• Birmingham system to monitor known extremists • Outrage over scheme paid for from terrorism fund Paul Lewis guardian.co.uk A surveillance camera and Birmingham Central Mosque in the city’s Balsall Heath area. Photograph: Andrew Fox for the GuardianWhen the cameras appeared above the rooftops in the Birmingham suburbs, some people realised they were mostly automatic number plate reading (ANPR) cameras, used to track drivers’ movements. Protesters sprayed the camera posts with messages such as “1984 Big Brother” and “You are now entering a police state.” Those suspicious enough to ask what the cameras were for were given the impression they … Continue reading Surveillance cameras spring up in Muslim areas – the targets? Terrorists

Surveillance cameras in Birmingham track Muslims’ every move About 150 car numberplate recognition cameras installed in two Muslim areas, paid for by government anti-terrorism fund Paul Lewis guardian.co.uk An automatic numberplate recognition camera to the right of a CCTV camera in the mainly Asian area of Sparkbrook in Birmingham. Photograph: Andrew FoxCounterterrorism police have targeted hundreds of surveillance cameras on two Muslim areas of Birmingham, enabling them to track the precise movements of people entering and leaving the neighbourhoods. The project has principally been sold to locals as an attempt to combat antisocial behaviour, vehicle crime and drug dealing in … Continue reading Birmingham Muslims – Terrorists!

Extreme-right English Defence League sets up ‘Jewish division’ to lead the fight ‘against jihad’ By Marcus Dysch, June 3, 2010 An EDL activist at a recent demo The English Defence League, the extreme right-wing anti-Islamic-fundamentalism group, has launched a “Jewish division”, encouraging members of the community to “lead the counter-Jihad fight in England”. It has signed up hundreds of followers on Facebook since the launch last week. Supporters include an ex-Community Security Trust volunteer who claims “a lot of Jewish guys want to get stuck in”. One follower wrote on Facebook “we are all Shayetet 13”, in support of the … Continue reading EDL step up their Jewish recruitment

Hamas must reshape itself Fatah is too weak to deal with Israel – Palestine needs a strong leadership that is ready to negotiate David Hearst The Guardian Military planners have taken to using the language of landscape gardeners. They talk disturbingly of shaping the environment. Would-be Capability Browns, orchestrating the arrival of thousands of US marines in Kandahar, do not speak of the battle but of the “process” to come. One wonders who, in a year’s time, is going to be processed by whom. In Israel the same misplaced confidence in military planning was evident in the operation to land … Continue reading Fatah is too weak to deal with Israel – is Hamas the only choice?

No, I don’t believe in God I’m not grandstanding, or insulting the faith I grew up in. I’ve written this to confirm to myself that I’m not alone Alom Shaha guardian.co.uk I am an atheist. I imagine that the typical Cif belief reader may not think this is a particularly big deal, but it is for me, because I’m not just an atheist – I’m an apostate from Islam. Apparently there are people who would happily kill me for making such a statement. But I’m not expecting to be killed, or even threatened; despite what the BNP and certain elements … Continue reading An Athiest Muslim?

dawn.com “Religious intolerance is getting worse in Pakistan because the political leadership lacks the will to fight this.” – AFP photo Front Page Obama scraps Bush’s war on terror doctrine Obama scraps Bush’s war on terror doctrine ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been fighting militants for years, but tough measures are needed to overturn a system breeding religious intolerance after the long failure of authorities to confront mullahs and hardline groups. Analysts say the notion of religious mistrust is deeply entrenched in the predominatly Muslim country – even in the school system – and it is now up to leaders to mobilise … Continue reading Pakistan’s mosques, media and intolerance

Dawn Editorial S Paramilitary soldiers carry weapons as they stand guard on a street after a firefight between rival gangs in Karachi’s Lyari area. At least six people were killed and several others injured during the incident between two rival gangs in the area, Pakistan’s Dawn Newspaper reported. – Reuters Photo Local Two rival groups in Lyari accept talks offer Two rival groups in Lyari accept talks offer Lyari’s tragedy repeats itself much too often. One of the most neglected of Karachi’s 18 towns, for the past many years a familiar, disturbing plot has played itself out on its narrow … Continue reading Lyari’s turmoil

By Irfan Husain dawn.com A Pakistani police officer bars a cyclist from entering a street near the Garhi Shahu mosque belongs to minority sect, which was targeted by gunmen last Friday killing nearly 100 worshippers and left many injured, in Lahore, Pakistan on Friday, June 4, 2010. Authorities beefed up security around the mosque to avert any terrorist attempt. – AP Photo A day after the slaughter of nearly 100 Ahmadis in Lahore last week, Britain’s Channel 4 aired a programme on Iraq in its ‘Unreported World’ series. The narrator described the plight of the Christians and other minorities in the … Continue reading Hate and horror in Lahore

dawn.com All the clips put out by Israel have been rigorously edited, have no timestamp and show only scenes which vindicate the Israeli account without explaining what happened before, or after. National Zardari calls Turkish president, condemns Israeli action Zardari calls Turkish president, condemns Israeli action JERUSALEM: Israel may have lost the initial PR battle over its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship, but it is fighting back with a barrage of video clips in a bid to prove activists initiated the violence. Days after the botched attack which killed nine Turks, the fight over what exactly happened on … Continue reading Flotilla raid footage goes viral as Israel floods YouTube