News

A group of seven men accused of burning the Qu’ran in a pub car park and posting the video online will not be prosecuted due to lack of evidence.

Wendy Williams of the Crown Prosecution Service said the majority of people would find the inflammatory incident "repugnant". But she added there is not enough evidence to create a realistic chance the men would be convicted of any offence.

Mrs Williams said: "If any further evidence comes to light and is sent to us, we will look at it."

Police in Southampton are investigating a suspected arson attack on a shop selling Halal food. The fire which was started in the early hours of Thursday morning left the owner devastated after his livelihood was destroyed in the blaze.

The shop's owner, 76-year-old Zulfikar Ali said "I have a very bad feeling now. Most of my life I have worked to make this shop,"

Labour’s Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, Britain’s first Muslim peer has taken a controversial step to condemn arranged cousin marriages.

The Peer has spoken out after the recent high profile cases of Asian from his home town -Rotheram, Blackburn and Derby.

Yesterday the media was awash with comments made by the peer.

Last Thursday the Chinese community in Soho and London Citizens, an alliance of community organisations made a landmark appeal against a decision by Westminster Council to grant a gambling licence in London’s Chinatown.

Many of those living and working in Chinatown opposed the application, arguing that it would detrimentally affect the important cultural environment of Chinatown and would have a negative impact on the Chinese community who access the area.

Much has been writen recently about the rise of Muslim converts in the UK and the increase of Muslims worldwide.

Today Telegraph blog editor and specialist religious writer Damian Thompson says practising Muslims will very soon overtake weekly churchgoers in Britain.

He writes:

Operation Black Vote in partnership with Lewisham Council is launching the Lewisham Civic Leadership Programme to nurture Lewisham’s future leaders.  The aim of the project is to increase the level of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) participation in all areas of civic and public life.