The trial of James McConnell for calling Islam “heathen” and “satanic” is one of the low points of modern British history. How many imams have called Judaism, Christianity, or Hinduism “heathen” or “satanic” without suffering any consequences? If McConnell had been an atheist who called Christianity “heathen” and “satanic,” or “stupid” and “evil,” or some such, would he have been questioned by police and tried? Of course not. He would have been hailed as “courageous” and “insightful.”
“‘TOUCHED LIVES’ Controversial Ulster pastor James McConnell who branded Islam ‘satanic’ dies aged 84,” by Rebecca Black, Press Association, July 17 2021:
One of Northern Ireland’s best known church leaders has died following illness.
Pastor James McConnell, 84, founded the Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle in north Belfast and led several major open-air gospel events….
Pastor David Purse announced on the church Facebook page on Saturday morning that it was with “profound sadness and indescribable pain” that Mr McConnell had died after seven weeks in hospital….
Mr McConnell hit headlines in 2014 after calling Islam “heathen” and “satanic” during a church sermon.
He was questioned by police and was later found not guilty of making grossly offensive remarks against Islam, after a trial at Belfast Magistrates’ Court which garnered worldwide attention.
gravenimage says
UK: Pastor who was tried for making offensive remarks about Islam dies at age 84
………………….
Did this kangaroo court show trial contribute to James McConnell’s death? Just shameful.
gregbeetham says
The mystery here is, since when has it been an offence to criticize Islam in the West?
angelo says
Since Barry [Obongo] won the WH.
Alfredo says
Since the West lost its moral compass and allowed the truly heathen and satanic to dictate what people are or aren’t allowed to say or even think!?
Now, in Western countries especially Great Britain, elites have become spineless and fearful.
They have been intimidated by thugs who use violence to force them to consent to the rape of working class girls in a vain attempt to apeace bullies.
The shameful and degrading spectacle of forcing a courageous pastor to stand trial for having the temerity to speak truth to power is in fact disgusting and obscene.
The self inflicted wound inflicted on the Western psyque is beyond measure.
Little do they know that the more they bow before thugs, the more emboldened the will grow.
These thugs only respect superior force. They live in a mediaval mindset.
Instead they tie the hand of the forces of law and order and force them to stand down and do nothing to confront the thugs.
The criminal gangs see that the field is wide open for aggression because they see cowardice. Naturally, they press on in their mission to force submission, subjugation and conquest, which is what they have been coveting for ages.
They see their dream getting closer and closer and therefore they double down in their effort to reduce the once proud Western nations into
yizia paying dhimmies while feeling humiliated.
It’s even in their hateful Qur’an 9:29
Shame, for evermore!
gregbeetham says
Yes you are correct I think, the Muslims are good at playing the victim as well if they don’t get what they want any other way.
Things aren’t quite as bad here in Oz as they appear to be in the UK but bad enough for the cops to protect them instead of our original citizens, or that’s how it looks from time to time, so the cops are cowards as well it seems, and like you say it doesn’t do any good to try to curry favour with primitives when they only understand one language, force.
gravenimage says
+1
James Lincoln says
gravenimage,
Interestingly, at the end of the day, Pastor James McConnell was “later found not guilty of making grossly offensive remarks against Islam, after a trial at Belfast Magistrates’ Court”
So I guess that the court did not find his remarks offensive – or was it something else?
Is there anyway to get Internet access to those court records?
gravenimage says
Of course, just going through a trial like this is stressful–this should not be a prosecutable offence in any case. And even a findingof not guilty is apt to make good people think twice from saying anything critical about Islam.
gravenimage says
Good exchange.
Fitna says
Time is limited-so long as the judiciary, politicians largely remain non-Muslim, even if they usually get it wrong due to ignorance and stupidity there is still a chance we can beat Islam.
Once Muslims start taking their place, then they will quietly impose Sharia law on all of us, jailing anyone who dares to speak truthfully about this evil ideology. We need a mass movement in all western nations to ban Islam and deport Muslims.
It is not enough to ban Islam, because if Muslims outbreed us, then they can easily overturn any laws we impose on them. They also have to be thrown out-all of them….except those that leave Islam and pose no threat to us.
mortimer says
Western intellectuals (the late Christopher Hitchens is an example) should be challenging Islam and challenging Muslims to justify this stupid, backward death cult. They are afraid of losing their positions, so the VERBAL JIHAD and TAQIYYA of Muslim apologists goes unchallenged.
Western governments can defeat Islam ideologically if they will create underground think-tanks (as the Muslim Brotherhood has) to counter their backward, cruel jihad ideology.
gravenimage says
+1
Fitna says
Agreed, I think the real problem is that the media doesn’t allow fair/balanced coverage. They are Leftists who always see Muslims as victims and so refuse to allow any investigation into their ideology or counter-arguments to their propaganda.
Hitchens was great but there still are many intellectuals like Robert Spencer, Douglas Murray, Ayaan Hirsi Ali who do not get invited onto mainstream TV discussions about Islam and Muslims. They’ve had a few scant interviews but not enough.
You are right though-I also believe the pen is mightier than the sword….in the sense that there is still a huge lack of education of the masses on Islam. Only when 70% or more of the population understands Islam the way you and I do, will something be done about it.
We’re in a real existential war here, millions will potentially die in the future. If Muslims get the upper hand, they’ll wipe us out and enslave or forcibly convert the rest as they’ve done for 1400 years to other human populations. So we need to make sure we don’t lose this battle.
Raja says
Fitna,
Islam can never subjugate all of the world but will try its best in parts of the world, wherever the dhimmitude is rampant. That goes against the very purpose of creation of man and his freedom to choose (the good and the bad). Open discussions can expose islam but the devout muslims will fight it tooth and nail, so will be the left their all-whether ally.
JimJFox says
Christopher Hitchens knew all about Islam and when Questioned about it dismissed it scornfully with a “don’t waste my time” riposte.
JimJFox says
Remember the Spanish Reconquista! Also that the ruling elite in Islam is a bunch of boneheads…
mortimer says
Double standard alert!
If a Muslim preacher called Christianity “heathen” and “satanic,” or “stupid” and “evil,” or some such condemnation, would he have been questioned by police and tried? Of course not.
Why is it not ‘RACIST’ to criticize Christianity.
gravenimage says
Damn good question, Mortimer.
Crusades Were Right says
@mortimer:
Because the “woke” mob have noticed that Christianity – in some shape or form – is/was the religion of the vast majority of Europeans; and – they tell us – it is impossible to inflict “racism” on Europeans…
…unless they become Mohammedans, of course! lol
faraway says
Justice in the UK is no longer just. The authorities try to ‘manage’ the islamic bullies by avoiding confrontation. They invoke vague justifications such as “not in the public interest” or “breach of the peace” which can cover almost anything, such as banning Robert Spencer from entering the UK. This will not end well.
Wellington says
I detest the non-Muslim enablers of Islam more than I detest Islam.
James Lincoln says
Wellington,
Without the non-muslim enablers, islam could be effectively marginalized in Western countries…
Wellington says
Indeed, James. Indeed.
No Muslims admitted to any Western nation any more than skinheads, Neo-Nazis, Aryan Nation members, anarchists, etc. would be. Islam characterized as the religious version of Nazism—master faith v. master race. Muslims already in Western nations looked upon as the equivalent of KKK members, Neo-Nazis, Trotskyites, etc. and treated accordingly—free to believe the garbage they do but not free to act upon a lot of the garbage they believe in, in short, social ostracism across the board and Muslims carefully watched. Also, regularly being pointed out many of the “features” of Islam, examples being death for apostasy, sanctioning of rape, horrible concepts of what constitutes honor, and death for criticism of Mohammed or the Koran.
Well, you get the point. Treat Islam like the pariah among world religions that it is and proceed accordingly. Damn, not there yet.
Raja says
Wellington,
Agreed, Islam is already a pariah among the nations for the educated. But who will bell the cat? It should be de-listed as a religion by the world community but that would be a herculean task with all kinds of jihad unleashed by the Ummah. You might say that would trigger WW III ! With islam you are dealing with a donkey: you go in front it “bites” you, you go behind it kicks you. You damned either way.
gravenimage says
Raja, Islam is indeed a religion by all definition. But it is an *evil* religion–not all religions are automatically benignant.
Wellington says
Raja: Thanks for your reply. I’m with gravenimage, to wit, Islam is a religion all right but it is a nefarious religion. Where is it written that a religion must be good?
A proper and accurate description of the Islamic faith would be more than sufficient. The rest would take care of itself thereafter.
The West could have diplomatic relations with the over 50 Islamic nations but with no more illusion about Islam than there was about Communism, which also didn’t stop the West from having diplomatic relations with those countries that had unfortunately come under the influence of a secular ideology that was unworkable and also nefarious, i.e., Marxism.
Enough already about us living in a small global community and we should all respect one another and get along. What BS. I have zero problem with divisions among mankind that should be maintained with a Realpolitik outlook—for the sake of freedom in at least some countries if not outright preservation of one’s own culture and institutions.
I for one am no globalist. Quite the contrary. Take care, Raja.
Infidel says
Wellington & Graven
I just bought Rebecca Bynum’s book ‘Death of Allah: why islam is not a religion’. Ali Sina in the past posted a good essay on why Islam more accurately fits the description of a cult, rather than a religion, and calling it a religion just b’cos of its numbers is a logical fallacy called bandwagon It fits every attribute of a cult: most cults satisfy only a handful of them
I actually call it a geopolitical cult: it’s geopolitical, like Communism and Nazism, and it’s a cult, like David Koresh’s Branch Davidian. There’s no reason to elevate it to the levels of Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism or Hinduism
James Lincoln says
Infidel,
It may depend upon which definition is used for “cult”.
From Merriam-Webster:
Definition of cult
1: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious
2a: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (such as a film or book)
b: the object of such devotion
c: a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion
the singer’s cult of fans
3: a system of religious beliefs and ritual
also : its body of adherents
4: formal religious veneration : WORSHIP
5: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
health cults
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cult
Raja says
Wellington, Gravenimage and Infidel,
I have a hard time disagreeing with you because of great posts from your end.
I always thought the state should not be in the business of defining what is good or evil or nefarious (religion). Just because islam has tinge of god “everywhere” it should not be hallowed by the state, especially with respective tax benefits and other concessions. islamic texts, it appears were never cohesive or consistent. The god of islam is never defined with respect to his attributes unlike in Judaism/Christianity. The genocidal designs of islam and the freedom sapping sharia should itself be abomination to the elites and non-muslims.
I can’t think of a term a better than “global-cult” right now. But i hope freedom- lovers will formulate much better term in the long term to effectively deal with islam.
Hypothetically, the Roman empire of the fame of Nero etc would have dealt a body blow to islam if it were in power today. You see, then there were no Wokes and other nutty weirdos.
Trump, I thought was dealing with islam much wisely as he was targeting their finances, the blood-line. Having Trump like “clones” across the global will definitely help push islam on the defensive. But then evil will always be present with us and so we will have other rabid forms of Left and a subtle islam. Wish all the states enable freedom of expression etc that shame islam practitioners.
I would love to see the day when islam is eradicated.
Thank you for your time.
Raja says
Wellington, Gravenimage and Infidel,
I always wondered how the likes of emperor Nero would have dealt with islam, which is essentially a state within a state or a parallel state (like your no-go zones)
The dictators of ME, all of them did a good job of putting a lid of the islamic fervor. But messing up with the Ishmaelites was invariably a headache and will be as such.
gravenimage says
Hi, Raja–thank you for your kind comments.
Not all religions are benignant–certainly, the worship of Baal and the religion of the Aztecs were both brutal and involved human sacrifice. There have been other vicious creeds in human history.
It is just that we are used to most faiths–certainly most major faiths–today being forces for good, or at worst neutral. But Islam is not.
Infidel says
Wellington
The difference b/w our relationship w/ communist vs islamic countries was that w/ communists, there was a recognition that the majority of their people were not sociopathic sadists the way their rulers were, and we had no problems letting in however many Russians, Chinese, Vietnamese, over the decades
That’s not the case w/ islam. Muslims are loyal to islam, unlike citizens of communist countries who are proud of their countries but had no allegiance to communism. Even if we have diplomatic relations w/ them, we should make it a point not to allow any of their muslim citizens to come to non-muslim countries: the only reason for diplomatic relations is to help their infidel populations flee
gravenimage says
Good point, Infidel. For example, most Chinese, Vietnamese, and Cambodians here are staunchly anti-Communist.
James Lincoln says
Wellington says,
“Islam characterized as the religious version of Nazism—master faith v. master race.”
Priceless!
Now why didn’t I think of that…
Infidel says
Actually, islam is both: master faith, and master race – of the Arabs. The reason Arabs resent the theocratic pretentions of both Iran and Turkey is not that they believe in the equality of man: it’s b’cos they – the Arabs are described in islamic texts as the ‘best of peoples’, and they’re not gonna quietly watch pretenders like the Turks or Iranians steal that from them
But yeah, Wellington did come up w/ a zinger!
Jerry says
But Islam is not a true religion.
Once upon a time, a lazy but an ambitious wannabe plundering Arabian Warlord had a “Sugar Mummy” about twice his age who was a successful merchant and was able to keep him in the comfort and style to which he quickly became accustomed, but eventually she died and he had to fend for himself.
This caused him to become a full time Caravns, Desert Settlements and Oases Plunderer.
This was relatively easy for him as he sensibly made himself a (fake) self appointed Prophet.
Initially he manged by recruiting a band of criminals by offering his leadership and planning in order for them to come plundering with him, offering them four fifth of the booty with him keeping only one fifth as his share, which multiplied, Initially a few dozen times and later a few hundred times made him, quickly, a very rich man.
In the response to doubts and questions from some of his brigands who feared that a day would come when they either fail or worse die he invented the greatest ever mega warehouse in the hereafter, where, he promised, if they die in his Jihad they will go, strait away, and be rewarded, each, with 72 heavily pre-used self replenishing but not necessarily bathing virgins and have their fill from the heavenly streams overflowing with wine.
The smartest move of that master criminal, the mega-Godfather of the biggest crime Syndicate ever was to priclaim himself as the last and final ever (fake) Prophet.
This avoided the necessity for him to proclaim himself God such as the Roman Emperors, yet to have his word and whim be proclaimed as though it was the direct word or command of God himself.
Biggest religious scam ever, and there are now about 1.75 billion gullible idiots who sill fall for his scam.
Kepha says
Rest in peace, Brother McConnell. May more tell it like it is. Would that there were fifty more such preachers in Northern Ireland! His judicial tormentors are a disgrace.
Wellington says
+1
Vicky says
Well put.
Infidel says
It’s great to know of an Ulster pastor who targeted islam, as opposed to just Roman Catholicism
Raja says
May his tribe multiply. A pastor has done what the states should be doing. Shame on the idiotic and corrupt elites!
R Russell says
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’”
gravenimage says
Good quote, R Russell. But I believe that is servant, not slave–it is Islam that regards its follows as slaves.
James Lincoln says
Pope Francis should also state that islam is “heathen” and “satanic” during a church sermon.
See what happens…
Rooster says
The “elites” in Europe have sold their constituents into slavery, especially the UK! The only action that will save Europe is a revolution by the people. The same goes for America. Freedom is only as good as the blood spilled to keep it! War is coming are you prepared?