As an Englishman, the more I read stories like this, the more it seems I am living in a time of black black comedy.

This is unbelievable.

Build a mosque for criminals in a prison and spend one and a half million pounds on it?

The world has gone nuts.

British taxpayers are giving money to those who think we are evil decadent infidels, to those who detest us.

These people are laughing at us!

Posted by: Kaffir Boy at November 8, 2004 9:44 AM

"The prophet Mohammed said "The whole world is a mosque" — meaning that Muslims can pray anywhere that is clean."

So how about just giving these prisoners some soap and water and a mop for clean place to pray to Allah.

Or I know a Sheriff in Phoenix, Arizona that could give them some great advice on how to handle prisoners.

Posted by: Mackie at November 8, 2004 10:25 AM

Money like this could be put into education and rehabilitation of ALL prisoners at this jail. How about writing to the Home Scretary, David Blunkett to protest this idiocy.

The Governor of this prison sounds beyond parody. Maybe the inmates will riot for the return of their roast pork....

Posted by: Benelux at November 8, 2004 10:26 AM

It appears the inmates are running the asylum.

Posted by: Mike at November 8, 2004 10:26 AM

Query: at Ramadan, will the British government pay for overtime, and keep the kitchens round the clock. Thus, in the early a.m., before dawn and the light from yonder prison window breaks, they may enjoy a light repast, a petit collation du matin, and then again, in the middle of the night, the Iftar banquet. Of course, this will undoubtedly lead to greater expense. And it will also wake up, in the middle of the night, all those Unbelievers who will hear the deliver of those meals, and the rolling cart, and the snap open and shut of doors, and the click of keys, and the heels click-clacking down the prison halls -- but so what if the Infidels are sleep-deprived. Perhaps the best solution, and certainly the cheapest, will be for all Infidel prisoners, and guards alike, to simply "revert" to Islam now, and get it over with.

And while we are at it, why doesn't the rest of England do so -- so that there don't have to be two systems, two social orders, two ways of life that do not mesh, and cannot mesh, vainly attempting to subsist side-by-side, while one of those sides leaches resources, rest, equanimity, from the other -- which is becoming more jittery, more confused, more compliant with the demands of its invaders and slow but steady conquerors, with each passing surrender.

Oh, and one more thing. Why the minarets, pray tell? Surely the time will be told by the guards, and they will arrive to bring the prisoners. There is no need for minarets -- except for their symbolic value, towering over the institutions of the Infidels, whether religious or secular. This symbolic importance is very great, much underestimated, and therefore, it is essential, wherever possible, even if mosques cannot be prevented (but there are many reasons for thinking they can and should be, not least their clear connection with the inculcation of hatred, merely by offering readings from the Qur'an if nothing else), that those minarets be stopped.

One looks around the mess in Russia today, including the swank and greed of Moscow, and thinks -- is it for this that Yakovlev wrote and Galanskov died? And one looks at England and thinks similar thoughts. Is this what the R.A.F. pilots, incloding those Americans and Canadians and refugees from Germany who also joined, were fighting for in the Battle of Britain? To make England a haven for Hamzas and their ilk, to make England free to become -- this?

Posted by: Hugh at November 8, 2004 11:03 AM

I don't think there's a church (with steeple and bells) built in prisons Riyadh, Islamabad etc.

So until they do, and with a full choir, I can't see the reason for this unnecessary gesture.

Prison is prison, it's supposed to be punishment.

When are secular governments going to realise that mosques are not only places of worship, but centers of dissent, resistance and recruitment?

Posted by: Eighteen 21 at November 8, 2004 11:23 AM

A world gone mad.

Posted by: former liberal WF at November 8, 2004 11:34 AM

Sheer bloody madness!

STOP IT NOW!

Let all hose who'll protest doing the right thing show themselves! Succor to the enemy is treason too!

Posted by: voletti at November 8, 2004 12:42 PM

Pinch me, I must be dreaming. they want to spend 1.6 million quid of taxpayers money to build a place of worship for convicted criminals ? Oh yes, it makes perfect sense... IN BIZZARO WORLD !!

Posted by: ReligionOfPeaceMyArse at November 8, 2004 12:51 PM

And how many millions and millions (billions actually) of pounds does the British government spend to protect citizens from Jihadists? And now that one has caught a few, one is going to keep spending money to allow them to proselytize and foment the very ideology that caused your original problem?

A money pit of idiocy...

How about a Muslim protection tax? Mosques and other Muslim organizations that do not meet certain extra-measures of cooperation with the government will be subject to taxes to help pay for security.

Posted by: JTF at November 8, 2004 12:59 PM

Wait a minute,according to the moderate Muslims in Britain any "True" Muslim would be in jail because the Quran forbids any act of crime,so these aren't really Muslims.
That's of course if the Imam's stay consistant
by denouncing all violent persons acting out in the name of Islam are not "true" Muslims.
Actually the issue could be resolved by one simple action by the non-Muslim prisoners,just have the prayer room declared a Christian and Jewish area only,Muslims will line up in droves to rub it in their faces that they can't be denied entry and will show up every day for prayers even if non-Muslims are there.
By demanding the prison give the Muslims their own place to worship their God,the Muslims will be irate and demand access to the room.
These aren't exactly the brightest people on Earth,smart criminals do the crimes that are harder to detect and not worth the Police wasting time on.

Posted by: ala-sux at November 8, 2004 12:59 PM

Hmmmmm. This tells us something very important about the British ruling classes and government. They've been turned!

Posted by: epg at November 8, 2004 1:00 PM

"Now prison chiefs have controversially agreed to give them a separate place of worship with its own dome and minaret"

Like other posters on this thread, I'm a Brit, and I find this hard to believe. Who the f*** are "prison chiefs"? When did civil servants ("prison chiefs") have the power to chuck $3 million around without buck-stopping authority. And the buck-stopper in this case can be no less the Home Secretary, viz. D.Blunket.

The man lost a referendum vote he wanted to win last week. If this one gets under his desk, he's lost the farm!

Posted by: Sam Roony at November 8, 2004 2:14 PM

Er, got the last bit wrong (post above). Prescot, not Blunket, lost the vote. Doesn't matter: collective responsibility, they all lost

Posted by: Sam Roony at November 8, 2004 2:18 PM

Why don't they instead use the $3 million to deport them?

Posted by: John Palubiski at November 8, 2004 2:59 PM

How about a Muslim protection tax? Mosques and other Muslim organizations that do not meet certain extra-measures of cooperation with the government will be subject to taxes to help pay for security.

A jizya on Muslims? What a delicious concept, JTF!

Posted by: Mike at November 8, 2004 3:25 PM

Something is going on behind the scenes, and the proof of that is examples like this prison mosque.

Are muslims already running the government without us knowing?

Posted by: Voltaire at November 8, 2004 4:25 PM

At the current rise in crime rate for muslims they'll need to buy Mosques and turn them into prisons to contain the Muslims.
It is amazing that the Quran that's suppose to clean people and instill values that forbids violence and crime has created a disproportional
number in the prison population.

NO ISLAM - KNOW PEACE

Posted by: ala-sux at November 8, 2004 4:25 PM

Now this does take the biscuit... unbelievable and scandalous! Morons... and I enjoyed spending time in the UK at one stage.

Posted by: disillusionised_german at November 8, 2004 5:04 PM

France and Germany's precedent of stripping Scientology of it's religious status certainly sets a precedent for stripping Islam of it's religious status.

Now that the EU constitution has been signed with it's bill of rights offering protection of religion, it's imperative that Islam be stripped of it's religous status and be called a terror organisation.

I wonder which country will be the first country to do that?

Posted by: Voltaire at November 8, 2004 5:23 PM

At the same time reaction by Christian hating democrats!
where will it end cruzifiction of Christian on american campuses?

from silent running and front page mag.

In St. Louis, Missouri, a 12-year-old student was reprimanded for praying over his lunch.

A public-school teacher in Houston punished two sisters for bringing bibles to class, confiscated the bibles and threw them in the trash and threatened to report their parents to the state’s Child Protective Services. At the same school, another student was forbidden to read a bible in his free time and forced to remove a Ten Commandments dustcover from a textbook.

Public high school students in Lynn, Massachusetts were suspended for distributing candy canes with Bible verses attached.

At a New Jersey veterans’ cemetery, a member of an honor guard, and a Vietnam vet, was fired for saying "God bless you and this family" to the family of a deceased veteran.

In Logan County, Kentucky, a public library worker was fired for refusing to remove a cross-pendant necklace. She was later reinstated, by court order.

Posted by: george at November 8, 2004 5:41 PM

for every dollar spent by Bin Laden on terrorism, the western governments will spend one million in dhimmy spending to appease them .
Do the powers that be think that prison mosque building will stop the recruitment of jihadists from jails?- they are in fact handing them these operations on a plate.

Posted by: george at November 8, 2004 5:47 PM

I think that there is a real case to ban Islam, based on the way Scientology has acted.

Scientologists who wish to leave Scientology have been threatened with violence and criminal cases have been brought against Scientology.

Well, look how apostates from Islam have to live in hiding. Don't they have a good case to sue Islam?

I think that at least Ayaan Hirsi Ali could sue Islam in Holland for any threats they have made against her, and for the fact that the Koran makes it clear that the penalty for apostacy is death.

Posted by: Voltaire at November 8, 2004 6:16 PM

Kaffir boy:As an Englishman, the more I read stories like this, the more it seems I am living in a time of black black comedy.

More a surreal black comedy.

Let us write to PM and David Blunkett.

At a time of war, and for people who are in prison for being at war with us, I find it incredible that we have enough money to fund this type of nonsense.

Posted by: DP111 at November 8, 2004 6:54 PM

Voltaire:

There is a very good case to sue publishers and distributors of the koran, for propagating hate towards Christians, Jews and Hindus.

Posted by: DP111 at November 8, 2004 6:57 PM

It is very scary in England at the moment with the main political parties falling over themselves to compete for the Muslim vote.

It is frightening that last week, David Blunket, the Home Secretary, signed away Britain's right to set its own immigration and asylum, so now nothing can be done to stem the tide of Muslims pouring into an already crowded island and one of the most densely populated countries on earth.

It is getting closer to Orwell's 1984 that the government has plans to make it a crime to criticise Islam.

The most frustrating thing however is the staggeringly incredible level of apathy and indifference of the vast majority of the British themselves. I sense that people are aggressively defiant in their apathy, almost to say 'I'm a slob and I don't care, so what are you going to do about it?'.

Nothing seems to matter as long as they have their sources of passive gratification, television, drink, drugs, pornography, cars etc.

We are not a shadow of the once proud and dignified people who stood alone despite all the odds against the nazis. Where people once valued smartness, cheerfulness, sociablity and self-sacrifice, there is now slovenliness, constant low level whinging, indifference to others and self-indulgence.

I hate to say it, but I at the moment, unless there is a change in attitude

Posted by: Elephant at November 8, 2004 7:02 PM

JTF:How about a Muslim protection tax? Mosques and other Muslim organizations that do not meet certain extra-measures of cooperation with the government will be subject to taxes to help pay for security.

I like the idea. A jizya tax on muslims. Wonderful.

Posted by: DP111 at November 8, 2004 7:04 PM

The tax on recalcitrant organisations is perfect. I'm in favour.

One realizes of course that this entire measure is really about the humiliation of the UK. Muslims don't need buildings as mosques - they may indeed pray anywhere. Mosques in Africa for example may be nothing more than an encircling line of stones and sticks. I think UK citizens ought to be quite angry about this.

Geoff

Posted by: Geoff at November 8, 2004 7:24 PM

Prisons have been an excellent recruitng ground for islamist movements eveywhere. After all prisons have the sort of thugs, murderers and all round psychopaths that islamists need to wage terrorist jihad. I read a report that violent criminal/prisoners here in Australia were converting to fundamentalist Islam. I am sure many prisoners find fundamentalist Islam very appealing.

However there is one upside to all this...if the whole prison population coverts to Wahhabism then they can blow themsleves up. Problem solved.

Posted by: obl r us at November 8, 2004 9:00 PM

I say keep it cheap- like a circus tent.

Posted by: vrkbarracuda at November 9, 2004 10:08 PM