A row around race and sexual exploitation flared last night as opponents and supporters reacted to a suggestion by former home secretary Jack Straw that Pakistani men were grooming white girls for sexual abuse. The Blackburn MP made his comments on Friday night after two Asian men were sentenced that day for a series of…
A Muslim cleric and his wife have been killed in their own house in an arson attack, with two of their children injured, in Blackburn near Manchester. Abdullah Mohammed, 41, was killed in the fire in October. His wife, Ayesha, 39, died a week later. The 14-year old daughter is still hospitalized. Her 9-year old…
Jack Straw, Britain’s Justice Secretary, wrote a letter of introduction for his friend and political ally, Lord Patel of Blackburn, who persuaded the emir, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani, to spend £1.5m, half the total needed to build the five-story mosque. Liberal Democrats in Blackburn, Mr. Straw’s constituency, claimed the Labour party had used the…
A two-day Muslim prayer festival could be staged in Corporation Park, Blackburn, next month. The event – the first of its kind outside London – would attract thousands of visitors from across the North West, according to the group behind the plans. They hope the festival would help change the image of Muslims and how…
The arrests of three men from Blackburn over terror offences are linked to an investigation into threats to kill the Prime Minister, it has been reported. The men are being held in connection with website threats against Gordon Brown and former PM Tony Blair, the BBC said. It was also reported that the threats included…
