The Cambridge News reports that Front National leader Marine Le Pen, notorious for her virulently Islamophobic rhetoric, is billed to speak at the Cambridge Union on 19 February.

A spokesman for the Cambridge Union Society is quoted as saying:

"Whether you agree with her politics or not, this event represents one of the very few opportunities a British audience has had to directly engage with Mme Le Pen, who finished third in the last French presidential election, behind Hollande and Sarkozy, and currently sits in the European Parliament as a democratically elected representative.

"The Cambridge Union has a two-hundred year history of promoting the art of debating and free speech and this event is fundamentally in keeping with that tradition."

See also Morning Star, 12 February 2013

Unite Against Fascism is organising a demonstration against Le Pen. Details can be found here.

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French Muslim leaders have appealed to President François Hollande come out as strongly against Islamophobia as he has against anti-Semitism. They estimate that the number of anti-Muslim acts in France rose 34 per cent last year.

Leaders of the Muslim umbrella body, the CFCM, which was set up by former president Nicolas Sarkozy when he was interior minister, met Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on

Thursday to call for action against what they claim is a rise in Islamophobia. 

They called on Hollande to condemn it in a "solemn declaration", similar to his call for the fight against anti-Semitism to become a "national cause".

Islamophobic incidents rose 34 per cent in 2011 and 14 per cent in the first quarter of 2012, according to Abdellah Zekri of the CFCM's Observatory of Islamophobia.

Zekri blamed a number of factors for the rise, among them:

RFI, 9 November 2012

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Neighbours to the so-called 'Mega mosque' believe it would completely dwarf the surrounding conservation areas and fail to serve a mixed community if given the go-ahead.

Residents near the site in Canning Road, West Ham – owned by Islamic movement Tablighi Jamaat – have spoken about what they describe as real concerns about the project despite fears of being labelled Islamophobic. It comes after mosque backers put their case to the Recorder earlier this month.

The residents of Abbey Lane told the Recorder they worry not only about the scale of the planned Riverine Centre, also known as Abbey Mills Mosque – which at 29,227 square metres is more than three times the floorspace of St Paul's Cathedral – but fear a parking nightmare due to its 9,000 capacity.

They say no proper public consultation has been held to reflect the current plans, which they say serve almost exclusively one Islamic group rather than the whole community.

Mike Duff, a 33-year-old director of an urban planning consultancy, is among the residents who have put their objections to the council and mosque backers.

He said: "I worked for six years in Saudi Arabia and helped At-Turaif, the village where Wahab Islam, the strictest interpretation of Islam globally, was founded to achieve Unesco World Heritage Status, so being anti-Muslim is the furthest thing from my mind. I understand where they are coming from with regard to practising their religion.

"But the scale of this mosque is completely unsuitable for this location, I would feel the same if it was a church of that size."

Newham Recorder, 1 November 2012

Here is a recent tweet by Mr Duff urging support for an e-petition against the Newham mosque.

The petition itself opposes the Canning Road development on the following grounds: "The Tablighi Jamaat group, a Muslim missionary movement once described as an 'ante-chamber of fundamentalism', wants to build Britain's biggest place of worship in West Ham."

So Mr Duff's claim that he would "feel the same if it was a church of that size" is disingenuous. He openly backs a campaign against the development on the basis of the alleged threat posed by Tablighi Jamaat.

As for the assertion that the mosque will be "Britain's biggest place of worship", its capacity will in fact be rather less than that of the Ahmadiyya community's Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden.

Update:  Still, to be fair, Mike Duff and his friends do have their admirers.

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The family of Babar Ahmad have spoken out following the Government's decision to block the extradition of Gary McKinnon on human rights grounds.

Mr McKinnon, 46, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, was facing extradition and a lengthy jail sentence after he admitted "hacking" into US government computers but claimed he was looking for evidence of UFOs.

Home Secretary Theresa May today blocked the move citing McKinnon's illness as the primary reason for not sending him to the United States.

Last week Tooting residents Babar Ahmad and Syed Talha Ahsan, who also suffers from Asperger's syndrome, were extradited to the US on terror charges despite being detained without trial for more than five years.

But the family of Mr Ahmad, reacting to today's news, accused the Government of "double standards" and "old-fashioned racism".

A spokesman for the family said: "We strongly welcome the decision not to extradite Gary McKinnon – we would not want his family to experience the pain and suffering we have all been enduring since Babar was extradited.

"However, questions do need to be asked as to why within the space of two weeks, a British citizen with Asperger's accused of computer related activity is not extradited, while two other British citizens, one with Asperger's, engaged in computer related activity are extradited. A clear demonstration of double standards.

"Many of our supporters are angry at what appears to be blatant old-fashioned racism under which all British citizens are equal but some are more equal than others."

Tooting MP Sadiq Khan, also the shadow justice minister, echoed the Ahmad's family sentiment of "double standards" and believes the decision will undermine the British justice system.

He said: "The government is using the Human Rights Act to prevent the extradition of Gary McKinnon on health grounds, but Syed Talha Ahsan also suffers from Asperger's Syndrome.

"This issue was raised with the British authorities by both myself and the legal representatives of my constituents, but ignored on each occasion. The obvious question people are asking is why Gary's case is different.

"The issue of 'forum' was also crucial in both Babar and Tahla's cases yet the changes announced today will not help them as they have both have now gone to the USA.

"Today's announcement will cause considerable confusion. The appearance of double standards by the Home Secretary does not engender confidence in the justice system."

For further information visit www.freebabarahmad.com.

You can also visit the official Facebook page www.facebook.com/FreeBabarAhmad or follow @freebabarahmad on Twitter

Wandsworth Guardian, 16 October 2012

See also Alex MacDonald, "Gary McKinnon has Asperger's Syndrome; so does Talha Ahsan", Huffington Post, 16 October 2012

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Leaders of all the main Christian denominations in Norwich have spoken out against a march by the English Defence League in Norwich organized because a city church has been barred by Norwich City Council for anti-Islam material. Church leaders from the Church of England, Roman Catholic, Methodist and Baptist churches, Salvation Army, United Reformed Church and the Quakers have united to issue a joint statement against the march.

The statement reads: "The intention of the English Defence League to mount a demonstration in Norwich is entirely unwelcome. Norwich has a long history of welcoming strangers, often in considerable numbers. The integration of so many different groups into the life of this fine city is what gives Norwich such richness in its life today. This is a cause for celebration, and we must not allow this honourable tradition to be broken."

Leaders signing the statement were: Fr David Bagstaff, Diocesan Administrator, Diocese of East Anglia (Roman Catholic); Major David Jackson, Divisional Commander of the Eastern Region, Salvation Army; The Rt Revd Graham James, Bishop of Norwich (Church of England); The Revd Richard Lewis, Regional Minister of the Eastern Baptist Association; John Myhill, on behalf of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers); The Very Revd Graham Smith, Dean of Norwich (Church of England); The Revd Graham Thompson, Chair of the East Anglian District of the Methodist Church; Fr James Walsh, Dean of the Cathedral Church of John the Baptist (Roman Catholic) and The Revd Paul Whittle, Moderator of the Eastern Synod of the United Reformed Church.

The English Defence League is planning its first ever march through Norwich on Saturday 10 November and whilst no route is yet planned, EDL organisers have told Norfolk police of their intention.

The EDL say that the march is to show support for Norwich Reformed Church which was banned from its bookstall site on Hay Hill and from using Norwich City Council premises for its main Sunday services after its leader, Rev Alan Clifford, promoted his own leaflets against Islam on the bookstall. The EDL say their march is to protest against the Council's action and everyone else's freedom of speech.

In a statement, Rev Clifford denied having any links to the group. He said: "I have no connection with either the EDL or BNP even though they rightly endorse my Christian criticisms of Islam. My objections to Islam are ideological not racial. Indeed, I have more affinity with Asian Christians than English atheists. I am opposed to both 'Left' and 'Right' political extremism and my stand on the Islamic threat is faith-inspired."

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