Muslim killed by youth in London

[TexasTiger 13,055]

One of the most impressive aspects of American culture was that there was apparently very little violence toward Muslims, at least that I recall, after 9-11.

Islamophobia blamed for attack

Vikram Dodd

Wednesday July 13, 2005

The Guardian

A Muslim man has been beaten to death outside a corner shop by a gang of youths who shouted anti-Islamic abuse at him, the Guardian has learned.

Kamal Raza Butt, 48, from Pakistan, was visiting Britain to see friends and family. On Sunday afternoon he went to a shop in Nottingham to buy cigarettes and was first called "Taliban" by the youths and then set upon.

Nottinghamshire police described the incident as racially aggravated, not as Islamophobic, angering Muslim groups and surprising some senior officers.

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They say it was not connected to a backlash against Muslims following the London bombings, which has seen mosques firebombed and Muslims attacked in the street.

On Monday the case was discussed at the Muslim Safety Forum, where senior police officers and Muslim community representatives meet.

Senior sources who were at the meeting last night said it was the view of all present that the killing was a hate crime triggered by his faith.

Muslim leaders last night said the killing and the fact that it was Islamophobic would heighten anxiety in their communities, which was already high before the London bombings and which has deepened with every report of attacks.

Nine youths, some of them juveniles, have been arrested by police, who are appealing for witnesses.

According to several sources, the man had gone to a shop around 4.30pm on Sunday to buy cigarettes, and the youths had asked him to hand them over.

When he refused they shouted that he was Taliban, a reference to the hardline Muslim government that ran Afghanistan and harboured al-Qaida terrorists.

The man was punched and fell to the ground and later died in hospital. Police have yet to officially announce the results of a postmortem examination.

Azad Ali, who chairs the Muslim Safety Forum, said: "You can't class this as racist, there was no racist abuse shouted at him, it was Islamophobic.

"It is good the police have made arrests. We are disappointed that they have misclassified it, especially after all the advice to be more alert to Islamophobic hate crime."

Planning for the aftermath of a terrorist attack on Britain has included extensive work on limiting any backlash and assuring Muslims, already distrustful of the police, that they could expect protection from any reprisals.

Guidelines from the Association of Chief Police Officers say forces should identify religious hate crimes and be open about it, because that may help their investigations and reassure the communities affected.

Mr Ali added that the murder would stoke fears among Britain's 1.6 million Muslims: "This has sent shivers down the community. People are very worried, if this is the start of an escalation."

A police source said there was no clear evidence linking the murder to the backlash against Muslims after the bombings.

Superintendent Dave Colbeck, of Nottinghamshire police, said: "It would be inappropriate to comment on the possible motive.

"It is a localised incident and we are not looking at it as anything other than an isolated incident."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,...1527288,00.html

[AURaptor 1,128]

This from the country whose 'football' hooligans caused such a ruckus in the European Championhips a few yrs ago, they were banned from even playing again for a time.

But still, can ya blame them? I mean, check out this testimony from the man who stabbed, shot and then cut the throat of the Grandson of Vincent Van Gogh...

The man accused of killing Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh confessed to a Dutch court that he acted out of his religious beliefs, saying he would do "exactly the same" if he were ever set free. "I take complete responsibility for my actions. I acted purely in the name of my religion," 27-year-old Dutch-Moroccan national Mohammed Bouyeri told the court in Amsterdam on the final day of his trial.

which ws followed by....

"I can assure you that one day, should I be set free, I would do exactly the same, exactly the same," he said, speaking slowly in sometimes halted Dutch.

Ahh yes. Islam..the religion of PEACE.

:huh:

[Ranger12 46]

The irony is that the people of England are supposedly more liberal and tolerant then us "Yanks". Like TT said, I don't recall hearing of any Muslims being killed here because of 9/11.

[TexasTiger 13,055]

But still, can ya blame them?

168836[/snapback]

They killed a random man in the streets. Yeah, I think we can blame them. What the guy in the Netherlands said is hardly relevant to this dude who was out buying cigarettes during his visit to Jolly 'Ole England.

[Piglet 0]

Islamophobia, huh?

So what do we call the mental condition that inspires them to commit hate crimes against us? Christophobia? Starsandstripesophobia? Commondecencophobia?

[Tiger in Spain 0]

Until the muslim community as a whole comes out and condems the killing of innocent non-muslims, I could really care less. My tolerance for the "religion of peace" is pretty low right now.

How about this story, TexasTiger:

53 Innocent Londoners Murdered Senselessly By Muslims

Haven't seen this headline gracing the top of any news stories, yet we're bombarded with articles reminding us to be kind to muslims after yet another massacre against us committed by muslims.

[AUloggerhead 2,255]

Uh oh ... the soccer hooligans have discovered someone other than themselves to beat upon: Link

Far right and football gangs plot 'revenge'

Anti-Muslim websites monitored

Hugh Muir

Friday July 15, 2005

The Guardian

Plans by an alliance of rightwing extremists and football hooligans to exact "revenge" on Muslims after last week's bomb attacks are being monitored by police.

The Guardian has learned that extremists are keen to cause widespread fear and injury with attacks on mosques and high-profile "anti-Muslim" events in the capital.

Football hooligans communicating over the internet have spoken of the need to put aside partisan support for teams and unite against Muslims. Hooligans from West Ham, Millwall, Crystal Palace and Arsenal are among those seeking to establish common cause.

As part of wider plans to generate a backlash, rightwing groups such as the Nationalist Alliance and the National Front are said to be planning marches. Extremists hope to hold a march along Victoria Embankment in London tomorrow.

It is also known that many mosques have received bomb threats since the attacks.

Attempts by the right to make capital out of the tragedy have created a powderkeg. Already extremist Islamist websites have told Muslims to be ready to retaliate.

The BNP sought to capitalise on last week's atrocities in its byelection literature in Barking, Essex, by reproducing a picture of the bombed No 30 bus with the headline Maybe Now it's Time to Listen to the BNP.

But the tactic backfired last night when Labour trounced the BNP, winning the Becontree byelection with 1,171 votes. The BNP received 378.

The BNP's tactic prompted cross-party condemnation. Though it was designed to increase support for the far-right, many believe the message may have been too crass and too badly timed to work. The party does, however, enjoy some support in the area.

Gerry Gable, of the anti- fascist organisation Searchlight, said: "There is no doubt that the far-right are playing this for all they think it is worth.

"If you look at the BNP website there's Nick Griffin saying 'be calm' and other material saying 'don't get angry, get even!'"

He added: "These things should be taken seriously. One site, Blood and Honour, had a posting about a mosque in the Wirral and soon after the mosque was hit. Soon after, the posting was taken down."

The police have pledged to crack down on any attempts to provoke division in the aftermath of the bombs. Members of Scotland Yard's independent advisory group have been asked to liaise with borough commanders in the capital to reassure the public and make sure the police carry out their pledges.

The Met has said from the outset that the bombs were an attack on all communities and that none should be scapegoated.

The synergy between rightwing extremists and football hooligans is not new. Throughout the 1980s, some of the biggest clubs in Britain were plagued by notoriously violent and racist followers.

Though virtually all clubs have since challenged the behaviour of extremist fans, and almost all now belong to the Kick Racism Out of Football initiative, violent followers continue to communicate with each other and supporters from other clubs to engineer confrontations.

The prospect of the opening day Championship fixture between Leeds and Millwall in August is already causing concern.

[AURaptor 1,128]

But still, can ya blame them?

168836[/snapback]

They killed a random man in the streets. Yeah, I think we can blame them. What the guy in the Netherlands said is hardly relevant to this dude who was out buying cigarettes during his visit to Jolly 'Ole England.

168841[/snapback]

Mabye if the peaceful muslims would speak out louder, and more often about the barbaric acts their 'brothers' engage in instead of saying nothing..... And what happened in the Netherlands isn't in the least an isolated incident. From across the mid-East, Bali, the Netherlands and now London, Islam is slaughtering innocent people, specifically and on purpose for no reason other than that they aren't Muslim. Heck, some ARE Muslim, just not the right kind. Or maybe they are, so what?... they just love murdering folks in the name of ALLAH. The sooner we all recognize this danger, the better.

Just a thought.

[vatz22au 142]

Jesus guys....an innocent man was beaten to death based off race. Theres no justification for this at all. Ya...some "rag-heads" or whatever y'all call them, who were terrorists, have caused alot of harm...But thats NO JUSTIFICATION to be beating innocent people to death because "they look like them."

Some of the replies im reading on here are pretty s****y...."Can you blame them?" That was probably the crappiest statement Ive read all day....

Bring up the facts about terrorists....go into politics....hell who knows what argument someone is going to bring up to justify this......But when it really comes down to it, theres no justification to be beating people to death who had no part. Especially a random guy who was just buying cigarettes.

Theres no way I could ever agree or "justify" this action......totally uncalled for.

[AURaptor 1,128]

Jesus guys....an innocent man was beaten to death based off race.  Theres no justification for this at all.  Ya...some "rag-heads" or whatever y'all call them, who were terrorists, have caused alot of harm...But thats NO JUSTIFICATION to be beating innocent people to death because "they look like them."

Some of the replies im reading on here are pretty s****y...."Can you blame them?"  That was probably the crappiest statement Ive read all day....

Bring up the facts about terrorists....go into politics....hell who knows what argument someone is going to bring up to justify this......But when it really comes down to it, theres no justification to be beating people to death who had no part.  Especially a random guy who was just buying cigarettes.

Theres no way I could ever agree or "justify" this action......totally uncalled for.

168900[/snapback]

Lighten up, Francis.

Yes, it's a tragedy that another innocent person died. That should go w/ out saying. But my origianl statement still stands. By blindly ignoring the vicious nature of Islamic extremism, such an event was inevitable. Sorry 1 more had to die. It sucks, I know.