Before the election, David Cameron talked about draining the posion of extreme Islamism from our country. Last December, when I asked the Prime Minister about Britain's exports of Islamists terrorist, to Israel, Afghanistan, and Sweden, he indicated his determination to deal with this problem.
Today, in perhaps his most important speech since becoming Prime Minister, David Cameron set out the Government's determination to deal with extremist Islamism. What was remarkable, was that the PM spoke about the failures of multiculturalism and of the appeasement of so-called Islamic groups - which far from curtailing extremism -encouraged their spread. It was if groups aligned to the BNP, had been supported in an effort to discourage those with fascist sympathies.
What really came through in this speech was the uncompromising position that the Government intend to take with extremist Islamism. I hope this means dealing with the radicalisation in Mosques, penalising our universities which fail to deal with extremism, and proscribing Islamist organisations like Hizb ut Tahrir.
You an see the full speech HERE. It is well worth reading through carefully.
P.S. It is depressing that the response of a Labour Spokesman, has been to compare the Prime Minister's speech as a 'text' for the English Defence League. At least Labour Muslim Backbench MP Kahlid Mahmood, has - to his credit - said he agrees with Mr Cameron:
"I think generally most of what David said made sense. I think there is a real issue in the way we've funded organisations in the past and I think we need to move away from that and deliver a service, not just for one community, but how we integrate people better. I think he is saying a lot of stuff that I have campaigned on for the last 10 years. It is important that we don't muddle in the whole Muslim community and he has made that very clear, this is not about castigating all the community, this is about looking at the people who practice extremism.
"A lot of Muslims in the UK are very happy to be a part of the community they live in but at the same time practice their religion. I think that is quite right and that has to be communicated. I think what we need to do is clamp down on extremism where it exists... It's important that we do that because all of us want to be part of the community and want to get on. That is why the majority of them moved here, because they wanted a better life and better class of society and better distinction of human rights and civil liberties."
by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com
Just heard the news - Mubarack has resigned. I was at first elated for the people - now I think it is time for us all to say our prayers for not only Egypt but for the Middle East as whole.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that you have posted above your blog an image from the scurrilous rag, the Daily Star referring to a small and very ill considered protest by some Muslims in Luton. You make no reference to it in your comment so it has to be assumed that you hope that readers will take it as endorsed by you.
ReplyDeleteI can't post *alternative* front page image from the Daily Star in ths comment space, but in a recent headline - ENGLISH DEFENCE LEAGUE TO BECOME POLITICAL PARTY - The Daily Star announced it was backing a group of racist, Islamophobic extremists - the EDL.
It appears that, in this case, the newspaper is actually setting the agenda by creating the story, rather than bothering to do any reporting of events. Strangely, no one bothered to ask the EDL and its leadership reacted with bewilderment to the news that they were becoming a political party, with both their main leaders claiming on facebook that this was not the case.
After a second day of Star coverage, however, the EDL began warming to the idea.
Some consider the newspaper's endorsement of the Eld as further evidence of an agenda being deployed by the paper’s owner Richard Desmond.
Other newspaper titles owned by Desmond, such as the Daily and Sunday Express, have also consistently run virulent anti-immigration and anti-Islam storylines.
But it’s also important to note that the Daily Star Sunday has consistently, and bravely, published a number of powerful stories exposing both EDL and BNP extremism; even this weekend the Sunday Star was very critical of David Cameron’s speech on multiculturalism."
Reported on Left Foot Forward by Nick Lowles of HOPE not hate
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/02/daily-star-edl-endorsement