Up to 700 Britons Feared Fighting in Syria

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Police warn they cannot stop would-be jihadists from leaving the country but will arrest any returning fighters

Up to 700 Britons could now be fighting in Syria and police are powerless to stop would-be jihadists heading there, the UK’s counter-terrorism chief has admitted.

But Helen Ball, the police senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism, warned anyone who takes part in any form of fighting, even for the Free Syrian Army, will face arrest on their return.

Metropolitan Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ball said it was likely the number of Brits in Syria is now in the “mid” rather than “low” hundreds as previously thought, including some as young as 16.

The warning came as police launched a national campaign to urge mothers, wives and sisters to report on their loved ones and stop them travelling to the war[-]torn country. » | Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | Thursday, April 24, 2014

Nick Clegg Backs Met’s Call for Muslims to Stop Sons Joining Syria Conflict

Speaking on his regular phone-in radio show on LBC, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg backs the Metropolitan police initiative to stop young British men from joining the Syria conflict. The Lib Dem leader warns that the return of radicalised fighters from Syria presents a serious security threat to the UK

Here They’re at It Again! Bitching, Moaning, and Whining! Money Wanted! Muslim Chef Sues Met Police after Being Asked to Cook Sausages and Bacon for '999 Breakfasts'
Photo of Hasanali Khoja courtesy of Mail Online
MAIL Online: A Muslim chef employed by the Metropolitan Police is suing for religious discrimination after he was asked to cook sausages and bacon for '999 breakfasts'.

Hasanali Khoja accuses Scotland Yard of refusing to guarantee that he would not have to handle pork, which is forbidden in Islam.

He said it was suggested he wear gloves when cooking pork products.

The 60-year-old claims the problem began when he was asked to move from his position as senior catering manager at Hendon Police College in North London, where he had been excused from touching pork.

In his new role at the Empress State Building in West London, which is occupied by Metropolitan Police staff, he was expected to make '999 breakfasts' consisting of sausage, bacon and black pudding.

The meal got its nickname because it is traditional for officers to insist on hearty fry-ups before starting their shift.

Mr Khoja, who joined the Met in 2005, said he was placed on special unpaid leave for a year after refusing to work without the guarantee he would not have to handle pork.

He is now back at work at another Met building where he does not have to handle pork but has been downgraded to higher catering manager.

Mr Khoja, from Edgware, North London, said yesterday: 'I felt very unhappy about it. I was very upset and angry because it is not permissible in my religion. I was threatened that management would sack me if I did not follow instructions. But I never enrolled to cook pork. I refused to do it. I never did it and I never would.

'I had a letter from the human resources department saying that I would not be required to cook any pork. But this was not exactly what I wanted as a guarantee. The Met has shown no sensitivity towards my religion. Their response has been illthought and discriminatory.' >>> By Charlotte Gill and Caroline Gill | November 2, 2008

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Turmoil at Scotland Yard as Tarique Ghaffur Accuses Sir Ian Blair of Racism

THE TELEGRAPH: Britain's most senior police chief has been accused of being a racist in an unprecedented personal attack by the country's highest-ranking Asian officer.

Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur went public with a highly damaging legal action against Sir Ian Blair, accusing the Metropolitan Police Commissioner of repeated acts of racial, religious and age discrimination.

The dispute is the latest to undermine Sir Ian's leadership of Britain's largest force.

With Scotland Yard responsible for protecting the country from terrorism, policing the capital and protecting the Government and Royal Family, senior officers fear the dispute will leave the force in a state of near paralysis.

Mr Ghaffur's attack, in a televised press conference, resulted in Sir Ian's deputy, Sir Paul Stephenson, issuing a sharp rebuke and left the impression of a force blighted by in-fighting.

Sir Paul told Mr Ghaffur to "shut up" and get on with what he was paid to do. But the commissioner's position appeared fragile as senior sources admitted Scotland Yard had suffered a "deeply embarrassing, damaging and sad day".

Mr Ghaffur's solicitor, Shahrokh Mireskandari, said Sir Ian's future would hinge on the outcome of the case.

He is particularly vulnerable, with the forthcoming inquest into the fatal shooting of the innocent Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes likely to hear stringent criticism of his management of the force.

Should Mr Ghaffur's legal action succeed, it will further intensify the calls for Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, to force Sir Ian out of his job.

David Davis, the former shadow home secretary, has called for the Commissioner to go in the interests of national security and to restore public trust in policing.

The action by Mr Ghaffur, the Met's joint third highest ranking officer, is the first time an officer of such seniority has sued his chief. It plunges the force into its worst racism row since the 1998 Macpherson report branded the force "institutionally racist". Turmoil at Scotland Yard as Tarique Ghaffur Accuses Sir Ian Blair of Racism >>> By Richard Edwards, Crime Correspondent | August 28, 2008

TIMESONLINE:
Tariq Ghaffur Goes Public with Racism Claims, Laying Bare Civil War at Met Police >>> By Sean O’Neill, Crime Editor | August 28, 2008

THE INDEPENDENT:
Ghaffur blames Met Chief for police discrimination >>> PA | August 28, 2008

MAIL Online:
Spitting in the Face of the Country that Saved Him >>> By Amanda Platell | August 30, 2008

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The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (UK) >>>

Rukshana Begum, One of the First Behijabbed Police Officers: Met in the Process of Introducing the Hijab as a Standard Uniform Option!
With thanks to Robert Spencer. I saw this story first on his website.

Photo of a behijabbed Met Police officer courtesy of Google Images (UK)

CAMBRIDGE EVENING NEWS: RUKSHANA Begum is, without question, one of a kind. This week, the 23-year-old will become the first police officer ever to wear the Muslim hijab, or headscarf, on duty in Cambridgeshire. And she can't wait. Muslim officer is first on the beat donning hijab (more)

Mark Alexander