Posted on 08/20/2006 9:38:05 AM PDT by aculeus
Last Tuesday, after a 90-minute meeting with John Prescott, the deputy prime minister, to discuss the challenges of extremism and foreign policy, I emerged and was immediately asked by the media whether I agreed that what British Muslims needed were Islamic holidays and sharia (Islamic law). I thought I had walked into some parallel universe.
Sadly this was not a joke. These issues had apparently formed part of the discussion the day before between Prescott, Ruth Kelly, the communities minister, and a selection of “Muslim leaders”. I realised then that it wasn’t me and the media who were living in a parallel universe — although certain “Muslim leaders” might well be.
Maybe some of these “leaders” believed that cabinet ministers were being alarmist, that the terror threat posed by British extremists was exaggerated. Maybe they thought that the entire plot and threat were the “mother of all smokescreens”, a bid to divert our attention from the killing fields of Lebanon. Or maybe it was another symptom of that epidemic that is afflicting far too many Muslims: denial. Out of touch with reality, frightened to propose any real solutions for fear of “selling out”, but always keen to exact a concession — a sad but too often true caricature of some so-called Muslim leaders.
Other members of the Muslim community I am sure would have cringed as I did when listening to Dr Syed Aziz Pasha, secretary-general of the Union of Muslim Organisations of the UK and Ireland, who explained his demand for sharia and more holidays: “If you give us religious rights we will be in a better position to convince young people that they are being treated equally along with other citizens.” He has done much good work over the years but ...
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
I think it's not the "selling out" they're afraid of .... it's the getting attacked and/or killed by their offended co-religionists.
That one also works.
It seems as though we are constantly granting them small concessions. Then when you look back over those concessions and group them together you see that they are growing and growing and growing
No clue. Its probably took humid.
That's right. So deal with them
In addition to being the targets of terrorism, Muslims will inevitably be the targets of any backlash.
"Target of terrorism?" Wrong. You are not targets. You are collateral damage. To the terrorists that is perfectly acceptable. They just did you a favor and martyred you.
Interesting read. Saving for later reference.
well, we know for freaking sure a couple dozen did, at least.
We're still waiting for those massive Muslim "No more terrorism in our name!" rallies.
Still waiting.
Still waiting.
Gee, I wonder what's holding up those rallies.
That goes both ways.
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