RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS HATRED BILL

The new Racial and Religious Hatred Bill will create a new offence of incitement to religious hatred and would apply to comments made in public or in the media, as well as through written material. Ministers insist it will not ban people, including artists and performers, from offending, criticising or ridiculing faiths. The government said the legislation is a response to the concerns of faith groups, particularly Muslims. The Muslim Council of Britain welcomed the move, arguing that the courts have already extended such protection to Sikh and Jewish people. Sher Khan, a council spokesman, said to protect some groups but not others contravened the European human rights laws.

Although Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi is banned from entering the United States and has been jailed in Egypt, he's been invited to Manchester's Muslim Unity Convention at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. Al-Qaradawi praised Palestinian suicide bombings as "martyrdom in the name of God". Mohammed Shafiq of the Ramadhan Foundation, which is organising the event, said, "What he said has been taken out of context." However, according to the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, al-Qaradawi was not even aware he had been invited. The mayor's office telephoned al-Qaradawi's office with an Arabic speaker and were told that he is not coming to Britain. Mr Livingstone said, "Not only is he not coming (to Britain), he was not aware that he was invited."

An Islamic academic who says suicide bombings are justified will preach to young Muslims in London at a conference funded by British taxpayers. Egyptian-born Prof Tariq Ramadan has been banned from the US and France for endorsing terrorism. Met Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair defended the decision to invite the scholar to speak at a police-sponsored conference saying his was an important voice that would be listened to by young radicalised Muslims adding, "We can't understand why he's banned in the US, and he is no longer banned in France." Someone needs to have a word with Sir Ian.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke has taken sweeping powers to boot hate-preachers out of Britain and any judged dangerous to the public will be BANNED from coming here. Those who are already here will have their indefinite leave to remain TORN UP. But the Government’s own Human Rights Act means cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed cannot be sent back to his Syrian homeland in case he faces torture or execution there.

On the other hand, British war hero Col Jorge Mendonca faces charges with soldiers who served in Iraq. Col Mendonca was decorated for his courage and leadership of the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment in Iraq but he is among seven soldiers charged after an Iraqi died in custody, even though HE ordered a probe. Tory Defence spokesman Gerald Howarth raged, “Our country seems to have gone totally mad. Every sane person will be astonished we are prosecuting a highly-decorated Army officer when the Government has been unable to deal with Bakri’s preachings.”

A mum who put up a national newspaper poster urging people to back our troops in Iraq has been accused of a race crime. Janet Thomas, of Mount Pleasant in Crewe, was finger-printed and photographed at Crewe Police Station after being arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated harassment. She was quizzed after a neighbour complained about a Support Our Boys Sun poster displayed in her front window. Now the mother-of-two is taking legal advice after being placed on police bail and told to return to the police station on November 23. Police are continuing their enquiries into the allegation while taking advice from the Crown Prosecution Service.

Janet said, "I took the poster down months ago after getting paint on it and couldn't believe what I was hearing when the police referred to it. My ex-partner was a soldier and served in the Gulf and I simply wanted to show my support for the lads. To be accused of a race crime thinking the way I do is ridiculous. I spent four hours in the station where I was interviewed and my ID put on record. It was a totally humiliating experience and all for being patriotic." She went voluntarily to the police station after getting a phone call from police. The next day The Sun sent a photographer with a new poster for her to pose with in a picture.

The family has been locked in a dispute with former neighbours. Cheshire Police said they could not comment on whether the complaint was linked to the dispute. A spokesman said, "We received an allegation of racially aggravated harassment which resulted in a 38-year-old woman being arrested. She was released on police bail pending further enquiries and advice from the Crown Prosecution Service. If someone makes such an allegation we are duty bound to investigate it." The CPS will have to decide if there is a case to answer. (Source: Cheshire Online, Nov/05)

A Muslim who ranted against Britain has moved back here from Pakistan, to live on benefits. Zeeshan Siddiqui was tracked down to a quiet, tree-lined road in Heston, West London, following his release from custody by Pakistani police who were probing suspected terror links. In the past he has said he wants to be an Islamic martyr, called for all non-Muslims to be killed and declared his contempt for the UK. Yet he is happy to sponge off our taxpayers to the tune of £52.60 a week in Jobseekers Allowance. Siddiqui slipped back into Britain after eight months in prison in Peshawar. He was suspected of having links to the 7/7 London bombers and at school was friends with Britain’s first suicide bomber Asif Hanif, who died in Israel in 2003. (Source: The Sun, Mar/06)

Preacher of hate Abu Qatada is to cost taxpayers more money on a last-ditch appeal against deportation, despite a ruling that he should be kicked out of Britain. The legal aid bill run up by Qatada, once described as Osama Bin Laden’s top henchman in Europe, is believed to have already cost £200,000. His lawyer immediately gave notice that leave would be sought to make a further appeal against the judgment. Qatada was granted legal aid despite detectives finding £180,000 in cash stashed away in his West London home. His family have received thousands in hand-outs and it has also cost the public more than £140,000 to keep him behind bars.

He arrived in Britain on false papers in 1993 and videos of 18 of his ranting sermons were found in the flat of 9/11 hijack leader Mohammed Atta. His family scrounged hundreds of thousands of pounds in state handouts after he arrived here on a fake passport in 1993 and he was granted asylum despite a dossier detailing his extensive links with terrorists. How can somebody with £180,000 in cash be entitled to legal aid? And ..."he arrived here on false papers in 1993". If his papers were false how can he claim for benefits? (Source: The Sun, Feb/07)