Free Republic

JAKARTA: The 200-plus demonstrators from the student group Concerned Muslims who had gathered in light drizzle at one of Central Jakarta's main roundabouts had a simple message for passing motorists. "Reject Playboy! Reject Playboy!" they shouted. "Don't publish that filth here. Keep the Indonesian nation clean." "We don't need that sort of porno here," said Muhammad Salim. "There's enough vice here already." Yesterday about 500 protesters - all members of a conservative Muslim political party - demanded the parliament quickly pass tough laws now under debate to crack down on existing girlie magazines and pornographic DVDs, which are widely available...

COPENHAGEN - When the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, including one in which he is shown wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse, it expected a strong reaction in this country of 5.4 million people. But the paper was unprepared for the global furor that ensued, including demonstrations in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, death threats against the artists, condemnation from 11 Muslim countries and a rebuke from the United Nations. "The cartoons did nothing that transcends the cultural norms of secular Denmark, and this was not a provocation to insult...

A special area for people who want to pray will be set aside at Giants Stadium, where several Muslim fans were detained and questioned by the FBI in September...

One of President Bush’s closest confidants, Karen Hughes, this weekend is scheduled to address the annual conference of an organization whose primary purpose is the propagation of Saudi-sponsored Wahhabist Islam—and which has praised suicide bombers, whose president has publicly denied that al Qaeda was behind 9/11, and whose web site to this day sells a book that lavishes praise on Osama bin Laden. Not only is Hughes publicly endorsing the Islamic Society of North America with her mere presence, but this is the first major public address in her new role spearheading outreach to the Muslim world. In the process,...

A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called on law enforcement authorities to treat an assault this morning on a Virginia Muslim woman as a hate crime. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported that a 23-year-old Muslim woman, who is 8 months pregnant and wears and Islamic head scarf, said she was out for her morning walk in Arlington, Va., when three white men in a pick-up truck began screaming anti-Muslim and racist slurs at her. According to the victim, the men shouted, "You terrorist b- tch, go back to your country. . .You n-gger...

London, July 29: Assaults on Asians in Britain has increased by over 13-fold after the London bomb blasts, with reports of attacks on mosques, firebombing and faith-based insults on streets and homes, police and Muslim groups said today. "Nine mosques have been attacked, a garage firebombed, people assaulted in the street and homes had had their windows broken since July 7 London bombing incidents. It is really very worrying," Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of Islamic Human Rights Commission told BBC. He said three days after the July 7 bombings, Kamal Butt, 48, from Pakistan was murdered outside a corner shop in...

Queens Man Says He Was Stopped For A Bag Search Three Times In One Day July 27, 2005 The Police Department says its subway bag searches are random, but a Queens man says he's not so sure because he claims he was stopped several times on just one day. NY1’s Solana Pyne filed this report. “I felt humiliated. You know, there's a certain anxiety level every time I walk through a subway station or walk through a security checkpoint,” says Yogi Patell, a CUNY Law student. Patell says police stopped him three times at three separate subway stations last...

When U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., suggested that bombing Mecca might be an appropriate response to the terrorist threat, he sent shock waves around the world. And he thrilled many of his supporters. I heard from dozens of nuke-happy Tancredo fans, though not all of them had the courage to sign their names. From Don MacEwan: "Islam was and is the religion of terror. ... Putting forth a warning to Islam that mutually assured destruction means their holy city of Medina is nuked if they do not curb their terrorist urges seems to be a prudent step." From Cynthia J....

Group Seeks Inquiry Into London Bombings Wednesday July 20, 2005 8:31 PM AP Photo LSD116 By ED JOHNSON Associated Press Writer LONDON (AP) - Britain's Muslim leaders demanded a judicial inquiry Wednesday into what motivated the four ``homegrown'' suicide bombers who targeted London, as Prime Minister Tony Blair proposed an international conference on rooting out Islamic extremism. The government said all 56 people known to have died in the bombings of three subway trains and a bus have now been identified, but Home Secretary Charles Clarke warned the number could rise. Twenty-seven people remained hospitalized, several in critical condition. Police...

The bloody attack on July 7 in London was a warning to the world to wake up against the evil of terrorism in all its forms. We have been hearing the cries of innocent victims of terrorism in so many countries, New York City, Karachi, Madrid, Beirut, Bosnia, Jakarta, Israel, Palestine and now London. Iraq is suffering from the sickness of suicide bombings every day. In 150 major terrorist attacks in the last 3 months, 2,400 Iraqis died and thousands more were wounded or handicapped. Mainstream Muslims helplessly find themselves as the main victims of terrorism. We still grieve the...

Muslim cleric Mohammad Adil Khan's impending deportation after being linked to an FBI terrorism probe clears up his fate, but it does nothing to resolve the question of what will happen to a school for this city's Islamic community that he was helping to build. Adil Khan, who comes from the same region of Pakistan where most Lodi Muslims trace their roots, was a prolific fund-raiser who had spent several years pulling together more than $300,000 for a school for the Farooqia Islamic Center. More than 400 people came to a county Planning Commission hearing in April on the center,...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American Muslims have launched an advertising campaign to denounce acts of terrorism after bombers believed to be British Muslims killed at least 54 people in attacks on London. "Any effort by terrorists to hide their criminal activities under the mask of religious piety is being categorically and unequivocally rejected by mainstream Muslims," said Parvez Ahmed, chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He said the television ad, which will air nationwide by July 19, is an attempt to detach Islam from the "heinous" acts of a few Muslims. Police believe the attacks are linked to al Qaeda,...

PORTLAND -- The Patriot Act is about to come under fire in Portland. Brandon Mayfield, the local Muslim mistakenly linked to the Madrid bombings, is fighting back. Friday he and his high profile attorneys go to court and the case is getting international attention. The federal court docket lists this case as Brandon Mayfield vs. John Ashcroft et al. Along with the former attorney general, he's also suing the FBI and the Department of Justice. Who knows if his case will ever go before a jury, but Friday a judge will hear arguments that could change the way the country...

FALLS CHURCH The voice of the new imam at one of the largest mosques on the East Coast rang loud from the pulpit during Friday services: "The call to reform Islam is an alien call."

London Explosions - A message from Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain to the Muslim community “And surely, We shall try you till We test those who strive hard (for the Cause of Allah) and the patient ones, and We shall test your facts (i.e. the one who is a liar, and the one who is truthful).” [TMQ Muhammad:31] Dear brothers and sisters. Today several bomb explosions created havoc through London - although information about the events is still coming in, it is clear that many have died and have been injured. It is also clear that the world’s leaders congregating at the...

Thousands of Muslims crowded London mosques for Friday prayers, condemning the bombings, but also wary they could be made scapegoats and fearful of reprisals against their growing and vibrant community. At the East London Mosque, near the site of one of Thursday's attacks, an imam told the 8,000 worshippers to be "confident in our identity" as part of London's multicultural fabric. The mosque said it had received hate e-mails and a telephone threat to disrupt Friday prayers. A few police officers stood outside during the prayers, which ended peacefully. Outside, some Muslims said the attacks had made them more cautious...