The Islamic future of Britain
thecommentator
The Islamic future of Britain
Britain is in denial. If population trends continue, by the year 2050, Britain will be a majority Muslim nation
The future of Britain?
Britain is in denial. There is no real public debate on a historic event that is transforming the country. Mention of it occasionally surfaces in the media, but the mainstream political class never openly discuss it.
What is that historic event? By the year 2050, in a mere 37 years, Britain will be a majority Muslim nation. This projection is based on reasonably good data. Between 2004 and 2008, the Muslim population of the UK grew at an annual rate of 6.7 percent, making Muslims 4 percent of the population in 2008. Extrapolating from those figures would mean that the Muslim population in 2020 would be 8 percent, 15 percent in 2030, 28 percent in 2040 and finally, in 2050, the Muslim population of the UK would exceed 50 percent of the total population.
Contrast those Muslim birth rates with the non-replacement birth rates of native Europeans, the so called deathbed demography of Europe. For a society to remain the same size, the average female has to have 2.1 children (total fertility rate). For some time now, all European countries, including Britain, have been well below that rate. The exception is Muslim Albania. For native Europeans, it seems, the consumer culture has replaced having children as life’s main goal.
These startling demographic facts have been available for some time (see ‘Muslim Population “Rising 10 Times Faster than Rest of Society”’, The Times, 30 January 2009. Also the work of the Oxford demographer David Coleman). But on this historic transformation of the country there is silence from the political establishment.
Not everyone agrees with these demographic figures. Population projection, some say, is not an exact science. Perhaps the Muslim birth rate will drop to European levels.
But this seems to be wishful thinking. For years it was believed that Muslims would enter what is known as “demographic transition”, with European Muslim birth rates falling to native European levels. But that demographic transition has not happened. In Britain, for example, the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities continue to have significantly higher birth rates than the national average, even after more than 50 years in the country.
Over the short term (a few generations) demographic forecasting is as scientific as any social science can be. Britain and the rest of Europe are in native population decline and European Muslim birth rates are up. If that trend continues, then the projection of a majority Muslim population in Britain is sound. Even the highly respected economist and historian Niall Ferguson accepts the figures.
Many British people find it hard to believe their country could become majority Muslim. After all, it was never what they wanted so why, in a democracy, should it be happening? But we’ve had such disbelief before. Back in the 60s and 70s, many people scoffed at the notion that London could ever be majority non-white. But today it is.
The fact is that the deathbed demography of native Britons has come up against increasing Muslim birth rates and the result is a classic Malthusian geometric increase in the Muslim population. As Malthus emphasised, populations increase geometrically, not arithmetically. Given two populations, one declining one increasing, within a few generations the geometric increase of one over the other can be substantial.
Why has the Muslim birth rate not fallen to native levels? Just as there may be consumerist-cultural reasons for the low birth rates of native Britons, there may be strong cultural reasons for higher Muslim birth rates. As the journalist Christopher Caldwell puts it: “Muslim culture is full of messages laying out the practical advantages of procreation. As the hadith saying has it: ‘Marry, for I will outnumber peoples by you.’”
Yassir Arafat understood the political power of high birth rates. The Palestinian population increased sevenfold in one generation from 450,000 in 1967 to 3.3 million in 2002. The wombs of Palestinian women, Arafat said, were the “secret weapon” in his cause. The Israeli government is very much aware of Palestinian demographics.
Population projections over the long term can be wrong. But for Britain, over the short term, whatever way you do the numbers, they all point in one direction: Britain will be a majority Muslim state by the year 2050.
The political and social consequences of all this will be significant. Britain’s traditional foreign policy, particularly regarding the US and Israel, would very likely change. In fact the US and Israel are already anticipating the consequences of a majority Muslim Western Europe.
Britain’s social landscape would also be changed. The Adhan, the Muslim call to prayer, would very likely be heard throughout most of Britain. The traditional iconic sights and sounds of the country would also change from church bell-towers to minarets.
Very likely all of this would happen gradually but there can be little doubt that it will happen, and it would be perfectly democratic.
Given that such a historic change is taking place, the silence of the political class is curious, to say the least. Britain, until the 1950s, could trace its ethnic and cultural ancestry back thousands of years. In 1903, in Cheddar Gorge Somerset, the remains of a pre-historic man were found. Known as Cheddar Man, DNA tests on this almost 9000 years old skeleton showed that he has living descendents today, still in Somerset.
In fact, genetic studies show that the populations of the British Isles (and Western Europe) have been stable for millennia, giving the lie to the oft quoted liberal comment that “Britain has always been a country of immigrants.” That’s false. Until the mass immigration of the 1950s, Britain was ethnically homogeneous. (See Bryan Sykes’s Blood of the Isles.)
The long stretch of Britain’s exclusively European identity is now coming to an end, yet the political class refuse publicly to discuss such a culturally transforming event. Why the silence from the politicians? Are they not proud of their achievement?
The answer is that the demographic projections of a majority Muslim Britain show the British political class to have been catastrophically wrong on multiculturalism and immigration, and they are genuinely afraid to admit it. The British political establishment cannot give the full truth about immigration.
ALSO READ: The Commentator's Executive Editor Raheem Kassam on why "Britain won't be a Muslim majority country"
The former Conservative MP George Walden, considering the fears of his fellow MPs in discussing particularly Muslim immigration, wrote:
“I’d be so alarmed by the situation I’d do everything possible to suggest it was under control. It’s up to politicians to play mood music in a crisis, and up to the people to understand that there’s little else governments can do. The last thing they can say is that we face a threat to which we can see no end because it’s based on a clash of cultures. On the IRA we told the truth; on the Islamic problem, we lie.” (Walden, Time to Emigrate? p.120)
Back in the 60s and 70s, the British political establishment united in condemning Enoch Powell, not just as a racist but as being factually incorrect in his demographic predictions. Since then, the subject of immigration has split British politics between the truth-denying, but morally superior, political mainstream and the truth-telling legacy of the bogeyman Enoch Powell.
For good or bad, the history of the last 40 years has vindicated Powell on many issues and shown the political establishment to have been wrong. Some major figures on the liberal-left now acknowledge this fact.
David Goodhart, the founder of Prospect magazine, in his new book The British Dream, argues convincingly that he and others on the liberal-left got it wrong on immigration.
But they also got it wrong on democracy. The projection of a Muslim majority by the year 2050, coupled with the fact that the vast majority of the British people have consistently opposed large-scale immigration, post-war British politics must represent the greatest ever failure in democracy. If ever the “Iron Law of Oligarchy” were proved right, then it is post-war British politics that has done it.
Vincent Cooper is a freelance writer with a particular interest in philosophy, mathematics, and economics thecommentator
Britain won't be a Muslim majority country
Following pathetic criticisms from the hard-Left and its fellow travellers, I thought I'd clarify some points about my work, The Commentator, and "racism"
Immigration will tail off, we need not fear
What's really interesting about The Commentator's critics is that they will grab an article written by one of our 450-ish contributors, disagree with it, and then shout, "The Commentator is raaaacccisssttt!" as if said article was our opinion, or the editorial line.
Let's get it straight people, we're a platform. You know, like The Spectator, or Telegraph Blogs, or Conservative Home. Not everything published on these pages is an organisational or institutional line.
Next time you're in doubt - why don't you ask first?
They've even started doing it with comments, news items and I bet it won't be long until our logo is held up as somehow Islamophobic.
The reason I raise the matter is because when people like Vincent Cooper submit provocative pieces about British population trends, suddenly we're racists for publishing these statistics and opinions. Bizarre, isn't it?
It's an intriguing and long-standing tactic of the Left, but some people who I know who class themselves as on the Right have been adopting their style lately too, even running to hard Leftist students in search of 'solidarity'. This is a true indictment of the fact that many on the centre-right, or centrists themselves, have no idea how to battle extremism in this country. They can't square the fact that while the English Defense League (EDL) is a nasty bunch of idiotic thugs, it's the Islamists who are continuously murdering and planning terrorist atrocities.
And you know what? If it does turn out that EDL activists are behind the recent spate of mosque attacks - I'll have no problem branding their nationalistic ideology as just as dangerous as Islamism, and in fact, on occasion, it has already been shown to be.
The EDL is less like Islamism, and more like crude thuggish nationalism, the likes of which you can find across the political spectrum. To make the claim that I, a libertarian-conservative, would have anything to do with such a protectionist and anti-intellectual outfit, is to betray reason. (For the removal of doubt, folks, I don't believe in halting immigration. I believe in free markets and free peoples).
I was sort of surprised myself, when Hasan Afzal, who set up the 'British Muslims for Israel' a few years ago, went crying to (anti)-"Israel lobby" doctoral student Hilary Aked, who has for the past few weeks been nothing less than online stalking me, attempting to bring my reputation into disrepute because of what she perceives to be racist or bigoted. She's even tried to brand me an 'extremist' on some conspiracy loon site for being concerned about environmental and development issues, but anti-statist in my way of going about it.
Yes, I dislike Greenpeace and WWF, so what? I also loathe the European Union, have deep concerns about the United Nations, and I have a big problem with government regulation of the newspaper industry and internet. Heaven forfend I dislike organisations that are inherently statist or leech from and lobby governments in ways that undermine the free market. I must be a horrid extremist.
I wonder if Hilary will raise the issue of Hasan's now defunct organisation and its connections and funding streams in her doctoral thesis. Yes I await it eagerly. I suppose not though, since the Left really tries hard to make unholy alliances whenever it needs them. I have a feeling they're just a little bitter that I refuse to partake in their political corporatism. I know guys, you want me on your side. But you can't have me. I have principles.
Nevertheless, this is a tactic that has recently also been seen in London, when the Unite Against Fascism (UAF) organisation that was linked to terrorist Michael Adebolajosought to stop EDL marches on the streets of London. The Home Secretary kowtowed, but didn't just ban the extremist EDL, she illiberally banned all demonstrations. The UAF has thus effectively lobbied against free speech, and let us be honest - they've also bleated about how proud they are of such a fact.
Interestingly, UAF also whinged about its own 'human right' to protest, while it was happy to have the same 'right' curtailed for organisations it disagrees with. Let us not forget, it was at a UAF rally that Michael Adebolajo gave his "kuffar" speech a few years before he hacked a soldier to death on London streets.
I am of the firm belief that the EDL and UAF are two sides of the same coin. Illiberal, ignorant and ultimately dangerous. The difference is the UAF is treated as some kind of laudable arbiter of "anti-racist" entity, while the EDL is rightly rebuked. They're both disgraceful. That needs to be made apparent to everyone who knows of either of them.
So while I'm sure Vincent Cooper's assertions will cause a bit of uproar, we at The Commentator don't feel the need to curtail free speech. We're not intimidated by ideas. And we do allow space for them to be refuted. I even have a very liberal approach to our comments section, because as far as I'm concerned, as long as you're not breaking the law, you can show yourself to be as much of an idiot as you want. Frankly, you're doing our job in highlighting knee-jerk stupidity from the Left or Right for us.
So on that basis, as much as I value Vincent Cooper's contributions, I hereby respectfully disagree.
As with immigration and demographics in most periods in recent history in the West, a process of naturalisation, secularisation and influx atrophy will occur, not least when the West, as is the current trend, is no longer the best place to move to. When the Left exhausts the coffers of the welfare state, and other regions lead the way in job creation, Britain will no longer be attractive for immigrants. At least, that's my two cents on the matter.
So there you have it.
I didn't have to get my panties in a bunch over Cooper's article, nor did I have to run and embrace the Left to hold what I believe is the middle ground on such issues. I simply, respectfully disagree. Because that's what civilised people do.
Raheem Kassam is the Executive Editor of The Commentator. He tweets at @RaheemJKassam
Telegraph
Ministers in mosques as Tories bid for ethnic vote
Conservative ministers could be sent into mosques and other religious buildings as part of an urgent attempt by the party’s high command to build better relations with ethnic minority voters.
Nadhim Zahawi said the party needed to 'think brave and think big'
7:45AM BST 30 Jun 2013
The plan - being studied at Downing Street and party headquarters - would see senior figures holding regular meetings with religious leaders and speaking at community events.
Senior Tories are desperate to connect better with minorities after the party won just 16 per cent of black and Asian voters at the last general election. Strategists see a big improvement as a key step towards the aim of an outright Conservative majority in 2015.
Other parts of the plan include fielding many more black and Asian candidates from an “A list” of hopefuls who would be targeted at winnable seats.
A Cabinet source last night admitted the “ministers into mosques” scheme carried risks - not least because it risked bringing them into contact with extremists who could then claim “legitimacy” for unacceptable views.
However, the source added: “Of course there is a danger that this could happen but we absolutely must do more to improve relations with ethnic minority voters. Ministers need to get into mosques, churches, temples, everywhere, much more often.”
News of the plan comes after a Conservative MP called for illegal immigrants to be allowed to stay in Britain under a one-off amnesty - again to appeal to black and Asian voters.
Nadhim Zahawi said the party needed to “think brave and think big” and get outside its comfort zone in order to achieve an electoral breakthrough similar to the one achieve by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.
However, David Cameron instantly rejected such a move, claiming it would send out a “terrible signal” and was “not a good idea.”
The Telegraph understands the programme being studied by Downing Street is closer to suggestions put forward by Gavin Barwell, another Conservative backbencher.
He has called for a keynote speech on race to be given by the Prime Minister which would “lay to rest any sense that we are uncomfortable with modern Britain”, and urged Tory ministers and MPs to address the distinct characteristics of each religious or ethnic group rather than lumping all blacks and Asians together.
Mr Barwell’s plan would also see individual policies targeted as specific communities and faiths - including making it easier in planning law to convert buildings into places of worship.
The MP has called for a greater sense of “engagement” from the party and has asked: “Do our MPs and councillors attend black and minority ethnic community events? Do they visit local small businessmen? Do they ask if they can hold surgeries at the local mosque or gurdwara?”
Research last year by Lord Ashcroft, the former deputy Conservative chairman, last year showed the depth of the problem the Conservatives face.
In the biggest political survey of ethnic minority voters ever undertaken in Britain, the peer found that 45 per cent of black respondents said they would never vote Conservative, 10% more than for all voter, while 59-69 per cent of respondents said they thought Tory politicians looked down on people from different ethnic or religious backgrounds.
Well over half, 61 per cent, of black voters said the Conservatives’ policies demonstrated that they were hostile to ethnic minorities, while just 29 per cent of all participants said the Tories “understand minorities.
Ethnic minorities are estimated to account for around 8% of the British population. There are at least a million Indians living in the UK, nearly 750,000 Pakistanis, and more than a million black Caribbeans and black Africans, according to official figures.
#UK: Arrested for BEING assaulted
BREAKING: London - June 29th, 2013
The Discourse Institute acts for European free speech reform
Extraordinary scenes in London today as footage emerges showing senior police officers refusing to arrest individual who commits shown on-camera assault.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEI0TKkX9_o
The attack comes as a charity walk for a child cancer victim was halted by police at the border of an Islamic no-go zone.
A letter from Scotland Yard to English Defence League (EDL) has also revealed the territorial surrender of the entral London borough of Tower Hamlets, now officially termed a 'Muslim area,' where common law protection of British citizens' civil rights self-evidently no longer applies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=FcUpMd1TvUE
The Discourse Institute's director, currently briefing US Congress on UK police facilitation of child gang-rape epidemic remarked, 'I'm speechless, it's a de facto admission by Scotland Yard that the Metropolitan Police is now the official 'Sharia patrol' of Tower Hamlets.'
http://twitter.com/DISCOURSTAT/status/350779412570046465
In February of this year news emerged that patrols of Salafist Muslim vigilantes were accosting drinkers, women, and homosexuals, in a borough once famous as having survived the most most vicious onslaught during the World War II London Blitz.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcsG-u2GtZE
Today's 'sponsored charity walk' coincided with national Armed Forces Day in Britain and was aimed, according to organizers, at raising money for a two-year old terminal cancer patient Amelia-Mae Davies.
http://www.justgiving.com/The-Amelia-Mae-Appeal
The Police arrests also come as thousands of now leader-less EDL supporters continue to amass on the Woolwich side of the River Thames, just south of the Tower Hamlets'Sharia zone,' in order to witness the wreath layings by Robinson and Carroll that were to end the walk.
These extraordinary scenes will only further tarnish the reputation of Britain's police, once globally famed for their political impartiality and rigorous professionalism
Serious questions are already being asked about policing priorities in the UK, in light of now weekly revelations of the sexual torture of children carried out by child-rape gangs across the country.
http://nevershallbeslaves.com/
And response-times which allowed a soldier to be hacked to death outside his own army base in the British capital.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q4hNOKOWRs  (GRAPHIC)
'The human rights record of David Cameron's coalition is now frankly appalling, and the UK media is virtually indifferent to the shocking reality being played out in front of their very eyes,' continued George Igler, of the London-based free speech institute.
http://www.discourseinstitute.org/2013/news/1732/
Policemen and women in England are duty-bound by their sworn oath to primarily engage in, 'upholding fundamental human rights.'
'On Armed Forces Day the British government asks its citizens to celebrate the ultimate sacrifices made by servicemen and women to protect essential democratic freedoms in countries across the world.
'It is alarming to say the least that these are now the freedoms that officers of the UK's own police forces are utterly indifferent to protecting at home.'
To remain updated on EU free speech case developments, follow @DISCOURSTAT on Twitter.
CONTACT -- David Petteys
TITLE -- US Liaison, The Discourse Institute
TELEPHONE -- +1 (303) 884 5897
EMAIL --Â discrisis@discourseinstitute.org
But I am an American. We don’t have social classes here. Anyone who works for the freedom of speech and equality of rights of all people, and rejects the genuine thuggishness and authoritarianism of the Left and its Islamic supremacist allies, is A-OK with me.
a gross double standard over hate speechDouglas Murray 27 June 2013 18:56
Americans Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer have been denied entry to Britain.but British democrats are denied the right to expel Islamic extremists calling for our deaths
According to the Home Office if you are a non-Muslim and you make the following statement your presence will be deemed 'not conducive to the public good' and you will be barred from entering the United Kingdom:If, on the other hand, you are a Muslim and you say the following then the UK government has no problem with you, and you can come in to the UK to do a speaking tour:
- 'It [Islam] is a religion and a belief system that mandates warfare against unbelievers for the purpose for establishing a societal model that is absolutely incompatible with Western society. Because of media and general government unwillingness to face the sources of Islamic terrorism these things remain largely unknown.'
In welcoming the decision to ban the first speaker, rather than the second, Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, has said:
- 'Devotion to Jihad for the sake of Allah, and the desire to shed blood, to smash skulls and to sever limbs for the sake of Allah and in defense of His religion, is, undoubtedly, an honor for the believer.'
Too late, Keith. Too late.
- 'The UK should never become a stage for inflammatory speakers who promote hate.'
thecommentator Islamic Emergency Defence group lets mask slip
The newly launched Islamic Emergency Defence group has let its true colours show just days after its foundation. Read how...
by Media Hawk on 26 June 2013 15:10
Over the past few days, media outlets and tweeters alike have noted the existence of a new group, vocally backed by controversial cleric Anjem Choudary, called 'Islamic Emergency Defence' (IED).
The organisation claims it exists to defend ordinary Muslims, which it says are "one of the most oppressed communities in Britain". But soon after launching, the organisation was given the vocal support of the intolerant and controversial cleric Anjem Choudary, who has been the front man for the extremist, now banned Islam4UK and al-Muhajiroun groups.
These organisations promoted Shariah law, and activists routinely waved placards telling British soliders to burn in hell. Choudary's group was recently implicated in violent scuffles on London's Edgware Road.
But for those of us keen to give IED (awful choice of acronym, by the way) the benefit of the doubt, and see where the organisation went with its goals, the pretence of goodwill and decency soon dissolved, with the organisation tweeting out intolerant and offensive things, as well as 'instructions' on 'how to deal with egotistic police'.
The organisation claims "vigilantism" is a legitimate method by which "Muslims can legally defend themselves" and stated yesterday, "We invite all non-Muslims to embrace Islam and save themselves from the hell-fire".
This is the kind of anti-non-Muslim bigotry that we have become accustomed to from the likes of Choudary's followers, and it comes as no surprise to me that it took only three days for the organisation's mask of tackling 'Islamophobia' to slip.
IED seems unkeen to answer who is actually behind the organisation, and when asked it replies, "this organisation is run by a network of Muslims across the UK". But they won't identify themselves, and when I call their telephone number listed on their website, it repeatedly just rings out until it disconnects.
A word of advice: if you're going to astroturf an organisation... at least keep a layer of pretence up for more than three days.
”
EDL Leader Tommy Robinson Released On Bail
The EDL leader and colleague Kevin Carroll were arrested for obstructing police while taking part in a charity walk.
3:06am UK, Sunday 30 June 2013
Video: EDL Leader Arrested Amid March Bid
Enlarge
Two English Defence League leaders have been released on police bail after they were arrested by police in Central London.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan police said: "Two men aged 30 and 44 have been released on bail to a date in mid- August pending further enquiries."
Tommy Robinson had shouted, "You are enforcing Sharia law", at officers who held him on suspicion of obstructing police as he tried to enter the London borough of Tower Hamlets.
EDL member Kevin Carroll was also arrested
The EDL had previously announced plans to walk through part of the capital before gathering outside Woolwich Barracks, near where Drummer Rigby was hacked to death in broad daylight.
But the Metropolitan Police put conditions on the march which demanded that it ended at Old Palace Yard, opposite the House of Lords.
As well as planning to lay flowers in memory of Drummer Rigby, Mr Robinson and EDL co-leader Kevin Carroll, who was also arrested, were walking to raise money for a young girl fighting cancer.
Sky Correspondent Tom Parmenter said: "They'd walked six miles when they were arrested outside Aldgate East underground station.
"Police had been tracking the walk across London and had regularly spoken to them about their route.
"The EDL leaders had been warned not to go past a large mosque in east London or enter the borough of Tower Hamlets.
"As they approached the boundary of the borough they were warned again by officers who told them they may be arrested."
Mr Robinson and Mr Carroll repeatedly asked if they would actually be arrested before another man approached the pair and assaulted Mr Carroll.
Parmenter said: "As police officers tried to deal with the situation the EDL leaders continued to walk forward and then a senior policewoman placed the pair under arrest."
Mr Robinson is led into a police van
The pair, who were wearing T-shirts bearing the words "support our troops", were led into a police van in handcuffs while complaining about their treatment. They were taken to Wandsworth police station, in southwest London, and two other men were arrested over the assault.
At the start of the walk in Hyde Park, Mr Robinson had said: "There's two of us doing a charity walk.
"They're (police) saying it (Tower Hamlets) is a Muslim area but to me there is no Muslim area, there are just areas of my capital city that if I have to walk from A to B then you have to walk through."
"Obviously I don't want to get arrested and I don't want to get in trouble so we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
Scotland Yard said the conditions were imposed because of fears the march and the gathering would result in "serious public disorder" and it had warned that a breach would lead to arrest.
The Met said it had attempted to work with the EDL to facilitate the march and gathering and offered them two alternative routes that avoided the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is home to the East London Mosque.
In a statement posted on the EDL's Twitter feed, the group said: "Tommy Robinson & Kev Caroll arrested for obstructing the police and carted off."
The statement claimed "negotiations" for their release were taking place and that the pair still hoped to walk to Woolwich to lay flowers.
Mr Robinson earlier replied to a tweet asking him what weather he was expecting for Saturday: "ill be in a cell by lunch time so won't matter. Ha ha"
The EDL campaigns against what it says is the spread of radical Islam, but it has been accused of Islamophobia and previous rallies have ended in clashes with anti-fascist groups.
Earlier this week, two American political activists who founded an anti-Muslim group were banned by the Home Secretary from entering the UK following reports they were to attend this weekend's march.
Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer, who set up Stop Islamisation of America and run the website Jihad Watch, have been forbidden from entering the country on the grounds their presence would "not be conducive to the public good".
The police also banned the British National Party from marching from Woolwich Barracks earlier in June and ordered it to move its protest to Westminster.
It is thought a rare Bible was thrown on to the fire which was started in the vestry of St Andrew’s Church, in Twyford, Derbyshire, on Wednesday.
Damage estimated at £5,000 was caused and church warden Anne Bennett said the congregation found it very distressing.
A 23-year-old man, from Allestree, was arrested in connection with the blaze and has since been released on bail.
Mrs Bennett said: “When we arrived all we could see was black smoke bellowing out of the bell tower and the spire window, it was quite frightening.
“Our main Bible in the church, which was a beautiful leather-bound huge copy, was taken and put on the fire along with the vicar’s vestments, the frontal and linen from the altar.
“We all found it, as a congregation, very distressing.”
A late medieval oak chest was also badly damaged in the fire.
http://theunhivedmind.com/wordpress3/2013/06/26/possible-muslim-attack-on-st-andrews-church-as-fire-is-treated-as-a-hate-crime/
A man has been charged in connection with fires at two churches and a church hall in Derbyshire.
Derbyshire Police said the charges related to a fire at St Edmund's Church, Allestree, on Wednesday and one at St Andrew's Church, on 19 June.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-23087081
29 June 2013
Anjem Choudary led the first Muslim sectarian protest on British streets
An Iranian demonstrator tears up a portrait of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz during a protest in front of the Saudi embassy in Tehran
Anti-Syrian regime protesters hold a banner in Arabic that reads: "The sectarian storm cannot be extinguished with eradicating those who spark it," during a demonstration, at Hass town, Idlib province, northern Syria
Syrian workers clean broken glass inside the Sayyida Zeinab shrine after a car bomb exploded near the shrine, in a suburb of Damascus
Shia And Sunni Tensions In Syria Threaten To Split British Muslim Community
Carrying billowing black flags, Anjem Choudary's banned group of extremists stomped past the Lebanese cafes and phone accessories shops along north London's Edgware Road, just weeks before the brutal killing of a British soldier Lee Rigby on the other side of the city.
The cleric's ragged band of foaming-mouthed supporters has pounded British pavements for years, but this time, the protest was different. It wasn't a picket of Remembrance Day, or a complaint about cartoons.
The target was other Muslims.
On the surface, it was a demonstration in support of the rebels in Syria. In reality, the objective was to intimidate members of the minority Shia Muslim community in the UK, Muslims whom followers of Choudary's brand of extreme Salafist Sunni Islam do not consider true believers.
Activists carried banners rallying against the "Shia Enemies of Allah" and police had to be called to the scene when members of the group apparently attacked a man who was Shia, hitting him almost a dozen times.
The demonstration is the first time that bitter Muslim sectarian tensions, now one of the driving forces behind the war in Syria, have bubbled to the surface, leading to violence on the streets of London.
But experts say that Sunni-Shia divisions have long been creeping beyond the borders of Syria and, for that matter, Iraq, and into mosques and onto university campuses in the UK.
Communities leaders are concerned about tensions escalating as the Syria conflict deepens, and the Muslim Council of Britain, a coalition of Muslim organisations across the theological spectrum, issued a strongly worded statement condemning the Choudary protest.
Farooq Murad, secretary general of the MCB, told HuffPost UK the Choudary protest was an "unhappy episode".
This weekend, the MCB published an intra-faith unity statement, aimed at tackling the problem, signed by leaders from both the Sunni and Shia traditions of Islam.
The MCB calls the statement a "signal to the British Muslim community and to the world that we will not allow hatred and division to be preached by our brothers and sisters in Islam towards our brothers and sisters in Islam."
"There's no point in denying the fact that [overseas conflicts] may have consequences here, and in Syria there is certainly a sectarian dimension," Murad told HuffPost UK.
"Certainly conflicts can spill out to create more general sectarian tensions and divides. They exist anyway, and it heightens those fault lines."
According to Liverpool University academic Leon Moosavi, British Muslims have been mostly been concerned over the past decades dealing with Islamophobia, and debating the war on terror, Israel and Palestine.
"These used to be issues which Muslims united around, regardless of Shia or Sunni affiliation. But these unifying issues are disappearing.
"Muslims are now debating and talking about the Arab Spring, Syria, Turkey. This is what is shaping people's identities now.
"There has always been a division, but the problem is that it is so pronounced at the moment, the Syria conflict has forced people to their side of the spectrum, people are feeling their sectarian identity really matters."
Fiyaz Mughal, the Sunni founder of Tell Mama, which monitors Islamophobia and inter-Muslim hatred, told HuffPost UK that the killings of Sunnis by Assad forces and Lebanon's Hezbollah "feed a mental divide that is not widespread, though which plays at the back of the minds of mainly Arab communities in the UK”.
Mughal added: "It is also being used by those who want to drive a wedge between Sunnis and Shias and whilst they are in the tiny minority, they are vocal.”
Sunni and Shia Islam are the two major denominations. Between 80-90% of the world's Muslims are Sunni, according to research by the Pew Forum in 2009. Those percentages are generally believed to be reflected in British demographics.
Sunnis are the majority in most Muslim countries around the world; Shias are believed to be the majority only in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain.
"The Islamic community in Britain has only really had a consciousness of itself in the last 30 years," Moosavi explained. "Back then, the community was far more united, Muslims stuck together, Shia and Sunni Muslims used the same mosques back in the 1980s.
"After the Second Gulf War, after 9/11, that was a massive turning point for Shia-Sunni division. It's emerged now in Bahrain and obviously in Syria.
"And it does play a role in Muslim relations in the UK because we live in this globalised world where what happens over there affects what happens here. People move backwards and forwards all the time."
The division, which centres on the schism that occurred after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 over who would be his successor, has influenced conflicts across the world, most recently in Pakistan, Yemen and Bahrain.
The 2003 war in Iraq was the turning point for Shia-Sunni division globally, as Iraq descended into civil war, but protests and violence in Bahrain and Syria have put the issue front and centre in the Middle East. In Syria, President Assad is an Alawite Muslim, which is an offshoot of a Shia Islam.
But the majority of Syrians, and the official Syrian opposition groups, are Sunni.
Egypt's most senior Muslim cleric, Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, a leading voice of mainstream Sunni Islam has condemned Shi'ites for engaging in "hateful sectarian strife" in Syria, according to Reuters, calling the violence a "theatre of the absurd in this battle which has become a Shi'ite-Sunni struggle."
Violent sectarian attacks have not only occurred in Syria. Four Egyptian Shia Muslims were killed in a mob attack in a village near the capital Cairo, officials say. The attackers accused those gathered of trying to spread Shia beliefs, according to the BBC.
The sectarian nature of the struggle in Syria is fuelled by the puritanical and fundamentalist Salafi movement of Sunni Muslims, which became a force in Syria's civil war and across the region in the wake of the Arab Spring.
Salafi militants Jabhat al-Nusra are recognised Al-Qaeda affiliate, but other Salafi networks are operating across the country.
And militant Lebanese Shi'ite group, Hizbollah, has mobilised fighters to help Assad. Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Institution’s Doha Center in Qatar told Reuters that without Hizbollah's involvement, the struggle “would have been more of an inter-Syrian fight rather than being a sectarian one."
And because of the new colour the conflict has taken on, British Muslims are being called on to take sides, along sectarian lines.
"The conflict there has taken on an increasing sectarian dimension," Shiraz Maher, an extremism expert at Kings College London told HuffPost UK.
"It's not been widely reported, but the Assad forces, when they capture rebels, they make them say a version of the Muslim testament of faith 'there is no god, but god'. But instead they make them say 'there is no god, but Bashar al-Assad'.
"And that, in conservative Sunni Muslim circles, makes people think that this about Assad wanting to kill Sunni Muslims, he wants to wipe us out."
The MCB's Murad, who is a Sunni Muslim, admitted community leaders were worried "whenever there's conflict abroad in Muslim countries" and had discussed creating a code of conduct for mosques with regard to sectarian hate preaching.
Murad said that he does expect more marches and demonstrations in support of Syrian causes, "there's a sizeable community here of Syrians. And it can mean that some will try and turn those demonstrations into a sectarian issue. But we can't allow them to succeed. It is not about that."
But few that we spoke to believe that such protests will become a common occurrence.
"The Syria opposition based here wants to present itself as reasonable and responsible," Maher told HuffPost UK.
"They won't be organising any sectarian protests. And they are very acutely aware of not getting involved in sectarianism."
High-profile British Iraqi Shia lecturer Sayed Ammar Nakshawani said that the protests made no sense to the ordinary Muslims. "These guys calling for Sharia law and marching up the Edgware Road are going to cause havoc whatever happens.
"Syria is just an excuse for them. Those who use Assad to attack Shias in this country, you say to them, why not speak out against Saudi and Qatar? Saudi is the least democratic country on Earth."
Liverpool University's Moosavi said that in the age of the internet, divisions manifest in different ways.
"It is not common to protest about it, the younger generation express hatred via the internet, social media, describing each other as non-believers. I came across on YouTube a rap which criticises the other sect of Islam.
"It appears on university campuses, in Islamic societies, in prayer rooms, which can turn into places of conflict. It would also be wrong to say this is just a Sunni-Shia divide, there are divisions in Sunni Islam too."
Muslim leaders and experts on the community told HuffPost UK that tension was being fuelled not only by the Syrian conflict, but also by satellite broadcasts of preachers from the Middle East, and preachers from abroad coming to speak in British mosques.
Two have caused particular concern, the arrival of Shia preacher Yasser Al-Habib, to open a mosque in Buckinghamshire, and the visit of Saudi Mohammad Al-Arefe, a Sunni cleric in the last week.
Al-Habib was imprisoned in his home country of Kuwait in 2003 for inciting sectarianism, but denies that he hates Sunni Muslims. Al-Arefe, who is currently doing a tour of the UK, is accused of a similar hatred of Shias.
A leading British Shia institution, the Al-Khoei Foundation has warned of the damage both preachers could cause. Yousef Al-Khoei, director of the institution, told HuffPostUK: "We have had a very cordial relationship for many years between Sunni and Shia Muslims. But preachers come from abroad, and try to stir it [division] up.
"He [Al-Arefe] has been very vocal in trying to create these divisions. But we will work to make sure these guys don't win."
"He has said he is on a mission, a jihad, at a lecture in Egypt. And we expect him to say this, and expect that his very presence on British land to be controversial."
The same concern has also been voiced by Tell Mama, and Labour MP Khalid Mahmood, who has said both were in the UK "purely here to promote themselves and create divisions where none need to exist."
Al-Arefe told HuffPost UK on Friday that it was "nonsense" to suggest he was here to whip up tension.
"To be completely clear, I advise both Sunni and Shia’ in the UK to continue to respect one another despite what is going on in Syria.
"I would invite and welcome the opportunity for open and frank discussions with members of any sect or faith, whom I am sure, regardless of their beliefs, are deeply moved and concerned about the suffering inflicted on the Syrian population daily by a cruel regime and its supporters."
Some disagree that division is only spread by those coming from outside the UK. "I think the sectarianism is not just caused by outside preachers, but also those born and raised here," Moosavi said.
"Muslims who were born and raised in European countries are travelling to fight in Syria, usually with the rebels, because of how increasingly sectarian the conflict has become."
Those who would create division are usually a "minority of hardcore Salafists who regard Shias as non-Muslims," Maher added. "It is exaggerated by what happens in Syria. But the idea of a Salafi imam coming over and saying derogatory things about Sunnis has happened before and will happen after Syria."
'Grant all illegal immigrants an amnesty to stay in Britain': Tory MP calls for 'seismic' change in policy to attract minority vote
- Nadhim Zahawi says amnesty makes political and economic sense
- 'We shouldn't be afraid to think outside our comfort zone,' he says
- Tories won just 16 per cent of non-white vote at 2010 election
By STEVE ROBSON
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New direction: Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi believes the all illegal immigrants should be given an amnesty to remain in the country
All illegal immigrants in Britain should be granted an amnesty to stay in the country, a Tory MP has said.
Nadhim Zahawi, MP for Stratford-Upon-Avon, argued that the move makes sense economically and that a 'seismic' shift in policy is needed for the Conservatives to attract votes among minority groups.
But it would represent a major switch in political direction for the party.
Earlier this week Chancellor George Osborne announced that immigrants who claim benefits will have to learn English or see their handouts docked.
Mr Zahawi told The Independent: 'We shouldn't be afraid to think outside our comfort zone. Our failure to appeal to ethnic minorities should send loud alarm bells ringing in Downing Street and Central Office.
'Unless we act now this electoral penalty will only get worse.'
The Tories won just 16 per cent of the non-white vote at the election in 2010.
Lord Ashcroft is among those who has told David Cameron he must do more to woo the ethnic vote.
He recently released details of a poll showing that ethnic minority voters share the Tory creed that ‘if you work hard, it is possible to be very successful in Britain’.
But when asked which party shares their values, they opt for Labour by a margin of more than two to one.
The offer of an amnesty to illegal immigrants was a manifesto pledge of the Lib Dems at the last election but was dramatically ditched by leader Nick Clegg earlier this year.
He said the policy risked undermining public confidence in the entire immigration system.
Conflict: London Mayor Boris Johnson, left, is a long-term supporter of an amnesty for illegal immigrants but Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, right, recently ditched his party's support for the policy
The Deputy Prime Minister instead unveiled new plans to force foreigners arriving in Britain from ‘high risk countries’ to pay a bond of more than £1,000 which will only be repaid when they leave.
More...
- Two million more taxpayers 'will be hit by higher rate if Government continues deficit reduction plans'
- The back to work scheme that costs us £40k per job! Only one in ten on Government scheme found lasting role
- Clegg urges cautious approach over GM crops and says he has never 'knowingly' fed his children 'Frankenstein' foods
However, the London Mayor Boris Johnson has been a long-term supporter of an amnesty for an estimated half a million immigrants in the UK.
Mr Johnson claims an amnesty would help the economy and the Treasury by allowing huge numbers of illegal immigrants to work openly and to pay tax and national insurance - a position supported by some union bosses and church leaders.
A study commissioned by Mr Johnson from the London School of Economics estimates there are 618,000 illegal immigrants in the UK, of which 442,000 - almost three quarters - live in the capital.
But other senior Tories have said that such an offer would send out a message to immigrants that it is possible to enter the country illegally and stay forever.
Sir Andrew Green, of the campaign group MigrationWatch, said opinion polls showed 70 per cent of the public oppose an immigration amnesty.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2350471/Grant-illegal-immigrants-amnesty-stay-Britain-Tory-MP-calls-seismic-change-policy-attract-minority-vote.html#ixzz2XW8h3MGU
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Telegraph
A quarter of Obama supporters think the Tea Party is America’s top terror threat: US liberals have lost touch with reality
The Tea Party has transformed the American political landscape
Rasmussen has just published an extraordinary poll which highlights the deep-seated prejudice against the Tea Party among both US government workers and supporters of President Obama. According to the poll:
Half of all voters consider radical Muslims the bigger terrorist threat facing the nation, but supporters of President Obama consider the Tea Party to be as big a danger.A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 51% of Likely U.S. Voters consider radical Muslims to be the bigger threat to the United States today. Thirteen percent (13%) view the Tea Party that way, and another 13% consider other political and religious extremists to be the larger danger. Six percent (6%) point to local militia groups. Two percent (2%) see the Occupy Wall Street movement as the bigger terrorist threat.However, among those who approve of the president’s job performance, just 29% see radical Muslims as the bigger threat. Twenty-six percent (26%) say it’s the Tea Party that concerns them most. Among those who Strongly Approve of the president, more fear the Tea Party than radical Muslims.As for those who disapprove of Obama’s performance, 75% consider radical Muslims to be the bigger terrorist threat. Just one percent (1%) name the Tea Party.… Conservatives overwhelmingly see radical Muslims as the greater terror threat. Liberals are fairly evenly divided between radical Muslims and the Tea Party.Twenty percent (20%) of government workers see the Tea Party as the nation’s bigger terror threat. Twelve percent (12%) of private sector workers hold that view.
There is of course no connection between the Tea Party movement, a collection of thousands of grassroots groups campaigning for limited government – and terrorism. The Tea Party is an overwhelmingly law-abiding and peaceful movement, one that has transformed the political debate in the United States on the economy and federal debt, and which played a key role in reshaping Congress in the 2010 midterms. The vast majority of Tea Party activists are just ordinary people who want to do something about the future of their country, patriots who are tired of the relentless rise of big government. Some of the biggest conservatives in the US Senate today, including likely presidential contenders Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, were forged in the Tea Party.
The extraordinary success of the Tea Party has led to it being demonised by the Left, culminating in an unprecedented campaign by the IRS against it, which has prompted a resurgence in public support for the movement – up 14 points since January, to 44 percent among likely US voters. Today’s Rasmussen poll illustrates the sheer depth of animosity towards the Tea Party within sections of the federal government and among President Obama’s strongest supporters (the two are usually interchangeable).
Some liberals have become so blinded by their hatred that they ludicrously see grassroots conservative groups defending the American Constitution as more dangerous than Islamist militants seeking to destroy the United States. Anyone opposed to their cause is a threat. This is irrational and deeply disturbing in a free society that has always cherished the cause of political freedom and open debate. It amply demonstrates just how extreme the American Left has become, and how out of touch it is with reality.
Telegraph
Boston bomber charged as authorities reveal 'confession note'
The surviving Boston marathon bomber said he was forced by US foreign policy to attack Americans as he could not see “such evil go unpunished”, authorities said as they unveiled a criminal indictment against him on Thursday.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev criticised the US for killing “our innocent civilians” in a confession note allegedly written on the inside of a boat where he hid from police in the hours after the bombings, which killed three spectators and injured more than 200.
“We Muslims are one body,” the 19-year-old, whose family hails from Chechnya, is alleged to have written. “You hurt one you hurt us all. Stop killing our innocent people, we will stop.” While noting “I don’t like killing innocent people” and that this was ordinarily “forbidden in Islam”, America’s military actions meant his attack was an exceptional case, he is said to have claimed.
The 30-count indictment, from a federal grand jury, charges Tsarnaev with using weapons of mass destruction and killing four people, including a police officer who was shot dead at the start of a frenzied last stand by the teenager and his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
The brothers are alleged to have placed backpacks containing pressure-cooker bombs among crowds near the finish line of the marathon in April. Tamerlan, who was 26, was killed later during a standoff with police.
It is claimed that when they set out that night, the brothers had five home-made explosive devices, a Ruger P95 9mm semi-automatic handgun, a machete and a hunting knife.
The indictment also alleges that to co-ordinate the attck with his brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev used a pay-as-you-go mobile phone, which he bought using the name "Jahar Tsarni".
He downloaded Islamist propaganda from the Internet, including one article written by Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born cleric who became a leader in al-Qaeda in Yemen, where he was killed by a US drone strike in September 2011.
Tsarnaev is due to appear in the federal court in Boston next month to be arraigned. Some 17 of the charges against him carry a potential death sentence.
Pensioner, 75, arrested after home-made bomb exploded outside a mosque in 'hate attack'
- Elderly man detained on suspicion of causing an explosion at the mosque
- Officers were called to scene following reports of a suspicious item found
- Army personnel ordered evacuation of 150 people from almost 40 homes
By JAMES RUSH
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Arrest: A 75-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of planting a home-made bomb which exploded outside the Aisha Mosque and Islamic Centre (pictured) in Walsall
Counter-terrorism detectives have arrested a 75-year-old pensioner in connection with planting a home-made bomb which exploded outside a mosque.
The elderly man was detained by West Midlands Police yesterday afternoon on suspicion of causing an explosion likely to endanger life or damage property.
Officers were called to reports of a suspicious item at the Aisha Mosque and Islamic Centre in Walsall, West Midlands, last Saturday.
Army personnel ordered the evacuation of 150 people from almost 40 homes in the vicinity of the place of worship after bomb disposal experts were called to the scene.
Despite the device exploding outside the perimeter building on Friday night witnesses did not realise the significance of the 'loud bang' and failed to report the incident.
The following morning a member of the public found the device in the mosque grounds before taking it inside the building.
Nobody was injured in the attack and the DIY explosive caused minimal damage.
Detectives are treating the incident as a hate crime and were today continuing to question the man as well as searching his home address in Walsall.
A police spokesman said: 'The arrest comes as part of a major investigation by specialist detectives and experts from the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit.
'He has been taken to a police station in the West Midlands where he is being questioned by detectives.
'His home address is being searched as part of the investigation.
'Witnesses say that the device exploded outside the perimeter building on Friday night but not realising the significance of the 'loud bang', they did not report the matter to police.
'It was only when a well-meaning member of the public recovered the debris and brought it inside the mosque the following day that were police contacted. A significant investigation was immediately launched.'
Forensics: Officers were called to reports of a suspicious item at the mosque last Saturday
Concern: About 150 people had be evacuated from almost 40 homes following the discovery of the item
Speaking at the time of the attack Zia Ul-Haq, a committee member and spokesman for the mosque, said: 'It (the bomb) was found by one of our worshippers who after midday prayer was going home, and he had a look and it looked suspicious, so he picked it up and took it home.
'He showed it his wife and his wife said, "Well, it looks like something suspicious so you should take it to the mosque".
More...
'So he brought it to the mosque but unfortunately there was nobody responsible in the mosque so he took it back home.
'Then he brought it back in the evening and then our imam had a look at it, and he took it home because nobody thought it was that serious.
Investigation: Police near the mosque in Walsall after the discovery of a suspicious item
'I said it looks suspicious and we decided to call the police. As soon as the police came they said we should not have handled it.'
The incident comes after a number of recent events at mosques following the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich, London.
Two men were charged in relation to an alleged arson at a mosque in Gloucester, and an Islamic cultural centre in Grimsby was hit by petrol bombs last month.
Earlier this week a mosque in Redditch, Worcestershire, was targetted by racist thugs who scrawled racist graffiti on the walls and windows.
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| Welcome to the June 2013 edition of Runnymede's e-newsletter, keeping you connected with our work. Please send any feedback to info@runnymedetrust.org For a more frequent update on everything race equality-related, follow @RunnymedeTrust on Twitter or join us on Facebook News End Racism This Generation On Monday 8th July, Runnymede is launching an exciting new campaign, End Racism This Generation. Through the campaign, we aim to get organisations and individuals to pledge actions that they will take in order to build a racism-free Britain. Our aim is to inspire individuals and organisations to take concerted action to tackle racial inequality, support innovative and collaborative activity to tackle racism and create lasting solutions to racial injustice. This will ensure that this is the last generation in the UK that has to face discrimination and disadvantage on the basis of the colour of their skin, where they were born, or their ethnic heritage. Location: Rivington Place (Project Space 2), 1 Rivington Place, London EC2A 3BA Date: Monday 8th July, 6-8pm Spaces are limited. So, to book your place, or find out more about the campaign, contact Rose Hall, Campaign Manager at rose@runnymedetrust.org Youth Group: Stop and Search We're looking for young people under the age of 25 to join our new youth group. The aim of the group is to talk about the negative effects stop and search is having on young people in the UK and to put together a plan of action to tackle the problem. It's a great way to get involved with people in the same situation as you and will give you a collective voice to fight discrimination and improve policing. If you - or anyone you know - want to be part of this group, contact our Youth Group Co-ordinator, Natasha Dhumma at natasha@runnymedetrust.org Get in touch... ...If you want to be part of a film project, looking into stop and search TV Production company, October Films, is currently looking for participants for a research project about stop and search and its impact on young Black and Minority Ethnic people. If you feel you are being stopped without good reason on a regular basis, we would be keen to hear from you. Please contact Toby Bakare on 07956 213 745 or at toby.bakare@octoberfilms.co.uk ...If you work in further or higher education In academia, only 7.7% of professors are from BME backgrounds. We want you to get in touch if you've experienced discrimination or abuse at the hands of your sector's disproportionate focus on your white, male counterparts. You can do this by contacting Florence Nosegbe at florence@runnymedetrust.org or on 020 7377 9222. Any input given will be taken in confidence and will enable us to develop a clearer understanding of discrimination within these sectors, provide us all with a way of joining up our experience of discrimination, and will ultimately give us the necessary information to put pressure on decision makers to change the ways they address this issue. Events After Woolwich - What Next for Community Relations
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Race & Community invites you to a debate in response to the brutal murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich.
The APPG on Race & Community is a cross party group of Members of Parliament working together to increase the coverage of race equality issues in Parliament by updating other MPs with up-to-date research, and working to connect with race equality organisations. In the wake of the tragic incident and reported Islamophobic events across the country including attacks on individuals and against mosques, there is still some apprehension about what will happen next. A panel including senior politicians, representatives from the Metropolitan Police, Hate Crime Organisations and Community Leaders will discuss their thoughts on strengthening community cohesion, how politicians respond to the immediate ramifications of Drummer Rigby's murder and future concerns. Speakers: Rt Hon Nick Raynsford, Member of Parliament for Greenwich & Woolwich; Yasmin Reham, Chief Executive Greenwich Inclusion Project; Fiyaz Mughal OBE, Director Tell MAMA Campaign and Commander Simon Letchford, Area Commander South London Chair: Rt Hon David Lammy MP, Chair APPG Race & Community Location: Committee Room 13, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Date: Thursday 11th July from 4.30pm If you would like to attend, please contact Florence Nosegbe at florence@runnymedetrust.org The Power of Sport for Social Change: The Olympics and its Legacy for London This seminar will investigate the paradoxes and contradictions of sport and social change and will include a keynote lecture by a world leading authority on sports and race, Professor Ben Carrington of the University of Texas at Austin. Sport provides opportunities for promoting social change and justice and this event will discuss the role sport plays in affecting social change for marginalized groups and communities. It will also seek to answer questions on whether there is a role for sporting celebrity in the context of sport for social change and how such change can be measured; and why certain high-profile sports are embedded within a change agenda and not others. This talk, taking place days before the one year anniversary of the 2012 London Olympic Games, will also make the links between sport for social change and examine the real legacy left behind and the impact on the people of Britain today. Panel Members: Connie Henry, former GB Triple Jumper & Founder of Connie Henry Track Academy; a young athlete from the Connie Henry Track Academy; David Neita, Lawyer/community advocate; Michelle Moore, Sports & Diversity Consultant; and Professor Ben Carrington.
Location: University of East London, Lecture Theatre, Stratford Campus, Water Lane, London, E15 4LZ
Date: Wednesday 24th July, 6 - 8.30pm Find out more by clicking here This is a free event and spaces are limited so please RSVP to Michelle Moore atmmooredevelopment@gmail.com Kick It Out - 'Embrace diversity…and build your winning team' Kick It Out, football's equality and inclusion campaign; The Work Foundation, the leading independent authority on work and its future; and 7 Bedford Row, one of the country’s leading barristers' chambers, are hosting a free seminar on current business examples which prove the benefits of diversifying your workforce. This event will celebrate the diverse nature of the playing staff at Premier League and Football League clubs, which is a powerful advert for English football as players from across the globe grace stadiums up and down the country every week to prove how they can achieve outstanding results by bringing their own unique skills and attributes together to produce a winning formula. Location: 7 Bedford Row, London WC1R 4BS Date: Thursday 25 July from 3-5pm Find out more by clicking here New faces Runnymede would like to extend a very warm welcome to two new members of staff: Rose Hall, our new Campaign Manager and Zuleika Sedgley, our new Communications Manager. They are both going to play an integral part of developing our campaign, End Racism This Generation, and both bring a wealth of experience to our team |
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