Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Back off, Johnny come lately

I don't remember any of John Reid's predecessors having the audacity to patronisingly lecture Irish parents on keeping an eye on their offspring lest they be radicalised, although the IRA did have a political wing capable of, and actively involved in, recruiting for their cause. And, of course, the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland and terrorist attacks on the British mainland did not end because parents started talking politics with their children, but because the government eventually started to realise that the sledge hammer method of knocking people with a grievance into compliance does not work. British Muslims are nothing as organised as the Irish Republican movement was back then, but they will not accept responsibility and blame for the disastrous failings of British policy.

Direct rule did not work in Ireland, and thinly disguised direct rule will not work in Iraq or Afghanistan. Colonialism failed, and neo-conservative neo-colonialism espoused by New Labour will also fail. People's aspirations cannot be silenced with brute force. Threats and creating fear will not destroy dissent. Ex-communist Reid might admire Stalinist methods, but even Stalinism was ultimately defeated.

Reid's argument is that Muslim youth are being radicalised into becoming suicide bombers. He considers suggestions by parliamentarians from his own party that British foreign policy plays a part in disenfranchising Muslim youth as misguided. It must be the upbringing, and here only the home environment, not their experiences at British state schools and in British universities. Maybe the next step would be to serve anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) on Muslim parents who do not sufficiently instil the love for our government in their children. The bizarre nanny state New Labour has created wants to be appreciated whilst deceiving us.

The Hungarian people took to the streets this week because they were lied to by their government. Here in Britain, our government, our security services and our police lie to us all the time. They lied to us about weapons of mass destruction, they lied to us about trying to have a moderating influence on US policy in the Middle East, they lied to us about princess Diana, they lied to us about Dr David Kelly, they lied to us about Charles de Menezes, they lied to us about Ricin factories, they lied to us about chemical weapon depots in Forest Gate, they lied to us about liquid explosives, they lied to us a plot to blow up aircraft departing from Heathrow. Today's youth are internet-savvy and they ask why no proper evidence has ever been produced concerning the official story of events on 7/7. They ask why the multitude of surveillance cameras in London did not produce a single picture of the alleged bombers, they ask why the government wants to censor the nuclear ambitions of Iran, a country that has never threatened its neighbours, yet nod with approval when Israel, armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons wreaks havoc in neighbouring Lebanon. Muslim parents stand a better chance making their children believe in Santa Clause than convincing them that our government has their best interest at heart.

Maybe John Reid, this Johnny come lately of New Labour's crusade to convert Muslims to "our values", should listen to Muslim youth instead of preaching to Muslim parents. Instead of removing hecklers and protesters with brute force, just as they did with an 83-year-old anti-war protester at the last Labour conference, the government should afford them some freedom of speech and start listening to what really bothers them. It won't be comfortable listening and it is highly unlikely that Reid and company have the stomach for it, but it remains a necessary step to halt the growing disillusionment of today's youth (and not just Muslims) with politics and politicians. Instead, almost as a self-fulfilling prophecy, our guardians of society want to antagonise and radicalise their own people in order to cement their power.

8 Comments:

At 21 September 2006 at 07:13, Anonymous Anonymous said...

French paper LE FIGARO, published another provocative piece by a so-called philosopher about Islam see:

Face aux intimidations islamistes, que doit faire le monde libre ?, par Robert Redeker



http://www.lefigaro.fr/debats/20060919.FIG000000134_face_aux_intimidations_islamistes_que_doit_faire_le_monde_libre_.html

 
At 21 September 2006 at 13:49, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Excellent article. It's a pity for mankind that views like this do not get more mainstream attention.

However there are none so blind as those who will not see. The truth about the War On Terror and current events on the world stage simply will not fit in most Western peoples head - they simply don't want to imagine that it is their government and their people who are the true agressors and terrorists.

 
At 21 September 2006 at 22:14, Blogger Martin said...

Did they lie about the kiddy porn allegations against the pious and humble brother from Forest gate?

Whoops, Mein Herr!

 
At 22 September 2006 at 01:57, Anonymous Anonymous said...

To martin: That is what you call a non-sequitur.

 
At 24 September 2006 at 00:06, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You say Iran has never threatened its neighbors? What was the Iran-Iraq war all about, and why is Saudi Arabia worried about Iran acquiring nuclear weapons? And, didn't the Pres. of Iran openly threaten Israel. Or do you think the jewish state ought to be wiped off the face of the earth?
You make things so simple, deceptively so, as though all that is Islamic is righteous and all others are to blame for the ills of the world. For a 'doctor' you are not objective at all.

 
At 24 September 2006 at 11:18, Blogger Mustaqim said...

Nobody is ever entirely objective, but you should at least TRY to do your homework before displaying your ignorance of history: In the Iraq-Iran war Iran defended itself against an aggression fought by Saddam Husssein's regime in a proxy war on behalf of the USA who hoped to overthrow a popular regime once more just as they had in the 50's overthrown the democratically elected government of Dr Mossadek and enthroned the brutal regime of the Shah in order to get more favourable terms for their oil supplies.
The "wiped off the earth" comment has been shown to be a misquotation, but it is true that Israel is an "illegal occupier" of Palestinian land according to the UN and has persistently refused to withdraw or comply with over 70 security council resolutions against it. It is armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons without having allowed any inspections or having signed up to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and as the Lebanon war has just shown once more, it is a continuous danger to its neighbours [and don't tell me Lebanon attacked first - Hizbollah captured, not kidnapped, two Israeli soldiers on Lebanon territory where they do not belong]. The problem is that an "objective" discussion of Israeli aggression and policy is usually stifled by a their powerful lobby.

 
At 28 September 2006 at 17:51, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Martin, the kiddie porn allegations are just that, allegations - its a way for police to divert attention from their own mishap - in the UK we have a principle of innocent until proven guilty, maybe racist scum like you don't (judging by your awful blog) understand that?.

 
At 27 October 2006 at 21:18, Blogger Mustaqim said...

Well Martin, you didn't have to wait too long for your answer: They DID lie about the kiddie porn. Today the Crown Prosecution announced that they did not have any evidence to substantiate the claim that the victim of the Forest Gate shooting had downloaded any porn material. It's all been part of the disinformation campaign in the hope that some dirt will stick.

 

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