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  • Muslim Women Gather At Westminster Bridge To Remember Victims Of Terrorist Attack

    Muslim Women Gather At Westminster Bridge To Remember Victims Of Terrorist Attack

    Woman gathered at the scene of last Wednesday’s terror attack in Westminster and linked arms as a show of solidarity with its victims.

    Wearing blue as a symbol of hope, the women said emotions were “overwhelming” as they stood on the bridge where pedestrians were mown down by 52-year-old terrorist Khalid Masood .

    They formed a human chain by holding hands for five minutes as Big Ben chimed at 4pm.

    People from a range of backgrounds joined the event, organised by Women’s March On London.

    Three members of the public died and many more were injured after Masood sped along the bridge before storming the parliamentary estate and stabbing PC Keith Palmer to death.

    Fariha Khan, 40, a GP from Surbiton, said: “The feeling of what happened here on

    “We thought of the ordinary people who were here and were mown down, standing here like this, it was very overwhelming.”

    She was joined by fellow Ahmadiyya Muslims who said they wanted to add to the condemnation of the violent attack and stand defiant in the face of terrorism .

    Sarah Waseem, 57, from Surrey, said: “When an attack happens in London, it is an attack on me.

    “It is an attack on all of us. Islam totally condemns violence of any sort. This is abhorrent to us.”

    Being present for the demonstration shows people in the city are united in support of democracy, said Ayesha Malik.

    The 34-year-old mother-of-two, also from Surrey, said: “As a visible Muslim I think it was important to show solidarity with the principles that we all hold dear, the principles of plurality, diversity and so on.”

    Londoner Mary Bennett said she was present to make a “small gesture”.

    The retired healthcare worker said: “I am here to show that in a quiet way we continue to go where we like and do what we like in London.

    “This is my city. It’s a very small gesture but life is made up of small gestures.”

     

     

    Source: www.mirror.co.uk

  • Four Victims Killed And 40 Injured In UK Parliament ‘Terrorist’ Attack

    Four Victims Killed And 40 Injured In UK Parliament ‘Terrorist’ Attack

    Four victims were killed and 40 injured after being run over and stabbed in a lightning attack at the gates of British democracy on Wednesday (Mar 22). Police attributed the attack to “Islamist-related terrorism”.

    The attack unfolded across Westminster Bridge in the shadow of Big Ben, a towering landmark that draws tourists by the millions and stands over Britain’s Houses of Parliament – the very image of London.

    The attacker’s car struck pedestrians on the bridge before crashing into the railings surrounding the heavily-guarded Houses of Parliament, sowing first shock then panic in the seat of British power.

    The assailant then ran through the gates brandishing a knife and stabbed a 48-year-old policeman to death before being shot dead by another officer.

    Prime Minister Theresa May described the attack as “sick and depraved” and said that “the terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city” in an attack on Britain’s democratic values.

    Standing outside her Downing Street residence after an emergency cabinet meeting, May voiced defiance and said parliament would meet as normal on Thursday, while Britain’s security alert level would be kept unchanged.

    “We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart,” said May, who was dressed in black.

    May was in parliament at the time of the attack and was seen being ushered away in a silver car as what sounded like gunfire rang out, British media reported.

    London mayor Sadiq Khan issued a statement saying the police were “dealing with the incident and an urgent investigation is underway”. He also thanked authorities and emergency services for their hard work and “tremendous bravery”.

    ‘ISLAMIST-RELATED TERRORISM’

    Britain’s top counter-terrorism officer Mark Rowley said the four victims included a policeman guarding parliament and three members of the public.

    “Islamist-related terrorism is our assumption,” Rowley told journalists, adding that investigators believed they knew the identity of the assailant who was shot dead by police.

    The attack came a year to the day after Islamic State militants killed 32 people in twin bomb attacks in Brussels and after a series of deadly assaults in Europe that had hitherto spared Britain.

    Parliament was locked down for several hours and hundreds of lawmakers and visitors were later evacuated to nearby Westminster Abbey and the headquarters of London’s Metropolitan Police.

    An air ambulance flew in and police cordoned off a large area, while tourists on the London Eye, a popular visitor attraction, were stuck up to 135m in the air for more than an hour during the incident.

    London’s air ambulance arrives at the Houses of Parliament in central London during an emergency incident. (Photo: AFP/Daniel Leal-Olivas)

    “I saw three bodies lying on the ground and a whole lot of police. It was pretty terrifying,” said 16-year-old American Jack Hutchinson who was stranded on the observation wheel with his parents.

    Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, whose brother Jonathan was killed in the 2002 Bali bombing, was pictured with his face smeared with blood helping to give first aid to the fatally wounded police officer.

    FRENCH, KOREANS, ROMANIANS HURT

    Three French pupils on a school trip were among those hurt and a seriously injured woman was rescued from the River Thames following Wednesday’s incident.

    Five South Korean tourists were wounded, the Yonhap news agency reported, while the Romanian foreign ministry said two Romanians were also injured.

    A doctor at nearby St Thomas’ Hospital said they were treating people with “catastrophic” injuries.

    Press Association news agency photos believed to be of the attacker lying on an ambulance stretcher showed he was wearing black clothes and had a beard.

    ‘REAL SENSE OF PANIC’

    British lawmaker Mary Creagh told AFP there was “a real sense of panic” as the attack unfolded.

    Polish former foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski was in a taxi on the bridge and said a car “mowed down at least five people … one of them bleeding profusely”.

    Pictures of what happened next showed two people being attended to on the ground inside the vehicle entrance gates of parliament, with a knife visible on the cobblestones.

    Three shots were heard on video footage.

    Jason Groves, the Daily Mail newspaper’s political editor, said he saw the officer firing “with a handgun, and then gets closer to him and shoots him again from over him and he doesn’t get up”.

    A Twitter user @ClaudiaScore said she had been on the bridge when she heard a loud bang. Video footage she recorded showed a car crashed into a railing with its bonnet still smoking.

    On her Twitter page, Claudia said she “tried to check on the guy stuck under the car but couldn’t get to him” and that he “looked in really bad shape”. “I’m shaken up to say the least,” she added.

    An eyewitness at the scene tweeted that he heard what sounded like an explosion and raised voices outside parliament.

    “I saw people running past the entrance to the New Palace Yard entrance to parliament, and then at least one person try to run into the Yard itself. A police officer chased this person and then wrestled them to the ground,” tweeted Owen Bennett, who is the deputy political editor of the Huffington Post UK.

    “Shots were then fired, but I can’t remember how many and I didn’t see who fired them.”

     

    ‘WE ARE NOT AFRAID’

    Britain’s allies reacted with shock and vowed to stand with London in the fight against terror.

    US President Donald Trump and French President Francois Hollande both spoke to May and Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany stood with Britons “against all forms of terrorism”.

    Lights on the Eiffel Tower in Paris will also be switched off at midnight in solidarity with victims of the attack.

    Social media users shared an altered image of a London Underground sign reading “We Are Not Afraid” and the hashtag #PrayforLondon trended on Twitter.

    Injured people are assisted on Westminster Bridge in London. (Photo: Reuters / Toby Melville)

    Britain’s last terror attack was the assassination of Member of Parliament Jo Cox by a pro-Nazi sympathiser in her constituency in northern England last June.

    The worst previous attack in London was in 2005 when four British suicide bombers inspired by Al-Qaeda attacked the transport system, killing 52 innocent people.

     

    Source: CNA

  • UK Police Face Backlash Over Allahu Akbar Chant During Anti-Terror Exercise

    UK Police Face Backlash Over Allahu Akbar Chant During Anti-Terror Exercise

    Efforts to fight terrorism should not be hampered by perpetuating sterotypes against Muslims, said the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), after police in England used the phrase “Allahu Akbar” at an anti-terror training exercise.

    Monday’s exercise at a shopping mall in Manchester comprised more than 800 volunteers, including a masked man dressed in black who, in video footage, was seen running and shouting the words before setting off an explosion.

    Miqdaad Versi, assistant secretary general of the MCB, told Al Jazeera that “by using this word [in the terror training], Muslims around the world are being associated with terrorists”.

    “Muslims use this term in prayers and is a perfectly noble term and we must not allow the terrorists to hijack it,” said Versi.

    Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan from Greater Manchester Police said while the exercise was based on a “suicide attack by an extremist Daesh [ISIL] style organisation”, the use of the word was unacceptable.

    “On reflection we acknowledge that it was unacceptable to use this religious phrase immediately before the mock suicide bombing, which so vocally linked this exercise with Islam.

    “We recognise and apologise for the offence that this has caused.”

    Versi added that “using this term in such exercises is not helpful in any way” before welcoming the police for “recognising the problem and for apologising”.

    Reactions raced through social media, mostly on Twitter, where people condemned the act.

    “I’m disgusted by Manchester Police using ‘Allah hu Akbar’ in a terrorism training exercise. Once again demonising Muslims and Islam,” said a Twitter user.

    Police said there was no specific threat in Manchester and that the exercise was devised in December, a month after the Paris attacks that killed 130 people.

    A British Muslim Labour party candidate, Sadiq Khan, was sworn in as London’s new mayor this month after receiving the largest number of votes of any London mayoral candidate ever.

    Some of the fault lines surrounding Khan’s election were visible on social media where many users mocked what they saw as xenophobic responses to Khan’s mayorship.

     

    Source: www.aljazeera.com

  • Ramadan Rush Sees Mega-Rich Arab Shoppers Flock To London

    Ramadan Rush Sees Mega-Rich Arab Shoppers Flock To London

    LONDON, June 22 — Inside an upmarket London department store a genteel Middle Eastern woman glides by, trailing flowing robes and the distinctive smell of oud, a perfume popular with Arab women.

    Outside, petrol fumes fill the air and motors roar, as young Arab men rev the engines of some of the world’s most expensive cars at a stop light.

    Welcome to London’s Ramadan rush, when thousands of wealthy Arabs descend on the British capital in the weeks before and after the Muslim fasting month, packing hotels and fuelling a shopping frenzy.

    “It’s a prestige thing. This is a place to show off your wealth, supercar or your clothes. You want to go where you’ll be seen, and London is where all the Arabs are,” said Fahad al-Ajmi, a 32-year-old Kuwaiti.

    “I know Kuwaitis who take out loans just to come to London and show off. How crazy is that?”

    Qatari shoppers spend an average £1,432 (RM8,365) per transaction — the top amount among Middle Eastern visitors — closely followed by tourists from the United Arab Emirates at £1,120.

    ‘Part of the retail calendar’

    Premium department stores and top brands have been quick to accommodate Britain’s most well-heeled shoppers.

    At Selfridges the number of women wearing hijabs almost outnumbers other customers.

    The premier London department store is one of several to adjust opening hours or specially train staff to serve Arab customers.

    Global Blue, which provides British shops and hotels with cultural training, has a list of Dos and Don’ts. Among those: Do address the oldest man when speaking to a group. Don’t give them a thumbs up — the gesture is interpreted in some Arab countries as obscene.

    The company says Middle Eastern consumers are the top-spending foreign shopper group in Britain, representing 32 per cent of total international outlays to date this year, with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE occupying four of the top five national spending slots.

    Ramadan, which follows the lunar calendar and ends with the Eid al-Fitr celebration, this year starts on Thursday, with many Gulf Arabs holidaying before or after to stock up on gifts and outfits and escape searing temperatures back home.

    “Much like the January sales and Christmas rush, Middle Eastern visitors celebrating Eid are now part of the retail calendar for many luxury brands,” said Dave Hobday, managing director of Worldpay UK, a payment processing company.

    London, with its extensive transport links, global language, relative proximity, mild climate and historical ties to Gulf states, has become the destination of choice for many Ramadan tourists.

    Several Gulf countries were former British protectorates, and their citizens have for decades come to London to shop, study, receive medical treatment and invest, most prominently in the city’s booming property market.

    “We like the English. As someone from the Gulf, we’re used to them. We even like their food,” laughed Khaled Abdullah Ghanem, 42, a Kuwaiti on holiday, adding that Britain is generally more welcoming towards Arabs than France or the United States.

    Supercars and ‘carparazzi’

    The economic boom Arabs create isn’t restricted to high-end shopping and hotels, with firms that hire supercars or transport them to London from the Gulf reporting brisk business.

    Young Arabs driving around London’s most exclusive shopping streets in Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and other ultra-expensive vehicles, often bearing Middle Eastern number plates, have become an annual fixture.

    The cavalcades of costly automobiles are a nuisance to some, but are welcomed by car enthusiasts — or “Carparazzi” — who stalk the streets around posh department stores like Harrods and Harvey Nichols for rare vehicles, and share videos and photos of them online.

    “Ramadan is a busy time for us… Quite often the whole family will travel, sometimes with security too. We have used Rolls Royce and Bentleys for some individuals and often use Mercedes Vianos for the security team,” said a spokesperson for Signature Car Hire, which offers prestige vehicles to clients including the UAE and Qatari royal families.

    The Lamborghini Aventador, one of the world’s most expensive supercars, rents for £1,995 pounds a day. However, many Gulf visitors prefer to bring their own vehicles, paying as much as £12,000 for return shipping according to media reports. ― AFP-Relaxnews

     

    Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

  • London-Based Priest Slammed For Allowing Muslim Prayer Service To Take Place In Anglican Church

    London-Based Priest Slammed For Allowing Muslim Prayer Service To Take Place In Anglican Church

    A London-based priest has been slammed after allowing a Muslim prayer service to take place in an Anglican church in the British capital, the Daily Mail has reported.

    Reverend Giles Goddard – described by the newspaper as a ‘leading liberal clergyman’ – held the ‘Inclusive Mosque’ event at St John’s Church in Waterloo, South London, where he is the vicar.

    Speaking at the service he asked the congregation to praise ‘the god that we love, Allah,’ the report added.

    Rev Goddard said: “It is very much about St John’s being a place of welcome. We understand God as a generous God, a God who celebrates love and celebrates life.”

    Speaking of the ‘Inclusive Jummah’ event which was held in partnership with the Inclusive Mosque Initiative, he added: “They could have gone to a community center, I suppose, but they loved being in a church, they were just really pleased and delighted to have the welcome and it was very moving, really. It is the same God, we share the same tradition.”

    And he said that ‘everything his church did was legal and within bishops’ guidelines’.

    Finishing the service he read from religious text Psalm 139, adding: “This is from the Hebrew scripture – we all share these great traditions, so let us celebrate our shared traditions, by giving thanks to the God that we love, Allah.”

    But the event – which is believed to be the first time an entire Islamic service was held by the Church of England – has come under criticism from conservative clergy, who say it breached canon law.

    Reverend Stephen Kuhrt, vicar of Christ Church, New Malden, said: “I am appalled by islamophobia and when people whip up anti-Muslim frenzy, but the vicar of St John’s Waterloo has done something that is completely illegal, which is to allow an Islamic service to be held in his church, and then he has participated as well.’

    And the minister of Wimbledon’s Emmanuel Church, Reverend Robin Weekes, said: “The issue is not primarily that canon law has been broken, which it has, but that it is offensive to Christians who believe that there is only one God.”

     

    Source: http://english.alarabiya.net