Scottish Muslim Human Rights Lawyer Receives Death Threats After Speaking Out Against Extremism

[SeaBreeze]

Human rights lawyer in Scotland receives death threats from Muslims after speaking out against extremism. Well liked shopkeeper in Scotland is killed after wishing Christians a Happy Easter. These stories are so sad, yet don't seem to make headlines like other media "news".

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/201...extremism-says-hes-now-getting-death-threats/

Muslim Lawyer Gets Death Threats After Speaking Out Against Extremism

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A Muslim human rights lawyer in Scotland said he is has received death threats after speaking out against Muslim extremism and terrorism.

Aamer Anwar told Scotland’s Sunday Herald that the threats began after he called for all Muslims to unite and stand up to oppose extremism.

The Guardian reported that Anwar chaired an event last week at the Glasgow central mosque where he called on Muslims to condemn violence in the wake of the terrorist attacks last month in Belgium and Pakistan and the recent murder of a Scottish Muslim man.

Scottish media reported that the threats on Anwar’s life came via phone calls and text messages. He said he “presumed” Islamic extremists were behind the threats.

“We can confirm that police are investigating these threats and our inquiries are continuing,” a police spokesman said.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/201...olice-say-he-was-murdered-by-a-fellow-muslim/

Police said that a Scottish Muslim shopkeeper was murdered by a fellow Muslim hours after he posted a message on Facebook professing love for Christians and for Jesus and wishing them a happy Easter.

Asad Shah, 40, died in the hospital in Glasgow after sustaining serious injuries in the Thursday attack that British media described as especially brutal.

A 32-year-old Muslim man was arrested Friday in connection to what police have called a “religiously prejudiced” attack.

One eyewitness told a British news outlet that the victim’s head was stomped on during the attack while the Daily Mail reported that he was stabbed in the head with a kitchen knife.
“One was stamping on his head. There was a pool of blood on the ground. It was horrific,” the witness told the Daily Record.

“A full investigation is underway to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death which is being treated as religiously prejudiced,” said a police spokeswoman quoted by the Telegraph.

A look at Shah’s Facebook page reveals numerous messages of hope and coexistence between the faiths.

On Christmas Day, he posted this message to Christians, “MERRY CHRISTMAS WITH LOVE TO ALL BELOVED MY BELOVED CHRISTIAN NATION XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX AND TO ALL BELOVED MANKIND WITH ALL THE BEST WISHES X.”

Hundreds came out to pay their respects to the shopkeeper in a vigil Friday night.

Resident Isabella Graham told the BBC that Shah had once employed her daughter at his convenience shop and newsstand when she was younger.

“He was an amazing, wonderful man, he couldn’t do enough for you,” she said. “He wouldn’t hurt anybody. Nobody in Shawlands would have a bad word to say about him. I can’t believe he’s gone.”

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been started by Shah’s customers to contribute to the slain man’s family; as of this writing it has raised about $58,000.

His customers wrote on GoFundMe, “Mr. Shah was a popular, well respected and much loved member of our commuity and his death has devastated many.”
“He was a warm and friendy man and he always went out of his way to make time to talk to you — he was more than just our local shopkeeper. He was a friend to many,” they wrote.

 

[Ameriscot]

This is so sad. It was a big story on the news here. He wanted everyone to get along and he wished Christians a happy Easter online. I didn't read or hear anywhere that he said he loved Jesus - he was Muslim and was not converting to christianity. There was a vigil in which 400 people attended including Scotland's First Minister (leader of the Scottish parliament).

So far £75,000 has been raised for his family.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-35910735

 

[vickyNightowl]

Being respectful and kind gets you killed these days.

 

[Shalimar]

Rest in peace.

 

[ossian]

Amar Anwar is a lawyer who is regularly in the media for his support of human rights cases or for representing the disadvantaged in society. It is unlikely that this is the first or most serious threat that he has ever received so I suspect that he has decided to report the threat to raise awareness here. In Scotland we can be a bit complacent on the race issue and can too often take the view that we are not greatly affected by it. So, I suspect that what Amar Anwar is doing here is to make people aware that we do have an issue simmering below the surface.

The killing of Asad Shah was tragic. Here was a man who was sending an Easter greeting to the people of his community and his homeland - Scotland - and was murdered for that fact. The public support for the man has been fantastic, but you must feel for his family and his own ethnic community. Clearly they must feel incredibly threatened by what has happened to him. And, of course, they have lost a good man.

 

[Laurie]

Amar Anwar is a lawyer who is regularly in the media for his support of human rights cases or for representing the disadvantaged in society. It is unlikely that this is the first or most serious threat that he has ever received so I suspect that he has decided to report the threat to raise awareness here. In Scotland we can be a bit complacent on the race issue and can too often take the view that we are not greatly affected by it. So, I suspect that what Amar Anwar is doing here is to make people aware that we do have an issue simmering below the surface.

The killing of Asad Shah was tragic. Here was a man who was sending an Easter greeting to the people of his community and his homeland - Scotland - and was murdered for that fact. The public support for the man has been fantastic, but you must feel for his family and his own ethnic community. Clearly they must feel incredibly threatened by what has happened to him. And, of course, they have lost a good man.

Scotland has also lost a good man, in the fullest sense of the term. He was one of the many Muslims in Scotland fully integrated into society.

Anwar is never one to miss free publicity or a photo opportunity He is more well known in Scotland than the Lord Advocate.

This is pinch of salt time. J K Rowling also gets regular death threats.

 

[ossian]

Scotland has also lost a good man, in the fullest sense of the term. He was one of the many Muslims in Scotland fully integrated into society.

Anwar is never one to miss free publicity or a photo opportunity He is more well known in Scotland than the Lord Advocate.

This is pinch of salt time. J K Rowling also gets regular death threats.

You are right, Amat Anwar does seek publicity. However, he admits that he has received many threats in the past and has chosen this time to report it publicly. I don't think he is simply doing that for publicity on this occasion, particularly since he had a fair amount of that last week.