A social project is persuading many Islamic women in the UK that religion is no bar to joining the debate on women's rights

For many feminists the headscarf is a glaring symbol of male oppression and the patriarchal power of religion.

Read more @ The Guardian

He has died, I'm so sad I really really thought he was the best of the best of politicians, honest and clever, a man of conviction.  I loved to hear him talk. He will be missed.  

New report details 'McCarthy-like' police surveillance and discrimination against the Muslim community.

London, United Kingdom - Muhammad still does not know for sure why British counter-terrorism police came to the door of his east London home shortly before dawn one morning in March 2012.

It was 5:30am on the day of Muhammad and his wife's third wedding anniversary. The couple's two young children were sleeping in their cots, and his elderly parents were also visiting.

"My mum woke me up, saying: 'There are police at the door. Get up! Get up!' My wife grabbed her headscarf and we all went into the living room," Muhammad told Al Jazeera, requesting only his first name be used for legal reasons.

"I counted 12 police officers in there and there were others lurking in the other rooms. They said they had a warrant to raid my house and my car."

As police searched the property, Muhammad's father suffered a heart attack. An ambulance was called to take him to hospital. The police eventually left at 2am the following morning, taking with them money, documents, electrical equipment, phones and Muhammad's passport.

Muhammad, a British-born Muslim of Bangladeshi origin in his late 20s, was not arrested, detained or questioned as a result of the raid. His father made a full recovery. But the incident has turned his life upside down.

He has subsequently been routinely stopped and questioned at airports under Schedule Seven counter-terrorism powers, making his work as a guide escorting British pilgrims to Saudi Arabia on Hajj increasingly untenable. In October last year he said he was held for 26 hours at Riyadh airport before being deported back to the UK without explanation.

Read More @ Al Jazeera

Interesting article over at BBC News. The interesting takeaway from it all is this list comparing children of fathers 24 years old with those 20 years older:

• autism was more than three times as likely
• a 13-fold increased risk of ADHD
• double the risk of a psychotic disorder
• 25 times more likely to have bipolar disorder
• 2.5 times more likely to have suicidal behaviour or problems with drugs
• lower scores at school

Now that is quite an impact.

Denmark bans halal and kosher slaughter as minister says ‘animal rights come before religion’

Denmark’s government has brought in a ban on the religious slaughter of animals for the production of halal and kosher meat, after years of campaigning from welfare activists.

The change to the law, announced last week and effective as of yesterday, has been called “anti-Semitism” by Jewish leaders and “a clear interference in religious freedom” by the non-profit group Danish Halal.

Read more @ The Independent