The Londoner

Home - More than 20 British Muslim families have been denied entry to the US, it has been claimed, amid mounting claims of religious discrimination by border officials. The allegation was made after a British father whose family holiday to Disneyland in the US was cancelled at the last minute by border officials spoke of their “devastation”. Fitness instructor Mohammad Tariq Mahmood was among 11 members of his family hoping to fly from Gatwick to Los Angeles last week, but said they were taken from the queue to board the plane by a border control officer. Read the full story here. 

Earlier this month, a tube passenger on the Piccadilly line allegedly told a Muslim man to leave a train in North London after he was using an iPad "suspiciously." A witness told the Evening Standard the man had switched the tablet off after he noticed the passenger looking at it, which apparently was cause enough for the passenger to deem it suspicious. Other passengers reportedly came to the Muslim man's defense. The British Transport Police says it has received 35 reports of anti-Muslim incidents on trains nationwide in the four weeks since the Paris attacks — up from seven in the same period a year earlier. (They don't break out numbers of incidents only in the tube.) “We have seen an increase in reporting hate crime since the Paris attacks. Everyone has the right to travel safely, and nobody should feel threatened or intimidated when using the rail network," a spokesman told Mashable. Tell MAMA, a national project to record and monitor anti-Muslim i...

By Sikander Hayat Algeria is battling a vicious attack on its oil & gas infrastructure from terrorists whose aims remain unknown. Many foreigners have been taken hostage which includes many western citizens . Given the history of Algeria’s militantpast and two decade insurgency (which started when Islamic Front won the elections but was forced away from taking over the government) , it is not uncommon for the country to face terrorist attacks . But it is the first time that an oil & gas installation has been attacked and such a large number of foreign hostages have been taken hostage. There could be three possible reasons for this and any other attacks that are country happening in Islamic Maghreb . 1.        The installation in question is near the borderbetween Algeria & Libya which gives rise to the possibility that attackers, though thought to be mostly Algerian nationals, came from Libya . Gaffafi’s government was ...

By Sikander Hayat It has been a trend now for few years that Shias are killedin Pakistan . Their mosques are attacked and their general life & well being is under threat. Groups like Sipah-e-Sihaba & Laskar-e-Jhangvi are wreaking havoc all over Pakistan . But the killings of Hazras in Quetta have reached a level where it is no longer possible for the people or the government ofPakistan to ignore the problem. Pakistan is generally stuck in a downward spiral but sectarianism is reaching the heights where it should never have been allowed to reach. It is easy to blame this and that for this issue and some would say that army is responsible for Pakistan's ills. Mullahs are blamed. From A to Z, from heavens to earth everything is blamed for the ills of Pakistan. Some would blame Saudi Arabia & Iran for fighting a proxy war in Pakistan. I agree with all/most of these reasons but I also want of bring your attention to another very important reason for the ills of ...

In his article “The Revolt of Islam in Syria” ( Jerusalem Post , December 12), Jonathan Spyer — senior fellow at the GLORIA Center — points out compelling information about the new Western-backed leadership in Syria. The bottom line: if this is Syria’s new government, then Syria now has an Islamist regime. This is happening with the knowledge and collaboration of the Obama administration and a number of European governments. It is a catastrophe, and one that’s taking place due to the deliberate decisions of President Barack Obama and other Western leaders. Even if one rationalizes the Islamist takeover in Egypt as due to internal events, this one is U.S.-made. As Spyer points out, U.S. and European policy can be summarized as follows: To align with and strengthen Muslim Brotherhood-associated elements, while painting Salafi forces as the sole real Islamist danger. At the same time, secular forces are ignored or brushed aside. The new regime, recognized by the Un...

The pace of the conflict in Syria is accelerating. A series of military and political developments – reports that Bashar al-Assad's regime has fired Scud missiles at rebel-held areas, the encroachment of violence ever nearer to the centre of Damascus, and Russia's acknowledgment that a government defeat is possible – are in different ways signs that a decisive period may be approaching. If the Scud reports are true, this is certainly an escalation in the conflict that began in 2011. Scuds are based on Soviet technology of the 1950s, are cumbersome to fire and highly inaccurate – but they carry substantial high-explosive warheads and can do serious damage if aimed towards large targets such as urban districts. Syria's rebel forces have made some advances in the last weeks of 2012, though their extent and rebel units' ability to hold on...

Chicago Muslims aim to reclaim meaning of 'jihad' from extremists New ad campaign on Chicago buses, launched Friday, aims to raise awareness of how most Muslims experience 'jihad' – as personal struggle, not 'holy war.' Starting Friday, 25 Chicago buses will carry exterior signs that promote a more positive interpretation of jihad , as expressed by moderate Muslims who say the term has been widely misrepresented by both Muslim extremists and anti-Muslim critics. “We are taking ownership of our faith and taking it back from Muslim and anti-Muslim extremists, which both have hijacked the conversation, one through bloody actions and the other with extreme rhetoric,” says Ahmed Rehab , executive director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) . IN PICTURES: Islam in America The ads feature photographs of young Muslims alongside personal testimonials – “My J...

By Sikander Hayat Since Hasina Wajid has come to power in Bangladesh, relations with Pakistan are steadily going downhill. Pakistan has no borders with Bangladesh , there is no water or land issue and there is no reason for the Bangladeshis to keep hating Pakistan. A different generation of Pakistanis was responsible for the separation of Bangladesh and whatever took place in 1971. If a country wants better relations with another country, she will do that despite any issues and if a country wants to pick a fight than again it does not need a reason. Currently, Hasina Wajid's government is trying to rake up dirt at every possible moment. Here are some of the issues which this government is using to make sure that they always use Pakistan as a safe whipping boy: 1. War reparations2. Apology for civil war in East Pakistan3. Division of assets4. Opposing Pakistan at the WTO 5. Treason trial against those who supported the united Pakistan ( East & West) One can un...

By Sikander Hayat Today America has attacked Pakistan again showing all the arrogance of an evil empire . Breaking every international law in the process and treating an ally like an enemy. It would be more palatable if America declares Pakistan an enemy and then kill us. We would than know who to fight against.The Taliban or the so called allies. Imran Khan has been saying this from the day one and now the popular public opinion is agreeing with him that our true enemies are the American government and not the Afghans. America is trying to forge an alliance which has all the enemies of Pakistan in it ranging from India and present puppet government of Afghanistan . Now openly killing Pakistani officers and soldiers in cold blood is basically telling Pakistanis to fuck off and may be this is time for our leaders to wake up from their deep sleep and tell the Americans to  stay in Afghanistan if they can on their own. This alliance must not go no any longer and must en...

Related Posts: 1.  Why United States & NATO Are Not Winning In Afghanistan? 2. Barack Obama Has Successfully Alienated Everyone 3. America Will Start Leaving Afghanistan in June 2011 – Implications of Initial Surge & Eventual Withdrawal On Pakistan? 4. Distinction between Afghan Taliban & Pakistani Taliban -- Are The Two Groups Fighting For Different Causes? 5. Pakistan - Facing Contradictory Strategic Choices In An Uncertain Region

By Sikander Hayat  Pakistan is like Israel, an ideological state. As states that came into existence to protect and promote the interests of religious minorities, Israel and Pakistan have more in common than is generally recognized. Their histories overlapped in many ways. As nations in the making, they had to create identities, impose languages, and contend with strange boundaries. While both have consciously avoided theocracy, in both places an initially reluctant orthodox segment has successfully gained disproportionate power.   Pakistan and Israel share the unique heritage of having been created in the aftermath of World War II as religiously defined states. In each case, the new state emerged as the result of a twentieth-century ideological movement, came into existence accompanied by violence, and attracted a large immigrant population. Both met with initial rejection from religious elements who more recently, on second thought, aspired to gain political power. De...

By Sikander Hayat Babri masjid has been given to Hindus . Court will give the detailed verdict later.  Babri Masjid   was a   mosque   in   Ayodhya which was destroyed in 1992 when around 150,000 Hindu extremists & fundamentalists attacked the mosque.   More than 2,000 Muslims were killed in the aftermath in many major Indian cities including   Mumbai   and Delhi . Despite its size and fame, the mosque was little used by the Muslim community of the district due to numerous petitions by Hindus to the courts. Today’s decision is the result of these lawsuits by Muslims & Hindus which contest the title of the mosque.  According to the reports by Indian media , people living in around the demolished mosque site town of Ajodhya want to get over this and get on with their lives. But there is a real danger that in the wake of this decision there will be dire consequences for the Hindu Muslim harmony in India.  ...

By Sikander Hayat There have been many times when Jew s and Muslims of Palestine went through this tortuous process of hope and pain but nothing has come out of these series of negotiations. There is one country between the river Jordan and the Mediterranean , you can call it Israel or Palestine according to your own religious affiliation but the world must stop pretending that somehow you can carve out a state for Muslims in the country of Israel .  The sooner everyone understands this better it will be for the future generations of Israel/Palestine. Just the logic of creating a territory which is not coherent and crisscrossed by the Jewish settlements is warped. Here are just few of the reasons why two state solution will not work in practice. 1.      Jews will not stop building new settlements 2.      Muslims will never let go the right of return for their refugees just as Jews are returning from all parts...