The Collectif contre l'Islamophobie en France reports that the Notre-Dame Catholic primary school at Saint-Mihiel, in the la Meuse department of Lorraine in north-eastern France, has been subjected to a campaign of Islamophobic harassment.

In late December, as part of the French national curriculum which requires pupils to receive a basic grounding in the history of the three main monotheistic faiths, the school taught a class on the origins of Islam, just as it does on those of Christianity and Judaism. A handout that included quotations from the Qur'an and named the architectural features of a mosque was given to students.

Early in January the principal of Notre-Dame, Christelle Lainet, was accosted in the schoolyard by the mother of one of the pupils. Apparently unable to distinguish between proselytism and the transmission of knowledge, as the CCIF puts it, the parent vehemently objected to her offspring being taught about Islam, using what Lainet described as "very racist" language. The father then paid a visit to Lainet at her office, expressing similarly extreme views and demanding the right to withdraw his child from the course on Islam, which Lainet agreed to.

(The CCIF notes that one of the common themes of Islamophobic propaganda in France is scaremongering over often dubious reports of Muslims withdrawing their children from classes in history, biology and sport. Such behaviour is held to demonstrate that Islam is incompatible with the secular principles of French society. But apparently it's OK when anti-Muslim racists do it.)

On 29 January the far-right secularist website Riposte Laïque published an article on the case, which claimed that pupils at Notre-Dame de Saint-Mihiel were being "punished" because their parents had refused to allow them to learn a chapter from the Qur'an. Written in the hyperbolic and paranoid prose that characterises that site, it warned of the dangers of allowing the "virus" of "Islamic fascism" to "contaminate hundreds of thousands of children".

The article gave the address, email and phone number of the school, with the evident aim of encouraging its readers to harass Lainet and her staff, who it said had "forced children to swallow verses from the Koran, in order to familiarise themselves with an ideology that has nothing to envy in Nazism". The Riposte Laïque piece was also crossposted on a number of far-right sites.

As a result, Christelle Lainet told the Républicain Lorrrain, she had received threatening phone calls from people who treated her like dirt and her inbox was filled with three hundred messages containing personal insults and threats. Lainet also stated that the allegations in the Riposte Laïque article were "pure imagination". With the support of the school administration, she is has filed a complaint for defamation.

The CCIF expresses its full support for Lainet in face of the harassment to which she has been subjected. They note that Muslims are not the only victims of Islamophobia and that this hateful ideology "threatens the whole of society", because it divides citizens and undermines the tolerance and respect for others that are the foundations of coexistence.

View the Original article

A man threatened to blow up a Glasgow mosque and claimed he had a bomb in his backpack. Fraser Rae was jailed for the incident at the city's Central Mosque on Thursday.

The 28-year-old launched a racist tirade when he entered the site in the south side of Glasgow and told followers at the mosque that he had a bomb inside his backpack and they should run away. Rae, of Johnstone in Renfrewshire, also shouted that he had a gun and threatened to shoot those near him.

Police arrested Rae at the scene before officers searched his backpack and found a "Scream" mask, gloves and scissors, while he continued to shout racist and threatening remarks.

At Glasgow Sheriff Court on Thursday, Johnstone was jailed for two years and four months after pleading guilty to threatening and abusive behaviour and possessing a knife.

John Dunn, Procurator Fiscal for West of Scotland, said: "Everyone has the right to live free from violence, threats, intimidation or the fear of harassment or abuse stemming from the prejudice of another person. To be targeted because of the colour of skin or faith is totally unacceptable.

"Hopefully the conviction and sentencing of Fraser Rae will encourage the public to report all hate crimes to the police. They can have the confidence that all such crimes will be investigated carefully and prosecuted robustly."

STV, 20 December 2012

See also Scottish Daily Record, 20 December 2012

View the Original article

Members of a Fremont mosque were shaken after a man entered the building Wednesday then threatened everyone inside.

Police said a man walked into the Ibrahim Khalillullah Islamic Center on Osgood Road Wednesday during afternoon prayer and said he had a gun and threatened to kill everyone inside. The people inside asked him to leave and he left peacefully, but he remains on the run.

The center's leaders told KTVU they've never had anything like that happen before. "We are a little worried because of the situation that happened in Oregon," said Fareed Wardak, a board of director's member. "We don't want the same thing to happen."

KTVU, 13 December 2012

See also NBC Bay Area, 13 December 2012

View the Original article

Authorities said a man vowed to shoot up a San Antonio mosque and then turn the gun on himself, but law enforcement foiled the violent plot before it ever materialized.

Worshippers prayed Tuesday night at the Islamic Academy of San Antonio amid an atmosphere of concern. "Very bad news for us," said Solomon Hamideh, president of the Islamic Academy of San Antonio.

According to an affidavit, Christopher Bane "had intentions of going to a mosque in the Medical Center area and was going to shoot as many people" as he could, and then shoot himself. A witness, who police are not identifying for safety concerns, said Bane told him he had a .45 caliber handgun and ammunition.

"We took it seriously. You know, this is a real big problem," said Hamideh.

Officers also took the threats quite seriously. They notified all three mosques in the city. Some even pinned Bane's picture on the wall. "We have done everything possible to make sure we are safe," said the president of the mosque.

It wasn't long before police arrested Bane. He's charged with making terroristic threats.

Hamideh said it brought a sense of relief to the largest mosque in San Antonio but said there are poeple out there who have warped perceptions about the Islamic faith.

KHOU, 28 November 2012

See also KSAT, 28 November 2012

View the Original article

U.S. Attorney Jerry E. Martin at press conferenceA federal grand jury on Thursday charged 24-year-old Texas resident Javier Alan Correa with violating the civil rights of members of a mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn. mosque that has been the target of previous anti-Muslim attacks.

Correa is charged with "intentionally obstructing by threat of force the free exercise of religious beliefs and one count of using an instrument of interstate commerce to communicate a threat to destroy a building by means of an explosive device," the feds said in a press release.

Correa allegedly used a cell phone to call the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro and left a message saying there was going to be a bomb in the building on the 10th anniversay of the September 11 terrorist attacks. "Listen up you fucking Muslim bitches, go back to your fucking dirty fucking country, fucking Muslim fascists, get the fuck out of here," he allegedly stated.

"The controversy and criminal activity surrounding the construction of this particular place of worship has impeded the ability of people to exercise that most basic right," U.S. Attorney Jerry E. Martin of the Middle District of Tennessee said in a statement. "We will continue to monitor the progress of construction and legal proceedings at the local level to insure these citizens are able to enjoy all basic liberties guaranteed under the Constitution."

TPM, 21 June 2012

See also "Texas man indicted for threats against Murfreesboro mosque", News Channel 5, 21 June 2012

View the Original article

A violent thug used a meat cleaver to threaten victims during a six-week campaign of robbery and burglary to fund a £600-a-week drink and drug habit.

Daniel Grant, 22, was jailed indefinitely yesterday after a court heard he had a hatred of people not like him and he enjoyed carrying weapons because it made him feel "on top of the world".

Grant committed eight robberies in Leeds between December and January this year, taking £3,000 worth of valuables from victims. Some were assaulted or threatened with a meat cleaver and other weapons.

Leeds Crown Court heard Grant holds openly racist views and is an active member of the English Defence League, a far-right protest group. After his arrest he claimed he carried weapons because other people were "needled-up" and may attack him because of his political views.

Judge Penelope Belcher jailed Grant indefinitely, saying he posed a significant risk of committing serious offences in the future. He must serve a minimum of four years in prison before he can apply to the parole board for release.

Grant, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to robbery, attempted robbery, burglary and possession of a bladed weapon.

After his arrest Grant, who has previous convictions for assault and sex offences, told probation officers and a psychiatrist that he had a fascination with weapons and the power it gave him. He also said he had dreams about "torching" people and inflicting other injuries on them.

Jobless Grant said he committed the offences to fund his addiction to alcohol and cannabis. He was also a regular user of amphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy, cannabis and anabolic steroids, which fuelled his aggression.

He said he was full of hatred for people who were not like him, including members of his own family. A report stated that he had an "abnormal personality" and had no empathy for his victims.

Judge Belcher said Grant was a risk to the public because he showed no desire to change. She told: "You have made it clear that the lifestyle that you were leading, involving drugs and significant amounts of alcohol, is a lifestyle you have every intention of leading on your release from custody."

Yorkshire Evening Post, 24 May 2012

An individual fuelled by violent fantasies who was "full of hatred for people who were not like him"– you can understand why he joined the EDL can't you?

View the Original article