What’s up with Stephen Schwartz?
Yesterday I was alerted (via al-Zawiya) of an astonishing article by Stephen Schwartz, known as a follower of Shaikh Nazim, in the Weekly Standard which is edited by William Kristol (former leader of the...
Indigo Jo Blogs Blog
This storm-in-teacup anti-Semitism row
Has anyone seen the Labour Party’s new election poster, with its pictures of two flying pigs, with the faces of Michael Howard and his shadow chancellor (i.e. opposition economic spokesman) Oliver Letwin superimposed on...
Muslims, the Holocaust and Liberty
I am expecting this to be a long entry. The papers today have been full of reports of the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the Nazi camp in southern...
Moral panic over blogging
A few months ago there was a controversy among the Muslim bloggers, in which some members of the community found fault with the “open comment” aspect due to the fact that both men and...
Gaunty on barrack-room lawyers
Did anyone hear the BBC’s loudmouth talk-show host Jon Gaunt rant on this morning about how everyone’s become a “barrack-room lawyer” who thinks they know everything? This was about a woman who was pulled...
Hidden agenda behind bypass ‘alliance’?
There is a letter in today’s Daily Telegraph, alleging a “hidden agenda” behind the National Trust’s support for a bypass scheme in west Surrey. The bypass is round a place called Hindhead, the sole...
Fasaad watch: the continuing obsession with the Jersey Coptic murders
The other day I suddenly decided to rip down my other blog, The Vane. I can only write so much in one day, and I don’t have the whole day to write (unlike some...
Family facing deportation split
I got this report off an email list I subscribe to; this is really the sort of thing which makes me angry – a family is being split up because the husband’s asylum claim...
Shaikh Sudais on moderation
The papers are reporting that the topic of the sermon in the Haram this Eid was moderation. The Guardian reported (hat tip: al-Muhajabah) that Shaikh Sudais, the state-appointed khateeb, gave a speech condemning militancy:...
Article on UK gun control
Much as I thoroughly detest the Tories and everything they stand for, I have to admire the recent move (so far only in the Daily Telegraph, a noted Tory paper) towards calling for better...
No platform for religious conservatives
A few days ago I posted an entry on Yusuf al-Qaradawi, whose meeting with the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, and subsequent defence of it, has produced an awful lot of controversy. I reject...
The latest attack on faith schools
It seems the head of the government schools inspectorate is unhappy with the state of faith schools, and in particular, Muslim schools, in that they do not teach citizenship adequately, it seems. The speech...
Where are the broadcasts, then?
Every so often we hear a new outrageous statement allegedly by Omar Bakri Mohammed, the leader of the defunct al-Muhajiroun group. This time he is accused of telling British Muslims they should join al-Qa’ida,...
So, Stone ‘the killer’ goes back to jail
I was really surprised to hear in the news today that the appeal by Michael Stone against his conviction for double murder (and attempted murder) has been dismissed. For those who don’t know, he...
OS X really does not suck
The latest edition of Linux Format includes an article by its Deputy Editor, Paul Hudson, about how much he hates the Mac’s operating system. LXF produces all its content on Macs (in fact, I’ve...
Godhra train fire an accident
The news agencies are reporting that a fire on a train, which killed 58 Hindu fanatics (many of them drunken and violent) was not in fact started by the Muslims they appear to have...
Yet another ‘false Eid’?
It appears that this Eid is going to be another “two-day” affair, with a large number of mosques planning to hold their Eid on Thursday following the announcement from Saudi Arabia. I’ve been asked...
Spencer trots out the ‘apes and pigs’ lie again
Anyone who has not been deflected from reading Robert Spencer's blogs by the nausea they generate will have noticed his 'stuck-record' tendency of going back to the same themes time and time again: taqiyya...
Brighton Pavilion: Sacrilege?
I’m just in the middle of watching a BBC programme, Abroad Again in Britain, about Brighton Pavilion, an oriental folly in Brighton built by King George IV. The presenter makes much of the incongruity...
A poll shows the stupidity of opinion polls
There is a letter in today’s Daily Telegraph (The Simple Solution to the Sun-Lounger Crisis) regarding the difficulties British tourists have when travelling abroad. David Taylor reckons that British tourists are, for the most...