And when they are bought, and those who have outlawed speech about the elements of Islam that give rise to terrorism are in power, will they find what they have bought to be worth it? Will they find it was worth it when jihad terror and pressure to implement Sharia provisions are on the rise, and they can do nothing and say nothing to stop them because they themselves have outlawed such actions?
From the Telegraph, with thanks to all those who sent in this and similar stories:
Ms Ali inspired the liberal film-maker Theo van Gogh into extending a traditionally earthy Dutch anti-clericalism to Islam; the result being that he was shot and stabbed, with a warning note to Ms Ali thoughtfully affixed to his corpse with a carving knife.
I have yet to hear a single senior British politician condemn these outrages, let alone express solidarity with the persecuted Ms Ali. In case Blair, Howard and Kennedy have forgotten, she is a duly-elected member of a sister parliament in one of Europe’s most respected democracies.
Instead, the ever-active David Blunkett has slipped into the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill measures extending laws against incitement to racial hatred to cover “religious hatred” as well. The reason is superficially compelling. Whereas mono-ethnic “faith groups”, such as Jews or Sikhs, are protected by laws against racial incitement, the law does not cover multi-ethnic “faith groups” such as Christians or Muslims, although we can all anticipate which of those will most benefit from the law.
Critics rightly suspect a cynical attempt to claw back Muslim support for New Labour that has been squandered through the war in Iraq. It is a bone tossed to those who claim to speak on behalf of a Muslim community that overwhelmingly resides in Labour inner city heartlands.
Those claiming to speak for the Muslim community have played to the traditional Left-wing imagination by conjuring up the myth of “far-Right extremism”.
In reality, evidence for “Islamophobia” – as distinct from a justified fear of radical Islamist terrorism or a desire to protect our freedoms, institutions and values from those who hold them in contempt – is anecdotal and slight. I have met one “Islamophobe” – the gay gentleman who cuts my hair, which is hardly a firm basis to jettison centuries of hard-won religious give and take….
If Ms Ali lived here, she could find herself facing a seven- year prison sentence, for publicising the fact that in some Islamic societies, women cannot leave the home, let alone drive a car. Rather than dabbling in areas where it has no business, the Government should be wondering how to defend the likes of Ms Ali, since it is – tragically – too late for Theo van Gogh.