Islamophobia

[Bengal_Tiger]

Houston Islamic center destroyed after being 'set ablaze on purpose in hate crime arson attack'

Quba Islamic Institute building destroyed after 5am arson using accelerant

Fire caused $100,000 worth of damage to building with renovation supplies

Council on American-Islamic Relations called for hate crime investigation

Institute abused on Facebook threads about the fire asking for tolerance

By CHRISTOPHER BRENNAN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 21:21, 14 February 2015 | UPDATED: 23:16, 14 February 2015


A fire that destroyed one building of a Muslim center in Houston is thought to have been set on purpose.
Authorities said that someone used an accelerant in the 5am Friday blaze at the Quba Islamic Institute, according to one of the imams's 25-year-old son Ahsan Zahid.
Mr Zahid said that an investigator told him that the incident was a suspected arson, and that the fire was not an accident.



Ahsan Zahid, 25, stands near the wreckage of a building at the Quba Islamic Institute in Houston, Texas on Friday.



The fire, which completely destroyed the contents of a storage shed, is thought to have been an arson and may be investigated as a hate crime

Houston Fire Department said it was investigating and could not yet name the cause of the fire.

The FBI said Saturday that they are monitoring the situation and could take a more active role in the investigation, according to Reuters.
The Council on American Islamic Relations's Texas office has called for possible hate crime motivations to be looked at in the investigation.
Federal agencies are expected to become more involved if that is the case.
No injuries were reported in the fire, which largely took place in a storage building and is thought to have caused $100,000 in damage.





The blaze started at 5am and caused an expected $100,000 worth of damage before firefighters were able to put it out.



The Houston Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the fire, though they told Mr Zahid that it did not start by accident.

The Houston Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the fire, though they told Mr Zahid that it did not start by accident
The contents of the building, which housed the institute's computers, lights and equipment for a renovation, were completely destroyed.
The center has a place to pray, holds community events, offers Arabic classes and also runs a Sunday School.

The Quba Islamic Institute is asking for donations through their website qubahouston.org, and MR Zahid told Daily Mail Online that they had raised $2,500 as of Saturday afternoon.
The institute said a man had driven past the institute and mockingly yelled 'Allah' on Thursday.
A man with a covered face was chased away from the building earlier in the week.
The Muslim center had been scheduled to host a talk by a former Guantanamo Bay guard who converted to Islam after the experience, Terry Holdbrooks, on Friday night.

Mr Zahid said that the event took place despite the fire and that 'all programs, activities, and prayers have, and will continue as scheduled'.
The institute's Facebook page has also come under attack from posters who have insulted Islam repeatedly on posts where the center is explaining what happened in the fire.

The institute defended itself against the Islamophobic posts by thanking the users for their perspective and urging tolerance.

The possible hate crime follows on the death of three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, that federal investigators are looking into for motives of religious hatred.
Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23; his wife, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, were buried Thursday.
Texas has the US's eighth-largest population of Muslims, according to the Texas State Historical Association

The annual Texas Muslim Capitol Day in Austin was targeted by anti-Islam protesters last month, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In 2011 the Houston Fire Department said that someone had deliberately set fire to a mosque on the other side of the city.





Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz3RlZAFhe8
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[Bengal_Tiger]

[Bengal_Tiger]

Despite the Islamophobia that we are witnessing on the media and with people being murdered, we must remember a couple of things.

1. The west is by and large a tolerant society, though not perfect.

2. The overwhelming majority of westerners would condemn the killing of any innocent person regardless of his faith including those who are Muslims.


However Islamophobia, like anti-Semitism, is something which must be tackled and dealt with.

People have the right to ask questions about Islam, to disagree with Islam but people do not have the right to kill Muslims or incite murderous and violent hatred against them.

Also there are some who under the guise of attacking "Islamism" are essentially anti-Muslim and anti-Islam.

[MENTION=1753]Manzareh[/MENTION] [MENTION=65]Pakhtunzai[/MENTION]

[Badlun]

Despite the Islamophobia that we are witnessing on the media and with people being murdered, we must remember a couple of things.

1. The west is by and large a tolerant society, though not perfect.

2. The overwhelming majority of westerners would condemn the killing of any innocent person regardless of his faith including those who are Muslims.


However Islamophobia, like anti-Semitism, is something which must be tackled and dealt with.

People have the right to ask questions about Islam, to disagree with Islam but people do not have the right to kill Muslims or incite murderous and violent hatred against them.

Also there are some who under the guise of attacking "Islamism" are essentially anti-Muslim and anti-Islam.

[MENTION=1753]Manzareh[/MENTION] [MENTION=65]Pakhtunzai[/MENTION]

The Church in the pictures welcomes the Islamic Center but the Islamic Center does not do so! For Muslims every non Muslim is a Kaffir , an infidel and he may accept Islam or pay Jizya or may die.

Why we do not run a campaign among Muslims against Kuferphobia, the fear against non Muslims? i will start one thread on this theme.

[HalloIsBack]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11402870/Grandfathers-body-could-be-exhumed-after-relatives-of-Muslim-buried-alongside-complain-he-was-an-unbeliever.html

[HalloIsBack]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/02/17/man-stabs-two-at-a-bus-stop-after-asking-them-if-theyre-muslim/?tid=sm_tw

[Yousufzai]

Hahaha...

[Manzareh]

The Church in the pictures welcomes the Islamic Center but the Islamic Center does not do so! For Muslims every non Muslim is a Kaffir , an infidel and he may accept Islam or pay Jizya or may die.

Why we do not run a campaign among Muslims against Kuferphobia, the fear against non Muslims? i will start one thread on this theme.

How do you know the Islamic centre does not welcome its neighbor? or is it just another one of your made up story's. This really burns you doesnt it

[Bengal_Tiger]

1. I put Badlun on ignore a long time ago as he has a serious problem with Islam itself and not just "Islamism".

However I saw his quote due to Manzareh's reply to him.


2. Discrimination and violence towards Christians, Hindus, Jews, Sikhs etc is wrong and I support anyone who condemns that too.

Yes, non-Muslims are treated badly in certain "Muslim" countries e.g. Pakistan, Turkey and so forth.


3. Whilst I am against discrimination and racism (yes racism because certain Islamophobes abuse people belonging to a Muslim ethnic group and having a Muslim name whilst that person may be an agnostic/athiest or non-practising) against Muslims and that Islamophobia is a real disease which must be tackled, I do not believe that we should turn a blind eye to the suffering of non-Muslims.

An Arab friend of mine personally met Christians from Iraq, now refugees here in London, who were the victims of ISIS (CIA-backed terrorist organization).

Christians in the middle east have seen their numbers decimated, in the region which is the birth place of Christianity itself particularly due to the wars in Iraq and Syria.


4. Ignore Badlun as he has an anti-Islam agenda and once again he will try to sabotage this thread and vilify Islam and Muslims.

Yes there are definitely bad Muslims and extremists out there, but also Muslims too suffer, something which Badlun will try and discourage us from highlighing.

[Badlun]

How do you know the Islamic centre does not welcome its neighbor? or is it just another one of your made up story's. This really burns you doesnt it

Read the post again. Church has a welcome sign board but the Islamic center does not.
Islam as a religión no problem but as a system, yes it is a threat to humanity.

[HalloIsBack]

Badlun doesnt have any problem with islam, i bet he knows more about islam than all of you
he has only problem with political islam

the problem in the islamic world is that it's always the fault of others and there is no self criticism and this is what he does!

i have problem with him that he likes usa to much and everything should be taken from the west and usa as an example, i dont agree with him on this point

you dont need to like his point of views but you have to discuss with him in proper way, he does it too

[Bengal_Tiger]

Badlun doesnt have any problem with islam, i bet he knows more about islam than all of you
he has only problem with political islam

the problem in the islamic world is that it's always the fault of others and there is no self criticism and this is what he does!

i have problem with him that he likes usa to much and everything should be taken from the west and usa as an example, i dont agree with him on this point

you dont need to like his point of views but you have to discuss with him in proper way, he does it too

1. You are not a Muslim so should not be lecturing us on Islam.

I am a practising Muslim who prays, fasts, eats halal and other things and has studied Islam. This character, Badlun, has a problem with the basic fundamental core beliefs of Islam.

2. All you do is post negative news about Muslims and the Muslim world primarily related to extremists and terrorists.

However what about when Muslims are the victims e.g. in Burma, Palestine and elsewhere?

You can't stand seeing a thread where instead of Muslims being painted as "evil" (which you seem to be doing all the time) are shown as victims.

I have been criticized here for being too critical of Muslims but I also post positive news about the Muslim world e.g. Afghanistan, Bangladesh etc, all you do is post negative news.


3. A few other people on this forum know this about you, but I've just been too polite to mention it and ignored it.

I condemn "Islamic" extremists but also post articles where Muslims are the victims.

Muslims are not just evil, wicked people trying to bomb and kill people.

They are nearly 1/4 of humanity and are mothers, fathers, children, doctors, teachers, charity workers and many other things.

I'm just getting sick and tired of your anti-Muslim propaganda on this forum.

I don't come to this forum to argue. When I don't like someone I simply block them.

[MENTION=1753]Manzareh[/MENTION] [MENTION=5723]Kushan Prince[/MENTION] [MENTION=65]Pakhtunzai[/MENTION] [MENTION=1068]gadoonwal[/MENTION]

[Bengal_Tiger]

My Letter to the World: How Islamophobia Killed My Parents

Thursday 19 February 2015 - 10:34





Kenza Isnasni

Kenza Isnasni is a Master student at Al Akhawayn University of Ifrane in International Relations and Diplomacy with a concentration in Peace and Conflicts Studies. She attended a summer session courses at the prestigious University of California Berkeley. ...

My Letter to the World: How Islamophobia Killed My Parents

Ifrane – My name is Kenza, and I was born in Belgium in 1983. Morocco is the country that witnessed the birth of my ancestors. Today, I am proud to say that I am Belgian of Moroccan descent from the region of Rif, Muslim but above all a human being infused by several cultures and experiences in the world. All this has made me what I am today.

I grew up in Brussels in a loving family. I was educated according to the set of values that Islam stands for. We lived in humility, modesty, simplicity, love and respect for others. I grew up in Brussels, where I grew as a citizen, where I evolved amidst a culturally rich society full of colors.

When I was a child, I used to ask a lot of questions. I was very curious to discover everything around me. When I was a child I dreamed of being an adult with a job that would allow me the necessary resources to help those in need around the world. When I was a child, I had a small diary in which I wrote down all the things I would do when I grew up so I wouldn’t forget them. When I was a child, my little room was my world, my world where I was creating, and imagining all the ideas I wanted to realize when I got older. I lived my childhood with the deep feeling that I would always be surrounded by my family, that they would always protect me, love me and then I would be able to straighten my own wings and fly.

Unfortunately, the environment in which I was living peacefully has rapidly deteriorated. The relationships between people have become very tense and confrontational. The impact of the attack on the World Trade Center in the United States in 2001 has quickly spread to Europe. Then it was the rise of the right wing extremism and Islamophobia. Nearly all Muslims were beginning to be considered potential terrorists. This climate of tension had reached its peak.

This climate of hatred and violence took away the most precious thing I had in this world. On May 7, 2002 my parents were murdered by a man driven by hatred and rejection of the other. My parents were killed around 4am while praying the dawn prayer. The murderer also fired several bullets at my little brothers, Yassine and Walid, who were only 6 years and 11 years old at that time. They were heavily injured but were able to survive the carnage.

The murderer decided to end the lives of my whole family. He had decided we did not have the right to live. This man brutally destroyed my family. There was no doubt that it was indeed a hate crime. This man attacked us because he thought that we were not the right color, not the right religion, not the right culture. After this, the killer committed suicide in the flames of a fire that he started. I escaped death as he also set fire to my room. I was saved by my neighbor Gérard Buyk. He will always be my hero.

May 7, 2002 was the most horrible day of my life. That day I was devastated by a sadness that I thought is insuperable. I was only 18 years old and suddenly I became an orphan. I was deprived forever of the love and affection of my parents. After such a tragedy, many questions invaded my mind. How could I have a normal life after such a shock? How could I continue to live in a world without the presence of my parents? How is it possible to overcome such a tragedy?

And I prayed to God with all my strength, for I believe that there is the possibility of a world where we are not doomed to live in violence, I believe that peace can be a reality if all of us contribute to this vision together.

In the years that followed the death of my parents, I tried to find a place for myself in the natural order of the world. I tried to think about what will make sense to me. I was convinced that I have undertaken a fight to honor the memory of my parents. I felt I had the responsibility to impart the story of my family to the world.

I wanted to let the world know that my parents had once existed among us and that they had also contributed to a righteous and tolerant society. I fought for the memory of my parents so that a tragedy like this would never happen again. I fought with all my strength for this tragedy to become a lesson.

I had to face a lot of disappointment, but I also found a lot of love, brotherhood, learned life lessons, and voiced and received solidarity. I learned to be humble towards life, to give it meaning. I conducted several humanitarian trips because I was in search of truth. I wanted to understand how all these conflicts occur in the world, how someone can take a gun and fire at another human being. I let myself be guided towards what makes sense to me. My commitment to Palestine taught me the best lesson in my life. I went to Palestine to be close to their suffering and finally understand my own suffering. Palestinians taught me to remain dignified despite the suffering and pain. I owe a lot to this country because it made me feel stronger and more determined in my commitment to a better world.

I also realized that it will take time to find answers to my questions, and above all that I have to keep fighting to one-day find inner peace. I’ve understood that I will have to face moments of doubt and discouragement, but I never gave up, and I will never give up, to bring the truth, to bring this true message of hope that unites us all together. It may be unrealistic for many people because we are still facing and will always face a lot of violence. But if I chose not to give up, it’s not only to resist but also to realize that no one is immune from such tragedy. It is unbearable to see the indifference and silence towards racism and violence that continues to make the headlines. Today, if I chose not to sink into hatred, it is because I am convinced that it is only through love, compassion and respect that we can make peace the day-to-day currency of humanity.

Gandhi said, “be the change you want to see in the world”. This sentence has resonated a lot in my mind. I came back to myself, to what makes me a human being, to strengthen my convictions and share them with the rest of the world. I kept sticking to my faith, my religion and the values of peace and love that they represent. It is thanks to this that I could find inner peace. When you feel that spiritual energy, you are no longer afraid. All the reasons you have to be afraid just fade away. This is my relationship to my religion. This is the true meaning of Islam.

Today it is important to communicate, to realize that what unites us all is our humanity. We must learn to be able to accept ourselves and each other as we are, with our differences, our values. This is the message through which I live.

My soul is terribly saddened when I see hate crimes continue to occur and Islamophobia on the rise. I have special thoughts for Deah Barakat, Yusor and Razan Abu-Salha, the three young American Muslims killed in North Carolina. I was speechless, in shock, for several days after that terrible event. All the images of the tragedy experienced in my family filled my head. I felt like I was reliving that day over and over again, when the murderer entered our apartment to kill my parents. This simply means that such events can happen to anyone. This means that no one is immune from such a tragedy. The facts are here. It is for this reason that everyone is responsible. Whether it is a mosque, a church or a synagogue that is targeted, we should condemn all such acts with equal severity.

Today, I share my experience because I am sure that we all have a role to play. I’m sure that all of us can help to build the world in which I believe, to build a world where respect, solidarity, and brotherhood represent the true values that bind us all.

Today I am a woman, but I succeeded in becoming that little girl who I was before. I just wanted to find that innocence again, that childlike state of wonder toward the beautiful things that life offers. I was worried that fear and sadness would fill the rest of my days. My parents are always in my prayers and in my actions. I will honor their memory for the rest of my days.

http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/02/152175/letter-world-islamophobia-killed-parents/

[Bengal_Tiger]

Minneapolis says no to islamophobia and racism, honors murdered Chapel Hill students

By Jess Sundin | February 19, 2015



Minneapolis protest against islamomophobia in response to the killing of three Minneapolis protest against islamomophobia in response to the killing of three Muslim students in North Carolina.

Minneapolis, MN

More than 50 people came out for a protest against islamophobia and racism, Feb. 17, in response to the killing of three Muslim students last week. Gathered at a busy intersection in the heart of the local Somali community, near the University of Minnesota campus, they held signs and chanted for an hour, as temperatures dropped below zero.

Organizers sought to honor the lives of Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21 and her sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, who were executed by a neighbor in their home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Feb. 10. While local police and media have said the murders were motivated by a parking dispute, family members of the victims say the crime was fueled by islamophobia and racism. Protesters slammed the media silence on this story in general, and the unwillingness to name racism and islamophobia as contributing factors in this case.

Sabry Wazwaz of the Anti-War Committee led chants throughout the event, along with Caleb Murphy. The rally closed with brief remarks by Wazwaz, as well as Sahro Ismail, a member of the large local Somali community and Tarik Rasouli and Karmel Sabri, who are organizing a major event for Palestinian activist Rasmea Odeh. Some at the rally carried signs for Rasmea Odeh, and all were urged to attend Rock for Rasmea on Feb. 21 at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis.

http://www.fightbacknews.org/2015/2/19/minneapolis-says-no-islamophobia-and-racism-honors-murdered-chapel-hill-students

[Bengal_Tiger]

Student branded 'Taliban' and 'Isis' on streets of Milan in Islamophobia experiment [Warning: strong language]

Tom Porter By Tom Porter

February 19, 2015 14:18 GMT



An Egyptian student was called a "Taliban s**t" as he walked through the streets of Milan dressed as an Imam in the latest incarnation of a social experiment that sees subjects recording the public's reaction on a hidden camera.

Carrying a copy of the Koran and wearing white robes, Hamdi Mahisen, 30, was recorded by an accomplice on a hidden camera as he walked around the north Italian city for five hours, in a bid to gauge attitudes to Muslims.

During the experiment he was insulted by members of the public, with one calling him a "Taliban s**t", another asking "Have you seen the Isis?" and another wondering "Imagine if he has a gun under his tunic."


The video mirrors the format of one released last week by French Jewish journalist Zvika Klein who recorded the insults he received while walking the streets of Paris for ten hours wearing a kippah and that of a Swedish journalist who was attacked while conducting a similar experiment in the Swedish city of Malmo.

"This social experiment was to check the tolerance of Milan's citizens towards Muslims or someone who is dressed as an Imam," Mahisen told La Repubblica.

There has been a surge in Islamophobic incidents in several countries following the recent terror attacks in Paris and the emergence of Islamic State in the Middle East.

The Italian anti-immigrant Lega Nord party passed a bill in Lombardy in January, of which Milan is capital, making it almost impossible for new mosques to be built, and heavily monitoring existing Islamic places of worship.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/student-branded-taliban-isis-streets-milan-islamophobia-experiment-warning-strong-1488670