Everyday it seems more likely that it will be David Cameron who will end up leading the Tories. So i thought i'd google him to find out what he said about Islam.
Unfortunately, what i found wasn't very good. He delivered a speech to the Foreign Policy Comittee (thinktank) which in parts was good (no one can deny the importance of having Imams who can speak English), but which in others sounded quite alot like the RAND report. Here is a link to the full text - have a read and let me know what you think.
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9 comments:
Scary... absolutely scary.
And yet, unfortunately there were some points he made that I felt I couldn't blame him.
Yes it's against us, I know. But unfortunately there are among us people who do in fact use violence unnecessarily, leading to the death of many an innocent victim. So part of what he said was in their defence against such people.
Only a part of it though.
He seems to want us all to become "liberal" and encourage us to become more like them. That's terrifying.
I wonder something though, the man's prepared a huge plan on what to against the "Islamic threat".
What's OUR plan?
OK, I read the whole thing, phew!
It might seem scary and terrifying to the Muslim population, but I think if you put yourself in their shoes, you can understand where they are coming from. They are naturally scared of having "british" citizens destroy their own country.
I also think it is fair that they have the British citizens pledge allegiance to the country (not to the queen), just like you pledge allegiance when you get your Green Card or Canadian citizenship. Like if i want a saudi citizenship, I need to abide by the rules they have laid down to be a saudi citizen. I don't think there is anything terrifying to be a part of society. If anything, I think generally the UK is a lot more tolerant of the Muslim society, giving them the freedom to have mosques, lectures, gatherings, events, marches etc etc as long as they are not the extremist sorts. No one is asking the Muslims to compromise their beliefs and values. If you look at Holland, that is what I am scared of, where they are talking about banning the burqa.
But yeah, I would agree with Dxb_Muslim, what are the Muslims prepared to do? What will be the response of the Muslims?
Mansur
just stumbled across your blog. i am a non-muslim expat living in the middle east. i am told time and again that i am a guest here and that i need to respect the policies and regulations here. and thats all right, since i am a guest here in my host country. i respect their faith, so much so i fast alongside with my muslim colleagues. i dress respectfully, i dont do anything that is considered disrespectful. i also am giving up on eating pork here since its banned here. so i think it is perfectly fair for the uk to expect its citizens to respect the nation's rules and policies. those who are visitors there, and not british citizens should be the last group of people to complain. heck, i cannot even worship my faith here openly, but its all right because i want to respect the official rule. why not focus on all the freedom that you are given in the uk, freedom that is denied to non-muslims here, and be happy with whatever you have.
J
I think anonymous has misunderstood a few of our comments.
Both brother Mansur and I expressed our opinion that we cannot blame the UK for defending itself.
I agree with you we need to respect your religions,laws and policies if we are citizens in your country, or even if we are just visiting. Simply by allowing us into your country should be a sign of trust and respect, something which we should honor. And this is not my opinion itself that I am expressing. There are a number of statements from the Prophet and his companions teaching us how to behave in the lands of others, and how to treat others of different faiths in our lands.
What I found scary in the speech is how we (by we I mean Muslims in general, since I am not a citizen of the UK) will possibly have our faith scrutinized by the government. While some people might do that respectfully and with proper manners, others might not.
Plus our faith might not be tolerated so much as a result of the wrong and even evil actions of some Muslims acting mistakenly in the name of "good cause".
I'm very proud of my religion, I do not like it when someone wants to make me like them (ie like the west).
And you're right, we do(usually) have freedom in your country. Sometime OUR freedom to speak freely about our views and our faith in the UK is greater than in some Muslim countries unfortunately.
I thank you for your respect to our religion, laws and policies.
:D
dxb_muslim, thanks for your comments. I apologize if I misunderstood something. I meant well. I can understand what you mean when you say the authorities will scrutinize the religion of Islam. I hope it doesnt happen.
We should all respect the laws and policies of our host nation... to a certain extent. If the UK says that I can't buy a house without slapping my dad in the face, then I would complain about it. Then some people say "oh if you don't like it, then leave".
That's so silly - that's the approach of someone who doesn't want to face up to the issues.
If my dad beats my mum I'm going to advise him and then yes, I will speak out against him regardless of everything he's done for me. That doesn't mean I'm ungrateful - I just love him too much to see him doing something so wrong. But when Muslims criticise the Government, suddenly we're seen as disrespectful to your host nation. No way! If you're part of a society, we have to be willing to learn from each other.
Nice one sis. I agree 100%.
In Islam, the non-Muslim living in the Islamic State (not any of the current Muslim dictatorships) must respect the laws when he is in society. At home, he is permitted to drink alcohol, eat pork and pretty much do as he pleases. There is no concept of private investigation into people’s homes unless it affects other people (e.g. wife beating).
So anonymous doesn’t eat pork – but he will never be forced to believe that eating pork is an evil thing. You’re not forced to think a certain way or believe a certain idea – just as long as you abide by the law in society.
Whereas in the UK, the Government is trying to make it illegal for me to think the way I do. I abide by the law, but why do I have to love it. I hate democracy (man-made laws), I love Shariah (Allah’s laws). I hate dictatorships, I love elections. I hate nationalism, I love my Ummah. I hate Capitalism, I love the Khilafah. I hate Secularism, I love Islam.
But now, it’s not enough to abide by the law, you have to believe in the values, principles and have the same allegiances as the UK otherwise you’re labelled an extremist. Charles Clarke said he can negotiate almost anything but he can never negotiate Khilafah or Shariah! (http://press.homeoffice.gov.uk/213275/238287?view=Html)
So which is more tolerant?
Anonymous, the reason why i added this particular entry to my blog wasn't because of a loathing i have for this country (which i don't anyway), or an intrinsic hate for all its laws, in fact, i believe that the UK is one of the best places in the West to be a Muslim, and have said so on more than one occasion.
The post was written out of a mixture of anger and worry that senior politicians are taking it upon themselves to define what is and what isn't a good Muslim. Who are they as non-Muslims and non-experts on Islam to tell me what constitutes a good Muslim and what doesn't? These politicians are advised by people who want to change the very nature of Islam to a heavily-watered down version that is more palatable to them.
Also, i don't believe that living in a country necessitates agreeing to all its policies. Should those 2 million anti-war protestors be shipped out of England???
Other than that, thanks to Saffy and Babs in particular for their comments.
As-Salaamu 'alaikum,
I've just been looking at the two remaining candidates' campaign sites, and it seems Cameron is by far the stronger of the two. Davis simply has no policies. One of the first things you see on his page at the Tory website is a moan about foreigners taking up British jail space, his blog is a straightforward Blogspot with a stock theme (you'd not expect this of someone who hoped to lead a major political party), and the content is mostly slogans.
I'm worried most of all about Cameron's "school leaver programme". It appears that a lot of people see this as compulsory conscription, and Cameron seems unwilling to be tied down on what it would consist of and whether it would be compulsory for everyone. It's worrying, because conscription is on its way out in western Europe. I'd emigrate if my children had to go through any such thing.
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