Teddy Teacher May Gain Early Release

(NEWSER) - A former UN worker who faces possible lashing in Sudan for wearing pants blasted flogging as an "insult" to humans that has nothing to do with Islam and everything to do with "men mistreating women," she tells the Guardian. Lubna Ahmed Hussein and 12 other women were busted recently as they listened to a singer in a Khartoum club. Those who pleaded guilty to "indecent" dress for wearing slacks were flogged. But Hussein is determined to fight the charges. More»

House of Lords strikes down statute questioned since Sudan teddy-bear case

(NEWSER) - Britain's House of Lords voted yesterday to abolish blasphemy laws after an international incident sparked debate over secularism and tradition, the Los Angeles Times reports. With the UK and Sudan at odds in November over the prosecution of a British teacher allowing students to name a teddy bear Mohammad, many pointed out the hypocrisy of having a similar measure on common-law books. More»

New census also finds mosque leaders feel comfortable in US

(NEWSER) - Even as protests against new mosques got quite a bit of attention, their numbers in the US grew from 1,209 in 2000 to 2,106 in 2010, USA Today reports. And most of the leaders of those Islamic places of worship believe America is not hostile to Islam, according to a census of US mosques and poll of mosque leaders released today. "This is a very healthy community," says the lead researcher and study author. "Mosque leaders feel very positive, more positive than they did in 2000," when a similar survey was taken. More»

FOIA request reveals that film was used more often than officials claimed

(NEWSER) - Not one, not two, but at least 1,489 NYPD officers viewed an anti-Muslim film during their training, the New York Times reports in a disturbing look at The Third Jihad . The film, funded by a nonprofit group, features images including Muslim terrorists shooting Christians and a doctored photo of the White House flying an Islamic flag, as a narrator says that Islam's "true agenda" in America is to "infiltrate and dominate" the country. Reports first came out a year ago that the department had used it during training; at that time, a top police official said it had only been screened by a few officers. A FOIA request, however, shows otherwise. More»

Training materials are playing into terrorists' hands, say former agents

(NEWSER) - A shocking Wired exposé reveals that FBI counterterrorism agents are taught that "mainstream" American Muslims are likely to sympathize with terrorists, and that more "devout" Muslims are more likely to be "violent." The magazine acquired FBI training materials, some from as recently as March, which also say that the Prophet Mohammed is a "cult leader," that Muslims give to charity as a means of "funding ... combat," and that pious Muslims have remained aggressive from 610 AD onward, while Jews and Christians gradually became "non-violent." More»