Extremists should be ignored
The majority of people in Britain are tolerant and decent. A minority aren’t. Yesterday’s demonstrations by the English Defence League and those who scrawled “Islam” on the Bomber Command and Animals in War memorials prove just that.
It is clear what the EDL stands for but it is not known if it were Muslim protestors or a far right group trying to stir up trouble that desecrated the memorials. Either way, all involved should be condemned.
The best reaction to such lowlife is to ignore them.
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Matthew
Your and most of us who read Steeples Times are affluent metropolitan types. Our Islamic neighbours are equally affluent and barely perceptible.
The EDL is a working class protest movement populated by a membership who have seen their communities ‘islamalised’ in such a way a to leave them feeling isolated and uncared for: thus the EDL is reactive force unleashed by politicians so obsessed by political correctitude and multiculturalism that they became oblivious to the strength of feeling of the English working people. To lecture these people on the need for tolerance when they feel surrounded by a religion…not just intolerant of them, but of other peaceful religions is facile.
Islam may project itself as the religion of peace but most of us see little to substantiate the boast.
We see very little full condemnation by mainstream Islamic religionists of their co-religionists whose stated and obsessive aim is to turn the UK into a caliphate.
We need to start to empathise with the plight of working class people forced to endure the most extreme forms of multiculturalism and monoreligion.
It is all very well, as we sit around pontificating from the comfort of smart restaurants, to lecture these people on tolerance but it will do no good.
Pete: I agree with you to an extent but I think you’ll have to agree that what happened in York yesterday proves that there can be reason and tolerance. I suggest that you take a look at my latest article about this and what I saw at the Animals in War memorial this morning: http://thesteepletimes.com/the-fog/more-tea-vicar/
You are quite right about white “working class” (though I think that description also is very outdated) individuals in places such as Burnley and Bradford feeling disenfranchised and I agree with you on that. I do not only visit “smart restaurants” and I can agree and understand how these people feel resentful. I’ve seen the conditions in these towns and these people truly are what I’d call the “underclass”. They need help, not hatred and so do all religious communities.
Well said Matthew
Hatred wont help indeed , but this does not mean that we should remain passive in view of the mounting terrorist and criminal actions and threats by Islamist and other extremists.
What happened in Woolwich was unprecedented horror and savagery , wish there was a death penalty for such criminals
The UK gave away the British passport to all kinds of dodgy and antisocial people and it is hard to reverse now the situation
Frankly this article is symptomatic of the problem – I am in complete agreement with Pete Wade.
I couldn’t agree more, Matthew. I guess I can understand the concern, and perhaps some members the Islam faith could do more to give a strong voice of opposition to the actions of a few supposedly in the name of Islam, but I certainly don’t see any reason to see that “this article is symptomatic of the problem”. I’m not quite sure what that even means.