CAR BOMB FOUND IN LONDON

Published: 29/06/2007 17:30

The Ramadhan Foundation expresses its worry over the car bomb found in Central London today. We are fortunate that the car bomb was made safe and that there were no casualties.
We pay tribute to the Police for their hard work in protecting our country, their dedication and commitment to public safety is a beacon for many others to follow. The police are carrying out an important role in protecting our nation.

We urge the British people to remain calm and vigilant.

Mr Mohammed Shafiq, Press Spokesman comments:

“On behalf of the Ramadhan Foundation we express our thanks to the Police for disabling today’s car bomb, it is times like this we realise the hard work the police do to protect our safety.

I would urge the British people to remain calm and vigilant to any further potential devices.

Only together can we work to stop this threat”

END

Notes for editors

The Ramadhan Foundation is the UK's leading Muslim youth organisation that is working for peaceful co-existence and dialogue for all communities. Based in Greater Manchester and working to also create the platform for Muslim unity amongst our communities in the UK.

For further information contact:
Mr. Mohammed Shafiq
Press Spokesman
Mohammed.shafiq@ramadhanfoundation.com
07814835912

Action urged over honour killings

ITN - Tuesday, June 12 06:42 am

More should be to be done to stop women becoming victims of so-called honour crimes, campaigners have said. They spoke out following the conviction of Mahmod Mahmod over the murder of his daughter Banaz.

Her uncle Ari Mahmod was also found guilty of murder after a trial at the Old Bailey. Banaz was strangled with a bootlace and then buried in a suitcase after falling in love with a man her family did not approve of.

Campaign group the Southall Black Sisters has called for a "robust approach" in tackling so-called honour killings and demanded an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission into the case.

Mohammed Shafiq, spokesman for the Ramadhan Foundation, spoke of the group's horror at the case. He said: "We wish to make clear that the illegal practice of forced marriages and honour killings are not from Islam and Islam specifically condemns and forbids them.

"We offer our deepest sympathies to the victim's family and welcome the verdict. "The Ramadhan Foundation today calls on all Mosques, Imams and Muslim organisations to speak up and confront these issues; only with this essential debate can we send the message that this can never be tolerated.

"We will shortly be publishing expert guidance on why Islam forbids this behaviour, how we confront those that practise these issues and we can eradicate them."

It has also emerged that a number of police officers are facing an internal disciplinary investigation over the case amid claims by fellow officers that Banaz would still be alive if she had done her job properly.

Banaz told police she feared for her life four times before she disappeared and even gave them a list of three men she thought would murder her. One of the men she named later admitted to his part in the crime while the other two have fled the country.

During the trial, Detective Inspector Caroline Goode, who led the investigation into Banaz's death, said she had spoken to officers about "mistakes" in dealing with her.

No matter what people do, they will never be able to change Islam!!!!

Over the past few weeks we have watched UK Government Ministers talked about the moderate version of Islam, how these groups should stand up and speak and change Islam. We have never seen Islam changing because Allah has protected the Deen and perserved the faith. No matter what humans may do or try they will ultimately fail as Allah is the best of planners.

This does not mean we in the Muslim community do not have any problems, we have an issue with a very small minority of people who wish to kill innocent people indiscrimnately, they claim to be Muslims but the Scholars are clear that Islam does not sanction the killing of innocent people. We have an Islamic duty to take them on and defeat their views and help them reform because how can our faith be hijacked in this way.

I am proud that the work I have contributed to the debate is welcomed by all sides as principled, honest and frank about the challenges we face. As British citizens we have a duty to ensure that we live by the rule of law and that we celebrate our achievements and contributions to British society either politically, socially, economically etc.

Having said this we have seen a supposely Centre Left Government take away individual civil liberties that took hundreds of years to get and many lives were lost fighting for them. The Government has passed legislation that takes away presumption of innocence and the right to a fair and open trial, we have seen over 22, 000 stop and searches done to minority communities under the Anti Terror laws in London, only 23 arrests, we have seen thousands of innocent people arrested, humilated, discrimanated and tarnished without a single apology. This is no way to defeat terrorism.

The biggest recruiting sargeant for terrorists is the double standards in UK foreign policy, the illegal war in Iraq, the blind support for Israeli aggresision against Palestinians and Lebanonese, Guantanamo Bay, Abu Garib scandal, when we see Muslims lands occupied and our people oppressed people go to the extreme. This is not my view but the view of Sir Michael Jay, Former Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Office who said that by UK going into an illegal war in Iraq the UK was at an increased risk of terrorism.

I have been consistent in my opposition to terrorism and extremism and have also been consistent in opposing the Government on the many issues as described above, I will continue this work regardless.

Britain to emphasise Islamic studies

LONDON (Reuters) - The government announced a new emphasis on Islamic studies on Monday in an attempt to offset fears of extremism but was only able to come up with an extra one million pounds ($2 million) to fund the initiative.

The relatively small boost to funding follows a review of university Islamic studies courses that found that curriculums were frequently out of date or focused on narrow interpretations of Islam.

It also comes amid increasing tension between Britain and its 1.7 million-strong Muslim community, particularly since the July 7, 2005, suicide attacks by young Muslims on London's transport system that killed 52 people.

The subject will now be designated as "strategically important", with an emphasis placed on how and by whom it is taught, and a wider variety of students, including more Muslims, encouraged to study it.

"This would in turn contribute to preventing violent extremism in the name of Islam and improving community cohesion," the department for education said in a statement.
"It is important that the study of Islamic studies within higher education is up to date and focuses on relevant issues."

The initiative follows a government commissioned report which found that Islamic studies teaching at degree level often concentrated too much on a Middle Eastern focus, while ignoring the realities of Islam in modern Britain.

Speaking at an International Conference on Islam and Muslims in London, Prime Minister Tony Blair referred to the need for increased emphasis on Islamic studies, saying the "true voice of Islam" needed to be heard.

"There is an interest and appetite across all sections of society to know more about Islam in all its diversity," Blair said. "This is not, repeat not, about equating interest in Islam with anxiety over extremism. But it explains, in part, the desire to learn about what motivates our Muslim communities."

University administrators welcomed the government's initiative while cautioning that any changes to the curriculum should ensure that "critical intellectual rigour" remains.

"It is important that all academic disciplines follow the normal quality procedures," said Drummond Bone, the president of Universities UK, a vice-chancellors' organisation.

The Ramadan Foundation, a non-politically affiliated Muslim youth organisation, also cautiously welcomed the initiative and Blair's speech, but warned that words would not be enough.

"The government's very good at announcing things... but when it comes to substance there's often not much there," said Mohammed Shafiq, a spokesman for the group.

"You have to judge the prime minister on his record, and the fact is his government has introduced lots of legislation that discriminates against Muslims. What he's done in Iraq and Afghanistan has contributed to terrorism."
(Additional reporting by Adrian Croft)