Failed asylum seeker who has dodged deportation for a decade told he can stay... because he goes to the GYM

A failed asylum seeker who has dodged deportation from Britain for nearly a decade has been told he can stay – because he goes to the gym.

Amir Beheshti, 40, has been trying to get refugee status for seven years, but was repeatedly turned down by the courts, who ruled he would not suffer if he returned to his home country Iran.

But he has now told judges he has a private life that involves going for work-outs with his friends – which means his human rights would be violated if he was deported.

The controversial legal ruling by Scotland’s Court of Session means he will be allowed to continue living rent-free in his publicly funded flat and claiming a weekly allowance.

Earlier this month, a top Scottish judge issued a written decision in which he agreed the case should be referred back to Home Secretary Theresa May for fresh consideration.

This effectively means the threat of deportation has been removed and Beheshti is free to remain in Scotland indefinitely.

Lord Glennie’s judgment read: ‘He had integrated well within the Glasgow community, had a large network of friends, most of whom were Scottish, and socialised with those friends at the gymnasium, at five-a-side football, in coffee shops, at college, in the library and at their homes.

‘He went on to say that he made use of local facilities, such as the library and Glasgow leisure centres'.

Beheshti’s claim, it said, was ‘based on Article 8 ECHR and, in particular, on the fact that he had, so he claimed, established a private life in the UK.

Beheshti was smuggled into Dover on a lorry in 2005.

‘If the occasional trip to the gym is enough to allow a failed asylum seeker to appeal his deportation, then taxpayers will wonder who can’t claim a right to stay'

In his asylum application he claimed his father’s pro-Jewish sympathies put him in danger in Iran – but it was rejected, as were two appeals.

Having travelled to Glasgow, where he lived with his sister for two years, he appealed to the Court of Session.

But in June 2009, Lord Osborne ruled he had consistently failed to provide any ‘credible’ evidence that he would personally face any persecution or disadvantage in Iran.

The decision marked the end of Beheshti’s rights of appeal.

Technically, he should then have been removed as an illegal immigrant, but no action to deport him was taken.

In February 2010, Beheshti wrote to UKBA, asking for ‘leave to remain’ based on Article 8 ECHR. When that was rejected, he launched another appeal to the Court of Session. This appeal was the one that led to him being allowed to stay.

Beheshti said recently that he ‘feels comfortable’ in Glasgow and does not have anybody left back in Iran.

Last night, his case - which has already cost the public purse tens of thousands of pounds - sparked outrage.

Emma Boon of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘If the occasional trip to the gym is enough to allow a failed asylum seeker to appeal his deportation, then taxpayers will wonder who can’t claim a right to stay.

‘He should have been deported when his case was initially rejected. It’s appalling that we are left picking up all of his bills when he should have been sent home years ago'.

A UK Border Agency (UKBA) spokesman said: ‘Too often, Article 8 [of the European Convention on Human Rights, guaranteeing the right to a private and family life] has been used to place the family rights of illegal migrants above the rights of the British public in seeing our immigration laws properly enforced, and that balance needs to be redressed.

‘The Government will change the immigration rules to reinforce the public interest in seeing those who have breached our immigration laws removed from this country.

‘We have been seeking to remove this individual, but we have been asked by the courts to look again at this case.

‘Where we do not believe someone has the right to stay in this country, we expect them to return home'.

Source: Daily Mail

Muslims Believe Black Magic Causes Mental Health Problems

Our old friend Humza reveals that many Muslims in Glasgow believe mental health problems are caused by black magic. It would be interesting to see some figures on the incidence of mental health problems in the Muslim population. There are strong statistical correlations between the practice of cousin marriage and various kinds of ill health.

A CITY politician has praised local mosques for taking the first step to combat difficult mental health issues in the community.

MSP Humza Yousaf said he secured agreement with a trio of Glasgow mosques that their imams would address the topic at Friday prayers last week, as part of Mental Health Week.
Within the Muslim community mental health problems can carry a heavy stigma, said Mr Yousaf, and the mosques requested they not be identified because it remains such a sensitive topic.

One in four people in Scotland will have a mental health problem at some point in their life, according to mental health charity SAMH.

Mr Yousaf said: “We all know the stigma surrounding those with a mental health issue in our society.

“However, the stigma related to those from within the black and minority ethnic (BME) community can be even worse.

“I’ve heard countless stories of families being completely ignorant of the different mental health conditions that exist.

“Many in the community turn to imams and elders instead of seeking proper medical advice.”

The SNP member added: “Many families believe that so-called ‘black magic’ or a perceived lack of faith is to blame, when the person suffering really needs medical attention.

“In addition, once diagnosed, many families decide to isolate the relative suffering due to concepts such as so-called ‘family honour’ and ‘shame’.

“I congratulate the imams and mosques who are taking this vital step in ridding stigma from our community.”

Shaykh Amer Jamil, an Islamic scholar and founder of the Solas Foundation in Glasgow, said: “Imams and religious scholars have an important role to play in tackling mental health stigma.”

The Glaswegian was unable to reach the mosques involved with Mr Yousaf for comment before going to press.

Source: The Glaswegian

Muslim Gang Culture in Glasgow

BOUNDING down Forth Street on the southside of Glasgow, 15-year-old Atif is waving his arms around as he talks about his experience of gang fighting.

“I remember when we were playing football at the Holyrood pitches and there was this big riot, there were about 50 people,” he says, barely gasping for air in between sentences. “It was crazy, we had just come out of football, and hammers and knives were getting thrown everywhere.”

Brawling mostly happens on “special occasions”, he says, such as bonfire night, or Eid, the Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, or at the Glasgow multicultural festival, Mela.

“Fighting is fun,” he says with a huge grin. You get pumped up, you get really into it ... but you regret it after.”

His friend nods in agreement but claims Shields – the Pollokshields neighbourhood in Glasgow which has a large Asian population – isn’t that “scary”, he says.

Walking ahead of the pair are Amir and Humza.

It is an unseasonably warm October evening and Albert Drive, the heart of Pollokshields, is littered with people popping in and out of the shops and cars pumping out rap music.

The lads are all on the cusp of turning 16. They are all in fourth year at different Glasgow schools, and they are all young Asian Muslims living in Glasgow’s ethnically diverse southside.

Some come from families with criminal connections, some are from one-parent families. One is a carer for his disabled mother. These are young men on the brink of losing themselves to gang culture. Tonight, they are with their youth workers – men who are attempting to make sure these teenagers don’t take the wrong path as so many of their peers are now doing.

At the moment, all they seem to care about is playing football, going to the gym and smoking cannabis. But they risk falling into serious criminality.

Atif’s uncle, who is 19, recently spent time in Polmont Young Offenders Institute. Atif says he was charged once but the case was dropped. He refuses to say what the charge was, however.

His friend, Rashid, cites the eternal woe of the teenager for the attraction to petty crime: “There’s just not enough to do here.”

Atif agrees: “Everyone smokes hash because there’s nothing to do.”

The teenagers belong to the Youth Community Support Agency (YCSA). Dozens of teens throughout the community attend every day. There are around 20 workers and volunteers for the Pollokshields charity, which is currently facing worrying funding cuts. Youth workers say the mid to late-teens are a tightrope walk for young Asian men – and they can easily fall into gang culture.

Billy Halliday, 49, a young person’s support worker who has been with YCSA for almost two years, is sitting in the “quiet room” of the striking A-listed building, which was formerly a Masonic lodge and a base for the Seamen’s Mission.

A swirling stone dragon pops out of the wall above the toilets and erotic nude pictures of mermaids are painted over wall tiles.

Given that the clientele of the organisation is predominantly Muslim, the mermaid’s modesty is covered by giant posters.

“We have to recognise different cultures and respect them,” he says.

Halliday calls the young people “role models” and says the work the YCSA does in the area is vital.

Many young people, he says “aren’t actually in gangs ... but they adopt the gang of the area as a badge”.

He says: “Young people who are doing well at school and who have got real good prospects see themselves as a Shielder [Pollokshields gang] or a Gabba [Govanhill gang] because they stay in that area.

“But as they get older, if no-one’s tackling that identity and if there’s no activities for them to do, then the older people will draw them into the activities.

“We get them to see that they can make their own decisions and take responsibility for their own actions.”

The overwhelming feeling from the teenagers is that they are perceived negatively. “I was coming back from my mate’s and two police officers pulled me over to ask me what I was doing and then searched me,” says Humza.

“Everyone thinks Pollokshields is a bad area,” adds Rashid, who is from the area but now lives in nearby Govanhill. “But it’s just a stereotype.

“People see a group of people and they think, ‘it’s obviously a gang’ but it’s just a bunch of friends.”

The YCSA is clearly a lifeline for them. “We like coming here because it gives us opportunities to get a job,” says Rashid.

“I was charged once. If I didn’t come here it would just keep happening,” Atif adds. “It keeps us off the streets.”

Source: The Herald

Glasgow Babel

NEARLY 8000 children from countries across the world have enrolled in Glasgow schools in the past five years, according to new figures.



The figures are revealed as the local authority considers proposals to shut a pioneering language support unit in the city.



Official statistics from Glasgow City Council show the highest number of new pupils are Polish followed by Slovakians, Pakistanis, Indians and Nigerians.



Significant numbers have also arrived from Somalia, Malaysia, Romania, Iraq and the Congo.



The number of new arrivals – a total of 7405 since 2005 – are recorded in a review of the way pupils who speak little or no English are supported in Glasgow schools.



The local authority is currently considering the closure of a pioneering support unit located in Shawlands Academy, on the south side of the city.



Officials argue closing the unit will have no impact on educational quality because staff will be retained and used to support pupils in their own schools – possibly in smaller specialist units.



However, critics believe a single dedicated unit is the best way to educate pupils who have little or no English – termed EAL (English as an Additional Language).



The review includes the results of a consultation exercise on the future of the unit which found the vast majority of respondents opposed its closure.



Of the responses received, 40 opposed the proposals and just one agreed with them.



Despite this, in a report to the council’s children and families policy development committee, Maureen McKenna backed the proposed changes.



She pointed to evidence from a 1986 report by the Commission for Racial Equality which said placing EAL pupils in separate units amounted to indirect discrimination.



“From as early as 1998, educationalists ... were putting forward the position that EAL learners should not be placed into separate units,” she added.



“Immersion, where the learner is placed in an English language rich environment, has been shown to be by far the most effective way for a second language to be acquired.”



Ms McKenna goes on to accept that some of the needs of EAL learners are not currently being met. To try to combat this, she said the council had been training mainstream teachers, including probationers, to meet their needs.



She concludes: “The research shows there is little evidence for a separate base where newly-arrived children should go to acquire English before being returned to their local secondary school.”



Jean McFadden, the council’s executive member for education, said: “The council has witnessed a shift in the make-up of young people with EAL coming to Glasgow over the last few years.



“This is largely due to the reduction in asylum seeker families arriving in the city and the increase in the number of Eastern European families.



“The proposals being discussed would result in a more flexible service more in tune with the current needs of Glasgow’s young people.



“We remain committed to supporting the needs of all children and young people with EAL despite the financial challenges facing all councils.”



Glasgow has more than 130 EAL teachers. Around a 100 are based in schools providing direct support to mainstream teachers and learners, the report states.

Source: The Herald

Sex predator who posed as cabbie is jailed for three years

A SEX attacker who preyed on young women in his car while pretending to be a taxi driver was jailed for more than three years yesterday.

Sajjad Hussain, who picked up his victims as they waited for taxis after nights out with friends, will be supervised in the community for three years after his release.

His two victims, aged 23 and 39, who cannot be named for legal reasons, got inADVERTISEMENT

to his car, believing it to be a taxi. Once they were inside, Hussain sexually assaulted them.

The 39-year-old woman told police: "I will never forget what happened in the car for the rest of my life."

Hussain, a former taxi driver, is already on the sex offenders register. When he was questioned by police, he claimed that he was at home with his brother on both occasions last year.

But the jury rejected his alibis and convicted him of the assaults on 7 July and 5 November, 2010.

Passing sentence, Sheriff Sam Cathcart told Hussain that due to the "gravity of the crime" a custodial sentence was appropriate.

He also placed Hussain on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

The court heard from both of Hussain's victims who described each of the incidents in his car. The younger of the two women told the jury Hussain's car was a "private hire looking car" and was waiting outside the Casino in Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street around 6am last July.

She said when she heard the driver would charge her only a few pounds to get home and opened the passenger door for her she got in.

But, after reaching her destination only a short distance away in Tradeston, Hussain pounced on his passenger.

The woman said she attempted to push Hussain away, threw the taxi fare at him and ran away. She told the jury that she now felt "stupid" for paying him.

Hussain's next victim got in to his car a few months later at Battlefield Road, Glasgow, believing it to be the taxi she thought her friend had called.

But, while driving her home his hand brushed her leg. She said she thought it was an accident and his hand accidentally touched her while changing gears. Ms Henderson asked: "What happened after that?"

The woman replied: "It was almost immediately after that he touched my leg again with his left hand."

She was asked: "How did he touch your leg?"

The witness replied: "Kind of like a grope of the leg, like a squeeze."

She added that Hussain moved his hand up her body and touched her chest over her clothes.

The court heard the woman escaped from the car when it stopped at traffic lights and she reported the incident to the police.

Source: Scotsman

Racist Attack by Asian in Glasgow Park

POLICE have launched an investigation after a man was shot with an air gun in broad daylight as he walked his dog in a busy park.

Detectives said the 20-year-old was in Queen’s Park in Glasgow on Saturday when a man leapt from the bushes and shot him in the arm and the leg.

The man had to be treated in hospital after the attack, which is thought to have been racially motivated.

Detective Constable Barry Hughes, of Strathclyde Police, said: “This would appear to be a totally unprovoked attack on a young man who was enjoying a walk in the park with his dog.

...

“It is believed that the suspect shouted some verbal abuse at the injured man prior to discharging the weapon and as such police are treating this incident as racially motivated.”

The shooting suspect was described as an Asian man in his 20s.

Source: Herald

Government Wastes £1 Million Trying to Persuade Third-world Chancers to Go Home

The Herald today reports on the scandalous waste of £1 million on a daft scheme, called the Family Return Project, designed to persuade "failed asylum seekers" to go home voluntarily. A failed asylum seeker, of course, is a third-world con artist, someone whose claim for asylum has been carefully assessed and deemed to be fraudulent. Of the 50 con-artist families who participated in the project, not one of them left voluntarily. Some were deported forcibly; many are still in the country.

THE Scottish Government has been accused of dragging its feet over the release of a report into a failed million-pound project to persuade asylum seekers to return home.

The scheme, which had been designed to help convince families to leave “under their own steam,” failed to record a single success story after none of the almost 50 families involved agreed to leave voluntarily.

The Family Return Project was launched with great fanfare in June 2009 and was seen as a “humane alternative” to forced deportations.

It followed years of bad publicity over dawn raids and stories of children being held at the Dungavel Detention Centre in South Lanarkshire.

Under the project, failed asylum seekers and their families were moved into specially designated flats in Glasgow. There social workers and other professionals offered them intensive support in an attempt to help them prepare to leave the country.

The Scottish Government sat on this before the election and now they have to come forward with its results

It was felt offering asylum seekers more control over the process could help them exit Scotland with more dignity than a forced deportation.

During the process the children of the family could remain in school, in an attempt to minimise disruption.

The pilot project, which is thought to have cost £1 million, was run by the Scottish Government and the UK Border Agency (UKBA). Together they have commissioned the report from an independent group, ODS Consulting.

It is understood a number of families referred to the project refused to take part. Although none of the families is believed to have volunteered to leave Scotland, it is thought some were deported under the old system by the UKBA.

Ian Davidson, Glasgow South West Labour MP and the chairman of the Commons Scottish Affairs Committee, said the report must be released immediately.

He said: “The Scottish Government has sat on this for too long. They sat on it before the election and now they have to come forward with its results.

“How long do you need to tell that this has been a complete failure? The Scottish Government has also now got to tells us what their alternative is to this failed idea.”

An official UKBA publication on a similar project in the north of England recorded the results of the Family Return project.

It found that of the 48 cases referred none had voluntarily left Scotland.

A Government spokeswoman would only say that the report would be published “shortly”.

She added: “It was thought important to have this kind of report to learn lessons from the pilot project and assess how things can be improved in the future.”

The UKBA said that the Family Return Project did not cost any more than processing the failed asylum seekers through the normal channels.

Police Shockingly Interfere With Anti-Halal Protest Outside KFC Restaurant in Glasgow

There is a fascinating post here on the Scotland for Animals website, describing how the police attempted to interfere with a lawful anti-halal protest outside a KFC restaurant in Glasgow. As with the thwarted Osama Party, the police claimed that prior permission was required before the event could be held.

Immigrant rape: the view from Norway

In light of the immigrant rape epidemic in Glasgow, this news report from Norway makes interesting viewing. The fact is that Mohammedans replicate exactly these problems wherever they interface with the kuffar (infidels).

Glasgow employs more teachers of English as a second language than the rest of Scotland put together

This is the boast of Gordon Matheson, Labour leader of Glasgow District Council, reported today in the Evening Times.

The number of refugees and asylum seekers in Glasgow means pupils speak more than 100 different languages in their own homes.

That presents special problems for schools and the city council now employs more teachers of English as a second language than the rest of Scotland put together.

Muslim Terrorist Charged in Glasgow

Yet again it seems the Muslim terrorist was an asylum seeker. A Home Office study revealed that around one quarter of those arrested on terrorism offences were asylum seekers. The treaty that governs the granting of asylum contains a clear national security exception allowing any signatory state to suspend the provisions of the treaty if it believes its national security would be threatened by continuing to implement them. Yet our governments refuse to invoke this national security exception, pleading that they have international obligations which must be fulfilled.

More Details on the Jihadist Arrested in Glasgow

The Sunday Mail yesterday had some more details of the man arrested in Glasgow last week in connection with the suicide bombing in Stockholm last year.

POLICE have put a 24-hour guard outside the home of the Stockholm bombing suspect to stop it being targeted by vigilantes.

Officers have been on duty at his flat since the 30-year-old was arrested on Tuesday morning.

The property was sealed off when the nursing student was taken into custody to be questioned.

Strathclyde Police have maintained a presence at the 19th floor of the tower block in Glasgow's Whiteinch to prevent vandalism.

The suspect, AK al-Khalede, was arrested in connection with the botched suicide bombing last year.

He is being held in the Scottish Terrorist Detention Centre in Govan.
Iraqi-born Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly - who studied at the University of On duty: Cops at flat Bedfordshire - blew himself up and injured two people in Stockholm's shopping district on December 11.

Terror cops swooped on al-Khalede after a month-long investigation involving British and Swedish security services.

He is thought to have travelled to Luton several times to visit al-Abdaly, 28.
Residents at the flats say al-Khalede introduced himself as "Mo" when he moved to the area in December.

One man, who didn't want to be named, said: "People around here are furious. A few guys have talked about getting hold of Mo if he returns."

A Strathclyde Police spokeswoman said: "Until officers are satisfied no further evidence can be found in a property, it will be guarded."

A sheriff has granted police an extension to the time al-Khalede can be held.