Since an Egyptian Salafist television station took the
decision to screen excerpts from the film ‘Innocence of Muslims’ last month a
series of protests has been mounted against the film by doctrinaire Muslims
around the globe. Whereas many of the overseas demonstrations have proven to be
violent, here in England they have in the main been peaceful, albeit unwelcome
and by definition irrational. The film itself would have gone largely unnoticed
if it were not for the fact that the Salafist agitators in Egypt deliberately
chose to broadcast it with the intent of inflaming the mob element within the
Muslim population, fanning its sense of righteous indignation in an effort to
win political capital for their cause. Indeed, they have enjoyed considerable
success in this respect, and the whole affair brings to mind how in December
2005 Islamist agitators – imams from Denmark touring the Middle East –
deliberately chose to publicise cartoons of Muhammed published in the Danish
newspaper Jyllands-Posten, as well as appending some additional images
themselves for extra measure. Then, as now, they were successful in mobilising
Islamist sentiment.
One of the first protests in England against ‘Innocence of
Muslims’ took place in the Birmingham Bullring on Friday 21 September and
brought around 100 young Muslims onto the streets, some of whom became involved
in scuffles with the police. On Friday 28 September it was Bradford’s turn to
host a larger protest, although it failed to draw the numbers anticipated. In
Oldham however, the Oldham Mosques Council initially took a different view and urged
local Muslims to make their opposition known not through the medium of public
protest, but via writing to their MPs and MEPs.
More protests were to follow, one of which almost went
unreported despite taking place beneath the walls of Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6 October. On the same day, protests took place in West Yorkshire and
Lancashire: in Huddersfield the demonstrators gathered in St George’s Square,
drawing an estimated 2,000 Muslims (see picture below), whilst across the
Pennines in Bolton 300 marched to the local council offices to hand in a
petition bearing 5,000 signatures expressing disgust at the film. The following
Friday, 12 October, it was Halifax’s turn to host a Muslim protest about the
same issue, with hundreds – mostly men – marching through its streets.
This week saw the biggest and most sinister protest yet by
Muslims in England, with anywhere in the region of 3,500 to 10,000 people
(figures quoted by The Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph respectively) turning
up outside of Google’s London offices demanding that ‘Innocence of Muslims’ be
removed from the internet. More such protests are planned for the weeks ahead,
with an intended million-Muslim protest to be held in Hyde Park soon. This is
not the voice of so-called ‘extremist’ Islam speaking here, but mainstream
Islam (but who, other than a Muslim or the wilfully ignorant, could possibly
perceive Islamic doctrine to be anything other than ‘extreme’, domineering and
intolerant?), for it is said that up to 800 imams in mosques across Britain had
backed the anti-Google protest. Trouble is brewing as they attempt to snuff out
freedom of speech and expression – in our country – through bullying and
intimidation. This is the nature of the ideology that our mainstream
politicians have pandered to and facilitated and facilitated the spread of
through a combination of political expediency, cowardice and the desire for
Arab petrodollars.
It is thus deeply worrying, although not surprising, that
plans are afoot for a multi-faith demonstration in Oldham in support of
censorship, with Muslims drafting in a handful of Christians, Hindus and Sikhs
– useful idiots – to legitimise their attempt to impose a de facto Islamic
blasphemy law in our country. Just whose country is this? Why is it that the
sensibilities of Muslims are seemingly permitted to trump those of all other
and non-faith groups? Why should the ‘offence’ perceived by a Muslim matter
more than the ‘offence’ perceived by you or I? What gives an aggrieved Muslim
the right to be the arbiter of what we may say, write, think or do? Allah?
Allah is a fiction, and a brutish one at that; and as for his ‘messenger’
Muhammed, if he existed, he was a deranged yet politically astute thug, and if
he did not, he was a repellent fictional creation that has provided an
appalling example to his followers down the centuries. There is no place for
Muhammed’s example in this country, this continent, or, indeed, this era, other
than as an exemplar of some of the worst traits in humanity; Muhammed bears a
far closer resemblance to figures such as Caligula and Genghis Khan than to
Confucius, Buddha or Christ. Muhammed's character and deeds were, by definition, offensive.
If the mass Muslim march takes place in London, will it
finally awaken our complacent compatriots, far removed from our centres of
Islamic population, to the fact that Islamic doctrine is not cuddly, benign and
tolerant, the message forever being trumpeted by the BBC, the Conservative,
Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green parties? Islam is no friend of freedom; it
is one of its foes. These protests therefore must not be pandered to, and it
must be made clear to those with familial roots overseas who participate in
these demonstrations, that they should reconsider their place of residence.
Their presence here is not to the public good. They are generating fear; fear
which, sadly, is well founded.
Muslims demonstrate in Huddersfield
Video of Muslim Anti-Google Protest in London
