The recent appointment of ‘Baroness’ Sayeeda Warsi to the
post of Minister for Faith and Communities served as a reminder of one of the
significant flaws in the current democratic system in the UK: an unelected and
unaccountable House of Lords. The fact that Warsi is a member of the second
chamber has enabled Cameron to bestow upon her ministerial responsibilities,
and for Warsi to make policy without any democratic mandate. This represents
the very worst sort of tokenism and ‘positive’ discrimination, yet it is not
this in itself that prompts the writing of this piece today, but rather what
Warsi has signed with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The National Secular Society notes that Warsi has this week
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the UK and the OIC at the UN, which declares that the two will “work together on issues of peace,
stability and religious freedom.” Those of you who are aware of the activities
of the OIC, will know that this body of 57 Muslim states is attempting to
introduce a global blasphemy law which would make it illegal to criticise or to
satirise Islam in any country. Knowing of the penalties imposed by Islam for
blasphemy, this is a chilling and deeply worrying prospect, as is the fact that
this seemingly is not a matter of concern for Warsi. Moreover, as well as being
Minister for Faith and Communities, Warsi has also been given an influential
role as Senior Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that makes
her "the lead minister responsible for Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Central Asia, the UN, the International Criminal Court and the OIC". Given her
domestic and foreign affairs briefs, she could perhaps be more appropriately
dubbed the Minister for Internal and External Muslim Affairs, for this is, in
effect, what she is.
Responding to Warsi’s signing of the MOU with the OIC,
National Secular Society President Terry Sanderson stated:
We are all for co-operation between nations to try to foster peace and understanding, but the concept of 'religious freedom' is one that the OIC has distorted to mean restrictions on free expression.
We hope that by signing this document the UK will not in any way compromise its commitment to human rights – particularly the human right to free speech. The British Government has been steadfast in its opposition to the OIC's blasphemy proposals up until now. We hope that this document will not change that in any way.
Sanderson also noted how blasphemy laws were being used in
some OIC states to “suppress Christianity and other religions in a brutal and
merciless fashion” and singled out Pakistan for particular criticism on this
score, whilst noting that in Egypt accusations of blasphemy were being employed
to destroy political opponents.
As Warsi is a Pakistani Muslim who has made clear her
distaste for secularism, should we not possess legitimate concerns about her warm
embrace of the OIC? That she possesses political office of any sort is not only
an indication that our democracy is in need of democratisation, but that if it
is not reformed our basic freedoms and liberties could be imperilled
through the actions of appointees such as Warsi who hold values clearly at
variance with those that we have long held dear.
Sayeeda Warsi: in favour of a global blasphemy law?
She is the fifth columnist in our willing goverment of appeasers. Where is our Churchill??
ReplyDeletehttp://islamversuseurope.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/jihadist-infiltration-of-british.html
Churchill is long dead, but a politician with an objective rational perspective would do.
DeleteShe is nothing more than a 'Trojan Horse' for her more 'radical' friends.......Buyer beware!
ReplyDeleteLaurie -
Do you think that she might get on well with Shahid Malik socially?
Delete"...has this week signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the UK and the OIC at the UN, which declares that the two will “work together on issues of peace, stability and religious freedom.”
ReplyDeleteTheir statement makes me laugh, since when has islam or it's mad-muslim followers ever believed in peace and freedom?
This woman will do whatever it takes to turn this once great country into a muslim hell-hole. She must be removed from office at once! What on earth is Cameron thinking?
Cameron may be well polished, but his education is lacking in a number of key respects. What is he thinking? He alone knows.
DeleteWhat is Cameron thinking? A very good question. 'Call Me Dave' does not think about anything political to any great depth. This vacuous PM is only interested in his own popularity and image. The slippery chancer really believes that Islam is a nice touchy feely religion which we should all embrace and that anyone who has the temerity to criticise it is a racist bigot.
ReplyDeleteI think that you're right in noting Dave's less than realistic perception of Islam and his readiness to stigmatise the rest of us as bigots and racists.
Delete