The question of whether mosques are allowed to open for Eid (preparations have been happening for weeks), is being asked quite widely and as of yet, there is no clarity
My understanding (no confirmation) is no impact on guidance for mosques & Eid prayers
But some are asking whether mosques *should* still hold Eid prayers (even with social distancing and all the precautions) even if it's technically allowed, given the lockdown & increase in risk.
Discussions ongoing at this late hour.
Will post if I hear any updates
Confirmed: according to David Regan, Manchester Director of Public Health, places of worship (with all the known restrictions) are not impacted by the lockdown.
Also heard from 2 other sources.
Question of whether they *should* remain open, remains.
It is important that government sources should not say things like this, which contradict the specific guidance about mosques from the government and Public Health.
But it is fair to say Jake Wallis Simons has a particularly awful history during his editorship of the paper.
His attitude towards Muslims is vile.
But his defence of Douglas Murray, his attacks on ordinary protestors, his attacks on journalists, his attacks on even calling for a ceasefire, are just a small snippet of his awful views.
This protest was almost entirely peaceful with minimal arrests.
With a protest of this size, there are always a handful of idiots, but from the reporting it seems there were far less than for example at this pro-Israel rally a couple of years ago.
The idea that those exercising their democratic right to protest it show solidarity to Palestinians, are somehow an "intimidating mob" is just not okay.
After her racist smear was forcibly corrected (ht @cfmmuk), a source close to Braverman admits:
When referring to the 'grooming gangs phenomenon', she only meant high profile cases where Pakistani men were involved & not all group-based child sexual abuse bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
Whilst this source calls the ruling "perverse", they are clearly wrong:
Only calling high-profile group-based child sexual abuse done by Pakistani men as "grooming gangs" is an astonishing admission, unjustifiable and incorrect
The IPSO ruling makes it clear how it is inaccurate. It is not a "political attack" - merely the correction of a false racist smear.
Outrageous the Home Secretary defends Douglas Murray as "mainstream"
She is *actively* promoting a man who said objectively racist & extreme things such as “Conditions for Muslims in Europe must be made harder across the board" & who has defended Tommy Robinson
Douglas Murray says London has become "foreign" because "in 23 of London's 33 boroughs "white Britons" are now in a minority" i.e. being non-white, means you are foreign and can't be British
Is the government view *really* that this is a mainstream view? @Tories4Equality
@Tories4Equality Murray said "less Islam" is a solution to terrorism (whilst talking about Muslims).
Is it *really* a government position that this is a "mainstream" view and not extreme?
Shawcross, Gove & The Times appear to want to publish names of who they consider to be "extreme" Muslims/Muslim groups as part of their attempt to refocus Prevent on Muslims & not the far right
This is after a far-right terror attack against a migrant centre
Thread
ICYMI Shawcross said "..Islam is one of the greatest, most terrifying problems of our future"
He targeted Muslim charities. He defended torture. He seems to even have wanted Foreign Office officials to mock Islam
Whilst @KeithPrinceAM has now apologised and a few thousand have seen the apology, the GB News tweet with the conspiracy theory remains up with no clarifying tweet from @GBNEWS.
It'd almost as if they want the conspiracy theory to be shared.
Does anyone know if they apologised on-air and just didn't clip it up?