Muslim leaders condemn Sarkozy over burqa ban

Muslim leaders in Britain have warned that President Nicolas Sarkozy's calls for the burqa to be banned in France risk fuelling hostility towards Islam.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said Mr Sarkozy's claim that the head-to-toe garments worn by Islamic women signify subservience were "patronising and offensive".
Its criticism comes after Mr Sarkozy used a policy speech on Monday to declare the burqa was "not welcome" in France.

In a move which threatens to reignite the debate over religious clothing in the country, Mr Sarkozy said: "The burqa is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience.
"We cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity."
The MCB reacted by calling on Mr Sarkozy to "desist from engaging in and promoting divisive politics" towards France's Muslim population.
Dr Reefat Drabu, assistant secretary general of the MCB, said in a statement: "It is patronising and offensive to suggest that those Muslim women who wear the burqa do so because of pressure or oppression by their male partners or guardians."
Speaking for the umbrella group of more than 500 Muslim organisations including mosques, charities and community groups, she added: "Such suggestions can legitimately be perceived as antagonistic towards Islam.
"Instead of taking a lead in promoting harmony and social cohesion amongst its people, the French President appears to be initiating a policy which is set to create fear and misunderstanding and may lead to Islamophobic reaction not just in France but in the rest of Europe too."
Mr Sarkozy's presidential address to a joint session of France's two houses of parliament stood in stark contrast to comments made by US President Barack Obama earlier this month.
In a speech in Cairo, Mr Obama said it is "important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practising religion as they see fit, for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear".
The MCB said its attack on Mr Sarkozy echoed Mr Obama's plea.
There are no official figures, but around 100,000 women are thought to wear the burqa in France.
France, home to an estimated five million Muslims, passed a law in 2004 banning headscarves or any other "conspicuous" religious symbol in state schools in a controversial bid to defend secularism.
A group of 58 MPs from the Left and Right has called on Parliament to take action against women adopting what they called oppressive Islamic dress that "breaches individual freedoms".
Last year a Moroccan woman was refused French citizenship after social services said she wore a burqa and was living in "submission" to her husband.
In Britain, Jack Straw caused controversy in 2006 when he suggested that Muslim women should abandon wearing the burqa because it was a "visible statement of separation and difference".
Mr Straw, then the Leader of the House of Commons, faced criticism from Muslim groups after disclosing that he asked women to remove their veils at meetings in his constituency office in Blackburn, Lancs.
The MCB said its stance reflected its long established position that individuals must have the freedom to choose their attire on the basis of their religious beliefs.
Shahid Malik, the Communities Minister, said on Tuesday: "It is not the job of government to dictate what people should or should not wear in our society – that is a matter of personal choice.
"There are no laws stating what clothes or attire are acceptable and so whether one chooses to wear a veil or burqa, a miniskirt or goth outfit is entirely at the individual's discretion.
"It is true that many Muslims feel the veil and its rationale are misunderstood and so sensible discussion provides an opportunity to create a better understanding and ultimately ensures we are more at ease with the diverse society within which we live."
Muslim and non-Muslim groups in Britain have supported Mr Sarkozy’s claims and called for the burka to be banned here.
Douglas Murray, director of the think-tank the Centre for Social Cohesion, said: “There is nothing in the Koran that justifies the covering of women in what amounts to a black sack.”
Diana Nammi, of the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation in London, added: “I fully support President Sarkozy. The burka isolates women.”

Walking single becomes difficult as women abducted, raped at will

KUWAIT CITY : A 23-year-old Asian woman is reported to have fallen victim to the lust of four unidentified persons who kidnapped her to an apartment in Hawally, raped her successively and released her after satisfying their lust.
Reportedly, the victim rushed to the police station and filed a case moments after her ordeal was over. She provided detailed description of the suspects, including their car registration number to the police to facilitate investigations. A case was registered.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated case, a Filipino woman in her 30s filed a complaint at the Farwaniya police station she escaped a kidnap attempt on Sunday.
Security sources quoting the woman said she was walking along the street at night when two persons dressed in national attire alighted from a car and approached her.
She stressed one of the men made an effort to bind her as the other endeavored to push her inside the car. The woman added she resisted and began to scream, compelling the kidnappers to flee.
Meanwhile, the case has been registered, and the suspects are being trailed by police.

This is amazing how muslims say that women are respected in the muslim world. There are almost no non-muslims in Kuwait.

Toronto 18: Details of alleged bomb plot revealed

Details unfolded yesterday at a sentencing hearing about a meticulous plan to bomb three buildings in the so-called Toronto 18 bomb plot of 2006.

In a statement of facts released yesterday in a Brampton courtroom, Saad Khalid, 22, admitted to playing a role in planning the foiled attacks, which co-conspirators allegedly said would be greater than the planned London subway bombings of 2005.

Khalid is the first accused to plead guilty in the case. The attack was allegedly set for a morning in mid-November 2006.

The statement alleges Khalid’s co-conspirators planned to target the Toronto Stock Exchange, the CSIS headquarters on Front Street in Toronto, and an unidentified military base, off Highway 401 between Toronto and Ottawa.

Three U-Haul vans were to be rented with fake identification, packed with explosives and detonated remotely, the statement says. One of the co-accused made the detonators and tested them himself, the 37-page document reads. The bombings were to occur on three consecutive days, rather than simultaneously.

The group communicated using pagers and USB memory sticks to pass around instructions, the statement says, so they did not have to use emails or cellphones.

An undercover police agent was enlisted by the group to procure nitric acid and ammonium nitrate for the bombs, the statement says.

The statement also says one of Khalid’s co-accused told the undercover agent that he wanted the attacks to occur on Sept. 11 2006, so the date would be remembered forever.

The co-accused allegedly said the attack’s purpose was to affect the economy, and that he hoped the bombing would encourage Canada to pull troops from Afghanistan.

Four youths and 14 men were charged in a police bust under the Anti-Terrorism Act in the summer of 2006. Charges against seven of the suspects have since been stayed.

By pleading guilty, Khalid, of Mississauga, Ont., is the first member of the group to admit a bomb plot existed.

He was charged with knowingly participating in a terrorist group, receiving training for the purpose of enhancing the ability of a terrorist group and intending “to cause an explosion of an explosive substance that was likely to cause serious bodily harm or death.” He pleaded guilty to the last count.

The identities of Khalid’s co-accused are under a publication ban. The trials for the other accused adults are expected to begin next year.

David Kolinsky, who represents another of the accused, said the statement does not change anything for his client.

Khalid’s lawyer did not return the Post’s request for comment. The sentencing hearing is expected to continue all week.

Take a good look at the attitude on the terrorist. I would love to be able to put a bullet in the head of people like this.