Rolled-up Trousers

Imams handcuffed off a US flight speak out on CNN

ZAHN: Welcome back to our special hour, "When Faiths Collide," with the latest developments in a "Top Story" that's raising very raw emotions about religious tolerance and racial profiling.

You might remember, just last week, six Muslim clerics were forced off a U.S. Airways plane in handcuffs, suspected of terrorist intentions. Well, today, four of them boarded a plane to New York to tell their side of the story. They will join me in a moment for an exclusive interview.

First, though, Dan Simon has more on a story that's still raising uncomfortable questions tonight.

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DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They called it a pray-in, a not-so-subtle jab yesterday directed at U.S. Airways, which removed six imams from a flight last week in Minneapolis, after three of them were seen praying in the airport terminal prior to boarding.

IBRAHIM RAMEY, MUSLIM AMERICAN SOCIETY: We are here simply to declare to you and to declare to the nation that prayer and religious identity are not sufficient grounds for removing individuals from aircraft.

SIMON: U.S. Airways says prayer had nothing to do with their removal. The question, though, did the airline have legitimate reasons to take them off, and prevent them from flying the following day?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm asking you to please leave our ticket counter right now.

OMAR SHAHIN, REMOVED FROM AIRLINER: I am going to leave. I am...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. I have given you a number that you can contact.

SIMON: CNN has obtained the police report, which includes the handwritten note written by a fellow passenger, who claimed to have seen -- quote -- "six suspicious Arabic men on plane. All were together saying, Allah, Allah."

SHAHIN: We did not chanting "Allah, Allah," or anything else, while we are entering the plane or inside the plane.

Abdul Kahar deserves our support

Victoria Brittain writes today about the plight of Abdul Kahar, who was shot in the police raid on his house back in the summer.

His courage is speaking out after his release without charge against what happened gave us a window into the anatomy of a terror raid - what happens and the aftermath.

Unfortunately, Brittain reports that Kahar regrets ever complaining publicly at all due to what happened to him next. The subsequent accusations - again without charge - of child porn, have left him even more of a broken man:

Blair playing to "tabloid agenda" in terror fight

The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust:

"The key to successfully combating terrorism lies in winning the trust and cooperation of the Muslim communities in the UK. However, the government’s counter terrorism legislation and rhetorical stance are between them creating serious losses in human rights and criminal justice protections…they are having a disproportionate effect on the Muslim communities in the UK and so are prejudicing the ability of the government and security forces to gain the very trust and cooperation from individuals in those communities that they require to combat terrorism.”

At virtually the same time, 90 days detention without charge is back on the agenda, thanks to Gordon Brown and Sir Ian Blair.

The Terrorism Act 2000 brought into law provisions enabling you to be held without charge for seven days. In 2003, this was increased to 14, and this year it went up to 28.

In times gone by, getting arrested was a big deal. Not something that the state could do while they built up a case against you. Arrests came on the basis of real suspicion and a body of evidence. I can't understand the argument that detention without charge is necessary in order to gather evidence against a suspect - how can you arrest someone if you haven't gathered evidence against them?

Helping Tayside Police

I spoke at a fantastic public meeting on civil liberties in Dundee on Monday. It was called in light of the recent activities of special branch in Dundee (see letter that was written to them detailing the concerns - Download SBCCU3.pdf).

Fellow panellists Aamer Anwar and Tommy Sheridan pulled out at the last moment. No matter, because they would have had a tough job being as good as their stand ins. Richard Haley from SACC was tub-thumping and witty, while in Esther Sassaman, Dundee have acquired a sassy fresh activist from the US. Shona Robison MSP also spoke and showed some much needed leadership on the issue, while Carlo Morelli from the University and Colleges Union spoke against the monitoring of "Asian looking" students.

The room was packed out, people standing at the back and sitting in the aisles. During the Q&A members of the public also narrated their own experiences of police intrusion. One of them wanted to know who the Courier staff reporter there was. He identified himself and stood up like he was going to take a bow, only for the questioner to berate him about another story the paper did. I felt sorry for him and Sumiya, who was chairing the event, intervened. Now I wish she had let him continue.

Because after the event, the Courier has tried to create division by claiming on their front page headline that I urged "non-cooperation" with the police. However, they pointedly failed to bring forward a single statement where I did any such thing (the next day they did eventually get around to including my opinions on cooperation with the police).

Confusion amongst Muslims abounded as a result, with some community leaders apparently coming out and condemning me (ignoring the Quranic commandment of verifying info). All the mosques in Dundee have now though signed a letter denouncing the Dundee Courier's journalism and backing the public meeting on Monday - Download Courierletterofcomplaint1.pdf

Tayside Police joined in to express their "disappointment" at my supposed comments. The smokescreen diverts us away from the main issue. The police know that I don't back non-cooperation - I had a meeting with them that very afternoon. We said relations have to be strengthened, particularly as no force in Scotland has as bad relations with their Muslim community as Tayside Police do with theirs. A number of proposals were made, and we said we'd review the situation in three months.

Prestwick an 'ask-no-questions' type of place

The disclosure is among fresh revelations about how the CIA flew terrorist suspects to locations where they were tortured, and Britain's knowledge of the practice known as "secret rendition". They are contained in Ghost Plane, by Stephen Grey, the journalist who first revealed details of secret CIA flights in the Guardian a year ago. More than 200 CIA flights have passed through Britain, records show.

He describes how one CIA pilot told him that Prestwick airport, near Glasgow, was a popular destination for refuelling stops and layovers. "It's an 'ask-no-questions' type of place and you don't need to give them any advance warning you're coming," the pilot said.

Anas Altikriti meets one of the hundreds of Muslims whose homes have been raided by anti-terror cops:

I have met and spoken to a number of such individuals and I have read the stories of many more. It is clear that the experience of being arrested, mostly by brutal, heavy-handed and merciless raids on their homes in the middle of the night, leaves an indelible scar on their lives and on all those who know them. One such suspect told me that his five year old son, who witnessed his dad being held down and beaten severely on the back by four heavily armed anti-terror officers at 4 am in the morning whilst others ransacked the small household, is still afraid of sitting on his lap two years on from his release from his seven month term in a Belmarsh prison cell.

His own family members are confused and extremely afraid, his neighbours even more so and the community has never allowed him to "slip back" quietly into the life he used to have before the incident. Previously a professional IT expert with a prosperous career ahead of him, now he claims unemployment benefit and stares into the abyss of a broken life and an uncertain future.

The Herald today pick up on the growing complaints of police harassment from Dundee Muslims.

Meanwhile, the Home Office have got back on the Freedom of Information request following reports that 3000 Muslim homes had been raided:

Dear Sir/ Madam,

Thank you for your e-mail of 29/08/06 12:07:05 in which you ask how many homes have been raided since the introduction of the Terrorism Act 2000.

I am unable to provide you with details on this because the Home Office does not collate data on the number of search warrants issued under the Terrorism Act 2000.

John Reid does have a lot to sort out.

Lastly for just now, a quick comment on the UK has become the "number one al-Qaeda target" story which started off on the front page of yesterday's Guardian and ended up everywhere, including the BBC. I can't ascertain why this is news as no one is quoted at all. I thought the BBC in particular now had rules on single-sourced unattributed stories. Or maybe that only applies to stories that the government doesn't like.

CIA torture flights enshrined into law

George Bush, the US president, has signed a law legalising the use of secret CIA prisons, harsh interrogation practices and military trials against suspected 'terrorists'.

Bush called the Military Commissions Act of 2006 "one of the most important pieces of legislation in the war on terror" as he signed it into law at the White House on Tuesday.

The new law means Bush can continue a secret CIA programme for interrogating terrorism suspects.

The White House has refused to describe what interrogation techniques will be allowed or banned.

Bush said the law will also allow intelligence professionals to question suspects without fear of being sued by them later.

Al-Jazeera

Children fingerprinted at Scottish schools

THOUSANDS of Scots children are being fingerprinted before they can check out library books as part of a controversial initiative.

Around a dozen schools are already using new computer systems which require them to scan thumbprints against biometric readers before borrowing or returning books at school libraries.

Another wave of schools in the south-west of Scotland is preparing for the "imminent" launch of the project.

The initiative has been met with concerns from parents, human rights groups, and politicians who believe such technology "treats schoolchildren like criminals" and will lead to a generation "surrendering their civil liberties".

Read the rest at The Herald

One of the teachers at the school Tony Blair visited last week has been suspended for protesting:

The school management suspended Robin Sivapalan, a Unison union activist and teaching assistant at the school, after the demonstration. Unison is defending Robin.

He told Socialist Worker, “The demonstration was brilliant. It gave a chance for disenfranchised Muslim students, and others, to make their voices heard.

“It was a disgrace to invite Tony Blair to a school which has refugees from Iraq and Lebanon."

More at Lenin's Tomb

The CIA's "alternative set of procedures"

The secret CIA flights are officially not a secret anymore. George Bush has for the first time admitted the existence of the policy whereby terror suspects are picked up and taken somewhere else in the world for "interrogation".

He maintains though that no one has been tortured. Why the need to fly them around the world then?

Bush said at the press conference: "We knew that (Abu) Zubaydah had more information that could save innocent lives, but he stopped talking. As his questioning proceeded, it became clear that he had received training on how to resist interrogation. And so the CIA used an alternative set of procedures."

But he said: "The US does not torture. I have not authorised it and I will not."

What made them suddenly start talking then? Maher Arar, who was on one of these flights, says otherwise too. Obviously the President didn't make mention of him at the press conference.

Terror raid on Muslim youth activities?

If the BBC report is anything to go by, the latest terror arrests are pretty stinky already. There have been two raids, one on a restaurant where 12 diners were taken away after hours of questioning.

In a warning to anyone organising Muslim youth activities, the BBC's security correspondent Gordon Corera said:

"My understanding at this point is that this involves people suspected of facilitating training activity within the UK which might have allowed others to take part in terrorist activity," he said.

"Here in the UK it's more forms of bonding and getting groups together as well as radicalising those taking part. It's not necessarily military or terrorist training or blowing things up, it's more training in the sense of groups bonding and working together".

Bloody hell. But it certainly fits in with previous police pronouncements.

The other raid is at an Muslim school where the killer facts are:

According to its website the 54-acre premises also encourages Islamic groups to "appoint a person from your centre who wishes to serve the community and send them to us to be trained".

It also says these individuals will then become "qualified enough to teach in local Masajeds and Madares".

I have no idea how this possibly qualifies as news. A school encouraging people to come to their institution and learn. Bang 'em up guv.

Terrorist pastime - whitewater rafting

Scotland's first anti-terrorism tzar was unveiled to the public yesterday.

One of John Corrigan's first actions was to tell everyone to be suspicious, particularly people who run outdoor centres:

CHIEF police officers are contacting outdoor activity groups following concerns they could be used by those organising terrorist training camps.

Assistant Chief Constable John Corrigan, Scotland's first counter-terrorism czar, has called for groups running outdoor activities such as whitewater rafting to report suspicious activity. (...)

The move follows intelligence which revealed two of the 7/7 London bombers went whitewater rafting in Snowdonia a month before they carried out the attacks last year.
Mr Corrigan said Scotland's eight forces had started consultations with outdoor activity companies.

And people renting out flats:

"If someone is renting a flat and they are not confident about a prospective buyer or if they are suspicious, my message is, 'Do not keep it to yourself. Contact the police.'

"Maybe someone becomes suspicious about a group of strange males who are together for a weekend. The message is the same, 'Let us know'."

What exactly would members of the public see these "groups of strange males" doing? The London bombers went rafting (pictured above, planning their outrage with non-burka-clad female companion), but what did other members of the public see them doing that they didn't report?

I've been on many outdoor trips with groups of young Muslims, and this kind of loose police talk is a licence for paranoia.

Forest Gate "specific intelligence" had IQ of 69

The Sunday Mirror have an exclusive on the vital question of what exactly was the "specific intelligence" that led to the bungled arrests of Abdul Kahar and Abul Koyair in East London. Was it just a single source? The Mirror reckon it was - specifically low intelligence with an IQ of 69 at that.

They report that Abu Bakr Mansha, who was jailed for 6 years for having the contact details of a British soldier in Iraq (yes he was jailed under terror laws for that) was visited by the two men shortly before the police raid. After their visit Mansha was moved from being a Cat A prisoner to Cat B, while Abdul Kahar and Koyair were very obviously tailed by the police:

Ex-intelligence analyst Crispin Black, who is investigating the case, said: "To think that a prisoner with an IQ of 69 could be at the centre of this operation is sheer lunacy. If this is the 'intelligence' trigger for the raid it shows something has gone seriously wrong. Everyone knew about the surveillance - children were knocking on car windows asking officers who they were watching. If they were terrorists, they had plenty of warning. They also arrested them at home, where they could be near an explosive device, rather than at work.

3,000 Muslim homes raided?

After the press conference held by Abdul Kahar and Abul Koyair, the police through Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman of Specialist Operations offered this as part of a statement:

I am aware of the claims made by some commentators that 3,000 Muslim homes have been raided since September 11 2001. I simply do not recognise this figure...

The natural follow up question then is "how many Muslim homes have been raided?"

Intriguingly I had to glean the above quote from a Spanish website. It isn't on the Met's version of the statement.

But if you Google it, it used to be. They deleted it. Why?

Specific intelligence

Kudos to Abdul Kahar and Abul Koyair for having the guts to speak up following their ordeal at the hands of the Met.

The two men painted a horrific picture of what happened at their home a couple of weeks ago:

I was begging: "Please, please, I cannot move."

He just kicked me in my face, and he kept on saying "shut the fuck up. Stay here".

I thought they were going to shoot me again or shoot my brother.

I heard them shouting "secure the room".

At that moment I still did not know they were the police, they never said a word about the police.

I just thought "they're going to kill us".

Spinning the unspinnable

US reaction to the three suicides at Guantanamo Bay:

Rear Adm Harry Harris said: "They are smart. They are creative, they are committed.

"They have no regard for life, either ours or their own. I believe this was not an act of desperation, but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us."

Always the victim.

Colleen Graffy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy described the deaths as: "a good PR move to draw attention".

You read right - Ms Graffy is in the department of public diplomacy.

White House spokesman Tony Snow said "it was important to treat the bodies humanely and with cultural sensitivity".

More than their bodies got during life then.

Police tell teachers to look out for "stronger religious faith" in Muslim pupils

The Sunday Herald have done a report on Tayside Police's efforts to gain information from the Muslim community in Dundee.

Their methods have come under fire, with the disturbing reports of them 'requesting' to sit in on meetings of the Dundee University's Islamic Society.

They've gone into schools, asking teachers to report on the kids:

In schools, Charnley says, SB officers have asked teachers to look for signs of extremism among pupils. One “sign” he mentioned would be “a kid who has gone back to their parents’ country of origin [for example, Pakistan] and returned with anti-Western feeling or stronger religious faith than they had shown before”.

Note - teachers have been asked to look for "stronger religious faith". I'm assuming that the only other telltale sign of an "extremist" would be some political convictions.

There is a warning that this model could be rolled out across the country:

Police forces across Scotland and England are considering mimicking Tayside’s new “kinder, gentler” form of SB operation. They are impressed by the overt “soft intelligence gathering” style of the operation, coupled with its community policing approach to terror threats, and believe it will assist community relations and improve the flow of information between the police and ethnic groups.

More terror in the papers

More terror in Sunday's papers with talk of anthrax, nerve gas and cyanide. The latter Sunday Times report oddly has "intelligence sources" talking about cyanide, but later the same report says nothing has been found in the house.

The Telegraph report however, who also have "security sources", say that the chemical in question was more likely to be sarin. How can both newspapers have conflicting reports from the same intelligence services? Either they're lying or the police and security services need to look at their media management.

Both newspapers report a rollback from yesterday's reports that the police were on the lookout for an actual bomb. There's no mention at all of the Times's suicide belt. If the papers are not careful there will be widespread boy-who-cried-wolf syndrome about their reporting.

Also see Lenin on the News of the World's assertion that the man who was shot was not hit by the police, but by his brother. What incredible bad luck - 250 officers to aim at but you shoot your brother. Also see BlairWatch.

Release this report

The government have been suppressing reports by the Committee for the Prevention of Torture into the UK's treatment of suspects detained under Terrorism Acts.

Who's terrorising?

Yet another terror panic. Today's front pages (below) are frightening indeed.

There is a feeling however, that we've been here before. Plots to bomb Old Trafford that weren't. Lethal ricin plots that weren't. Hogmanay party poopers in Edinburgh that weren't. In each case the arrests were made in a blaze of publicity with the later news that there were no prosecutions buried in a column on page 14.

Now today the Times reports on a suicide vest that the police are not going on the record about to say actually exists. World Cup watchers in crowded pubs were at threat apparently. The house was a "bomb factory" but the people living there who were not arrested know nothing about it (see bottom).

I've seen politicians on the TV praying that the police haven't got it wrong this time. I don't know how you can pray for such things - I hope that no one was planning a chemical attack on this country.

Dual nationality

"Foreign criminals" have been in the news recently, but what do we mean by "foreign"? According to this week's Socialist Worker (via) if you have dual nationality, it could be you.

Saqib Almas is being deported to Pakistan even though he is a British citizen, because he also has Pakistani nationality.

This is going to be a major issue moving forward. A good percentage of expat and second generation Asians have dual nationality. And as I've previously warned, the government seems hell-bent on having the power to deport as many people as they can.

Civil servants stealing your ID

The Independent reports

An internal investigation at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has found that civil servants are colluding with organised criminals to steal personal identities on "an industrial scale".

Ministers have been privately warned that the investigation will show that hundreds of thousands of stolen personal details have been ripped off from official databases, often with inside help. Key personal details such as national insurance numbers can be used to commit benefit fraud, set up false bank accounts and obtain official documents such as passports...

...Today, however, it can be revealed that the scam is just one of 25 incidents of "significant organised fraud" so far uncovered.

Hat tip

Anyone still think ID cards will protect them?

Renew your passport now!

Saracen draws our attention to No2ID's latest campaign, urging us to renew our passports this month - an act that would keep you off the government's upcoming biometric database for 10 years. Apply after 31 May and you will automatically get an ID card.

Solitary confinement for saying "walaikum as salaam"

The Telgraph gives an insight into the life of "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh, now known as Hamzah, in prison after he was captured in Afghanistan.

One of his fellow detainees recounts some of the terms of his imprisonment - he is not allowed to talk about Islam, lead prayers, or even speak Arabic - he was once put into solitary confinement for return the greeting of salaam to another inmate. The Telegraph of course noted nothing strange about these terms.