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Arani & Co. Solicitors

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Press Release

11^th February 2004

Demonisation of Miss Muddassar Arani, Sun Newspaper article, DATED 9^th February 2004

Arani & Co. is deeply concerned at the above article.  The Sun has failed miserably in the responsibility to research thoroughly and report fairly instead using the newspaper as a vitriolic vehicle for the venom of the prejudiced.

The Sun’s reporting seems to be agenda led and suggest that they wish to silence and intimidate Miss Arani and Arani & Co. solicitors from taking on further cases.  Further their targeting of Miss Arani alone suggests that The Sun’s position is a deeply Islamophobic and xenophobic one.

Miss Arani is one of several solicitors from various firms that have taken on terrorist case work. Miss Arani and Arani & Co. however work in various fields and the majority of their legal services income comes from work other than terrorist cases including divorce cases, domestic violence, child care proceedings *******.

The article is strewn with factual inaccuracies and Islamophobic and racist vilification of Miss Arani.  A few are referred to below, but more detailed responses can be provided upon request.

The Sun are implying in their article that Arani & Co has been paid £200,000  for representing Abu Hamza.  This is wholly untrue and the writers of the said article ought, had they properly conducted their research, to have been aware that the firm has not received so much as one penny as regards the case concerning action taken to deprive him of his nationality.  Further neither Miss Arani nor Arani & Co. are at present representing Abu Hamza and this was made known to The Sun prior to the publication of the article.

It is clear that the work of this firm has been taken out of context, as have comments and publications by Miss Arani which are no different to other human rights lawyers in this country and indeed academics e.g. Noam Chomsky.  As no other human rights lawyers have been taken to task over their similar comments, it seems clear that The Sun is furthering a venomous agenda against Muslims.

As regards the references to Miss Arani’s home, The Sun have stated that this property is Miss Arani’s.  Either they are deliberately misleading the public or have failed to do any research into the matter.  The property is owned by and is the home of Miss Arani’s parents and was purchased prior to the founding of Arani & Co.

The Sun has attempted to liken Miss Arani to Abu Hamza based on her past representation of him.  This is a bizarre analogy to make and is not one made against the representatives of mass murderers like Harold Shipman or the lawyers of proven terrorists.

The British legal system, of which Miss Arani is an uncontroversial and long-standing member, was once renowned for due process.  It is tragic that The Sun wishes to undermine this and calls on the British public to deny people their basic rights and turn the British legal system into the mirror of regimes world-wide we once berated.

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Arani & Co. Solicitors
43a South Road, Southall, Middlesex, UB1 1SW, UK
Phone: (44)-020-8893-5000, Fax: (44)-020-8893-5506