The Base and Hezbollah to be designated as terror organisations in Australia

Australia intends to add far-right extremist group The Base and the entirety of the Lebanese group Hezbollah to its list of outlawed terrorist organisations.

Hezbollah’s External Security Organisation has been listed since 2003, but including all Hezbollah entities as terrorist organisations would make being a member of, or supporting, those entities a criminal offense.

“The group continues to threaten terrorist attacks and provides support to terrorist organisations,” Home Affairs minister Karen Andrews said in a statement.

The Base, which originated in the United States, would become only the second far-right group to be designated a terrorist organisation in Australia after the British-based Sonnenkrieg Division was listed in August.

The remaining 25 terrorist organisations on Australia’s list are Muslim groups.

“The Base is a violent, racist, neo-Nazi group known by security agencies to be planning and preparing terrorist attacks,” Mrs Andrews said.

“The Base is currently proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the governments of Canada and the United Kingdom and is known to have organised paramilitary training camps overseas,” she added.

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Categories: Australia, Hezbollah, News, Sonnenkrieg Division, The Base

Warrant issued for elder brother of Manchester Arena bomber to attend inquiry

The elder brother of Salman Abedi will be arrested and brought to the Manchester Arena Inquiry to give evidence if he comes back to the UK, a judge has ruled.

Ismail Abedi, 28, had been ordered to attend the public inquiry into the May 2017 terror attack but boarded a flight to Istanbul from Manchester Airport at the end of August and has not returned.

Bereaved families of the 22 people killed in the explosion labelled him a “coward” for refusing to attend in October and give an account as to how Salman Abedi, 22, had become radicalised.

They said they were “shocked” how he was allowed to leave a day after he missed a flight when he was stopped and questioned by police and told them he was going on a three-week break.

On Friday, Mr Justice Sweeney sitting at Manchester Civil Justice Centre granted an application from inquiry chair Sir John Saunders to issue a bench warrant against Abedi.

Paul Greaney QC, for the applicant, argued Abedi had “important” evidence to give on his younger brother’s path to extremism.

He said the inquiry heard this week that their father, Ramadan Abedi, was associated with the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, a militia that had links with terror organisation al-Qaeda.

Another Abedi brother, Hashem, 24, was jailed for life last year for the 22 murders by assisting the bomb plot.

Mr Greaney said: “The question that the inquiry would like to pose is was Ramadan Abedi a violent Islamist extremist and if so did that rub off on his sons.”

He said the inquiry also wants to know if Salman and Hashem had received military training in Libya after photographs of the pair holding weapons were found on Ismail’s phone.

Another area to probe would be to ask Ismail if it was “just a coincidence” that Salman spent increased time with mutual friend Abdalraouf Abdallah, 28 – later jailed for terrorism offences – in 2015 and 2016 when he was said to have eschewed his previous partying lifestyle and become more religious, said Mr Greaney.

Finally, Abedi has potential relevant evidence to give, said Mr Greaney, on the preparation of the bomb given his DNA was found on a hammer in a car used to store the explosives.

Rebecca Filletti, appearing for Abedi under his new name of Ben Romdhan, said he was held in custody for two weeks after the attack in 2017 and he was detained again in August this year when his phone was examined, with neither investigation resulting in any criminal charges.

She also pointed out her client aired caution over the issue of forensics as the court would be aware DNA is transferable and the hammer was a moveable object.

Last month, lawyers for Abedi issued a statement in which they said he was unwilling to give evidence and the questions asked by the inquiry are “essentially the same as he was asked by the police”.

He added requiring him to attend before the inquiry would place him and his family at risk.

It is understood Abedi’s wife and child flew out separately to join him.

At the time of the bombing, Ramadan Abedi was in his homeland of Libya where he remains and has not co-operated with the inquiry. Police still want to question him as a suspect.

Friday’s hearing was told Ismail Abedi could face criminal prosecution if he does not attend the inquiry before it ends.

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Categories: Abdalraouf Abdallah, Ben Romdhan, Bomber's brother, Ismail Abedi, Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, News

Revealed: How Tolberone’s filter banned Muhammad from gift products

The parent company of the Swiss chocolate bar, Toblerone, have apologised and vowed to correct issues with its moderation policy which prevented common spellings of Muhammad and Islam from appearing on its personalised products, Tell MAMA can exclusively reveal.

Our investigation began after a Muslim family got in touch to express their shock and disappointment at the discriminatory way they could not use Islam (the recipient’s surname) in the personalised product.

A screenshot of how the original filter blocked Islam – preventing a family from personalising their item (the first name is blurred to protect their identity).

That personalised product, which retails at £17 a bar, allows customers to select from various packaging and chocolate types and gives ten characters for a name to appear in large font, with accompanying space for the text below, with prompts suggesting moments of celebrations like graduations or birthdays.

Throughout the investigation, we found significant inconsistencies as it denies common spellings of Muhammad and Mohammed but allows other variations, including Mohamed, Mohamad, Muhamad, Muhamed, Mohamud, Mohummad, Mohummed, Mouhamed, Mohammod and Mouhamad.

The filter would, instead, read: “Try writing something different. Positive vibes only, please. Your submission didn’t pass our moderation check.”

Per our investigation of the filter bias, we tested one of the most popular spellings of Muhammad, only to find it filtered. It would be fixed after our investigation revealed the problem.

We unearthed worrying inconsistencies regarding hate speech filters and moderation that allowed an infamous racist Holocaust denial phrase, “Holohoax“, to avoid censure. In addition, regarding white supremacist hate groups, the filter detected and filtered the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), but not the notorious neo-fascist terror group Combat 18, banned in countries like neighbouring Germany, avoided the moderating filter suggesting that the algorithm had a US-centric focus prior to Tell MAMA presenting its findings.

Of equal concern was how some racialised and dehumanising anti-Muslim and Islamophobic terms also avoided moderation – which we raised in our correspondence with their parent company.

More broadly, there is a wealth of research documenting how racial bias imprinted in algorithms impacts the health of Black people and other minority ethnic groups, employment discrimination claims (to charging higher rates for taxi rides in more diverse areas of the United States) and facial recognition software used in major cities like London.

Toblerone gained halal certification in April 2018, resulting in the far-right across Europe pushing anti-Muslim conspiracies and calling for boycotts – and yet, the word halal also fell foul of the moderation – now fixed following our investigation.

The correspondence between Toblerone and the Muslim family impacted and seen by Tell MAMA revealed the “trouble with our name moderation” as the company welcomed their “crucial” feedback. After being informed of the error, they acknowledged the “big mistake” and promised to correct it and raise it further with the customer service team.

On Friday (November 26), the press office of Toblerone’s parent company Mondelez International replied to Tell MAMA, offering an apology to those impacted and stating that it had “strengthened” its filtering system following our investigation. The spokesperson told Tell MAMA: “The diversity and inclusion of our consumers is a very important part of what we do, and we apologise to any consumers impacted. We have strengthened our filtering system based on Tell MAMA’s comments.”

Reacting to the response from the company and the changes made, Iman Atta, Tell MAMA’s Director, said: “Companies have a social responsibility to ensure inclusivity whilst protecting customers from harm, discrimination, and hate. Unfortunately, Toblerone fell short in a wholly unacceptable way – though I welcome their commitment to improving their moderation filters, it should not have been able to happen in the first place.

Muslim customers deserve equal treatment, as do all communities, and it was shocking to see how Holocaust denial could also escape moderation. We launched #No2h8November several years ago on a collective mission to challenge racism, hate, and bigotry, and we are glad that these changes came from our investigation at Tell MAMA.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Categories: bias, discrimination, Muhammad, News, No2h8November, Toblerone

Christian convert receives death threat following Liverpool bombing

A Christian convert at a church connected with the Liverpool bomber has received a death threat in the wake of the Remembrance Sunday terror attack.

Iraq-born Emad Al Swealmeen, the 32-year-old bomber, converted to Christianity in 2015 and in 2017 lived with Christian volunteers Malcolm and Elizabeth Hitchcott, who attended St Philemon’s Church in Toxteth.

The Rev Brian Elfick said Christian converts at St Philemon’s have felt “fearful of coming to church” since the bombing on November 14, with one former asylum seeker receiving a death threat.

“The bombing will have affected our church in a number of ways… those from the Middle East feel much more distrusted and unwelcome,” Mr Elfick told the PA news agency.

“One member of our church family received a death threat… despite having residency.

“Because St Philemon’s has a number of asylum seekers, some on the fringes of church life are fearful of coming to church, but we expect that fear to pass.”

Mr Elfick said Al Swealmeen’s attendance at his church was not “habitual” but many of the congregation “will have met him at some point” through the Hitchcotts, who attended St Philemon’s between 2017 and 2019.

Al Swealmeen reportedly arrived in the UK from the Middle East in 2014 and had an application for asylum rejected the following year, but had a fresh appeal ongoing at the time of his death.

The Home Office is reportedly concerned at the role of the Church of England in converting refugees and Mr Elfick said his church is aware some people fraudulently claim conversion in order to gain asylum.

“We recognise our limits, we cannot look into another person’s heart,” he said.

“We do not facilitate any ‘gaming of the system’ – we are about discipling people, not coaching them through a process.”

Many of St Philemon’s members have converted from other religions, and the church regularly holds services and bible studies translated in Farsi and Sorani.

“We are delighted to have asylum seekers and ex-asylum seekers as members of our church family and we seek to love them as we would anyone else,” Mr Elfick said.

“We are conscious that those who gain asylum often need help in building a new life here and we seek to help them in practical ways to become rooted in their new community.

“St Philemon’s often writes letters of support for church members for any number of reasons, such as school applications, and so does the same for asylum applications.”

A spokesman for Liverpool Cathedral confirmed that the bomber had been baptised in 2015 and confirmed there in 2017, but lost contact with the cathedral the following year.

Bishop Cyril Ashton said he had conducted the confirmation of Al Swealmeen and that the Christian convert “would have been thoroughly prepared with an understanding of the Christian faith”.

Al Swealmeen detonated a homemade bomb outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital just before 11am on November 14, killing himself and injuring taxi driver David Perry.

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Categories: Al-Swealmeen, Christian convert, church, Death threat, Liverpool, Liverpool bomber, Liverpool bombing, News

Christian convert receives death threat following Liverpool bombing

A Christian convert at a church connected with the Liverpool bomber has received a death threat in the wake of the Remembrance Sunday terror attack.

Iraq-born Emad Al Swealmeen, the 32-year-old bomber, converted to Christianity in 2015 and in 2017 lived with Christian volunteers Malcolm and Elizabeth Hitchcott, who attended St Philemon’s Church in Toxteth.

The Rev Brian Elfick said Christian converts at St Philemon’s have felt “fearful of coming to church” since the bombing on November 14, with one former asylum seeker receiving a death threat.

“The bombing will have affected our church in a number of ways… those from the Middle East feel much more distrusted and unwelcome,” Mr Elfick told the PA news agency.

“One member of our church family received a death threat… despite having residency.

“Because St Philemon’s has a number of asylum seekers, some on the fringes of church life are fearful of coming to church, but we expect that fear to pass.”

Mr Elfick said Al Swealmeen’s attendance at his church was not “habitual” but many of the congregation “will have met him at some point” through the Hitchcotts, who attended St Philemon’s between 2017 and 2019.

Al Swealmeen reportedly arrived in the UK from the Middle East in 2014 and had an application for asylum rejected the following year, but had a fresh appeal ongoing at the time of his death.

The Home Office is reportedly concerned at the role of the Church of England in converting refugees and Mr Elfick said his church is aware some people fraudulently claim conversion in order to gain asylum.

“We recognise our limits, we cannot look into another person’s heart,” he said.

“We do not facilitate any ‘gaming of the system’ – we are about discipling people, not coaching them through a process.”

Many of St Philemon’s members have converted from other religions, and the church regularly holds services and bible studies translated in Farsi and Sorani.

“We are delighted to have asylum seekers and ex-asylum seekers as members of our church family and we seek to love them as we would anyone else,” Mr Elfick said.

“We are conscious that those who gain asylum often need help in building a new life here and we seek to help them in practical ways to become rooted in their new community.

“St Philemon’s often writes letters of support for church members for any number of reasons, such as school applications, and so does the same for asylum applications.”

A spokesman for Liverpool Cathedral confirmed that the bomber had been baptised in 2015 and confirmed there in 2017, but lost contact with the cathedral the following year.

Bishop Cyril Ashton said he had conducted the confirmation of Al Swealmeen and that the Christian convert “would have been thoroughly prepared with an understanding of the Christian faith”.

Al Swealmeen detonated a homemade bomb outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital just before 11am on November 14, killing himself and injuring taxi driver David Perry.

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Categories: Al-Swealmeen, Christian convert, church, Death threat, Liverpool, Liverpool bomber, Liverpool bombing, News

Muslim girls assaulted by group of women who tried to yank their hijabs off

South Yorkshire Police are investigating an Islamophobic hate crime in the Attercliffe area of Sheffield following the assaults on two Muslim girls.

A police appeal, published on Friday (November 22), detailed how the two girls, aged 14 and 13, had left the mosque on Staniforth Road when four women of unknown description approached them before assaulting them.

The anti-Muslim assault occurred on October 14 at 19:40 GMT.

South Yorkshire Police confirmed that the perpetrators had, during the attack, sought to remove their hijabs and other religious clothing, adding that both girls suffered minor injuries.

As protocol, we urge Muslim communities to keep our safety tips in mind, more so when attending and leaving mosques or other Islamic institutions. In addition, our Resources section contain safety advice tailored for children and young people.

The assault made headlines in various newspapers – though it remains somewhat surprising that the BBC coverage excluded the crime reference number, which appears in the police appeal, we hope this is corrected, in line with other news coverage.

Tell MAMA is liaising with the police on this matter further, as we endeavour to provide updates where possible.

In the meantime, however, we urge anyone with information to contact South Yorkshire Police on 101 and quote incident number 988 of October 14. Alternatively, to provide information anonymously, contact the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

 

 

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Categories: hate crime, Hijab, mosque, News, South Yorkshire police

Ball bearings in Liverpool bomb could have caused significant death, police say

The bomb used in the Liverpool Remembrance Sunday attack was a homemade explosive with ball bearings attached to it and could have caused “significant injury or death”, police have said.

Emad Al Swealmeen, 32, died when the taxi he was a passenger in exploded outside the Liverpool Women’s Hospital just before 11am on Sunday.

In an update on Friday, Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson, head of Counter Terrorism Police North West, said: “Although there is much scientific work to do on the device to determine what made it up, we have learned a great deal over the past five days.

“It was made using homemade explosive and had ball bearings attached to it which would have acted as shrapnel.

“Had it detonated in different circumstances we believe it would have caused significant injury or death.

“We still do not know how or why the device exploded when it did, but we are not discounting it being completely unintentional, and it is a possibility that the movement of the vehicle or its stopping caused the ignition.

“We are spending considerable time seeking to understand the way the purchases for the ingredients to make the device were made.

“This is complicated because purchases have spanned many months and Al Swealmeen has used many aliases.

“We are confident however that in time we will get a full picture of what purchases were made and how, and if anyone else was involved or knew what Al Swealmeen was up to.”

He said there was no link between the incident and the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, which he said involved a different type of device.

Taxi driver David Perry escaped from the explosion with injuries.

Mr Jackson said “significant progress” was being made in the investigation, which includes ongoing searches at addresses in Sutcliffe Street and Rutland Avenue in Liverpool.

He said: “Officers spoke with the brother of Al Swealmeen yesterday evening and this has given us an insight into his early years and an understanding of Al Swealmeen’s life and his recent state of mind which is an important line of investigation.

“We are grateful for members of the public who knew him and have contacted us.”

While an Islamist plot is one line of inquiry, the PA news agency understands investigators are still keeping an open mind and the motivation is still yet to be established.

Police and security services are still thought to be working on the current understanding that the hospital was the intended target.

The asylum seeker, who had converted to Christianity, reportedly arrived in the UK from the Middle East in 2014 and had an application for asylum rejected the following year, but had a fresh appeal ongoing at the time of his death.

Earlier this week, Home Secretary Secretary Priti Patel claimed he had been able to exploit Britain’s “dysfunctional” immigration system by staying in the country.

Police said Al Swealmeen had been renting the property in Rutland Avenue, near Sefton Park, since April and was making “relevant purchases” for his bomb from at least that time.


Read more: Liverpool attacker had been buying bomb parts since April

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Categories: Ball bearings, David Perry, Emad Al Swealmeen, Liverpool bomber, Liverpool Remembrance Sunday, News, terrorism

Liverpool attacker had been buying bomb parts ‘at least since April’

The Liverpool bomber had been buying bomb components since at least April, police have revealed.

Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson said that Iraq-born Emad Al Swealmeen had rented a property in Liverpool seven months ago and had started making “relevant purchases” for his homemade bomb “at least” since that time.

In an update issued on Wednesday he said: “A complex picture is emerging over the purchases of the component parts of the device, we know that Al Swealmeen rented the property from April this year and we believe relevant purchases have been made at least since that time.

“We have now traced a next of kin for Al Swealmeen who has informed us that he was born in Iraq.”

He also said that the 32-year-old asylum seeker had suffered from periods of mental illness that will “form part of the investigation and will take some time to fully understand”.

Mr Jackson added: “There is much comment in the media about Al Swealmeen and it is clear that he was known to many people. We continue to appeal for people who knew him, especially those who associated with him this year as we try and piece together the events leading up to this incident and the reasons for it.

“At this time we are not finding any link to others in the Merseyside area of concern but this remains a fast moving investigation and as more becomes known we cannot rule out action against others.”

Earlier, Home Secretary Priti Patel claimed that Al Swealmeen, who reportedly arrived in the UK from the Middle East in 2014 and had an application for asylum rejected the following year, had been able to exploit Britain’s “dysfunctional” immigration system by staying in the country.

She said the system was a “complete merry-go-round” with a “whole industry” devoted to defending the rights of individuals intent on causing harm.

Christian convert Al Swealmeen died in the blast in a taxi outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital shortly before 11am on Remembrance Sunday.

Concerns have been raised that some asylum seekers in the city may have pretended to convert to Christianity in order to bolster their visa applications.

Liverpool Cathedral, where Al Swealmeen was baptised in 2015 and confirmed in 2017, said that asylum seekers who convert would be expected to be “closely connected” with the congregation for at least two years before staff would support a visa application.

A spokesman said: “Liverpool Cathedral has developed robust processes for discerning whether someone might be expressing a genuine commitment to faith.

“These include requirements for regular attendance alongside taking part in a recognised Christian basics course. We would expect someone to be closely connected with the community for at least two years before we would consider supporting an application.”

According to newspaper reports, Ms Patel told reporters on her flight to the US capital that the case showed why the Government was right to reform the asylum system.

“The case in Liverpool was a complete reflection of how dysfunctional, how broken, the system has been in the past, and why I want to bring changes forward,” she was quoted as saying.

“It’s a complete merry-go-round and it has been exploited. A whole sort of professional legal services industry has based itself on rights of appeal, going to the courts day-in day-out at the expense of the taxpayers through legal aid. That is effectively what we need to change.”

A couple who took in Al Swealmeen after his appeal against the asylum ruling was rejected insisted that he had been an “absolutely genuine” Christian with a “real passion for Jesus Christ”.

Malcolm and Elizabeth Hitchcott said they had been contacted by Al Swealmeen, who also used the name Enzo Almeni, in 2017 when he was “desperate” for somewhere to stay.

Mr Hitchcott told BBC Radio Merseyside: “He arrived here on April 1 2017. He was with us then for eight months, and during that time we saw him really blossoming in regards to his Christian faith.

“He really had a passion about Jesus that I wish many Christians had, and he was ready to learn.

“He was keen on reading his Bible and every night we used to pray – my wife and him, and if there was anybody else in the house – we prayed for half an hour or so and studied the scriptures.

“He was absolutely genuine, as far as I could tell. I was in no doubt by the time that he left us at the end of that eight months that he was a Christian.”

It is understood however that an Islamist plot is one line of inquiry being considered by police, although investigators are keeping an open mind and the motivation is yet to be established.

Official sources told the PA news agency the current understanding is still that the hospital was the intended target.

The inquiry is examining, among other possibilities, whether the main charge on the device failed to explode and if the homemade explosive TATP was used.

Searches have been carried out at the property in Rutland Avenue that had been rented since April by Al Swealmeen, and a second property in Sutcliffe Street, where officers believe he previously lived.

The incident has been declared a terrorist attack and the UK terror threat level has since been raised from substantial to severe, meaning an attack is “highly likely” rather than “likely”.

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Categories: Asylum, Christianity, Emad Al Swealmeen, Liverpool bomber

Liverpool attacker had been buying bomb parts ‘at least since April’

The Liverpool bomber had been buying bomb components since at least April, police have revealed.

Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson said that Iraq-born Emad Al Swealmeen had rented a property in Liverpool seven months ago and had started making “relevant purchases” for his homemade bomb “at least” since that time.

In an update issued on Wednesday he said: “A complex picture is emerging over the purchases of the component parts of the device, we know that Al Swealmeen rented the property from April this year and we believe relevant purchases have been made at least since that time.

“We have now traced a next of kin for Al Swealmeen who has informed us that he was born in Iraq.”

He also said that the 32-year-old asylum seeker had suffered from periods of mental illness that will “form part of the investigation and will take some time to fully understand”.

Mr Jackson added: “There is much comment in the media about Al Swealmeen and it is clear that he was known to many people. We continue to appeal for people who knew him, especially those who associated with him this year as we try and piece together the events leading up to this incident and the reasons for it.

“At this time we are not finding any link to others in the Merseyside area of concern but this remains a fast moving investigation and as more becomes known we cannot rule out action against others.”

Earlier, Home Secretary Priti Patel claimed that Al Swealmeen, who reportedly arrived in the UK from the Middle East in 2014 and had an application for asylum rejected the following year, had been able to exploit Britain’s “dysfunctional” immigration system by staying in the country.

She said the system was a “complete merry-go-round” with a “whole industry” devoted to defending the rights of individuals intent on causing harm.

Christian convert Al Swealmeen died in the blast in a taxi outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital shortly before 11am on Remembrance Sunday.

Concerns have been raised that some asylum seekers in the city may have pretended to convert to Christianity in order to bolster their visa applications.

Liverpool Cathedral, where Al Swealmeen was baptised in 2015 and confirmed in 2017, said that asylum seekers who convert would be expected to be “closely connected” with the congregation for at least two years before staff would support a visa application.

A spokesman said: “Liverpool Cathedral has developed robust processes for discerning whether someone might be expressing a genuine commitment to faith.

“These include requirements for regular attendance alongside taking part in a recognised Christian basics course. We would expect someone to be closely connected with the community for at least two years before we would consider supporting an application.”

According to newspaper reports, Ms Patel told reporters on her flight to the US capital that the case showed why the Government was right to reform the asylum system.

“The case in Liverpool was a complete reflection of how dysfunctional, how broken, the system has been in the past, and why I want to bring changes forward,” she was quoted as saying.

“It’s a complete merry-go-round and it has been exploited. A whole sort of professional legal services industry has based itself on rights of appeal, going to the courts day-in day-out at the expense of the taxpayers through legal aid. That is effectively what we need to change.”

A couple who took in Al Swealmeen after his appeal against the asylum ruling was rejected insisted that he had been an “absolutely genuine” Christian with a “real passion for Jesus Christ”.

Malcolm and Elizabeth Hitchcott said they had been contacted by Al Swealmeen, who also used the name Enzo Almeni, in 2017 when he was “desperate” for somewhere to stay.

Mr Hitchcott told BBC Radio Merseyside: “He arrived here on April 1 2017. He was with us then for eight months, and during that time we saw him really blossoming in regards to his Christian faith.

“He really had a passion about Jesus that I wish many Christians had, and he was ready to learn.

“He was keen on reading his Bible and every night we used to pray – my wife and him, and if there was anybody else in the house – we prayed for half an hour or so and studied the scriptures.

“He was absolutely genuine, as far as I could tell. I was in no doubt by the time that he left us at the end of that eight months that he was a Christian.”

It is understood however that an Islamist plot is one line of inquiry being considered by police, although investigators are keeping an open mind and the motivation is yet to be established.

Official sources told the PA news agency the current understanding is still that the hospital was the intended target.

The inquiry is examining, among other possibilities, whether the main charge on the device failed to explode and if the homemade explosive TATP was used.

Searches have been carried out at the property in Rutland Avenue that had been rented since April by Al Swealmeen, and a second property in Sutcliffe Street, where officers believe he previously lived.

The incident has been declared a terrorist attack and the UK terror threat level has since been raised from substantial to severe, meaning an attack is “highly likely” rather than “likely”.

The post Liverpool attacker had been buying bomb parts ‘at least since April’ appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: Asylum, Christianity, Emad Al Swealmeen, Liverpool bomber

Woman called a “Muslim b****” and told she had “dirty hair” on London bus

A Muslim woman travelling on an evening bus towards Clapham described being called a “Muslim b****” by a female passenger who continued to abuse and swear at her throughout their journey.

The perpetrator also told her: “look at you with your dirty hair, you sl*g, you sl*t.”

A Spanish man, disturbed by the ongoing abuse, approached the driver to intervene, who, according to the Muslim woman, dismissively declined to intervene, claiming that the perpetrator had ‘mental health issues’.

The man then approached the Muslim woman to check on her, asking how she was doing, but she did not want to reveal how upset the abuse made her.

The Metropolitan Police continues to investigate the anti-Muslim and Islamophobic incident, which occurred on the evening of October 12.

Transport for London (TfL) provides forms to complain about buses and their bus staff on its website, with TfL aiming to reply within ten days. London Travelwatch is the official watchdog for transport users across London for those seeking to escalate complaints further. If individuals remain unhappy about how the above handled their complaint, they may consider raising a complaint with the Ombudsman.

She described the perpetrator as a Black woman in their mid-to-late fifties.

The growing problem of hate crime on London buses made headlines earlier this year, showcasing that recorded hate crime on London buses during the first Covid-19 lockdown jumped from 43 in May to 115 in June – a startling rise of 167.44 per cent. A spokesperson for Tell MAMA told the press at the time: “These figures are concerning since they show that prejudice against people of colour and of perceived different faiths rose. This underlines the fact that some in our society easily blame others for issues that affect us all and that sadly, prejudice is still alive and well and that it shows its head when we are in crisis collectively as a society.”

You can get advice from our confidential and free helpline on 0800 456 1226. Or through our free iOS or Android apps. Report through our online form. Or contact us via WhatsApp on 0734 184 6086.

 

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Categories: bus, hate crime, MET Police, News, TFL, Transport for London