Cash-strapped Islamic academy charity 'spent £1m of taxpayers' cash building sister school in Pakistan'

December 1, 2014, 10:05 am

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A cash-strapped Islamic school has been accused of spending£1million of taxpayers' money on a brand new state-of-the-art facility in Pakistan.

Council chiefs are investigating claims that the leaders of Al-Hijrah School in Birmingham, which is currently in desperate need of repair, have used public money to help fund a hi-tech school 5,000 miles away in the Pakistan city of Ziarat.

Birmingham City Council confirmed it has launched a probe into the school's finances and said it is 'concerned about the severe deficit it has got itself into'.

Birmingham City Council is investigating claims that the Islamic Al-Hijrah School, in the Bordesley Green area of the city (pictured), has used public money to fund a hi-tech school 5,000 miles away in Pakistan

It is the latest controversy to hit the school, which caters for 800 children aged between four and 16.

In May, it was placed in special measures after being branded 'inadequate' in a damning Ofsted report, and a month later the whole governing body was sacked over financial troubles, including a £900,000 budget deficit.

It now faces allegations that the trust used public money to build the boys-only school in Ziarat, situated just 240 miles from the Afghanistan border, which opened in 2004 and is said to be prospering.

The trust's website boasts that the school provides children with an environment in which they can 'develop their Islamic principles'.

In a seven-minute video on the website, the school also appeals to the public for charitable donations for the Pakistani school.

The clip begins by showing the communities of Baluchistan, the largest of Pakistan's four provinces, and claiming that it is 'one of the poorest regions in the world.'

The slick video then show the students wearing blue blazers and ties, working at wooden desks piled high with books and standing in regimented lines on the school's drill square with mountains in the background.

The school faces allegations it used £1million of public money to build a boys-only school in Ziarat (pictured), situated just 240 miles from the Afghanistan border, which opened in 2004 and is said to be prospering

Pupils are seen conducting science experiments with extensive laboratory equipment while the video pans shows off the expansive buildings and perfectly manicured grounds.

The narrator says that the school can only continue to give all students free board and lodging as well as an education through charitable donations.

He says: 'Al-Hijrah Trust UK is a well-established charitable organisation run by the Muslim community in the UK.

'The trust is a pioneering institution focusing on establishing an educational system which delivers high academic standards within an Islamic environment.

'The existence of this institution is a token of love, help and solidarity from the Pakistani and wider Muslim community in the UK for the needy students of Baluchistan.

'All the educational needs of the students are addressed by Al-Hijrah Trust through donations and generosity of kind-hearted people like you.'

However, in England, the school in the Bordesley Green area of Birmingham, is apparently in a state of disrepair and desperately needs refurbishing.

A school insider said: 'The school in Birmingham is falling apart, its roof is leaking and there is little space for outdoor play.

'Yet the trust has used £1million to build a new school in Pakistan. It beggars belief.'

The Al-Hijrah sister school in Pakistan is situated in front of a backdrop of mountains and was set up in 2004

The Birmingham school, which opened in 1988, became voluntary aided in 2002 and, therefore, secured funding from the city council.

The council has confirmed a probe into the school's finances, including the allegations public cash was used to help fund the school in Pakistan, is now underway.

A spokesman said: 'We were concerned about the severe deficit the school has got itself into and where that money might be going.

'We put a board in place in the school with access to financial records and we carried out a retrospective investigation.

'We have gathered enough information to warrant further investigation into the use of public funds and we continue to work with the relevant statutory agencies.

'If we find anything criminal it will be referred to the police.'

The majority of the school's students are of Pakistani origin, and the senior school receives over 1,000 applications for 60 places a year, making it one of the most over-subscribed schools in the UK.

The Department for Education said it was liaising with the authorities while the investigation takes place.

A spokesman said: 'We are aware of these serious allegations which are being investigated by Birmingham City Council.

'We are liaising closely with them and continue to monitor the situation.

'The school is currently in special measures and we have approved the council's choice of interim executive board.'

Waseem Yaqub (pictured), the former chairman of governors at Al-Hijrah School in Birmingham, has been issued with a High Court writ amid claims of harassment, intimidation and trespassing on the school site

A number of teachers from the nearby Calthorpe Academy in the Highgate area of Birmingham have been drafted in to Al-Hijrah School in recent weeks as part of a 'buddying' scheme to try to 'share best practice'.

However, sources claim the school is still riddled with problems, including continuing to segregate boys and girls.

One person, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'Even the staff have separate meeting rooms for male and female teachers.'

In July, Birmingham City Council was forced to take out an injunction banning former chairman of governors Waseem Yaqub from the school.

Mr Yaqub was accused of leading a harassment campaign against the new interim board, but he denied those claims.

He has been issued with a High Court writ warning him that he faces a damages bill of up to £100,000 due to his conduct.

The writ accuses him of harassment, intimidation and trespassing on the school site after he was sacked from his post.

MailOnline has contacted Al-Hijrah School for comment.

FORMER AL-HIJRAH SCHOOL GOVERNOR LINKED TO TROJAN HORSE PLOT

Probe: Police at Al-Hijrah School earlier this year

Pro

Al-Hijrah, a state-funded Muslim faith school, was not one of the 21 inspected by Ofsted in connection with the so-called Trojan Horse plot to oust secular heads and governors at state schools and force through strict Islamic principles.

However, most of the individuals who claimed to be key figures in the alleged plot had strong links to the Al-Hijrah Trust, the body which owns and, until May, ran the school.

Tahir Alam, the plot's alleged ringleader, was secretary to the Al-Hijrah Trust and head of the Al-Hijrah Training Academy, a body which, according to its website, trains Muslim parents to 'empower the community to ensure our needs are met'.

Mr Yaqub, the sacked chairman of governors, was seconded as a 'consultant' to Saltley School at the same time as its respected non-Muslim headteacher, Balwant Bains, was removed. However, Mr Yaqub denies any involvement in Mr Bains's departure.

In June, the school's entire governing body was sacked over financial troubles, including a £900,000 budget deficit.

It came a month after the school was placed in special measures after being branded 'inadequate' in a damning Ofsted report.

Inspectors found the school had an unbalanced curriculum and said governors were 'too heavily involved in the day-to-day running'.

In the wake of the report, Birmingham City Council disbanded the governors and appointed a new head and 'interim executive board' to run the school.

It prompted protests from over 100 parents who expressed their anger at the entire governing body being sacked.

At the same time, Birmingham City Council was also forced to take out an injunction banning Mr Yaqub from the school.

Mr Yaqub was accused of leading the harassment campaign against the new interim board, but he denied those claims.

He has since been issued with a High Court writ warning him that he faces a damages bill of up to £100,000 due to his conduct.

The writ accuses him of harassment, intimidation and trespassing on the school site after he was sacked from his post.

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Muslim who threatened to kill wife and children can’t be deported

December 1, 2014, 10:20 am

≫ Next: British jihadi killed fighting for ISIS in Iraq by Kurdish Peshmerga forces

≪ Previous: Cash-strapped Islamic academy charity 'spent £1m of taxpayers' cash building sister school in Pakistan'

And he can’t be deported because of his “right to a family life”— that is, his right to be with the people he threatened to murder. A few British people have stopped by the comments field on various recent Jihad Watch posts to tell me to stop being so hard on the British. I will comply as soon as British authorities stop issuing absurd and suicidal rulings like this one.

MP for Kettering Philip Hollobone said it was farcical to let the Algerian, 42, remain in the UK
The Daily Mail, true to form for all the mainstream media, doesn’t mention that this man is a Muslim, identifying him only as an “Algerian national.” But virtually everyone in Algeria is Muslim, and it is because he is Muslim, not because he is Algerian, that British officials are bending over backwards to accommodate him.

Britain Suicide Watch Update: “Algerian migrant can’t be kicked out of Britain because of his right to family life – despite threatening to KILL his ex-partner and children,” by Thomas Burrows, Daily Mail, November 30, 2014

A migrant from Algeria who threatened to torch his two daughters and ex-girlfriend cannot be thrown out of Britain – because of his ‘right to a family life’.
The Algerian national, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was ruled a danger to his daughters, now five and seven, by social workers.
A Child Protection Plan even forbids him from living with them in the West Midlands.
The 42-year-old was imprisoned for 15 months in 2012 after Wolverhampton Crown Court heard he vowed to burn down his house with his children and their Angolan mother inside.
But despite that, the migrant has won the right to remain in the UK.
Tory MP Philip Hollobone said he was disgusted by the decision.
He told the Sun on Sunday: ‘This is exactly why the Human Rights Act should be scrapped.
‘Any foreign national convicted of a crime should be deported and banned from ever returning.
The immigrant arrived in the UK in December 2003 when he paid smugglers to get him in. He claimed asylum the next day giving a false name and date of birth.
His claim was refused in February 2004, but his two separate appeals were both dismissed.
He remained in the UK, however, and six years later he was convicted at Brent Magistrates’ Court of drink driving.
Then two years later, he was jailed for 15 months and Home Secretary Theresa May signed a deportation order to send him back to his native country when he was freed.
An immigration tribunal was even told deporting him would not have a detrimental effect on his children.
However, Judge Conway allowed him to remain in the country.
He said: ‘You have been punished enough and I do not think further supervision is going to help you.
‘What will help you is trying to get on the rails with your family and your children and I know that you are determined to do that.
You made a very serious mistake but you are not a danger to the public and you are not a fire raiser.’…

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British jihadi killed fighting for ISIS in Iraq by Kurdish Peshmerga forces

December 1, 2014, 10:27 am

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Abu Musa al-Sumali shot dead by Peshmerga troops in Kirkuk province
Had previously appeared in ISIS propaganda video posing with Koran
British national of Somalian heritage travelled to Syria earlier this year
Went on to join Islamic State in Iraq as terror group pushed into Kirkuk
Previously seen in photo with another Briton, Abu Abdullah al-Habashi
20-year-old was killed fighting against Syrian Kurds in Kobane last week

A British jihadi who fled the UK to fight alongside the Islamic State terror group has been killed in a firefight with Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Iraq.

Abu Musa al-Sumali is understood to have been shot dead in a fierce gun battle with local resistance troops in Kirkuk province in the north of the country, where ISIS has carried out repeat attacks in recent weeks.

Fellow militants took to social media to pay tribute to the dead terrorist, revealing that he had travelled to the Middle East from Britain and sharing images of him taken from a recent ISIS propaganda video in which he appeared wearing full military fatigues and reading a copy of the Koran.

Scroll down for video

Militant: ISIS sympathisers were quick to share an image of him taken from a recent propaganda video in which he is seen calmly reading a copy of the Koran while sitting on a Toyota pick-up truck

Terror: Abu Musa Al-Sumali (left) is known to have been close to a fellow British terrorist of East African origin - Muslim convert Abu Abdullah al-Habashi (right), who was killed in the Syrian city of Kobane last week

The true identity of al-Sumali is not yet known, but he is believed to have arrived in northern Syria earlier this year, before travelling with the terror group on the frontline in neighbouring Iraq.

Al-Sumali's kunya, otherwise known as a nom de guerre, suggests he is likely to have a Somalian heritage and may even have been born in the East African country before moving to Britain as a child.

Reports of his death have not been independently verified.

ISIS sympathisers were quick to share an image of Al-Sumali taken from a recent propaganda video titled 'Enter the Door on Them', in which he is seen calmly reading a copy of the Koran while sitting on a Toyota pick-up truck.

In the photograph Al-Sumali is seen wearing full military fatigues and red Nike trainers, and there are a number of large assault rifles resting against a small mound in the background.

The rest of the video shows ISIS' renewed attempts to seize control of Kirkuk province in recent weeks and contains a number of gruesome images of dead Peshmerga fighters.

Other shots from the propaganda footage show smiling ISIS militants praying together in a wooded area, as well as playing with kittens.

Al-Sumali is known to have been close to fellow a British terrorist of East African origin - 20-year-old Muslim convert Abu Abdullah al-Habashi.

Al-Habashi, who was also known by a second nom de guerre of Abu Abdullah al-Britani, was killed by another Kurdish force - the Syria-based YPG - while fighting for ISIS in the besieged city of Kobane.

The pair were recently photographed together, with a heavily bearded Al-Sumali looking relaxed and smiling as he strands next to Al-Habashi.

Al-Habashi, from north London, was of Eritrean origin and converted from Christianity to Islam during his teenage years.

He is understood to have travelled from the UK to join the Islamic State in Syria in December 2013.

Shortly after Al-Habashi's death in Kobane, another British national was killed fighting for ISIS in the besieged Syrian city.

Abu Dharda, 20, also known as Abu Dhar Somali, came from a British-Somali background and travelled to Syria via Turkey in December 2013.

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said they were aware of the reports but that it was extremely difficult to get confirmation of deaths of injuries, due to UK consular services being suspended.

Al-Habashi was a well known and popular figure in Islamic State due to his media appearances.

In August, he was interviewed on BBC Newsnight, where he admitted that his family had been trying to persuade him to return home but he had insisted there was 'no going back.'

He confidently says in the interview: 'They say what all parents would say, 'come back you're crazy etc.' But I'm here for the sake of Allah.'

Last Wednesday, the Peshmerga held off a major attack by ISIS forces in the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, officers said.

'They are targeting Kirkuk and they want to control the oil sites,' said Peshmerga Major General Westa Rasul.

The attack began early last Wednesday morning against three villages west of the city of Kirkuk, sparking fighting that lasted for hours, Rasul and two other officers said.

ISIS managed to seize one village, but Kurdish forces backed by air strikes later succeeded in retaking it.

One policeman and five Peshmerga, including a colonel and the son of a Kurdish politician, were killed and 28 wounded in the fighting, officers and a doctor said.

When federal security forces crumbled under the weight of the June offensive, Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region took control of a swathe of disputed northern territory it wants to incorporate against Baghdad's wishes.

But IS turned its attention north in August, driving Kurdish troops back toward their regional capital Arbil and helping spark the US-led air campaign.

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RAF vet, convert to Islam, arrested on suspicion of terror offenses

December 2, 2014, 10:13 am

≫ Next: Muslim 'band of brothers' leaves Britain to join Islamic State terrorists fighting in Syria

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He fought with the RAF. Then he converted to Islam. Now he has been arrested on suspicion of jihad terror activity. Mustafa Gray “converted to Islam after becoming disillusioned with Britain’s conduct during the Iraq War….He claims he saw British and American forces abuse Iraqi prisoners.” So he saw his conversion as a way to switch sides and register his anger with Britain. Yet as far as the British officials he meant to indict are concerned, there is no difference between Islamic values and British ones. For them, Gray’s action is completely incoherent and incomprehensible. No wonder they have no comment.

“RAF Iraq veteran arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences,” by Ben Farmer, the Telegraph, November 28, 2014:

A former RAF Iraq veteran who converted to Islam has been arrested on suspicion of overseas terrorism offences in dawn raids by police officers on Friday morning.Stephen Gray was detained by counter terrorism officers “on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism”.

Mr Gray, who also uses the name Mustafa, was held with two other men in Manchester as part of an investigation police said “centres on activity overseas”, rather than a domestic terror plot.

the 31-year-old, who served in the RAF Regiment a decade ago, had his passport confiscated earlier this year after officials judged he was “involved in Islamist extremist activity”. Officials warned he was “likely to travel overseas in the future in order to engage in terrorism related activity”.

Mr Gray confirmed to the Telegraph that he had been arrested from his home in Old Trafford at 7.30am.

Mr Gray said he served as a senior aircraftman in No 2 Squadron of the RAF Regiment, but left the Armed Forces in 2004 and converted to Islam after becoming disillusioned with Britain’s conduct during the Iraq War. He was stationed at Baghdad Airport soon after the 2003 invasion.

He claims he saw British and American forces abuse Iraqi prisoners at the airport, which was used as a base by allied special forces hunting insurgents and the remnants of Saddam Hussein’s regime. The MoD declined to comment on him or his accusations.

He has since worked in a variety of jobs including as a bricklayer and call centre worker and says he has travelled widely as a tourist in the Middle East. He was questioned at Manchester Airport and had his passport seized this summer after returning from Bulgaria. Police also confiscated £1,000 he was carrying, he said.

At the time he said he was not involved in any terrorism and was being persecuted because he was a Muslim. He said he was travelling to make a series of internet videos to illustrate the difficulties Muslims had being stopped at international borders.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said the arrest had been made following an investigation by the North West Counter Terrorism Unit. He said officers had arrested a 31-year-old, a 50-year-old and a 21-year-old.

The men were “arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism” and remain in police custody…

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Muslim 'band of brothers' leaves Britain to join Islamic State terrorists fighting in Syria

December 2, 2014, 10:20 am

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The four believed to have flown together to Istanbul via Milan in September
It is believed they are the most members of one British family to join IS
Wednesbury pair may have been radicalised by extremist at local mosque

Four members of the same family are suspected forming a real-life British Muslim 'band of brothers' by travelling to Syria together to join the so-called Islamic State insurgency.

Two siblings, aged 17 and 20, from Camden, north London, and their cousins, aged 19 and 22, from Wednesbury, West Midlands, are alleged to have run away from home to join the jihadists.

All four are believed to have flown together from London via Milan to Istanbul, before apparently making their way across the border into Syria, The Sunday Times reports.

Two of the men were named in the paper as Mejanul Islam, 22, and his brother Kamran, 19, brothers from the Black Country.

They and the London pair - who are not named - are said to have travelled in September, just as a U.S.-led coalition of Western and Arab states started bombing Isis positions in Syria.

Scotland Yard began investigating after the brothers from Camden were reported missing by their parents.

Mejanul and Kamran's father, Saydul Islam, a restaurant worker, told Sunday Times reporter Dipesh Ghader his sons vanished after telling him they were off to visit relatives in London.

'We've had no news at all,' the 43-year-old said. 'I don't know where they've gone. We're very worried.'

A member loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) waves an ISIL flag in Raqqa on June 29, 2014

A fighter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) stands guard at checkpoint near the city of Baiji, north of Baghdad June 19, 2014

More militants: All four of the British recruits from one family are believed to have flown together from London via Milan to Istanbul, before apparently making their way across the border into Syria

It is not the first time that sets of siblings have travelled together to Syria to join the Islamist-inspired Sunni insurgency over there.

British medical student Nasser Muthana and his younger brother Aseel, from Cardiff, travelled to Syria over the summer.

Nasser is believed to have since featured in a gruesome video showing the decapitation of Syrian servicemen.

In July Zahra and Salma Halane, both 16, of Chorlton, Manchester, also ran away from home to travel to Syria where they married fighters after being radicalised online, earning them to sobriquet the 'terror twins'.

However, the case of Wednesbury's Islam brothers and their cousins from London is believed to be largest number of fighters from a single British family to travel abroad to join Islamic State.

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Shop ‘not fit for a dog to eat in’

December 2, 2014, 10:25 am

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The owners of a Luton takeaway have been given suspended jail sentences and fined more than £13,000 over food safety and health and safety offences.

Business owners and brothers Majid Hussain of Leagrave Road and Nasar Hussain of Conway Road both pleaded guilty to six hygiene offences and two health and safety offences at the Chicken & Pizza Direct on Bishopcote Road at Luton Magistates court last week.

When Luton Borough Council food and safety officers visited the takeaway in June 2013, they discovered staff working in a kitchen at the rear of the hairdressers shop next door to provide more room in the takeaway.

When checking the kitchen, officers began to feel unwell and found gas appliances operating with little ventilation. Using gas appliances in these conditions can create a build-up of highly dangerous carbon monoxide.

Officers immediately ordered the owners to stop using the gas appliances and sealed the gas tap into the ‘off’ position.

But when they returned next day, the gas supply was turned on again and the appliances being used, so the officers served a Prohibition Notice, and ordered the owners to have it checked by a competent person.

Officers also found the takeaway kitchen in a poor condition and dirty with dried on food splashes and grease around sinks and walls, and sticky deposits on freezer tops and around plug sockets.

Walls were covered in greasy wallpaper and rough plaster which could not be cleaned. Equipment including a colander, pizza cutter, measuring jug, plastic bowls and a strainer were all dirty and greasy. Staff were filling small takeaway pots with garlic mayonnaise out in the open air.

The Court sentenced Majid and Nasar Hussain to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for one year, and ordered them each separately to carry out 100 hours unpaid community work and fines of £4,800 plus a £80 victim surcharge, and Council costs of £773 ie a total fine each of £5,653.

Magistrates commented that by fiddling with the gas supply, the brothers had put people’s lives at risk and flagrantly breached the health and safety law. They also said the kitchen was not fit for a dog to eat in.

Cllr Aslam Khan, portfolio holder for Environmental Health, said: “Bypassing health and safety laws creates a serious risk of injury or even death to employees and customers.

Any businesses ignoring the law, which lays down basic cleanliness and hygiene standards to protect all of us, should expect heavy fines and even a jail sentence.”

For more information on the work of the Council’s Food and Safety team see www.luton.gov.uk/food

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'Wicked' schoolgirl rapist loses appeal against convictions

December 2, 2014, 10:31 am

≫ Next: Lee Rigby's family after Islamic fanatic killer's murder conviction appeal is dismissed in just 45 seconds

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Shazad Rehman who has lost his appeal against his convictions for rape

A KERB-crawling rapist who preyed on vulnerable schoolgirls will stay behind bars after losing an appeal against his convictions.

Uncle and nephew Shazad Rehman, 32, and Bilal Hussain, 25, found the 14-year-old girls walking the streets of Keighley, plied them with drink and drugs and took them to hotels in Bradford and Batley for sex.

In March last year, Rehman was jailed for 18-and-a-half years after he was found guilty of supplying cannabis, three rapes and other sexual assaults.

His accomplice, Hussain got 17-and-a-half years for his part in the series of crimes.

Rehman, of Halifax, continues to claim he is innocent and took his case to the Court of Appeal, where three senior judges rejected his complaints.

Mr Justice Stewart said there was no reason to think the convictions were wrong and that the sentence was richly deserved.

'We have no hesitation in upholding the sentence as one which is not even arguably manifestly excessive,' he said.

The court heard all of the victims were vulnerable and were known to social services.

Rehman was said by one of the witnesses in the case to have referred to them as 'fresh meat'.

His lawyers argued that the crown court judge was wrong to allow the prosecution to adduce 'bad character' evidence.

The evidence was of another occasion when he was said to have approached young girls in the street.

There was also material which suggested he had driven his car into a school grounds during class hours.

The prosecution said it showed a propensity to target youngsters for sex, but his lawyers said it did more harm than was necessary to his defence.

But Mr Justice Stewart, who heard the appeal with Lord Justice Pitchford and Judge Simon Tonking, said the evidence was rightly admitted at the trial.

'These were all matters for the jury to take into account,' he said.

'What cannot be said was that it was unjust to allow in the evidence.

'There is nothing unsafe about the convictions of the applicant.'

Upholding the sentence, he referred to the description of Rehman's actions by the trial Judge Jonathan Rose as "wicked and determined".

He had caused 'incalculable harm' to the girls, the judge concluded.

During the trial it was heard that after Rehman and Hussain, of Leeds, had sexually abused the girls, they gave them a few pounds for a MacDonald's, a KFC, Skittles or crisps and paid for their bus or taxi fare home.

The girls did not tell anyone at the time because they thought they would be labelled "slags" who were "up for it".

Locking them up, Judge Rose told them: "I don't have a shadow of doubt that you caused incalculable psychological harm to your victims."

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Lee Rigby's family after Islamic fanatic killer's murder conviction appeal is dismissed in just 45 seconds

December 3, 2014, 12:05 pm

≫ Next: Five arrests in Wales over leaflets recruiting to jihad and two in London after armed anti-terror police stopped vehicle at Dover on its way out of Britain

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Michael Adebolajo hacked to death Lee Rigby with Michael Adebowale
Judges took 45 seconds to reject Adebolajo's appeal against conviction
His QC said it shouldn't stand because he was 'at war' with Britain
Both murderers also failed in appeals to reduce length of prison sentences
Adebolajo was handed life with no parole, Adebowale given 45 years
Lee Rigby's family and widow were at the High Court for the hearing

Lee Rigby's heartbroken fiancée and estranged wife both sobbed with relief today after one of his Muslim extremist killers had an appeal against his murder conviction thrown out in just 45 seconds.

The soldier's future bride Aimee West said she hoped 'this is the last we will hear from them' as Michael Adebolajo, 29, and Michael Adebowale, 23, also lost appeals against their life sentences for the 'barbaric' murder.

Rebecca Rigby, who was married to the Fusilier and had his son Jack, said the family is 'relieved that this is over and justice has been done'.

Adebolajo ran down the 25-year-old soldier in Woolwich south-east London in May last year before 'butchering him' with his accomplice.

Both had denied murder because they were 'soldiers of Allah' but were found guilty at the Old Bailey last December.

Members of the soldier's family, including his fiancée Aimee and also his estranged wife Rebecca Rigby, broke down as the High Court as their applications were rejected by judges.

Lee Rigby's killers has had his appeal against his murder conviction thrown out in just 45 seconds today.

Adebolajo, 29, ran down the 25-year-old soldier in Woolwich south-east London in May last year before murdering him with accomplice Michael Adebowale, 23.

Quashed: One of Lee Rigby's killers, Michael Adebolajo, right, had his appeal against his conviction thrown out in 45 seconds today

Emotional: Rebecca Rigby, left, broke down as she and Miss West watched Michael Adebowale, who appeared in the High Court via video link

Adebolajo's legal team today claimed he should have his conviction quashed because he was 'at war' with Britain, before also failing to argue his whole life sentence should be reduced.

His application for leave to appeal was rejected by Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas, sitting at the Court of Appeal in London with Lady Justice Hallett and Mr Justice Openshaw.

They spent less than a minute explaining why they would not agree to it, and later called the argument pushed by his QC 'hopelessly misconceived'.

Anyone in Britain who believes they have suffered an injustice when convicted of a crime can make an application to appeal the decision. If accepted a full hearing will be held at the Court of Appeal.

The judges then heard argument on behalf of Adebolajo against a whole-life sentence which condemns him to die behind bars.

Lawyers for his co-accused Michael Adebowale, who was jailed for life with a minimum term of 45 years, were also arguing for a reduction in sentence.

But Lord Thomas said it was 'just' punishment for the 'horrific and barbaric' murder.

Adebowale, who appeared from Broadmoor jail via video link did not react while Adebolajo, who is at HMP Frankland, had refused to appear for the hearing at all.

Members of Fusilier Rigby's family gasped with relief and there were tears as the decision was announced.

After the decision was announced, Fusilier Rigby's fiancee Aimee West said: 'I am relieved and thankful with the outcome of today's hearing.

'I hope that this is the last we will hear from them both, so that I can focus on rebuilding my life and keeping Lee's memory alive.'

Choking back tears, Lee Rigby's estranged wife Rebecca said: 'I would like to thank everyone who made today's verdict possible.

'We are relieved that this is over and justice has been done. I would like to thank everyone for their continued support over the last 18 months and hope I can now build a future for my son Jack and ensure his (Lee's) memory lives on.'

The British-born Muslim converts ran 25-year-old Fusilier Rigby down in a car before hacking him to death with a meat cleaver and knives in a frenzied attack in Woolwich, south London.

They dumped the body of the father-of-one in the middle of the road near Woolwich Barracks in south east London on May 22 last year.

Plot: Adebolajo and Adebowale lay in wait near the barracks and picked Fusilier Rigby to kill after assuming he was a soldier because he was wearing a Help for Heroes hooded top and carrying a camouflage rucksack

Adebolajo and Adebowale lay in wait near the barracks and picked Fusilier Rigby to kill after assuming he was a soldier because he was wearing a Help for Heroes hooded top and carrying a camouflage rucksack.

After driving into him, the killers - who had armed themselves with eight knives, including a meat cleaver and a five-piece set bought by Adebolajo the previous day - butchered him in the street in broad daylight in front of horrified onlookers.

Both men were shot by police in dramatic scenes captured by CCTV.

They claimed they were 'soldiers of Allah' and were motivated by the plight of Muslims abroad to carry out the killing.

Both were convicted of murder at the Old Bailey and sentenced in February.

Explaining his decision to give Adebolajo a whole-life term, trial judge Mr Justice Sweeney said he was the leader of the murderous plot and had 'no real prospect of rehabilitation'.

However, Adebowale's younger age, mental health problems and 'lesser role' meant that he escaped spending the rest of his natural life behind bars.

Whole-life terms came under the spotlight earlier this year when judges at the Court of Appeal ruled that murderers who commit the most 'heinous' of crimes can be sent to prison for the rest of their lives.

Those currently serving whole-life terms in England and Wales include Moors Murderer Ian Brady, who tortured and murdered children along with accomplice Myra Hindley, and serial killer Rosemary West.

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Five arrests in Wales over leaflets recruiting to jihad and two in London after armed anti-terror police stopped vehicle at Dover on its way out of Britain

December 4, 2014, 8:31 am

≫ Next: 'up to 60' British women who rule ISIS's capital by fear: 'Jihadettes' boast of being in merciless 'secret police' that orders executions, punishment lashings, and manage Yazidi sex slave brothels

≪ Previous: Lee Rigby's family after Islamic fanatic killer's murder conviction appeal is dismissed in just 45 seconds

Five men arrested in Barry and Cardiff, south Wales this morning
They are being held in relation to alleged support of banned organisations
They are accused of handing out leaflets outside mosques and schools
Two arrested by anti-terror police in separate raids in south-east London
They are being held while police search five homes in London and Stoke
Two sets of arrests not linked - London raids linked to arrests in Dover

Anti-terror police carried out a wave of raids this morning and arrested five men in south Wales and two men in south-east London.

Five men - aged 19 to 32 - were detained in Barry and Cardiff over the alleged handing out of extremist literature on the streets of the Welsh capital.

In a separate probe, the Metropolitan Police arrested two men - aged 33 and 44 - in an ongoing investigation sparked when a vehicle was stopped in Dover at the weekend.

Police outside a house in Barry, south Wales today. Five men have been arrested in the area over the alleged handing out of extremist literature in Cardiff

Detectives were seen entering and leaving the property in Barry - and two other homes in Cardiff - after a wave of raids across the UK today

Police have been searching homes in Colcot Road, Barry and Paget Street and Kent Street in Cardiff after early-morning raids today.

The men, who have not been named by police, are accused of handing out leaflets outside schools and mosques in a bid to recruit teenagers to the cause of Islamic State (ISIS), the jihadist group terrorising Syria and Iraq.

A neighbour of the three-bedroom home in Paget Street being searched said: 'Officers have been coming in and out all morning carrying stuff.

'There's an Asian family that live there but we've never had any trouble whatsoever.'[lol dont they always say that]

Assistant Chief Constable Nikki Holland, head of counter terrorism in Wales, said: 'We have made these arrests because we want to prevent people from going to Syria.'

She insisted there is no more Islamic extremism in the Welsh capital than anywhere else in the UK, adding: 'The scale of counter terrorism in Wales is minimal compared to the entire UK.

'Cardiff is not a hotbed of terrorism and we have a good relationship with our Muslim community.'

In the south-east London raids, a 33-year-old was arrested on suspicion of being concerning in preparing acts of terrorism.

A 40-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to possess and supply fraudulent documents.

Searches are taking place at five residential addresses; four in south-east London and one in Stoke, as part of investigation which has so far seen eight people detained.

On Sunday, two men were arrested at the Kent port on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism, a 43-year-old and 33-year-old.

Another man, aged 37, was also arrested on suspicion on people trafficking offences and has since been charged.

The following day, Monday, police from the same Counter Terrorism Command unit arrested two men, aged 24 and 40, in east London and another man, aged 28, in Dover.

All three were held on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism.

Following those arrests, searches were carried out at four addresses in east London, one in south London and two in North Wales as part of the investigation.

These searches have now been completed. It is understood that operation is in connection to extremism in Syria.

Cardiff has previous links with extremism after two jihadists from the city - Nasser Muthana (right) and Reyaad Khan (left) - appeared in an ISIS video urging other British Muslims to join them in Syria

The arrests come a day after a teenager from Cardiff was charged with assisting in the preparation of an act of terrorism.

Kaleem Brekke, 18, from Grangetown in Cardiff has appeared in court, along with Forhad Rahman, 20, from Cirencester, Gloucester.

Both appeared in separate hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with assisting in the preparation of an act of terrorism.

Rahman is accused of assisting Aseel Muthana in travelling to Syria in February. He also faces two counts of possessing data on his phone that could assist terrorism.

Aseel Muthana, also from Cardiff, is believed to have travelled to Syria to join his brother, Nasser.

Brekke is also charged with assisting Aseel Muthana travel to Syria. Both he and Rahman were remanded in custody to appear separately at the Old Bailey on December 19.

Cardiff's links to extremism were exposed when Reyaad Khan, 21, and Aseel Muthana's brother, Nasser, 20, appeared in an ISIS recruitment video believed to have been filmed in Syria earlier this year.

↧

'up to 60' British women who rule ISIS's capital by fear: 'Jihadettes' boast of being in merciless 'secret police' that orders executions, punishment lashings, and manage Yazidi sex slave brothels

December 4, 2014, 9:24 am

≫ Next: Seven More Muslims Arrested in Fresh Jihad Raids in the UK -

≪ Previous: Five arrests in Wales over leaflets recruiting to jihad and two in London after armed anti-terror police stopped vehicle at Dover on its way out of Britain

British women boast of heading up ISIS' secret police called the Al-Khansa Brigade in the terror group's Syrian 'capital' of Raqqa
They order executions, beatings, punishment beatings and manage brothels where Yazidi sex slaves are raped daily
Feared because they can spy freely hidden under all-black niqab dresses
They patrol city with guns and daggers hidden under religious robes, beating any women whose veil is made of the wrong material
Brigade includes Aqsa Mahmood, 20, who ran off from Glasgow a year ago
Leader is believed to be a six foot tall woman named Umm Hamza, dubbed 'The Slaughterer', who carries cattle-prod under niqab

Dozens of young British women are using social media to boast of joining the Islamic State's terrifying all-female police force – claiming to be doling out savage beatings, punishment lashings, ordering executions and managing brothels where thousands of Yazidi sex slaves are imprisoned and raped daily after being sold for as little as £27.

Britons including privately-educated Glaswegian Aqsa Mahmood, 20, and Lewisham-born Khadijah Dare, 22, are understood to have joined the Al-Khansa Brigade in ISIS' Syrian de facto capital Raqqa, helping to patrol the city with guns and daggers hidden beneath their religious robes.

The group, which is largely made-up of educated Western women, operates as an ultra-oppressive police force monitoring the behaviour of females in Raqqa - meting out brutal punishments to anyone wearing shoes that aren't black, or those wearing veils made from the wrong material.

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Chilling: Chained Yazidi sex slaves are paraded through the streets of the Islamic State's de facto capital city Raqqa by Al-Khansa Brigade before being taken for sale at market

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Police force: Dozens of Britons are understood to have joined the Al-Khansa Brigade in ISIS' Syrian de facto capital Raqqa, helping to patrol the city with guns and daggers hidden beneath their religious robes

Sick: One woman notorious for the references to the Al Khansa Brigade is British national Umm Farriss, who also calls herself Umm Anwar. She recently mockingly described an encounter with a Yazidi sex slave

Thanks to the head-to-toe niqabs all women living in ISIS-held territory are forced to wear, the Al-Khansa Brigade also acts as a Stasi-esque secret police force - with members covertly spying on men suspected of wrongdoing, before reporting them to ISIS' feared Hisbah religious authority.

Although the figures are impossible to independently verify, the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC) believes as many as 60 British nationals are currently members of Al-Khansa.

Chief among them is 20-year-old Aqsa Mahmood - was reported missing by her parents a year ago before surfacing in Syria in February as an outspoken supporter of the terrorist group.

Adopting the nom de guerre Umm Layth, which translates as 'mother of Layth', Mahmood was studying diagnostic radiography at Glasgow Caledonian University before leaving the West behind.

Shortly after marrying an ISIS fighter in Raqqa, she is understood to have joined the city's Al-Khansa Brigade - helping to carry out the group's shocking oppression of local citizens, particularly women.

Among the rules she helps enforce are the strict requirement that all women are accompanied by a male chaperone, and that they must wear 'acceptable' clothing when in public.

The strict dress code requires all females to wear nothing by black, including their shoes, and cover every inch of their body, including wearing gloves to cover their hands and fingers.

'We have established the brigade to raise awareness of our religion among women, and to punish women who do not abide by the law,' Raqqa-based ISIS official Abu Ahmad revealed in July.

'There are only women in this brigade, and we have given them their own facilities to prevent the mixture of men and women,' he added.

Terror: Chief among the Britons suspected of being members of the Al-Khansa Brigade is 20-year-old Aqsa Mahmood. She was reported missing by her parents a year ago before surfacing in Syria in February

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Terror: Chief among the Britons suspected of being members of the Al-Khansa Brigade is 20-year-old Aqsa Mahmood. She was reported missing by her parents a year ago before surfacing in Syria in February

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Everyday life: Adopting the nom de guerre Umm Layth, which translates as 'mother of Layth', Mahmood's former Twitter profile picture appeared to show members of the Al-Khansa Brigade in Raqqa

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Shocking: Earlier this year Aqsa Mahmood posted this photograph of her holding the severed head of a Syrian man executed for criminal acts in Syria. She was standing alongside young children at the time

The Al-Khansa Brigade takes its name from a 7th Century poet and contemporary of the Prophet Mohammad whose four sons all died at the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah.

Literally translated from classical Arabic, the name Al-Khansa reportedly means 'mother of many martyrs'.

Members of the Al-Khansa Brigade are reportedly paid a monthly salary of £100 and, thanks to them wearing full niqabs covering every inch of skin, operate quite literally under cover.

Not being able to identify who is an ordinary citizen and who is a member of the secret police force has made Al-Khansa one of the most effective elements of ISIS campaign of brutal oppression inside its de facto capital city Raqqa.

In September Abu Ibrahim Raqqawi, a member of the city's anti-ISIS activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, told VICE News: 'The most difficult thing for us, is the Al-Khansa Brigade...I don't know who's from Al-Khansa and who isn't.

So when I get out my cell phone and I am taking photos of the city I don't know if any of them are looking at me or not.'

'If you are taking photos and one of the women from Al-Khansa is looking at you, they will catch you immediately, and you'll be executed immediately. This is a big problem for us,' he added.

Abu Ibrahim described how the majority of women in Al-Khansa are foreigners 'from the UK, from the U.S, Dutch, Chechen.' He added that even though many of them can only speak a few words of Arabic, their reputation is such that men and women alike fear their presence.

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Another Briton believed to be involved with the Al Khansa Brigade is Lewisham-born Khadijah Dare. Here she is pictured alongside her Swedish terrorist husband Abu Bakr. Their marriage was arranged by his mother

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Grim: Two years ago, Dare (pictured left alongside a female jihadi friend named Umm Haditha) left her 'comfortable life' in Britain, where she was known for her dimples and her love of her mother's home cooking

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'Terror twins': Zahra (left) and Salma (right) Halane, who have 28 GCSE's between them, are also believed to have been joined the Al Khansa. The 16-year-olds ran away from their Manchester home on 26 June

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Inside the Islamic State: The leader of Al-Khansa is believed to be a six foot tall woman named Umm Hamza, who carries a gun, electric cattle-prod and daggers beneath her religious gowns

Another Briton believed to be involved with the Al Khansa Brigade is Lewisham-born Khadijah Dare.

Two years ago, Dare swapped her 'comfortable life' in Britain, where she was known for her dimples and her love of her mother's home cooking, for the horror of Syria.

Now, after appearing in an ISIS recruitment video calling on British Muslims to 'stop being selfish' and give up their families and studies to join the front line in the Middle East, Dare - a pseudonym - is said to be top of MI6's list.

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This morning a woman calling herself Umm Waqqas described the Al Khansa Brigade as 'police women'

A security source said: 'Her notoriety has evolved so rapidly that she has achieved a celebrity-like status among jihadists fighting in Syria and those who are thinking of travelling abroad to join ISIS.

Following the sickening murder of James Foley by the militant known as Jihadi John earlier this year, Dare took to Twitter to celebrate the killing.

She later confessed her desire to become the first woman to behead a Western hostage in one of ISIS' infamous filmed executions.

Other Britions believed to have been joined the Al Khansa Brigade include the Manchester-born 'terror twins' Zahra and Salma Halane, who have 28 GCSE's between them.

The 16-year-olds left their Manchester home on 26 June to join the conflict, were split up upon arrival, and subsequently sent off to different parts of Syria to marry Islamic State fighters.

At least one of them is now understood to be in Raqqa and reportedly working for Al Khansa.

Earlier this month it emerged that the girls' Somali-born father Ibrahim, 52, and mother Khadra Jama, 45, travelled to Syria to try and rescue their daughters.

Their mother was temporarily held captive by ISIS during the visit and when she eventually did get to meet with one of the girls who simply told her she did not want to return to Britain as she had been chosen by Allah to fight for the Islamic State.

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A picture tweeted by Aqsa Mahmood, who goes by the name of @UmmLayt, purports to show her posing alongside women using the nom de guerre's Umm Haritha, and Umm Ubaydah in the Syrian city of Raqqa

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Another woman notorious for references to the Al Khansa Brigade is British national Umm Farriss (pictured), who also calls herself Umm Anwar. She uploaded this photograph of herself to Twitter earlier this year

The true identity of several other women connected with the secret police force is not known, but at least two other women claiming to be Britons have made insider reference to Al Khansa.

On Wednesday morning, a woman calling herself Umm Waqqas described the group as 'police women'.

She said they 'roam the streets with their abayas (black cloaks), niqabs and kalashs (assault rifles).'

Another woman notorious for the references to the Al Khansa Brigade is British national Umm Farriss, who also calls herself Umm Anwar.

Earlier this year she described a chilling encounter with a Yazidi 'slave girl'. Umm Farriss claims she entered a building in the city of Raqqa and greeted the entire room.

She then described in sickeningly mocking tones how the abused Yazidi woman offered a 'salam' (hello) in response.

Although her Western identity has not yet been established, Umm Farris is believed to have arrived in Syria in February and is known to have posted photographs of her posing with a suicide bomb belt on Twitter before her account was eventually disabled.

Such bravado is not uncommon among young ISIS sympathisers active on Twitter. Some doubt the truth behind their bold claims.

Charlie Winter, programs officer at the think tank Quilliam told MailOnline: 'A lot of the young women out there talk up their role. A lot of them exaggerate the amount on knowledge they are party to.'

'It's all about projecting and exaggerating and that's reflective of the wider Islamic State media operation.

There are a lot of people in Syria who claim they are senior than they are, more central to Islamic State operations than they are simply because they are trying to justify why they're there.'

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The Al Khansa Brigade which is largely made-up of educated Western women, operates as an ultra-oppressive police force monitoring the behaviour of females in Raqqa - doling out brutal punishments to anyone wearing shoes that aren't black, or those wearing veils made from the wrong material

The true identity of several other women connected with the secret police force is not known, but at least two other women claiming to be Britons have made insider reference to Al Khansa. This morning a woman calling herself Umm Waqqas described the group as 'police women'

Threat: Umm Waqqa added that Al Khan 'roam the streets with their 'niqabs and kalashs (assault rifles)'

The leader of Al-Khansa is believed to be a six foot tall woman named Umm Hamza, who carries a gun, electric cattle-prod and daggers beneath her religious gowns.

Nicknamed 'The Slaughterer', Umm Hamza is understood to have previously been responsible for carrying out lashings and other punishments at Raqqa's women's prison.

Umm Hamza's brutality is said to be notorious throughout the city and her imposing physical presence makes her unmistakable, even though she is never seen in public without her niqab.

Witnesses say she arrived in Raqqa in late 2013 wearing the sort of Niqab popular in Pakistan.

Speaking of Umm Hamza last month, a 25-year-old woman called 'Khadija' who managed to escape ISIS-held Raqqa told CNN: 'She's not a normal female. She's huge, she has an AK, a pistol, a whip, a dagger and she wears the niqab.'

THE PRICE OF HUMAN MISERY - THE FULL ISIS PRICE LIST FOR SLAVES

A woman aged 40 to 50 - 50,000 dinars (£27)

A woman aged 30 to 40 - 75,000 dinars (£40)

A woman aged 20 to 30 - 100,000 dinars (£53)

A girl, aged 10 to 20 - 150,000 dinars (£80)

A child under nine - 200,000 dinars (£106)

Such was Khadija's visible fear that another commander Umm Rayan later sought her out to tell her not to be afraid and that: 'We are harsh with the infidels, but merciful among ourselves.'

ISIS has attempted to justify the keeping of sex slaves by claiming that members of the Yazidi religion are devil worshippers - making them worse than so-called 'people of the book' such as Christians and Jews, who can escape imprisonment by paying a monthly tax known as jizyah.

Captured Yazidis - whose belief system mixes elements from a range of religions and whose central figure of worship is a 'Peacock Angel' - are not able to pay their way out of jail, however.

Men and boys are told to convert to Islam or face immediate death, while women and children are often transported to Raqqa, where the Al-Khansa Brigade force them into sex slavery.

Earlier this month a chilling document emerged purporting to show the 'price list' for sex slaves.

According to the document, obtained by website Iraqinews.com, just £27 will fetch a Yazidi or Christian woman aged between 40 and 50.

Chillingly, a child between one and nine will fetch four times that.

The document also states that the slavery market has recently taken a downturn, hitting ISIS' war chest.

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Armed and dangerous: Members of the Al-Khansa Brigade are reportedly paid a monthly salary of £100 and, thanks to them wearing full niqabs covering every inch of skin, operate quite literally under cover

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Guns and children: In September a Syrian woman agreed to carry a hidden camera to film daily life in Raqqa. Her footage shows several gun-wielding French women who had left their home country to join ISIS

One of the most shocking duties reportedly carried out by the Al Khansa Brigade is the management of brothels frequented by male Islamic State fighters in Syria.

The women and children held in these prisons and raped by terrorists several times a day are members of the Yazidi religion.

As many as 5,000 Yazidi women and children are believed to have been taken captive in Iraq - the majority of them captured during the Mount Sinjar massacre in early August

↧

Seven More Muslims Arrested in Fresh Jihad Raids in the UK -

December 5, 2014, 11:38 am

≫ Next: Youth club leader who lived Walter Mitty lifestyle and became first Briton to be prosecuted for joining ISIS in Syria is jailed for four years

≪ Previous: 'up to 60' British women who rule ISIS's capital by fear: 'Jihadettes' boast of being in merciless 'secret police' that orders executions, punishment lashings, and manage Yazidi sex slave brothels

A few days back, a Muslim “band of brothers” left Britain to join Islamic State terrorists fighting in Syria. The four were believed to have flown together to Istanbul via Milan. They were “radicalised” at their local mosque which is why mosques must be monitored.

Tens of thousands of Muslims from the UK, Europe, US, Canada, Australia, China, Africa, etc. are flocking to the Middle East to wage holy war in the cause of Islam. How did this “misunderstanding” of Islam become so widespread? Perhaps because it is a true understanding. And while Muslims in the US condemn the Islamic State, where are they teaching against the ideology that gave rise to it?   Right now, nothing is being done to stop jihad recruiting in US mosques.

The charge of “Islamophobia” is used to intimidate people into thinking there is something wrong with opposing jihad violence.  The Muslim groups that complain most loudly about “Islamophobia,” like Hamas-tied CAIR, have opposed every counter-terror program that has ever been proposed or implemented.

“Seven terror suspects arrested in fresh raids

Five men in south Wales and two in south east London are detained in the latest terror raids,” By Martin Evans, and Tom Whitehead, December 4, 2014 The Telegraph, December 4, 2014

Scotland Yard. Photo: AP
Seven men have been arrested on suspicion of terror offences in a series of early morning raids across Britain.
The first arrests came when two men were detained in south-east London by Scotland Yard counter-terrorism officers.
A 33-year-old man and a 40-year-old man were arrested at separate residential addresses and are being held at a central London police station for questioning.
In an unconnected operation five men were arrested in south Wales in relation to the alleged support of banned organisations.
South Wales Police said the group had been arrested at addresses in Cardiff and Barry.
Related Articles
Aseel Muthana, pictured here for the first time, is, at the age of 17, believed to be the youngest Briton so far to join Islamist terror networks operating in Syria and Iraq

The two men detained in London are alleged associates of the hate preacher Anjem Choudary and their detention is part of an ongoing investigation in to suspected jihadists trying to travel to Syria.
Two men were arrested after being discovered in the back of a lorry in Dover on Sunday hiding among a group of illegal immigrants. A third man was detained at the port a few hours later and two others were held in London.
One of those found in the lorry was another associate of Mr Choudary and was one of nine man, including the preacher, who were arrested in September as part of an investigation into Islamist terrorism.
All nine were held on suspicion of being members of, or supporting, a banned organisation – Al-Muhajiroun – and were later released on police bail.
Another of that group, Siddhartha Dhar, skipped bail and escaped to Syria to join Isil within 24 hours of being released.
Dhar, also known as Abu Rumaysah, took to Twitter last week to mock British security arrangements that allowed him to slip out of the country.
The 31-year-old, who was a lieutenant of the hate preacher Anjem Choudary, also boasted having a child under the Islamic State and posted images of himself hold the infant and an automatic weapon.
He claimed to now be a “citizen of the Islamic State”, adding: “What a shoddy security system Britain must have to allow me to breeze through Europe to the Islamic State.”
He said he had “made a mockery of British intelligence and surveillance”.
The latest two men arrested are suspected of trying to help others to travel to Syria.
In Wales, the five men were arrested on suspicion of supporting a banned organisation.
They are unconnected to the London raids and also unconnected to a separate investigation in to three young Cardiff men who went to Syria earlier this year, two of who later appeared in an Isil recruitment video.
South Wales Police Assistant Chief Constable, Nikki Holland said: “South Wales Police is proud to have strong links with our local communities and their cooperation is vital to make sure that we tackle radicalisation and extremism effectively together.
“I recognise the recent media coverage has raised very real concerns but I would like to thank and reassure the public that the links we have with our various religious communities remain strong and constructive.
“Following on from Counter Terrorism Awareness Week last week, which encouraged the public and businesses to be vigilant; I would like to ask once again for your cooperation and ask that you contact us if you know or suspect something. We will deal with information passed to us carefully and respond sensitively and proportionately.”

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Youth club leader who lived Walter Mitty lifestyle and became first Briton to be prosecuted for joining ISIS in Syria is jailed for four years

December 5, 2014, 11:47 am

≫ Next: UK Pubs crisis: ‘Teetotal Muslims to blame’

≪ Previous: Seven More Muslims Arrested in Fresh Jihad Raids in the UK -

Youth club leader is the first Briton to be prosecuted for travelling to Syria
Mashudur Choudhury only one of gang to return after attempt to join ISIS
But he returned to Britain after just 18 days after failing selection process
Court heard he planned to move family to Syria but wife thought it 'barmy'
Has been ubbed Walter Mitty after lying to wife about having cancer
Borrowed £35,000 for 'treatment' but spent it on prostitutes and holidays
In May found guilty of preparing acts of terrorism and has now been jailed

Mashudur Choudhury, the first Briton to be prosecuted for joining ISIS, has today been jailed for four years for preparing acts of terrorism

A youth club leader who was described as 'living a Walter Mitty lifestyle' and is the first Briton to be prosecuted for travelling to Syria to join ISIS has been jailed for four years.

Father-of-two Mashudur Choudhury, 31, is the only one of a group of six young men from Portsmouth to have returned after joining the brutal terror group.

All but one of those who stayed has since been killed in the fighting - but Choudhury was apparently sent back after failing the selection process.

Sentencing him at Kingston Crown Court, Judge Paul Dodgson said Choudhury had encouraged a large number of other young men to follow in his footsteps.

Speaking at Kingston Crown Court in South West London, the judge said: 'Whatever the motivation, anybody who prepares to fight for a political or ideological cause in another country must be in no doubt that they commit a serious offence.

'I have no doubt that when you embarked on this trip you and your companions hoped that your actions would encourage others to take the same journey.

'That has indeed occurred with the disastrous consequences we, and so many young men's families, now live with.'

The judge said that Choudhury had been 'living a lie' having cultivated an image of himself as a 'teacher or scholar' and projected an image to the younger members of the group of 'being some sort of elder who could advise and guide them.'

'I believe in your imagination you saw yourself as some sort of leader and potential hero,' the judge said, before adding that when Choudhury got to the camp 'you were either deemed unsuitable or that when your fantasises collided with the harsh realities of the fighting in Syria, you lost the will to remain there.'

The judge said that while Choudhury was not the leader of the group, 'There is no doubt in my mind that you, as the older man, encouraged them to remain committed to their plan and in due course you were even suggesting routes for them.'

He said that Choudhury even had an 'absurd' plan to move his wife and two young children to Syria, but his wife thought it was 'barmy'.

The Muslim community in Portsmouth blamed Choudhury, a father of two young children who ran a local youth group, for encouraging the others to leave and alerted the police.

Choudhury was arrested when he returned to Gatwick after 18 days abroad in October last year and at first claimed he had been doing aid work.

When he eventually admitted that he had met fighters, he said he was made to do the cooking and washing and had to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to children.

But during the trial even his own barrister said he was 'soaked in lies' as it emerged that he had been living a Walter Mitty lifestyle.

He had lied to his wife about having cancer, borrowed more than£35,000 from relatives for treatment and spent the money on prostitutes and foreign holidays.

He was found guilty in May of preparing acts of terrorism but there was a delay in sentencing pending a decision on another case from the Court of Appeal.

On October 8 last year, Choudhury's friend, Hamidur Rahman, a worker in Primark in Portsmouth, made a booking for himself and four others to fly from London Gatwick to Antalya, Turkey.

CCTV at Fratton Station in Portsmouth showed Rahman along with Mamunur Roshid and Assad Uzzaman boarding a train at 4.34am.

Choudhury set off by car to secretly join them at Gatwick airport where they checked into flight TCX1712 along with a fifth man, Mehdi Hassan, who had arrived by train separately.

They were heading to Syria to meet up with Ifitkhar Jaman, who had become something of a social media celebrity after Tweeting about the 'five star jihad' and appearing on BBC Newsnight.

Jaman was the first of the group to be killed in fighting in December last year. Hamidur was killed in August, and Roshid and Hassan were killed in a US airstrike on Kobane in October, leaving only Uzzaman alive.

It not believed any of them died fighting the forces of the Assad regime.

Choudhury lied to his family and told them he had cancer - and then spent the money they gave him for treatment on holidays abroad and prostitutes

Choudhury had proposed calling the group the 'Britani Brigade Bangladeshi Bad Boys'– until one of them pointed out the title was too long.

Their departure prompted anger at Choudhury from his local mosque and an anonymous letter was sent to Hampshire police, sources say.

In Portsmouth, Choudhury ran the Muslim Youth Project and worked as a racial awareness officer for the city council where he was asked to run part of the local Prevent programme to counter violent extremism.

He lasted less than two years in the job and then gave it up to buy a café near his local mosque in Portsmouth, borrowing £17,000 from his wife's sister, but the business failed.

Despite his financial difficulties Choudhury bought a £17,000 Audi A6 on hire purchase and made three trips to Marrakesh in Morocco with friends, telling his wife he was on a business trip.

He set himself up as a 'life coach' claiming he had 'trained and coached Muslim and non-Muslim professionals on personal development' and giving false examples of his work.

As part of the pretence, he set up a company called UnlimitedU Success Limited and wrote a blog explaining how Islam had helped him overcome cancer.

He also used Twitter to encourage young Muslims to move to a Muslim country and fight jihad. His activity even involved setting up a false Twitter account so that he could re-Tweet messages that backed his views.

Alison Morgan, prosecuting, said Choudhury was 'leaving the shame of the life he had behind him to fight and become a martyr and make something of himself.'

Police were able to access Choudary's Twitter and WhatsApp internet messages which exposed his wife's annoyance at his desire to go and fight abroad.

In one message his wife told him: 'Your treatment of me, I just want to die. I hate your attitude. May you die. I hate you…You want to die in battlefield, go die.

I really mean it, just go. I'll be relieved at last.'

In May 2010, Choudhury's wife, who worked for Portsmouth City Council as a tenancy support officer, came home from work to find him lying in bed.

'She came upstairs and pulled the duvet off and I had been emotional at the time, I had been crying, at that time, I don't know what came into my head, but I told my wife I was diagnosed with cancer.'

His wife's mother had died a few days earlier from cancer.

Muhammad Hamidur Rahman (pictured left) and Ifthekar Jaman (right) both from Portsmouth, were part of Choudhury's group who travelled to Syria in October last year to fight for ISIS - both died in the fighting

'She burst into tears. I tried to calm her down and say, 'I'm fine, nothing's going to happen, I'm taking treatment,' he said.

He had heard about a treatment in Singapore and added: 'I told my wife I wanted to go to Singapore. I just had a lot of pressure building up inside of me and I wanted to get away, I felt a failure in regards to the business.'

Choudhury borrowed £8,000 from his wife's sister and another £27,000 from his own family and friends to pay for three trips to Singapore, texting back home with updates about fake operations.

In Singapore, he claimed he went to a hospital for an appointment but never returned for tests and spent most of his time in Starbucks.

When he arrived back in Britain, he told his wife he had an 'internal operation, one that wouldn't leave a scar.'

He posed as a businessman called Ali Montana in Singapore and spent hundreds of pounds seeking 'female company.'

On his return to Portsmouth he sent a series of explicit emails to an escort agency 'arranging sexual services,' Kingston Crown Court heard.

Choudhury said he was 'utterly ashamed and embarrassed. I degraded myself to a level I never thought I would go.'

Last October four friends were planning to emmigrate to Syria 'to help people and give aid,' Choudhury said.

He said he thought it was a 'noble thing' and eventually decided to join them.

Choudhury said he 'just wanted to get away' and have a 'fresh start, a clean slate' and to 'start a new life.'

'That's why I wanted to go to Syria,' he said. 'To leave behind the lies and deceit and the debts.'

But in a series of Tweets on September 16 and 17, he wrote: 'Leaving wife & kids behind for Jihad feesabilillah [in the cause of Allah] becomes easy if the belief of Akhirah [hereafter] is sincerely accepted…All my life I strived to be something, someone, but isn't being a Muslim something, someone.

'Isn't being a Muslim the best thing ever?... The life of this world is nothing but a sweet poison that quenches the thirst of desire and drags the ungrateful soul deeper into Hell!'

Choudhury's wife only found out about his lies when the trial opened.

She gave evidence for the defence, saying: 'These messages, he's absolutely barmy, he's gone mad, he says things like this out of the blue, it's ridiculous, ridiculous...It p***es me off so much.'

The judge said that Choudhury's wife, Toslima Akhtar, 34, 'would have a lot to forgive' but Hossein Zahir, defending, said the relationship was 'strained but maybe now on the mend.'

Ifitkhar Jaman's two brothers Tuhin, 26, and Mustakim, 23 face charges of trying to travel to Syria for terrorism.

↧

UK Pubs crisis: ‘Teetotal Muslims to blame’

December 5, 2014, 11:50 am

≫ Next: Harley Street doctor, 34, killed himself by jumping from his penthouse flat after court hears his Muslim mother told him to cure himself of being gay when he told her he was engaged to a man

≪ Previous: Youth club leader who lived Walter Mitty lifestyle and became first Briton to be prosecuted for joining ISIS in Syria is jailed for four years

The Bromford pub on Bromford Road, Birmingham

A former boss of Midland brewer Marston’s has blamed Britain’s growing Muslim population for the collapse in pub numbers.

Tory peer Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts made the claim in a debate on whether to grant more freedom to landlords tied to big firms.

He said “socio-economic factors” such as a growing number of teetotal Muslims living in Britain, played a much bigger role in the decline in pubs than “rapacious” chains.

As Robin Hodgson, the politician was MP for Walsall North for three years until he lost the seat at the 1979 general election.

He joined the Lords in 2000 and was a director of Wolverhampton-based Marston’s from 2002.

MPs voted through a cross-party amendment to the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill, which would allow tenants to opt out of being required to sell only alcohol provided by their pub company.

Business minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe said the Government would accept the principle of the amendment and seek to make it workable.

But Lord Hodgson said he was “very disappointed” the Government was not going to consider overturning the Commons defeat.

The Tory peer said the issue was not as “simple and straightforward” as MPs thought and the pub sector was “under serious strain” for other reasons.

Referring to his career at Marston’s, he said: “Twenty-five years ago, the company of which I was a director would have operated probably a dozen pubs in Kidderminster, the home of the carpet trade.

“The carpet trade has gone and there are three pubs left.

“In areas of Nottingham, Leicester, Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham the increase in the Muslim population who don’t drink leads to many pub closures.

“It is exceptionally hard for a publican who has put ten years of his life into trying to build up a business to accept the inevitability of these tides of history.”

Lord Hodgson said the issue was one of the three main reasons pubs were going out of business, along with the “inexorable rise of regulation” and the availability of cheap alcohol in supermarkets.

He added: “The reasons for closure may be portrayed as rapacious owners increasing rent wishing to profit by turning pubs into houses or corner stores, but the tide is running against the ordinary pub.”

Lord Hodgson said there was a danger companies would not invest in improving pubs if landlords could opt out of tied arrangements.

“No pub owner is going to invest many thousands of pounds, hundreds of thousands of pounds in some cases, if the tenant can then walk away from supplier agreements,” he said.

He said removing the tie would remove the “ladder” by which many people could become self-employed landlords.

↧

Harley Street doctor, 34, killed himself by jumping from his penthouse flat after court hears his Muslim mother told him to cure himself of being gay when he told her he was engaged to a man

December 5, 2014, 11:54 am

≫ Next: Headteacher at 'Trojan horse plot' school claims he was pushed out by Muslim governors for giving children British values

≪ Previous: UK Pubs crisis: ‘Teetotal Muslims to blame’

Nazim Mahmood fell four storeys from London flat in front of passers-by
He hid his sexuality from Muslim family in fear they wouldn't accept it
Inquest heard he decided to tell his mother he was in 13 year relationship
Days later the doctor, who ran Face Clinic London, was found dead
His fiancé told court his mother suggested he should see a psychiatrist
Matthew Ogston wept in court as he described him as his 'soulmate'
Coroner Mary Hassell ruled that Dr Mahmood took his own life on July 30

Doctor Nazim Mahmood, 34, fell to his death from a penthouse in West Hampstead, London

A Harley Street doctor killed himself by jumping from his penthouse flat after his Muslim mother told him to cure himself of being gay when he told her he was engaged to a man, an inquest heard.

Nazim Mahmood, 34, was seen standing alone on the balcony of his £700,000 apartment in West Hampstead, London, before falling four storeys in front of shocked passers-by.

An inquest heard Dr Mahmood had hid his sexuality from his Muslim family in fear that they would refuse to accept it on religious and cultural grounds, it has been reported.

But he decided to tell his mother he was gay and in a 13-year relationship with with his fiancé Matthew Ogston in July, according to the Evening Standard.

He had returned to the family home in Birmingham to celebrate Eid but days later Dr Mahmood, who ran Face Clinic London which provides wrinkle treatments like Botox, was found dead.

Long-term partner, Mr Ogston, told the inquest yesterday: 'She had suggested to him he needed to see a psychiatrist to see if he could be cured. Together I think they agreed they would get through it.'

He wept in court as he described Dr Mahmood as his 'soulmate' and said his fiancé had given no indication that he had intentions of killing himself.

'He always wanted to help other people, always put other people first and wanted to care for people. He was quite simply the most amazing man I'll ever meet in my whole life,' he added.

She said: 'It seems incredible that a young man with so much going for him could have taken his own life. But what I've heard is that he had one great sadness which was the difficulty his family had in accepting his sexuality.'

Dr Mahmood graduated from the University of Birmingham medical school in 2003 and moved to London a year later.

PLASTIC SURGERY CLINIC THAT MADE DOCTOR'S FORTUNE

Dr Mahmood was one of the doctors behind Face Clinics, a chain offering treatments in three locations across London.

The clinics, which employed five specialists, offer treatments including Botox, skin fillers, exfoliation, sweat treatments and semi-permanent makeup.

Prices for Botox treatments begin at £200, with cheaper procedures from £75 and offers for going with friends.

Earlier this week the chain posted a message online enticing customers to mimic the look of model Cara Delevigne by indulging in a semi-permanent eyebrow treatment.

Customers writing on the site named Dr Mahmood as part of the 'friendly and inviting' clinic who 'put me at ease' before a Botox treatment.

He worked in a number of teaching hospitals in different specialities including, accident and emergency, HIV medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology and paediatrics, before completing his specialist training as a GP.

In 2009 he founded Face Clinic London with a colleague, Dr Anita Kapoor, and was due to unveil another new clinic just yards from his home after success with his Soho and Harley Street clinics.

Dr Mahmood fell naked from the building at about 5.35pm on July 30 this year, in front of shocked passers-by, including children.

A passing doctor attempted to resuscitate him but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

After the fall, Dr Mahmood was left covered in just a blanket - in front of the mansion block and a busy Barclays Bank - for more than three hours.

Police said at the time there were no police tents available to 'shield the body' and apologised for any distress caused.

Mr Ogston is planning to start a foundation in his partner’s name, according to Pink News.

↧

Headteacher at 'Trojan horse plot' school claims he was pushed out by Muslim governors for giving children British values

December 8, 2014, 7:17 am

≫ Next: Three charged with fraud after fake identity documents are seized in east London anti-terror raids

≪ Previous: Harley Street doctor, 34, killed himself by jumping from his penthouse flat after court hears his Muslim mother told him to cure himself of being gay when he told her he was engaged to a man

Balwant Bains says he had to leave Saltley School because of harassment
School was later was put in special measures over 'Trojan Horse' scandal
Sikh Mr Bains claims Muslim governors had plotted to force him out
'I suppose I was a threat, giving these children more British values, for them to be integrated into society,' he said
Former chair of governors denies claims there was any 'agenda' at school

Conspiracy: Balwant Bains says he was forced out from his school because he wanted to instil British values in students

A Sikh headteacher who ran a school at the centre of an alleged 'Trojan Horse' plot said today he was forced out because he was 'giving children British values'.

Balwant Bains claims he had to leave Saltley School in Birmingham after suffering a campaign of 'emotional harassment' spearheaded by Muslim governors.

Mr Bains, who was put on gardening leave and then decided to quit, opposed plans by Muslim governors to scrap sex education lessons and introduce only Halal meat, from animals killed in line with the Koran's teachings, for school meals.

The headteacher, which helped his school get record GCSE results in 2013, says he was accused of Islamophobia and racism after he tried to discipline a Muslim pupil who threatened other students with a knife.

Speaking for the first time about his treatment Mr Bains said: 'I suppose I was a threat, giving these children more British values, for them to be integrated into society.

'It made me value education more, and because it is free in this country. I lifted myself out of poverty because of education. If I could do it, if I could break the cycle, other children could, too.'

He told the New York Times that if nothing changes after the Trojan Horse scandal 'then it means anyone can just go in and destroy a school and get away with it.'

Mr Bains claims the chair of governors tried to undermine him after they fell out over the running of the school.

He claims every day for three months he had to justify his decisions, including mundane queries about why students had to walk on the right hand side of corridors and not the left.

He then put together a 300-page document explaining all other decisions, including his assembly messages and work on the school website.

Problems heightened when he expelled a Muslim boy for threatening other children with a knife.

But governors then reinstated the boy against the wishes of the head and Birmingham City Council.

He then did not suspend a white student over a weapon, and then a campaign calling for protests against his management was launched, where he was called 'racist' and Islamophobic.

A text, announcing a demonstration outside the school was sread around the local mosque and said: 'Racist headteacher! Racist white staff! He suspends Muslim pupils and doesn't suspend non-Muslims. He suspends not-guilty Muslim teachers and doesn't suspend guilty non-Muslim teachers.

'Are you going to let this racist Islamaphobic (sic) headteacher, Balwant Bains, get away with it? If you believe in justice and that everyone should be treated equally, join the demonstration.'

A few weeks after the demonstration in October last year, Mr Bains, of Sikh origin, was sent on 'gardening leave'.

Five non-Muslim governors at Saltley then resigned, leaving 12 of the 14 governors Muslim.

Governors asked the local council to investigate him. Eventually he reluctantly agreed to leave the school.

Soon after, a Muslim teacher was put in his place, who Mr Bains described as ‘the man they wanted two years ago’.

A report by Ofsted into the crisis at the school and the attitude of the head concluded that Mr Bains had a 'dysfunctional' relationship with the governors.

Dr Mohammed Khan, who was chair of governors at the school until he resigned, said there was 'no conspiracy' to force out the headteacher.

He said: 'We interviewed a number of candidates for the headteacher's job and the panel, which was mainly Muslim, appointed him over other people. If there was an agenda that wouldn't have happened'.

↧

Three charged with fraud after fake identity documents are seized in east London anti-terror raids

December 8, 2014, 7:20 am

≫ Next: Lord Mayor walks out of Islamic charity lunch after his lady consort was told she had to sit downstairs at the event

≪ Previous: Headteacher at 'Trojan horse plot' school claims he was pushed out by Muslim governors for giving children British values

A woman and two men will appear in court after terror arrests in London
They were charged with fraud and possession of false identity documents
Valentina Miu, Tayyab Al-Riaz, and Muhammad Saleem were charged
Charges follow counter terrorism raids across the country this week

Three people have been charged with fraud and after false identity documents were seized during terror arrests in east London.

Tayyab Al-Riaz, 33, and Valentina Miu, 30, both from East Ham in east London, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today after their arrests on Saturday.

Muhammad Saleem, 28, from Abbey Wood, south east London, will also appear in court charged with possessing or controlling an article for use in fraud.

Al-Riaz was charged with possession of false identity documents with improper intent as well as a count of possession of articles for use in fraud.

Miu was charged with possession of articles for use in fraud, as well as an offence under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The charges follow a series of counter terrorism raids across the country over the past week.

Dawn raids in London on Thursday saw a 33-year-old man arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism and a 40-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to possess and supply fraudulent documents.

The 33-year-old remains in custody at a central London police station after detectives were given an extension to question him until Thursday.

Searches taking place at four residential addresses in south-east London and one in Stoke, in connection with these arrests, have now concluded, the Metropolitan Police said.

The 40-year-old was bailed until January.

Meanwhile, officers questioning five men arrested in connection with a sting at Dover on November 30 have until Sunday to question them.

Two men aged 33 and 43 were detained in Dover at 11:30pm after counter terror officers, with support from armed police and Kent Police, stopped a car from leaving the country at the port. .

A 28-year-old man was arrested in the same area last Monday morning, while, under the same operation, two men aged 24 and 40 were arrested on the same day in east London.

↧

Lord Mayor walks out of Islamic charity lunch after his lady consort was told she had to sit downstairs at the event

December 8, 2014, 7:25 am

≫ Next: 'Asian', aka paki bastard scumbag, batters 51 year old woman, continues kicking her when she's on the ground. Bet he feels like a real hard man.

≪ Previous: Three charged with fraud after fake identity documents are seized in east London anti-terror raids

Lord Mayor John Thomas was said to be upset at being segregated
He walked out of the Islamic charity lunch before it had even started
A source said he had 'insulted' other guests by walking out early
Lunch was to mark the end of charity week, in which £730k was raised
Councillor Thomas has been on the Leicester City Council since 1995

Lord Mayor John Thomas (pictured) was said to be upset at being told he would have to dine separately from his female consort

A Lord Mayor walked out of an Islamic charity lunch after discovering that he would have to be segregated from his female consort.

Labour councillor John Thomas, 70, arrived at the function last Sunday with consort Margaret Corley, 72.

But Councillor Thomas, the Lord Mayor of Leicester, was said to be upset at being told he would have to dine in an upstairs function room with male guests, while his consort would be seated downstairs with the other women.

The lunch was held to mark the end of Charity Week – an annual fundraising event supported by around 20 university Islamic societies in the UK, and others in Canada and Qatar.

It took place at a wedding and conference venue near Leicester railway station.

Guests at the event, who paid £6 a ticket, were told that the week of fundraising to help orphaned and disadvantaged children raised £730,000.

But Councillor Thomas seemed to be in no mood for celebrating and left early.

It is understood Mrs Corley left with him.

A source at the event said the Mayor had ‘insulted’ other guests by walking out, adding:

‘Students from universities, colleges and schools raised over £732,000 in just one week.

‘They contributed their time and efforts to raise money. The Lord Mayor should have respected this work.’

Councillor Thomas, who lives with his disabled wife Irene, 59, in Hamilton, Leicester, declined to comment on the matter.

But another source with knowledge of the incident said the Mayor’s office had previously been sent some information outlining what he could expect at the function.

‘The Mayor says no such information [about sitting separately] was passed to him, so the arrangement seems to have taken him by surprise’, they said.

Ticket order forms for the event on Charity Week’s website featured separate boxes for ‘sisters’ and ‘brothers’.

Mrs Corley, who lives in a bungalow in the nearby village of Scraptoft, also declined to comment. She is understood to be a widow, and it is not known how she came to be selected as the Lord Mayor’s consort.

Councillor Thomas was elected to Leicester City Council in 1995 and currently represents Belgrave ward, a largely ethnic Indian district in a city where more than half of the population is non-white.

A spokesman for Islamic Relief, Charity Week’s partner organisation, said Councillor Thomas ‘arrived at the venue but left before the event started’.

He added: ‘What happened was an unfortunate misunderstanding for which I want to apologise to the Lord Mayor on behalf of Islamic Relief and Charity Week.

‘None of the Charity Week organisers told the Lord Mayor he could not sit with his partner, and if anyone else at the event did then they were mistaken.

The Lord Mayor and his partner would have been more than welcome to enjoy this event together.’

↧

'Asian', aka paki bastard scumbag, batters 51 year old woman, continues kicking her when she's on the ground. Bet he feels like a real hard man.

December 8, 2014, 12:14 pm

≫ Next: Jail for man, 28, who had sex with underage girl during school holidays

≪ Previous: Lord Mayor walks out of Islamic charity lunch after his lady consort was told she had to sit downstairs at the event

A VIOLENT thug left a woman with a broken arm and facial injuries following a vicious mugging in Bury.

The 51-year-old woman was walking home from a visit to the shops, and was approached from behind by a man who grabbed her bag and punched her in the face after she refused to let go.

The punch knocked her unconscious, and the man went on to kick her in the jaw while she was on the floor before running off with the bag.

The incident happened at about 4.15pm on Saturday, when the woman reached the junction of Carlton Street and Woodley Street.

The man is described as of Asian ethnicity, about 5ft 9in, of a slim build and wearing a dark hooded top.

Police are appealing for anyone who has seen the cream leather bag, or any of its contents, which included a black and white checked purse.

Detective Sergeant Laurence Dixon, of Bury police, said: “This was a horrible attack on a woman who was simply walking home from the shops.

“The second she showed the slightest resistance he launched into a vicious assault, punching and kicking her unconscious, before running off with her bag.

“We are now appealing for anyone with information who might have seen something or have found any of the outstanding property in their garden or wheelie bins.

“The victim has been to hospital for treatment to some really nasty injuries, but hopefully she will make a full recovery.”

Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 9592, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

↧

Jail for man, 28, who had sex with underage girl during school holidays

December 9, 2014, 8:39 am

≫ Next: Mass polygamy in UK Muslim community – claim

≪ Previous: 'Asian', aka paki bastard scumbag, batters 51 year old woman, continues kicking her when she's on the ground. Bet he feels like a real hard man.

Ansar Sadiq, from Rochdale, is locked up at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court after giving the youngster vodka and locking her in his flat

A man has been jailed for grooming and having sex with an underage schoolgirl.

Ansar Sadiq, 28, was found guilty of engaging in sexual activity with a child and sentenced to 43 months behind bars at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.

The girl met Sadiq, who she came to know as ‘Kash’, through a mutual friend during the school holidays in 2012.

Over the following weeks, the victim and two friends would spend time at Sadiq’s flat in Mitchell Hey, Falinge, Rochdale, where they would drink vodka he bought them.

The girls described how Sadiq would keep the door of the flat locked, even when he went out and left the girls inside.

On several occasions, the girls would sleep over at the flat, pretending to their parents that they were sleeping over at another child’s house.

It was during these nights that Sadiq engaged in sexual activity with the victim several times.

Sadiq, now of Alumwell Road West, Walsall, West Midlands, was also made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention order and told to sign the sex offenders register.

Det Con Ben Harris, of The Sunrise Team, Rochdale’s multi-agency child sexual exploitation team, said: “Sadiq exhibited all the classic characteristics of someone who grooms young people for sex.

“He flattered the victim, bought her alcohol and allowed her to live a lifestyle that her parents would never have allowed, in order to trick her into letting her guard down.

“He was fully aware of how old she was. He knew the girls were on school holidays and that she was under age, but he could not have cared less.

“I would like to commend the bravery of this girl - for her to come forward, disclose and relive the assaults that he committed against her must have been extremely hard.

“I hope now that this sentence goes some way to helping her to resolve what has been an exceptionally difficult time, and that now she and her parents can start rebuilding their lives.”

To report concerns about a child or young person call 101, or 999 in emergencies.

For more information about the Sunrise Team see thesunriseteam.co.uk.

Help and advice for parents and children can be found at itsnotokay.co.uk or paceuk.info

↧

Mass polygamy in UK Muslim community – claim

December 10, 2014, 8:15 am

≫ Next: Teen tells how she was raped by three men she met at Exeter kebab shop

≪ Previous: Jail for man, 28, who had sex with underage girl during school holidays

Polygamy is being practised on an “enormous” scale within the British Muslim community without any official attempt to stop it, it has been claimed.

A new study of the lives of Muslim women concludes that large numbers are being denied basic legal rights by being trapped in religiously sanctioned “marriages” which are not recognised in British law.

In some cases the women, often born abroad and brought to the UK for arranged marriages, are unaware about their true status for years on end.

The findings come from a study being presented to the House of Lords by the peer Baroness Cox, who has spearheaded attempt to impose new regulations on informal sharia courts.

Aurat, a Muslim women’s rights group based in the West Midlands, interviewed a sample of 50 women about their personal situations. Nine in 10 of the women described themselves as married but only one in 10 were in marriages recognised under English law having been formalised through a civil wedding or a ceremony in a Mosque registered for the purpose.

Many of the others had undergone a “Nikah” or marriage ceremony in their own home, often unaware that it lacked legal recognition.

Overall two thirds of those who identified as being “married” said that their husband had more than one wife and some had as many as four "wives"

But in some cases the women had not initially been aware of other wives, who live in separate houses.

One 32-year-old woman, given the name Ezzah in the report - although not her real name - told the researchers: “I found out afterwards that he had three more wives and he is still married to them.

“He lives with me but refuses to pay for anything. I live in his house that he bought but I claim benefits on it to pay his mortgage.”

Another, called “Asifa”, now aged 47, told how she had attempted to divorce her husband only to discover she was not properly married.

“I went to a lawyer who told me I had no legal rights as I’m seen as a girlfriend and not a wife. I just sat there in shock,” she said.

Baroness Cox said: “You can’t extrapolate straight from this but you can make a reasonable assumption that if this is not unrepresentative, this is clearly very widespread, and we are therefore dealing with enormous numbers.

“The implications for the women are very serious and it violates the fundamental principles of our country that bigamy is illegal and yet polygamy is condoned and allowed to flourish.

“It is just continuing without any comment or expression of concern but for the women it causes concern and they are suffering.

“But these are very closed communities and it is very hard to ascertain the exact extent to which this is happening.

“In some communities women … find great pressure not to speak out and bring shame on the community.”

Lady Cox last year tabled a private member’s bill to regulate unofficial sharia courts which she said compound the pressure on women in some communities.

“Our suffragettes paid a very high price for women to have their freedom and have their rights and if they saw what some of the Muslim women are suffering in this country they would turn in their graves,” she said.

“It is putting the clock right back and anyone who is concerned about women’s rights and our freedoms in this country should be deeply concerned by the predicament of these women.

“The gap between the de jure situation where everyone has access to the law and the de facto situation in this country is a chasm.
”

↧

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Ansar Sadiq, from Rochdale, is locked up at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court after giving the youngster vodka and locking her in his flat