Stacey Dooley

"My hometown fanatics: Stacey Dooley investigates Muslim extremists"

In this episode, Stacey Dooley goes to visit her hometown, Luton, after not being there for many years. Since she left, Luton has become heavily populated with Muslim and other Asian people.

 As she is walking around around the town centre, an extremism march is taking place. Muslim men and women are shouting and holding banners and signs saying "UK go to hell" and "British police go to hell" which I was a bit confused about. If they don't like living in the UK and don't like how the police force is run then why not move somewhere else? However, later on in the show it was revealed that the march was for a situation where a 'terrorists' wife was jailed. The husband bombed Stockholm in 2010, it's been called as a suicide attack. I am still unsure as to why the wife was jailed, I'm assuming she either took part in this attack or at least knew about it. Everyone has a right to protest however I thought that this protest was too extreme.

Stacey tried to talk to one of the women in this march but it turned out that this woman wasn't nice at all. She said to Stacey "this is a message to stop oppression" and Stacey backfired with a comment saying "no real Muslim wants anyone to burn in hell". This started off a heated arguement which then lead to the woman saying "you look naked on the street wearing that dress, who are you trying to seduce", even though her dress was almost floor length and the sleeve stopped at her elbows. I thought this statement was completely wrong, everyone has the right to decide what they wear as it is how they want to present themselves. I understand that muslims believe they should cover up their skin, and in some cases their face, due to their religion but it doesn't mean to say they can be rude to non muslims about what they're wearing.

She then goes around her town and asks both Muslims and non muslims about their views on Islam and how it is preached around Luton. Many extremists had the view of "if you're not a Muslim then you're on your way to hell, all non muslims are destined for hell". It was said that if the land was Muslim then they'd obey it but if it wasn't then they wouldn't. Many men hated on Stacey because she was a non Muslim even though she was trying to understand their religion.

Unfortunately a lot of  the Muslim women are scared to go out of their homes because people stare at them and make comments about their religious clothing. One man shouted "take off your mask" at a young Muslim girl.

This video really made me upset as to how extreme muslims radicalise children from such a young age. I think that all religions should live in peace and harmony with each other so we can celebrate cultural and religious differences. Everyone needs to drop stereotypes of all religions and they actually need to try and understand why a religion is the way it is. It must be horrible to be judged on a daily basis because of what you're wearing and especially when other make harsh comments about it.

Weekly news

ISTANBUL MASS KILLER WHO SLAUGHTERED 39 PEOPLE IN NEW YEARS EVE CLUB ATTACK WAS SENT 3 WOMEN BY ISIS AS A REWARD (source : daily mail)


The Istanbul night club killer, Abdulkadir Mashaipov, was sent three women by ISIS as a reward for the massacre in a night club on New Year's Eve, killing 39 people. Authorities have identified him as being from Uzbekistan and trained in Afghanistan to carry out the attack from ISIS.

In some sections of Islam, it is understood that those who die in the name of God are gifted with 72 virgins upon reaching heaven.

Some resources have said that the Istanbul shooter received orders directly from the main station of ISIS in Syria. It is to be believeed that the original target was istanbuls famous Taksim Square however he said it didn't seem possible due to instense security measures. He then found a new target (The Reina Night Club) and suggested that to his handler, who approved.

This article has representations of gender, religion and issues of terrorist attacks and sex slavery. Personally, I think that this is a very sensitive subject due to stereotypes of Muslims and Islamic people. ISIS say they are doing these attacks in the name of God/Allah however I don't see what they gain from murdering innocent people? Religion just confuses me.

weekly news

STOLEN BABY FOUND ALIVE IN SOUTH CAROLINA 18 YEARS ON (source: BBC news)


A girl stolen as a newborn from a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, has been found alive in South Carolina after more than 18years.

 Kamiyah Mobley was abducted in July 1998. She was only 8 hours old when she was taken by a woman pretending to be a health care worker at the University Medical Centre, now known as UF Health Jacksonville. The woman told Kamiyah's mother that her baby had a fever and needed to be checked. She then took the baby out of the room and disappeared.

Authorities in South Carolina have charged Gloria Williams with kidnapping after recieving over 2,500 tips including her whereabouts and images.

Similarly on the 27th of February 2015, a South African woman appeared in court as she kidnapped a baby in Cape Town and kept it for 17 years. The woman and her husband were arrested after Beijing found guilty. She was charged with kidnapping, fraud and contravening the Children's act, as she pretended she was the biological mother of that child.

The girls biological parents were reunited with their daughter after she was enrolled in the same school as her sister. After seeing how much they looked alike, the biological family invited the girl for coffee and the contacted the police. DNA tests confirmed the identity of the girl was their missing daughter.

I think it is disgraceful that someome can easily steal someone's child, whether it was newborn or a toddler or a child of any age. It is unfair on both the mother and the father who have unconditional love for their child. It is said that having kids is one of the best things you can do in life as they make you happy but imagine someone taking your happiness away that easily. It's heartbreaking to hear and to see stories of children being kidnapped. Especially if it's a toddler or older and being taken away from their family would make them terrified. Another story that is worldwide is about young Madeline McCann who has been missing for over 10 years yet her parents never stopped looking for her. It's horrible how messed up some people's minds are to be able to steal someone's child. This also shows that it happens globally, not in just one area.

This represents issues of child theft.

Weekly news

TILIKUM THE SEAWORLD ORCA FROM BLACKFISH DOCUMENTARY DIES AGE 36 (source: the sun)

Tilikum is an Orca whale that is mostly known for killing a SeaWorld trainer, Dawn Brancheau, in 2010. The trainer was interacting with Tilikun before a live audience at SeaWorld Orlando when he pulled her from a platform by her am and held her under the water. An autopsy report said that she drowned but also suffered severe trauma, including multiple fractures.

Theme park officials said that Tilikum died but they didn't reveal the cause of his death. The statement given had said that Tilikum faced serious health problems. SeaWorld president and CEO, Joel Manby, said "Tilikum had, and will continue to have, a special place in the hearts of the SeaWorld family, as well as the millions of people all over the world that he inspired".

The Blackfish documentary is about "The story of Tilikum, a captive killer whale that has taken the lives of several people, underscores problems within the sea-park industry, man's relationship to nature, and how little has been learned about these highly intelligent mammals."  The documentary argued that killer whales, when in captivity, become more aggressive towards humans and also each other. After the documentary aired at film festivals and on TV, many entertainers pulled out of planned performances at SeaWorld. Many animal rights activists increased their demonstrations outside the parks. In March, SeaWorld CEO saw that the publics attitude had changed about keeping killer whales captive and so the company would end its orca breeding programme. (The documentary is on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in case any of you wanted to watch it).

After watching the documentary over a year ago, I've realised that it's unfair to keep wild animals in such contained spaces for human pleasure and enjoyment. The Atlantic Ocean itself covers 106,460,000 squared kilometres and that's only one ocean. Big wild animals such as Tilikum need a vast amount of space considering the average whale size is 22 feet and 11,800 pounds. SeaWorld confines orcas, who could swim up to 100 miles a day in the wild. Studies show they would need to swim 1,208 laps around the perimeter of the tank or 3105 lengths back and forth to equal what they'd swim in the wild.

Also, for any animals that are kept in captivity or confined spaces are most likely to have a premature death which may lead to why some animals are becoming extinct. Some animals are also known to bite the iron bars and concrete due to stress, anxiety and boredom which shows those animals go through a lot of mental breakdowns and pressures as they are kept in such small spaces. There are many other reasons as to why it is cruel to keep such large animals, or any animals in captivity.

This is a representation of an issue of keeping animals in captivity.

Weekly News

WOMEN IN NEW ZEALAND FIGHT TO FREE THE NIPPLE BUT SAY THEIR BEACH RALLY RECEIVED UNWANTED SEXUAL ATTENTION (daily mail)

About 40 men and women campaigned on Auckland's Mission Bay to 'free the nipple'. However, they feel as if the campaign backfired as tourists and other locals were taking pictures of them in a sexual manner.

Grace, the leader of the campaign, has said "some were definitely taking photos in a sexual way".

It was also said that it was good that the group gained a lot of attention because it created a greater awareness of their cause, but the responses were not all positive.

The movement of this was inspired by the male nipple liberation movement in the 1930's.

(I didn't put an actual picture from the campaign because I'm not sure if it's too inappropriate?!!??)

I think that women and men should have equal rights, if men are allowed to walk around topless then so should women. The way the media and men portray women's bodies is horrible. If it is a social norm for men to walk around without a top on then why shouldn't it be the same for females? It is not women's fault that men will sexualise them and make a massive deal out of it.  This represents gender issues and issues of men sexualising women.

weekly news

" 'Really British' shop owner selling souvenirs accused of racism by the public " (Evening Standard)

Shopkeeper, Chris Ostwald (aged 54), said his 'Really British' store in Muswell Hill Broadway has received a large amount of complaints from the locals since it opened on November 26th 2016. Mr Ostwald said "It is mad that I am facing such criticism as the shop is a British themed shop celebrating British products."

It has been said that some of the locals threatened to stage boycotts and organise protests against the items he sells in his shop. These include nick-nacks painted with Union Jacks, Kinks memorabilia and also socks favoured by Prince Charles.

"People in Muswell Hill are a bit liberal and they are taking it far too seriously. There is nothing political about this. I was asked when i opening if it was a 'Ukip shop' or a 'Brexit shop' but we aww just a British themed shopped celebrating products made here. We've had Greek shoppers and Pakistanis in and they love it. They seem to be more proud of Britain then we are."

Personally I think this has gone out of hand. There are hundreds of British souvenir stores in London and across England, so I don't see what is wrong with his store. Politics shouldn't have been involved with this situation because all the man wants to do is sell British products to anyone without getting the abuse.  

weekly news

The Guardian: "Colombia plane crash: 71 dead and 6 survivors on flight carrying Chapecoense football team."

A plane carrying a Brazilian first division football team crashed near Medellin while they were on their way to the finals of a regional tournament against Atletico Nacional. The crash killed 71 people and 6 managed to survive. The plane departed from Santa Cruz and the airline declared an emergency as they lost radar contact due to an electrical failure just before 10pm on Monday (0300 GMT).

"What was supposed to be a celebration has turned into a tragedy" - Medellin mayor, Federico Gutierrez. The club said in a brief message on it's Facebook page that "may God accompany our athletes, officials, journalists and the guests travelling with our delegation".

Dozens of rescuers worked through the night were glad to have pulled out the remaining survivors although they were severely hurt. However, there was heavy rainfall and low visibility made it complicated to reach the crash in the mountains. Among the survivors there were 2 goal keepers, Marcos Danilo and Jackson Follman, a member of the teams delegation and a flight attendant. Unfortunately, Marcos Danilo died a short time later.

One of the other members killed was Tiago de Rocha Viera. A week before the crash, a video was posted online where he found out his wife, Graziele, was pregnant with their first child.

"This morning I said goodbye to them and they told me they were going after the dream, turning that dream into reality" said a board member of the team.

This is such a tragic story and it almost has me speechless and definitely in tears. This unfortunate event has left friends, family and fans in mourning. Atletico has called for Chapecoense to win the Copa Sudamericana.