at_deportie

Header Left
header centre
Header Right
LATEST NEWS:

UKIP leader scaremongers about Muslims - again

 		PDF Print E-mail
Thursday, 18 March 2010 10:29


 The Daily Express on Tuesday offered Lord Pearson, the Leader of the UK Independence Party, the opportunity to write a guest column on the ‘real issues in the election campaign’.

Lord Pearson, in imparting his party’s antipathy for the EU, adds these thoughts:

‘Last week all three establishment parties sang in harmony: Turkey must join the European Union, they said. You heard that right, not content with throwing our doors open to all European countries with the result that millions have moved here they want Turkey to join as well.

‘David Miliband, William Hague and the Lib Dems are all backing Turkish membership. Oh how pleased they are to be able to agree with each other. “Remarkable,” they said and of course they are right. It is remarkable that they all want to give 70million Turks the right to move to the UK. Madness might be another word, or more like arrogance in the face of the wishes of the British public.’

[…]

‘We should be talking about the rise of political Islam. The attempted takeover of Tower Hamlets in East London by a radical Muslim organisation should be a wake-up to us all.’

It is supremely ironic that in an article exhorting Britons to debate the ‘real issues’ in the election campaign Lord Pearson should single out British Muslims as engaging in ‘political Islam’ and describe their involvement in local politics as an ‘attempted takeover’. Is it His Lordship’s contention that Muslims are lesser citizens and that their engaging in democratic politics is an expression of ‘political Islam’ while no similar notion exists for Christians, Jews or Hindus?

Given UKIP’s stated intention of banning the burqa in the UK and Lord Pearson’s earlier insulting comments on Muslims, is it any wonder that British Muslims participating in politics and challenging such discrimination and prejudice should irk His Lordship?

And perhaps the Daily Express might invite a Muslim to contribute an op-ed to present a British Muslim perspective on what they think the real issues are in this election?
Comments
Add New Search
Simi   |2010-03-19 12:15:42

I'm not surprised at Lord Pearsons opinion, seems typically quite far right and far off. Throughout our immigration history the British Muslims have always been treated as 2nd class citizens and with the 1st generation tolerating overt and cohvert racism, 2nd generation learning to accept 2nd class treatment in order to be accepted in this society and have work hard to make ends meet. We now have the 3/4th generation that believe we have an equal say in the way our communitys should reflect us. There is nothing wrong with British Muslims wanting to represent their community through the political democratic means just like others would.
Its opinions like Lord Pearsons, who put the fire in our bellies to open and engage in debate,its no longer a case where they can duck and dive, and think they are still in the imperial state, they should be brave enough to meet The British Muslims and tell us what the real problem is, as this is our country and we are here to stay. We are equally compliant and abide by the laws and procedures of this country. British Muslims just want to be treated equally and fairly as all the other citizens of this country.
Muslim  - Well said Simi   |2010-03-19 20:43:17
Europe is going back to the future.

The rise of the anti-Semitic Nazi sympathisers, the British Union of Fascists "Blackshirts", of Sir Oswald Mosely, is being repeated against the latest adherents of a Semitic faith to become citizens.

He too was a sectarian rabble-rouser scrabbling to abuse the ignorant populist hate of the Other for political capital. No wonder the saying about Nationalism being the last refuge of the scoundrel.

I wonder if there are any further connections between these two Toffs?
Write comment
Name:
Email:
 
Website:
Title:
UBBCode:
[b] [i] [u] [url] [quote] [code] [img] 
 
 
Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.

3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."
 

 

Essential Reading

 

 

 

 

 


Home

Election 2010

Get Out & Vote

ENGAGE in your Community


Find out when ENGAGE will be in your local area giving a presentation on media awareness and political participation.



View the ENGAGE diary here.

Login

Please register below to make posts in the discussion forum and receive ENGAGE updates.



News Archives

Download the ENGAGE Pocket Guide to Media & Politics here

RSS Feed