Mark Irvine - Blogger, Campaigner, Organiser

Now here's something to be encouraged - British Muslims having fun and thumbing their noses, metaphorically speaking, at the men in beards who declare that signing, dancing and generally letting your hair down is forbidden by the Koran. Dancing Muslims’ YouTube hit attacked as ‘sinful’ By Robin Henry - The Sunday Times The video, involving more than 60 people, aims to be ‘joyous’ A VIDEO featuring British Muslims dancing and miming in the street has become a surprise internet hit. The video, which shows Muslims lip-synching to the hit song Happy, by Pharrell Williams, has had more than 1.4m views since it was posted on YouTube less than two weeks ago. However, it has also been attacked by some Muslims who say it demeans their religion. The film was the brainchild of the Honesty Policy, an anonymous group of seven young British Muslims who have set up a blog where people are encouraged to talk freely about Islam. More than 60 people, including friends of the group, their...

Here's a gem of an article from The Independent which reports that various member countries of the United Nations have taken the opportunity to criticise the human rights record of Norway - while blatantly ignoring their own track records as totalitarian states. Now I lived and worked in Norway for a while, albeit some years ago, but I would say it is generally speaking a very civilised place to call home - whereas I could never see myself or my family trying to settle down in somewhere like Russia or Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia criticises Norway over human rights record Gulf state calls for all criticism of religion to be criminalised FELICITY MORSE  - The Independent Saudi Arabia has criticised Norway's human rights record, accusing the country of failing to protect its Muslim citizens and not doing enough to counter criticism of the prophet Mohammed. The gulf state called for all criticism of religion and of prophet Mohammed to be made illegal in Norwa...

Three more NLC equal pay meetings are in the process of being arranged - two in Airdrie (one for former APT&C workers) and one in Kilsyth, the last time I checked. If people want to arrange something in their own local area, then drop just me a note at: markirvine@compuserve.com I'm happy to do as many as necessary, the more the merrier in some respects. NLC Meetings (26 April 2014) The demand for equal pay meetings in North Lanarkshire is taking off and lots of people have still to get back to me with suggested arrangements regarding dates and venues. Now I'm happy to do as many meetings as are required although as yet the following areas have still to put something in place: Cumbernauld Motherwell Airdrie Kilsyth Coatbridge Seems like more of the outlying NLC areas have got out of the traps first, but if anyone wants to take the initiative in the areas listed above (or any others), then just drop me a note at: markirvine@compuserve.com As ...

Jonathan Northcroft writing in The Sunday Times takes the lid off the ugly sacking of the former Manchester United boss, David Moyes. No one comes out of the business very well, but having given Moyes a six year contract and making it clear he was there for the long haul with a mission to rebuild the team - it seems clear that the Manchester United board behaved with an astonishing lack of integrity at the end.       Football's ugliest sacking: the truth The Manchester United board continued to re-assure their embattled manager right up until the day the axe fell By Jonathan Northcroft - The Sunday Times Moyes had no idea Manchester United were on the verge of sacking him until friends, family and journalists began to phone him on Easter Monday (John Powell) ONE more humiliation. One last trial. Manchester United knew they were on the point of sacking David Moyes but still made him walk the gauntlet of Goodison Park. The possibility of the axe...

I read something the other day in which the writer drew attention to the enormous worldwide effort expended in trying to find the 239 passengers and crew from the Malaysian airliner MH370, all of whom have been presumed dead for some weeks. Yet 190 girls abducted from their school in Nigeria last week fails to generate anything like the same outpouring of concern or determination to find out what happened to the people involved - and rescue them, if possible.  I don't use the word 'fascist' very often but it seems to me that the term is appropriate for groups like Boko Haram who completely reject any notion of democracy and the concept of a live and let live society. Boko Haram's aim is to impose an fundamentalist Islamic state in part of Africa through the use of murder, violence and kidnapping which has all the hallmarks of 'religious fascism', if you ask me.           Chibok abductions: Nigeria vows to find schoolgirls The girl...