Muslim girl ordered off bus for wearing veil

NEW Zealand's prime minister today called for tolerance following a public outcry when a bus driver refused to allow a Muslim woman to get on board because she was wearing a veil.


The student from Saudi Arabia was left standing on the street in tears after she was ordered off a crowded bus because the driver objected to her covered face, national television network TV3 reported.

The incident, in May, came just two days after another driver from the same company, NZ Bus, ordered another woman to remove her veil.

Outrage as Malaysia Sends “Effeminate” Muslim Boys to Anti-Gay Camp

The Malaysian authorities are at the center of an increasingly heated row after it emerged that 66 Muslim boys identified by teachers as “effeminate” had been dispatched to a special camp to discourage them from becoming gay.

In an incident that highlights the difficulties faced by gay people in a country where homosexuality is officially illegal and homophobia widespread, educators in the conservative eastern state of Terengganu sent the children aged 13-17 for counseling on so-called masculine behavior and self-development.

 They also received religious guidance and physical education sessions. “[The camp] is to guide them back to the right path in life before they reach a point of no return,” Razali Daud, the state’s director of education, told the Associated Press. 

“Such effeminate behaviour is unnatural and will affect their studies and their future.” It is the first time Terengganu officials have organized such a camp, but they have previously arranged programs to promote Muslim morality and have offered free honeymoons for couples set to get divorced – with the hope of rekindling romance.

Mr Razali said the camps were voluntary and no boys were forced to attend. At the end of the four-day camp, teachers and parents will monitor and continue advising them, he said. “It is not an overnight cure,” he said. “We can’t force the boys to change, but we want them to know what their choices are in life. Some effeminate boys end up as a transvestite or a homosexual, but we want to do our best to limit this.” 

Malaysia’s Women’s Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil told local media the program broke the law and should be banned. “It is in clear violation of the Child Act,” she said. “The experience of being singled out on the basis of perceived characteristics is an extremely traumatizing experience, particularly for adolescent teens.”

 Gay rights activists say the incident highlights the challenge they face as they struggle for equality. Pang Khee Teik, the co-founder of a Malaysian sexual rights awareness group, said the camp was outrageous. “If we don’t do anything to stop the rot of homophobia, I worry it may get worse,” he said.

Gay Malaysians say they face discrimination from policies such as a law that makes gay sex punishable by 20 years in prison. While the so-called anti-sodomy law is not commonly enforced, it has been selectively used. The most high-profile such case relates to opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is on trial on charges of having sex with a male former aide. 

Mr Anwar, who is married with six children, insists the charge was fabricated to smear his reputation. The government denies this. It is the second time he has been so accused. He was charged in 1999 and sentenced to nine years in jail, then freed on appeal in 2004. In the latest twist, he is accused of appearing in a video of a man having sex with a woman. He says it is an attempt to frame him.

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Fury at Muslim Actress Sila Sahin – Posing Naked for Playboy

A Muslim actress has caused a storm by posing naked for Playboy.

Sila Sahin has been branded a “whore” and a “western slut” after appearing topless on the cover of the German edition of the men’s magazine. And Islamic fanatics have posted threatening internet messages.

 Sila, raised in Germany by conservative Turkish parents, says she fears being “spat at” and “shamed”. Her parents are said to have reacted with “horror” at the 12-page coverage, and her mother has apparently cut off all contact. Sila, 25 – star of German soap Good Times, Bad Times – claimed the shoot was a reaction to the “slavery” of her youth. She added:

 “What I want to say with these photos is, ‘Girls, we don’t have to live according to the rules imposed upon us’. “For years I subordinated myself to various societal constraints. The Playboy photo shoot was a total act of liberation.”

But Islamic internet sites are being monitored by the BND – the German intelligence agency – after threats were posted about her “shaming Muslim womanhood” and “prostituting herself for money”. One poster on the Jihad Watch website wrote: “She needs to be very careful…” Another simply said: “She must pay.”A kebab shop owner, asked on German TV what he would do if Sila were his daughter, replied: “I would kill her. I really mean that.

 That doesn’t fit with my culture.” The Islamic Community of Germany has called for a boycott of Sila. About three million Muslim immigrants live in Germany, which has seen numerous honor killings in recent years by fanatical husbands, fathers and brothers. In 2009, an asylum seeker was sentenced to life after killing his “too independent” German wife.

 One police intelligence officer said of Sila: “I think what she did was either very brave, or very stupid. She will be double-locking her door at night for a long time to come.”

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Shanna Bukhari Hopes to Become First Muslim to Represent Great Britain as Miss Universe

She knows she faces fierce competition from other models desperate to represent Great Britain at the Miss Universe contest. For Shanna Bukhari, 24, is hoping to make history by becoming the first Muslim to represent Great Britain at the beauty pageant.

But Shanna Bukhari also faces another battle – against religious zealots who have told her she should “rot in hell.” And she is hoping to send out a message that beauty competitions should not be off limits to Muslim women. Miss Bukhari, from Manchester, said: ‘I want other girls from Muslim communities to feel they can do this. There is so much more to it than looking pretty and as the competitions adapt, so must we. My family are right behind me and I have had support from many others on Facebook – including friends who wear head scarves – after I set up a campaign.’

She has agreed, like all other competitors, to take part in the swimsuit section of the contest but says there are some who have reacted with fury to the idea. She said: ‘Three men wrote that they would not support me because what I was doing was sinful. They said I should rot in hell which is pretty shocking. But they contradict themselves by going out clubbing, drinking and smoking.’

She added: ‘I have had amazing support  from the Asian/Pakistani community right across the UK and they want me to do well. Miss Bukhari was born in Blackburn and studied English literature at Bolton University. Her brothers and sisters and her parents all support her bid for the title. She got through to the British final after qualifying from Miss Universe Asiana, a competition for Asian women living in the UK. The winner of Miss Universe GB at the ICC Birmingham on May 1 will go on to the final in Sao Paulo on September 12.

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