Posted by Richard Rawlinson
The picketing of military funerals in the US by the Westboro Baptist cult is well-documented.
Less so are increasing incidents in Holland of Muslim youths disrupting non-Muslim funerals. One undertaker says youths on bikes stop processions and bang on the roof of the hearse, shouting ‘One dog less’ or ‘Jews, Jews’.
The gangs are school age. The response of the police to complaints has been that the Islamic schools need protection, and that the yobs are too young to understand their behaviour is wrong. It makes you wonder what social responsibility they’re being taught in the classroom, and at home for that matter.
It also makes you wonder why liberal society is so tolerant when it comes to such disdain for our democratic values. Enter the British Muslims for Secular Democracy (BMSD). This courageous group of men and women have protested in London against a pro-Sharia march by fundamentalist group Islam4UK. To counter banners such as ‘Islam will dominate the world: Freedom can go to Hell’, the BMSD has retorted with slogans such as ‘Freedom of speech will rule the world’.
As Muslims condemning radical Islamist sexism, racism and homophobia, they risk becoming targets of violence but, unlike non-Muslim liberals, they are less concerned about being accused of ‘Islamophobia’ or some other form of political incorrectness.
And there lies the reason for our silence and hesitation to condemn extremism. Ironically, there was another group of protesters against the Islam4UK. A few members of the English Defence League were making their stand, too. When interviewed by a journalist, they leapt at the opportunity to claim they were not neo-Nazi football hooligans, that they supported women’s rights and gay rights, and that they just wanted to protest against radical Islamists whose supporters bombed London, and attacked the funeral processions of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It might be true that the EDL does not have its origins in the Hitler cults, but they are certainly not to be trusted as true allies of the good folk of the BMSD. EDL members have attacked Muslims because they are Muslims, and indeed anyone Muslim, Sikh, Hindu or atheist with a brown skin. They pick on anyone they see as being in the ‘wrong’ team.
It’s groups such as EDL that make non-racists reluctant to criticise Islamic hate. We should stand up to both by spporting the British Muslims for Secular Democracy (see here http://www.bmsd.org.uk/index.
Another organisation called the EDL has been set up: English Disco League. They turn up at EDL gatherings and dance exuberantly. We’re not laughing at you, we’re laughing near you…
Nice one, but wish you could dare, as a new age socialist, to actually criticise the islamofascists as well as the EDL. Don’t stereotype yourself.
I’m secretly quite fond of Nigel Frarage. Does that count?
It is indeed the ‘moderate’ interpreters of the Quoran and its subsequent teachings who are uniquely able to stand and speak up against the radical and fundamentalist factions.
They are exceedingly brave, and have my (for one) full support. Irony, and satirical comedy are potent forces – I am grateful for their bite.
The sad thing is that you can guarentee they will not get the same press time as the extreemists!
Agreed, James and Jenny. Meeting violence with violence is no solution but neither is apathy.