Two women joined a racist mob which attacked and abused a terrified Kurdish family in a city centre takeaway, a court heard.

Hayley Wells, aged 28, and 30-year-old Kelly Watterson were part of a group which spilled out of a pub and hurled vile abuse on a Sunday afternoon. Someone threw a glass which smashed next to a baby in a car seat inside the Istanbul kebab shop in Exeter Street, Plymouth Crown Court heard.

Wells scratched the boy's mother on the arm and Watterson admitted she was drunk and aggressive as part of the mob, which had been attending a meeting of the English Defence League. The mother and her partner were so shaken that they have since sold the takeaway.

Recorder Paul Derbyshire said: "This was a shocking and violent incident which left these victims in a distressed state. This has led to the closure of the business and they have moved away." He handed Wells a suspended prison sentence and Watterson a community order. Both must do hefty periods of unpaid work.

Watterson, of St Peter's Road, Manadon, admitted one count of affray and Wells, of Shell Close, Leigham, admitted one count of religiously aggravated common assault on August 31, 2011.

Kelly Scrivener, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said the male victim arrived at the shop at about 2pm to see a large group of men and women gathered outside the nearby Wild Coyote pub. He added they racially abused him and told him to "go back to his own country".

Miss Scrivener said someone in the group threw a glass object, which smashed on his car. She added the two defendants kicked the door of the shop and Wells scratched the woman's arm. The court heard the mob continued to shout "EDL" and further racist abuse. Miss Scrivener said an unknown member of the group threw a glass which smashed close to her infant son in a car seat. She added Wells and Watterson were pulled away by men in the group.

Wells told police in interview that she believed all Muslims were extremists and if she saw a woman in a burka it would make her angry. She admitted to officers that she organised EDL meetings and had been drinking and taking amphetamine. Miss Scrivener said Watterson, the best friend of Wells, admitted being drunk and aggressive and said she was swept along with the group.

The court heard a statement from the victim which said she still feels "very frightened" walking around the city centre. She said her partner sold the takeaway, because he was too afraid to work so close to the pub.

The judge handed Wells a three-month prison sentence suspended for two years under probation supervision. She must do 200 hours unpaid work and pay the victim £100 in compensation. Watterson was given a 12-month community order under probation supervision with 150 hours unpaid work. She must also pay £100 in compensation to the victim.

Plymouth Herald, 23 February 2013

The Herald also provides an account of the events by the mother who was attacked (referred to as "HK"):

The mob were shouting "Allah is a paedo". The husband said to them he was just trying to do his job, but he couldn't reason with them. I could see they were working themselves up, chanting "EDL". I told him to get into his car as they threw glasses and as I raced back to the shop, telling everyone to get inside, they were all behind me. There was me between the family and the mob. The daughter was shouting "leave my dad alone" and they told her to "**** off you Muslim s**g".

I'd called the police, saying "we're being attacked by a racist mob" – they could hear everything. The men were throwing glasses into the shop. I was screaming at the family to get out the back – I didn't know how long I could hold the door. The family were at the back, crying. They said they didn't want to leave me behind. I phoned the police again and told them to record what they heard, record what happened to us when the mob got in.

HK said when the police arrived Wells and Watterson went in a different direction to the mob. She kept the door shut until police wielding tasers had deployed dogs and moved the mob back to the Wild Coyote pub. As she opened the door, she spotted the pair walking past so she raced to an officer and pointed them out. She said:

"They were swearing and shouting, even when they were taken to the floor. When we went to the police station we all had glass in our clothes. Glass was all over the baby boy. It was terrifying. I've done Human Rights work in conflict zones but this mob were out of control."

EDL News points out that Wells is now involved with the English Volunteer Force, another rabidly Islamophobic far-right group led by former BNP and EDL activist Chris Renton (aka John Sheridan).

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Hundreds of protesters marched through Cambridge to oppose a rally by the far-right English Defence League (EDL) which saw a major police operation launched in the city.

The EDL rally on Christ's Pieces ended early after only about 40 activists turned up, and they were heavily outnumbered by the Unite Against Fascism (UAF) counter-demonstration, which was attended by at least 500 people.

More than 400 police officers from six forces, supported by dog units and a helicopter, were on the streets to ensure the demonstrations passed off without serious disorder.

There were four arrests, with three being made in the aftermath of the EDL rally – which was held to oppose construction of a new mosque in Mill Road – and the fourth being made following a clash between rival protesters in East Road, at the end of the UAF march.

Two EDL members confronted the anti-fascists and unfurled a flag, which caused the crowd to charge. A man who had been on the UAF march was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence, while the two EDL members were escorted away.

Police said both of Saturday's demonstrations had been "lawful, reasonable and peaceful" overall.

Dr Sejad Mekic, chairman of Cambridge Muslim Council, said the counter-demonstration had been a celebration of the city's diversity and tolerance.

He said: "The clear message for the EDL is that there is no place for them in Cambridge or anywhere in today's society, we have long surpassed this issue of racism. Groups like this need to be condemned because, if we don't, they think we approve them with our silence. We need to oppose them – peacefully."

The UAF rally began with speeches and music at Petersfield before passing up Burleigh Street and Fitzroy Street and confronting the EDL demonstration on Christ's Pieces.

Chanting "EDL, go to hell, take your Nazi mates as well", and "Whose streets, our streets", the anti-fascists snaked through the city before crossing Christ's Pieces again and passing through the Mill Road area, where residents and businesses came out to show their support.

Following the demonstrations, three men – a 24-year-old from Thetford, a 25-year-old from Norwich, and a 23-year-old from Cambridge – were being held on suspicion of public order offences. A 56-year-old man from Cambridge was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, a public order offence, and assaulting a police officer.

A spokesman for the EDL's East Anglia Division denied the turnout was disappointing. He said: "I am pleased with the turnout. It is low but even if there was just one of us here I would be pleased."

Cambridge News, 23 February 2013

See also BBC News, 23 February 2013

Photo: Varsity

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Qasr Amr is located on the desert road to Azraq and is possibly the highlight of the chain of desert castles built in eastern Jordan. It was built by Caliph Walid I in around 715AD. As the name suggests, it was originally part of a castle, but now all the remains is a small stone structure which was built as a royal retreat, away from the noise and prying eyes of Damascus.

Renowned for its painted frescos on the interior walls and roofs, Qasr Amr is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The paintings, amongst other things, depict pagan images, animals, hunting scenes and naked women. Qasr Amr is widely to be considered what would these days be called a Pleasure Palace, and seemed to be a placed where the Caliph and his associates could cast off the stricter teachings of Islam.

It is a useful study place for those interested in the development and take-up of early Islam, in that some of the earlier followers found problems reconciling their new faith with their established cultural heritage. In a similar way, there are examples of coinages from Damascus and Jerusalem that show the slow evolution from Christian Byzantine coins to more recognizably Islamic coinage, something that took several decades.

For perhaps a thousand years, the building was lost from popular memory until its rediscovery by Alois Musil in 1898. The  frescoes were restored about 70 years later. Many paintings show influences of Persian culture and wildlife, perhaps due to the mother of Caliph Yazid III, who was from there. There is a victory image of the Caliph’s 6 major enemies; these being the Byzantine Emperor, Roderic; the Visigoth king; Sassanid, the Persian Shah; the Negus of Ethiopia; a Turkic rule from Central Asia; and an Indian Raja. One of the rooms has depictions of animals performing human actions, overlooked by an Angel and three figures of whom the middle is thought by local Christians to represent Jesus.

The domed roof of the hot bath room has a painted representation of the night sky, with 35 recognizable constellations on show. It is thought to be the first pictorial representation of the night sky on something other than a flat surface. It should be noted that however unexpected the interior images might be to modern visitors to an apparently Islamic building, the painting also followed the advice of contemporary Arab doctors, who believed that bathing drained the life force and spirit of bathers, and that the only way to recover their spirit was to surround themselves by the animal, the natural and the spiritual.

This is obviously something that those who enjoyed Qasr Amr took to heart. Qasr Amr is well worth a visit to anyone in or visiting Jordan since it is just meters off a main desert highway, and less than an hours drive from central Amman. A day trip can be made by visiting some of the other nearby castles, some of which are in better condition but none as unique.

About the author

Stephen Liddell has both a Masters and BA Hons degree in African and Asian Politics specialising in the Middle-East and Islam. Stephen has backpacked throughout North Africa and much of the Middle-East living with locals and Bedouin along the way having amongst other locations, crossed the Sahara twice and sank on the Nile twice.
A published novelist through his first book 'Let Me Help', a true to life historical fiction epic set in the Middle East and Central Asia and keen blogger at http://stephenliddell.wordpress.com His major remaining travel wish is to travel the silk road, spend time on the Mongolian Steppe and have a cup of tea in a shop on the Si-o-Seh bridge in Isfahan, Iran.

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Killing innocent people because of petty differences is just plain old brutal. I personally just get disgusted by the thought of taking a human life just for the sake of worthless pieces of paper we call money.Pakistan –KARACHI, a bomb blast; pieces of human body shredded to dust; bikers shooting random innocent people just for the heck of it. That’s what all you hear nowadays when you turn on any news channel on TV. These target killings have been a rising form of violence and have contributed to instability and insecurity all over Pakistan.

Such incidents have become unacceptably frequent in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest cicty and major financial hub. The police has failed to do anything about it. We are sitting in our living rooms enjoying hot cocoa on these cold winter nights while in Karachi, a family is probably being torn to pieces. The word doomsday can’t even begin to describe what it’s like for the families and friends of victims of such sporadic incidents of violence.

For most of the part, target killings in Karachi have been is because of political, religious and ethnic motives. Now we’ll talk about some of the possible causes that might be the reason of these killings, especially in Karachi. Karachi, being an industrial center, has attracted migrants from all parts of Pakistan. This metropolitan city has become the most multicultural place in Pakistan, serving as a home to Biharis, Punjabis, Pukhtuns, Muhajirs and many more ethnic communities. I personally believe that the theory of clash of these civilizations come into effect over here.

It’s just not possible for a so much diverse group of people to live together in peace. Furthermore, religious extremism just adds fuel to the fire. This religious extremism has manifested itself in the form of a long term Shia-Sunni conflict that has now spread to the rest of the country as well. Also, the failure of the Pakistani government in controlling the situation is a matter of great shame for local rulers. Political instability accounts to that. Best examples include the never-ending feud between the the Awami National Party that is largely supported by Pathan immigrants and the Mutahida Qaumi Movement, which consists of Urdu-speaking Muhajirs.

Now the inevitable question arises: What can we do to resolve this dilemma? Well, I think handing control of the city to the army for a little while won’t do any harm, not here anyways considering its situation. Yes, that might sound like a little dictator-biased to you, but we are running out of options. Steps must be taken or else we lose our biggest city and financial capital to these lowlifes forever.

About the author

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Surprising statistics drawn by surveys in the West have shown that Islam is the fastest spreading religion in the West. A national survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2003 reported that the number of Americans with a favorable view of Islam has become 34 percent in 2003. Moreover, the response rate to the question that Islam is a religion that encourages violence fell from 44 % in 2003 to 36 % in 2005.

As per “The Almanac Book of Facts”, within the last decade, the world population grew by 137%, Christianity increased by 46%, whilst Islam grew by 235%. Islam, the fastest spreading religion in America, is also the second largest religion over there. According to a recent poll in the United States, 100,000 people convert to Islam every year. The proportion of Male converts to females is 1:4.

According to a news headline on NTV News on June 24, 2004, “Islam is the fastest growing religion in Europe”. The report was made by a French Domestic Intelligence Agency, which said that an increasing number of people were converting to Islam in the West, especially after the incident of September 11, 2001.

The basic reason behind creating all this drama was to defame Islam, to pose it as a demonic religion, and to label  Muslims as terrorists. For this very purpose, hundreds and thousands of publishers in the US started publishing books, leaflets and fliers showing Muslims holding weapons, blasting bombs to derogate the Muslims. Although they did succeed in achieving their motives largely, what they did not foresee the side effects of their actions.

Due to popular propaganda against Muslims, more and more people started exploring the teachings of Islam. By reading the translation of the Qur’an, people in the west finally began to understand the logic behind the messages of Allah. An increasing number of people came to know that Islam was a religion that promoted peace and harmony, not only among Muslims but that it also propagated an attitude of tolerance and brotherhood towards non-Muslims. Hence, this way, the west came to know that terrorism and violence did not fall under the ambit of Islamic teachings, and whoever, indulged in such practices was not fit to be called a Muslim. Those who were involved in such practices and were calling themselves Muslims had misinterpreted Islam.

Thereby, after coming to know of the positives that Islam teaches, more and more people started entering the circle of Islam. These new converts to Islam in the western world are more familiar with Islamic teachings than people who are born into the religion. As a result, generally speaking, those who have converted to Islam are far better Muslims than other traditional Muslims in the east who as they take their religion for granted, and hardly follow its practices. The newly converts are generally fully aware of the positive message that Islam spreads, as it was that very message that compelled them to convert to it in the first place.

 

About the author

A meditator. An unorthodox person. Searching for the truth, knowing more about Islam and spreading its message has always been my passion and I plan to excel in it Insha Allah.

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Dul ve fakirlere yardım eden kimse, Allah yolunda cihat eden veya gündüzleri (nafile) oruç tutup, gecelerini (nafile) ibadetle geçiren kimse gibidir. (Buhârî, Nafakât, 1; Müslim, Zühd, 41; Tirmizî, Birr, 44; Nesâî, Zekât, 78.)

Osman Nuri Topbaş’ın tanımı ile “genel anlamı ile cihat, kişinin nefsinin ıslahı ile uğraşması, Allah’ın emirlerini samimiyetle yerine getirmesi, haramlarından kaçınması, Müslüman kardeşine nasihatte bulunması, Müslüman olmayan birine İslâm’ı delilleriyle anlatıp ikna etmesi ve dinini, namusunu, canını, vatanını, neslini, malını mülkünü korumak, İslâm’ı yaymak ve buna mani olan engelleri ortadan kaldırmak için can, mal, dil ve diğer bütün imkânlarla mücadele ve muharebe etmesi manalarına gelmekte”.

Tabi bunların hepsi Allah rızası için. Söylemesi kolay, yapması zor. Zorluk yıllarında, Müslümanların çileli günlerinde, ”Temuk savaşından dönerken Medine’ye dönerken Peygamber (sav.) şöyle diyor:

“Küçük Cihattan büyük cihada dönüyoruz.” Sahabeden birisi soruyor : “Ey Allahın resulü Büyük cihat nedir?” Peygamber Efendimiz de cevaben: “nefisle cihattır” buyuruyorlar. Düşünün nefis ile cihat, tüm fiili cihatlardan daha çetin bir savaş.

Her Müslüman oruç tutmuştur, son yıllarda ülkemizde yaza denk gelmesi ile orucun şartları bizim için daha da zorlaştı, çoğu insan tutmak istemiyor, bahaneler ise çeşitli ve çok. Samimiyetleri sınanıyor insanların ama farkında değiller. Kolaylıkta yaparım, zor olunca kaçarım tarzı var ve Medine münafıkları ile yarışabilecek hinlikte mazeretler meydanda.

Geceleri nafile ibadet ise çoğu sabah namazı kılmayanı bırakın namaz bile kılmayan toplumlar için imkânsız ötesi bir şey. Öyle değil mi? Hele kış aylarında, gece kısa, yatağın dışı soğuk. Kim uykusunu bozup, sıcak yatağını bırakacak, abdest alıp uykusuna kaçıracak ve Yaratanına gidecek? Hem yarın iş var, erken kalkılacak değil mi? Dünya her şeyden daha önemli. Köle gibi, kime neden hizmet ettiğini bilmeden, durmadan, nefes almadan çalışmak. Bari bir şeyler kazansalar…

Zorlukları sayaya çalıştık. Allah Resulü diyor ki, dul ve fakirlere yardım eden, işte yukarıda bahsetmeye çalıştığımız tüm zorlukları aşmış ve yerine getirmiş kimse gibidir. Cenneti kazanmak aslında ne kadar kolay değil mi?

About the author

Merhaba, ben Adem. Yazmak, kendini ve düşüncelerini paylaşmak hoşuma gidiyor. Bir mali müşavir için belki de anlamsız sözler. Hiçbir zaman standart olamadım, olmak gibi bir isteğim de olmadı. Bir kez geldiysek bu dünyaya, cenneti almadan gitmeyelim.

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EDL News reports that an English Defence League member named Diane Scrimshaw – one of the few in Essex who has remained loyal to the EDL leadership – has been boasting on Facebook about the damage she caused to a property in Westcliff-on-Sea owned by the Jaafriya Islamic Welfare Centre.

(The building has allegedly been used as a mosque without planning permission, and has already been the target of protests by both the British National Party and Britain First.)

First Scrimshaw appealed to her "edl friends" to inbox her as she had "something planned" for later in the week. She followed this up by posting a photograph of a flattened wall outside the Jaafriya Centre's building and added: "We went down Southend illegal mosque (just a shame the wall fell down PMSL)."

One of her Facebook friends commented "Vandal!", to which Scrimshaw replied: "I admit it Richard lol."

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Two women joined a racist mob which attacked and abused a terrified Kurdish family in a city centre takeaway, a court heard.

Hayley Wells, aged 28, and 30-year-old Kelly Watterson were part of a group which spilled out of a pub and hurled vile abuse on a Sunday afternoon. Someone threw a glass which smashed next to a baby in a car seat inside the Istanbul kebab shop in Exeter Street, Plymouth Crown Court heard.

Wells scratched the boy's mother on the arm and Watterson admitted she was drunk and aggressive as part of the mob, which had been attending a meeting of the English Defence League. The mother and her partner were so shaken that they have since sold the takeaway.

Recorder Paul Derbyshire said: "This was a shocking and violent incident which left these victims in a distressed state. This has led to the closure of the business and they have moved away." He handed Wells a suspended prison sentence and Watterson a community order. Both must do hefty periods of unpaid work.

Watterson, of St Peter's Road, Manadon, admitted one count of affray and Wells, of Shell Close, Leigham, admitted one count of religiously aggravated common assault on August 31, 2011.

Kelly Scrivener, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said the male victim arrived at the shop at about 2pm to see a large group of men and women gathered outside the nearby Wild Coyote pub. He added they racially abused him and told him to "go back to his own country".

Miss Scrivener said someone in the group threw a glass object, which smashed on his car. She added the two defendants kicked the door of the shop and Wells scratched the woman's arm. The court heard the mob continued to shout "EDL" and further racist abuse. Miss Scrivener said an unknown member of the group threw a glass which smashed close to her infant son in a car seat. She added Wells and Watterson were pulled away by men in the group.

Wells told police in interview that she believed all Muslims were extremists and if she saw a woman in a burka it would make her angry. She admitted to officers that she organised EDL meetings and had been drinking and taking amphetamine. Miss Scrivener said Watterson, the best friend of Wells, admitted being drunk and aggressive and said she was swept along with the group.

The court heard a statement from the victim which said she still feels "very frightened" walking around the city centre. She said her partner sold the takeaway, because he was too afraid to work so close to the pub.

The judge handed Wells a three-month prison sentence suspended for two years under probation supervision. She must do 200 hours unpaid work and pay the victim £100 in compensation. Watterson was given a 12-month community order under probation supervision with 150 hours unpaid work. She must also pay £100 in compensation to the victim.

Plymouth Herald, 23 February 2013

The Herald also provides an account of the events by the mother who was attacked (referred to as "HK"):

The mob were shouting "Allah is a paedo". The husband said to them he was just trying to do his job, but he couldn't reason with them. I could see they were working themselves up, chanting "EDL". I told him to get into his car as they threw glasses and as I raced back to the shop, telling everyone to get inside, they were all behind me. There was me between the family and the mob. The daughter was shouting "leave my dad alone" and they told her to "**** off you Muslim s**g".

I'd called the police, saying "we're being attacked by a racist mob" – they could hear everything. The men were throwing glasses into the shop. I was screaming at the family to get out the back – I didn't know how long I could hold the door. The family were at the back, crying. They said they didn't want to leave me behind. I phoned the police again and told them to record what they heard, record what happened to us when the mob got in.

HK said when the police arrived Wells and Watterson went in a different direction to the mob. She kept the door shut until police wielding tasers had deployed dogs and moved the mob back to the Wild Coyote pub. As she opened the door, she spotted the pair walking past so she raced to an officer and pointed them out. She said:

"They were swearing and shouting, even when they were taken to the floor. When we went to the police station we all had glass in our clothes. Glass was all over the baby boy. It was terrifying. I've done Human Rights work in conflict zones but this mob were out of control."

EDL News points out that Wells is now involved with the English Volunteer Force, another rabidly Islamophobic far-right group led by former BNP and EDL activist Chris Renton (aka John Sheridan).

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