Thursday, January 20, 2011

Choice or pressure?

Baroness Warsi is the Tories Minister Without Portfolio. Given that her latest speech seems to be nothing short of a rant at Britain for not accepting and embracing Islam and its followers, I think the Tories really ought to either give the daft woman something to do or kick her out of the cabinet.

"The minister without portfolio will also warn that describing Muslims as either “moderate” or “extremist” fosters growing prejudice. "

Is that right? So it has nothing to do with followers of the ideology routinely exploding themselves amongst and killing honest, everyday folk going about their daily business then? Or the fact that as they grow in number then so their demands for concessions to their repressive ways grow more vociferous and outrageous? Apparently it has nothing to do with Britons being forced to give up their ways, traditions and customs of a thousand years so as not to cause "offence" to people who are newcomers to our country.

She has a point, though. There is no such thing as a "moderate" Moslem - just Moslems who fully engage in putting the demands of their ideology into practice and those who are passive. The Minister Without Brain goes on ....

“It’s not a big leap of imagination to predict where the talk of 'moderate’ Muslims leads; in the factory, where they’ve just hired a Muslim worker, the boss says to his employees: 'Not to worry, he’s only fairly Muslim’."

Of course - we've all heard the boss say that haven't we? Actually no - I can't say I've ever heard any of my bosses ever even mention the religion of a co-worker in almost 40 years. Indeed, the only discussion I've had with any of my bosses regarding a Moslem was when a boss of mine decided to put a new Moslem colleague next to a Sikh colleague. I had to then go to my boss and explain that although they may both be Asian in descent, Sikhs and Moslems don't get on too well as a rule and that the pair of them spent most of the day bickering and insulting each other. It's the only time in my entire working life that I have ever heard one colleague describe another as a "fucking Paki!"

“In the school, the kids say: 'The family next door are Muslim but they’re not too bad’.

Really? Around my way, you're more likely to hear a kid say "the family next door aren't Moslem, but they will be soon".

“And in the road, as a woman walks past wearing a burka, the passers-by think: 'That woman’s either oppressed or is making a political statement’.”

The curious thing about this statement - apart from how unlikely your average passer-by is going to think such a thing - is that up until 10 years ago the sight of a woman in a burka on a British street was virtually unknown even in predominantly Moslem areas. Around my way, Moslem women who used to dress in conservative, but definably western clothes are now routinely wearing Moslem dress including scarves and burkas and they only started doing that when a large group of fundamental Moslems moved into the area.

Was that through choice or through peer pressure? I have asked, but they won't say - which says it all.

3 comments:

Larry said...

One of the columnists over at the Telegraph left the comments facility on by accident on this news article. 1300 predominantly anti-muslim comments within a few hours. In the morning, they had been totally erased.

There is definitely a storm brewing.

By the way, when I see a woman in a burqa, I see an alien being.

Furor Teutonicus said...

XX now routinely wearing Moslem dress including scarves and burkas and they only started doing that when a large group of fundamental Moslems moved into the area. XX

and here, they were virtually unknown, until.....12/09/2005. From that day on they ALL seem to be wearing bin bags as a fashion statement.

NOT politically motivated AT ALL..... HONEST!

The English Physician said...

On her House of Lords website Baroness Warsi lists two visits to Sa'udi Arabia, all travel and accomodation paid for by the Sa'udis. The second was a Hajj visit, with 'ministerial meetings' added for respectability.
It is a scandal that a British minister & Chair of the Conservative Party is accepting favours from the Sa'udis. Make no mistake, the Sa'udis will expect favours in return.