said, when she showed up in uniform, wearing the khimar, which covers her hair and ears, but not her face.

Because the Convention Center did not employ El, it is not named in the suit, but "we would not prohibit anyone from expressing their religious beliefs," convention center director Ahmeenah Young said in a statement.

ABM said some clients require adherence to a strict uniform code. The company said in a statement that it was disappointed that EEOC filed the suit because El was given the opportunity to work elsewhere but declined.

Philadelphia Inquirer, 19 July 2012



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Attacks on Llanelli's mosque prompt security rise

on Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Security measures have been taken at Llanelli's mosque following claims of attacks on the building.

Metal bars have been fitted over the Station Road mosque's front window after reports were made that the glass was smashed while someone was praying inside. The incident came just months after the door was kicked through and a group of elderly women were followed in.

And police are now conducting high visibility patrols in the area to calm the concerns of people using the mosque.

Press officer for Llanelli's Ethnic Minority Help Association Anne Stevens-Bevan said she was working hard to ensure people feel safe when they go to pray.

"I met with the police last week and I am negotiating with them and the Muslim Council for Great Britain to see what advice they can give," she said. "There have been problems with things thrown at the window and people being chased and abused physically and mentally. The trouble has been on-going for 14 years, but I have made a promise that it won't happen again because it's just not fair."

Mrs Stevens-Bevan said she was "sickened to the stomach" to hear that the window was smashed while someone was praying. "It should be a world of calmness," she said. "Having to put bars over the window takes away from that – it takes away from the sense of peace."

She added that while lighting would soon be installed near the mosque, efforts were still being made to have CCTV cameras installed.

"The mosque is well used – and by some very elderly people – and they should feel safe," she said. "They get mouthy people passing, and these words can build up and rob them of their self-esteem. People don't forget things like that, and for the women who were followed into the mosque it must be in their minds all the time. The mosque is a sacred place, like our churches and chapels, and we will not give up until people feel safe to go there."

PC Dylan Davies said: "When they reported the criminal damage to me I did advise them to think about taking some security measures, which they did by adding the grill to the window. Having said that, this is a one-off instance. I am aware of concerns the people using the mosque have, and I am keeping an eye on the building and making sure that there are regular high visibility patrols in and around the area."

This is South Wales, 17 April 2012



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