Women - WMDs for a new generation

The secularist movement in Egypt and across the Middle East is taking shape. They have a new weapon of mass destruction, something so deadly that no one will be beyond its reach. 
Women.

The bitter sweet irony is that traditionalist Islam and those scholars supporting a clear understanding of the religion, have long been accused of supporting misogyny, suppression of women, inequality of rights whilst issuing dictat after dictat requiring Muslim women to live in the couturier's equivalence of a cardboard box, save for a few hastily pounded air holes.

Burqas and misconceptions aside, there is something significant which the secularists are missing. There is on the horizon, an enlightened approach to a new and progressive Islam; one which is inclusive, promotes social justice, equality, fair trade, accountable governance and uphold the rights of other faith groups. It is one which is in fact not new but the adherents (so often the absolute worst measure of any faith) are coming to a better understanding and implementation of their faith. All that it is required for this desert rose to bloom, is that they be left to do so in peace.

The world is changing and so are the people in it. The fragments which remained of the Islamic world - left shattered and broken after the terror waged during World War I and almost a century of interventionism - have become so easily malleable and manipulated, so weakened has the state of Muslim affairs become. Being able to travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific, across Muslim territory sans frontières would now be something resigned to the history books. A history children in the West will never be taught; moreover, a chapter of a book which must not be allowed to see the light of day or affect the public consciousness of Europe and America.

Yet hope springs eternal. We have seen a spate of attempts to civilise, modernise, nay Westernise, the barbaric retardations of the Muslim world through the secularly progressive movements of enlightenment: art, pornography and the neo-suffragette movement. Thank God, I had wondered precisely where the Muslim world had been going wrong for all these years. I shall to the artistes studio go, daughters suitably disrobed. Or there again, perhaps not... not just yet.

The absurdity of Pakistani celebrity Veena Malik's claim that her thong being airbrushed from the cover of Indian FHM has disgraced her (no, really) is eclipsed only by the greater absurdity of her being labelled a 'threat to Islam'. Against the backdrop of Malik's father calling for her incarceration, we had crowing senior government officials and all the while the situation said more about Pakistan's international standing that neither its reputation, nor that of the ISI, was any further diminished by such a story. Nevertheless, this new movement has highlighted something which we became aware of earlier this year when Deniz Ozgun attempted to make a pornographic film as part of his dissertation at Istanbul University. Unwise is the one who pokes a stick at a sleeping tiger. In a country where 75% of women wear the headscarf (including the utterly elegant Mrs Erdogan), for decades their repression was not at the hands of islamist salafis (definition anyone?) but at the hands of secular western ideologues who kept them from places of study, work and public engagement. Here Islam is seen as a religion of tolerance, moderation and of modesty. Most importantly for the West, Islam is seen as a force which delivers in real terms, desperately needed social change. And we would do very well to note that its influence in public life there and here, is on the rise. And trending (Sarkozy take note).

For the Muslim world, public displays of promiscuity and nudity is an anathema, considered degrading and debasing. Islam clearly defines areas of first the male and then the female body which should be covered ('aura') outside of which a person is considered in a state of nakedness. The methodology by which Abu Ghraib became so horrifyingly effective was not by co-incidence but by design (caution advised). Contrary to modern developments in almost all major world religions which depart from directives enshrined in their scriptures, the Islamic obligation of covering a woman's head is maintained as essential part of faith, image and identity. Many non-hijabis recognise it is a thing which proportionate to the strength of their belief. And it is for this reason that amongst people you will find little fascism in its implementation, or intolerance for those who do not wear it. Alongside Fabriano's depiction of the Madonnna and the holiest women in the Christendom, the Muslim female form is modesty ('haya'), chastity and virtue. Yes, even to some degree, shyness, why not. But this modesty cannot be state sanctioned. Where done so it is just as reprehensible as those women who degrade the khimar (head covering) by using it as a moral fig leaf for their indiscretions. 

However, this disposition seems to have been misconstrued by those critics of Islam as weakness, a lack of deep thought, or ignorance on matters of sexuality or identity. It could not be further from the truth. The time and tendency to apologise for speaking of virtue and morality is over, the world has moved on. There is a shifted public sentiment. Sex is not selling. It's no longer unfashionable to talk about both men and women living modestly, non-promiscuous and virtuous lives. Between the lines, its the kind of morality that keeps families and societies together. Do the math.

There are few as outspoken on such matters as Egypt's answer to Millicent Fawcett, Mona Eltahawy. No one should doubt her passion in her belief that feminist secularism is progressive and the answer to Egypt's woes. Her broken arms and outright courage in the face of the sexual abuse she received from the security forces is testament should anyone need it. However even a broken clock is right twice a day. Her view that Egypt's naked blogger, atheist Aliaa Mahdy, was a "bomb aimed at the patriarchs in our minds" was completely and utterly vacuous. The idea posited that

"When a woman is the sum total of her headscarf and hymen 

– that is, what's on her head and what is between her legs – 

then nakedness and sex become weapons of political resistance" 

is something that intelligent Muslims in the West don't buy - it's old news. And arse-manglingly boring, old news at that. We've seen it, lived through the aftermath of the bra-burning 60s, seen the spectre of that ambitious superwoman sold a lie. She who became the Tantalus of the 20th century, never able to have it all, with that final indignation - the gift of self-realisation that her broken marriage, glass ceilings and dysfunctional children bore witness to the sheer cruelty of the joke on her. It's a tried, tested and galactically failed model. It perhaps says something about the diminished capacity of pseudo-feminists in the region if they equate debasement with empowerment. It's not even clever thinking. Travelling patiently down the wrong road looking back at the mistakes the West made decades ago, is not progressive. Well not last time I checked. This is not the liberation of women but enslavement, sexualisation and objectification. Those in such a hurry to pursue this most futile of routes should try pressing the <<fwd>> button on the social engineering remote control. 

In the West we have seen the rise and rise of white, European-born, well-educated, erudite and professional women converting to Islam. They are the fastest rising demographic of converts in the West. The likes of journo, author, presenter Lauren Booth or MTV presenter Kristiane Backer are not oppressed Saudi, Egyptian or Afghan doormats. They come to Islam not by subjugation but by spirituality and empowerment. This story isn't even a new one, since a century ago we know of Valentine de Saint Point's own journey from staunch feminist, to leading luminary in the art world penning the Manifesto of Futurist Women, and to her conversion to Islam in 1918.

To those sisters - Muslim and of other faiths - for the love of God, choose your friends carefully. All feminists are not your friends, aka known as oranges are not the only fruit. Not that it is needed, but I present to you exhibit A, the sickest part of the secular progressive feminist narrative being sold to us

"When Mohammed Bouazizi, fed up with humiliation, repression and poverty, set himself on fire in Tunisia last January... he ignited the revolutionary imagination of the Middle East and north Africa. Aliaa Mahdy, fed up with hypocrisy and sexual repression, undressed. She is the Molotov cocktail thrown at the Mubaraks in our heads – the dictators of our mind – which insists that revolutions cannot succeed without a tidal wave of cultural changes that upend misogyny and sexual hypocrisy."

The veil drops. And like a disgusting parasitic virus, the Machiavellian agent provocateur moves in to claim the corpse of the dead martyr, to play realpolitik and in doing so they reveal their true selves and their greater goal. Anarchy. Cognitive dissonance.

And if by now you have resisted the spiritual gag reflex to up-chuck, well done you.

Britain's Dirty Secret: Indentured Servitude

With millions unemployed, on benefits, with poor attitudes to work; Britain now has a secret weapon to compete with the likes of China, India and other economic powerhouses.

I am to economics what David Cameron is to multiculturalism. However, I was recently reminded of the study which said the UK and Ireland were the worst places to live in Europe for quality of life. So what is it about the UK that makes things so 'awkward'?

On the idiot box, Newsnight told me that our NEETs (young people not in education, employment or training) in England rose to 1,163,000 in 2010. A record 19.2%. In fact, only 4 out of 27 European countries have a worse standing that the UK. Speaking with a Director of Children's Services recently who has at his disposal a budget of over £900m, I became conscious that he was utterly out of touch on the causes of NEET. Yes, yes - on a quick reading of the MI, kids that read more at age five are more likely to do better at eighteen. He knew that. But it really is a damning indictment of the public sector mindset, that this was transliterated as focussing what meagre resources were available, solely on improving reading attainment at or before the age of five. Even the Institute of Education tells us that almost 40% of young people have classic characteristics of young people who are NEET:

"deprived backgrounds, no recent history of employment; low educational attainment; and very negative experiences of school, including a record of truanting in many cases."

Increasing reading to young children simply isn't going to cut it. Improving conditions and outcomes for young people on the ground in the UK, will take far more substantive programs of actions purely because it is a far more complex and granular picture. Positive role models, ambition, working or educated parents, stable families, socio-economic standing, average income, generational underachievement and benefit dependency, race and even religion are far more significant and deeper factors which go to the root cause of what causes social disenfranchisement. The Equality and Human Rights Commission don't disagree. Ugh, what a headache. It's far simpler to get kids to read more books, dole out book vouchers, or tell parents to read more. It's what the graph said, right? Well actually, no. Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, the Israeli-American psychologist turned economist, says that our intuitive mind often overrules our considered mind - we like simplifying things - arguably seen in many situations from decisions about going to war; fear of 'outsiders' who are clearly responsible for everything from lawlessness, unemployment, sexual predation on young white girls, overcrowding and destroying Britishness; calling rioters lazy, criminal, benefit cheats; phone-hacking is the only embodiment of a lack of media ethics. Ad nauseam. You can only imagine what would happen to those figures if suddenly kids couldn't go to university because the course cost in excess of £50,000. Thank God that's not happening...

To consider what Britain needs to do to be increasingly competitive economically (the answer to all our problems) we do need some handle on those social ills to be addressed en-route. After all, this should be what successful governance is all about.

Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich. Or so I read somewhere. I cant imagine Nike relocating a trainer factory from Vietnam or China to the UK. Nor seemingly, can Primark move operations from Indian sweatshops to Manchester without setting a new benchmark for all that is FUBAR. The fact remains that the numbers on benefits has never been higher - more than the entire population of Finland. We have by all accounts a crippling minimum wage and the reprehensible attitudes to work amongst many British people are well recorded. Not exactly a great advert for that multi-national who wants to open a football stitching factory.

All is not lost.

George Monbiot nailed it earlier this year when he, amongst others, described the biggest corporate tax swindle in history; effectively the single biggest shift of funds from those at the bottom tiers of the socio-economic ladder to those at the top.

"for example, Dirty Oil PLC pays 10% corporation tax on its profits in Oblivia, then shifts the money over here, it should pay a further 18% in the UK, to match the corporate tax rate of 28%. But under the new proposals, companies will pay nothing at all in this country on money made by their foreign branches"

Ok, so we become Switzerland, what of it? The economic model doesn't work without cheap labour. To be even vaguely competitive, we would need China to get fat and expensive and then for us to suddenly develop a ridiculously cheap (if not free) source of labour in the UK.

Well this unholy trinity may well be upon us. I'm telling you - the dirty little secret is out. The Corporation Tax Swindle is happening, you just haven't seen it, nor have you probably heard about it. China is, well quite frankly, going a little European when it comes to waistlines, diets, consumerism and living standards. And the final piece of this jigsaw puzzle: the Victorian workhouses are back. Rich estate owners all over the land chugg on their cigars in their smoking rooms, relax in their Chesterfields and swill Remy Martin XO around Normann Copenhagen cognac glasses with glee. And why the hell not. It's going to be a cracking few years. There's also feint hurrah in the distance for all those impoverished budding writers so disgracefully denied adequate angst and suffering. Don't worry, your time has come: some of you lucky ones will now get your chance to glamorize the misery by creating new Fagins and Bob Cratchits. Let's be frank - the Tories, if nothing else, do upstairs-downstairs well. We have the Bullingdon Club in residence, the proletariat are eating, nay shovelling, cake, 3D TVs and iPhones down their cake holes, and we are well on the way to creating ghettos and a new homeless underclass. Just look at the new housing policies which shift the poorest, BME communities, Muslims and anyone else with a big family, out of the vaguely posh areas and out-out-out with the rest of the undesirables on to the outskirts of our cities.

Swelling prison populations, disproportionate and ludicrous prison sentences, 90% of long term sickness benefit claimants being made fit for work and then being told to work for their benefits. It really doesn't take a nuclear physicist to join the dots. If only we had huge numbers of young people unemployed also looking for 'work experience' or 'internships'. Well we know that young people don't know their employment rights and even if they did, no one wants to be blacklisted so early in their careers. The cap on skilled non-EU migration is obviously one of the government's most controversial policies - we now know there will be exception processes for Australians, Americans and South Africans. Call it post-colonialism, call it racism.

As someone who has been working on financial inclusion, it's clear that child poverty set to rise dramatically over the coming years. One thing is certain, under the current policies for social engineering, prospects for young people are only going to get harder, not easier. Significantly.

Poppy Fascism

Remembrance should be an act which promotes peace in the world, a cessation of hostilities and commemoration of all loss of life regardless of race, colour or creed. Sadly, this is not what the Royal British Legion's current Poppy Appeal is about.

As a society, we are forced to acknowledge that charities and voluntary and community organisations need to professionalise - they simply have to, as part of that move, engage in BS (I wont say it), to build capacity and improve delivery. To survive. 

However, some organisational changes are a misstep. New coke, or Classic Coke; the Nokia N-Gage or Gerald Ratner deciding to do some impromptu marketing. Some changes we end up regretting, quite seriously. The focus of the Poppy Appeal appeal has shifted in recent years to include an active and current supporting role in what can arguably termed illegal wars of aggression; it no longer solely serves veterans and families from the two World Wars. Regardless of our personal view or religious disposition, we certainly have a responsibility to recognise the real facts surrounding the allocation of funds raised on behalf of an organisation such as the Royal British Foreign Legion - for example £50m expenditure on supporting personnel in theatres of conflict today. Yes, one might just consider this to be politically or philosophically controversial.

As a parent and school governor, I was a little taken aback after receiving a letter this week from our local primary school. Parents were 'informed' that their children will be going, during school time, class-by-class to directly market and fund-raise on behalf of the Royal British Legion. Aside from whether parents should have been asked permission and perhaps also aside from whether publicly funded school time should be used to fund-raise and market for such causes; the letter let slip about my greatest fear. Poppy Fascism.

When a headteacher writes that by 'wearing their own poppy’ children can more easily relate to the significance of this important event, clearly something is not right. It's probably safe to assume in any event that he meant a red poppy, not a white one. Since when are children a homogeneous group, and since when are we as adults - or are we merely trying to create one? The idea that only by the wearing of a poppy we can relate and understand the importance of global conflicts is puerile, narrow and so intellectually vapid that it does a disservice to those who lost their lives, those who are suffering today and the discourse that needs to occur on the issues. 

Neither am I against the troops, nor am I a pacifist. Platitudes about my late-grandfather's service in WWII and a glowing recollection of Brasso-ing medals shouldn't need stating. But there again, this is 2011. And in 2011, a Muslim needs to tread very carefully indeed when publicly commenting on anything relating to the support infrastructure for British troops. So often today, the crystal clarity and moral fortissimo of the Muslim voice is stifled with subservience, indignation and apology. The new house negros.

However, let's be clear. WWII was a very different conflict to modern wars of aggression and the fourth generational warfare which has recently been waged in theatres such as Iraq and Afghanistan. The spectre of 1 million dead and 4 million displaced, Abu Ghraib, war crimes and the total destruction of Fallujah (the City of A Thousand Mosques) are presumably not going to be argued en par with defending our nation from Nazi totalitarianism.

Should people wish to wear poppies, so be it. There is no compulsion in belief and this remains their prerogative, which as a courtesy should be accommodated. This is not an argument about the wearing of poppies in absolute terms - although that may well have some legs. The Poppy Appeal is certainly happy to take money from the BNP. This is thrust into our homes with the BBC's practice of pinning a red poppy on to virtually everyone on their TV shows. 'Tis nothing if not propagandist. Presumably accusing state run media of 'bias' is no more idiotic than bemoaning the cow for dropping a pat in its own field because it isn't 'toilet trained'. They will even digitally add a poppy if you're not wearing one. Take a second to think about that utterly IngSoc move.

And a warning to those teachers, parents and educationalists: school children carrying out sales and marketing activities in school time on behalf of any outside organisation, be it our Royal British Foreign Legion, is questionable at best. It is very dodgy territory indeed to create a situation where some will and others will not, where social and peer pressure is being brought to bear along controversial and politicised lines. Regardless of the offence it can cause, for some children the experience can be extremely confusing and alienating. After all, it is doubtful whether you are having a discussion on whether those Glasgow Celtic fans should be allowed to unfurl their banners against celebrating 'proddy terrorists'. After all, for what other reason did we send so many of our men folk to die? But after all, it's nearly Christmas time and there's nothing wrong with a little rendition of Jingo Bells.

We pause to wonder what will be the future of a UK bereft of war warmongering and support industries. So quick to demonise other nations for their blood lust, we Brits always overlook the log in our own eye as we gorge our appetites on innumerable war monuments, national military events, marches and towns which - almost Victorianesque in the ephemera of war death and dying - revere the repatriated dead.

Perhaps we do need a public discourse on our national priorities as part of also figuring out where we stand in the world. With little or no manufacturing base in the UK, we have traditionally placed a quarter of our ambitions on the shoulders of our banks. Even Marx recognised that naked capitalism without a moral framework is doomed. No decent economist could disagree. We should be in no doubt: the disgracefully swollen numbers of newly recruited interns within the British penal system are all set to become the workhouses that the nouveau-economy will be built upon. When in doubt, go Dickensian. Tories if nothing else, do Upstairs Downstairs better than anyone. Just look at the child poverty stats.

Having broadcast some of these thoughts publicly this week, it's good to know Benjamin Zephaniah agrees. Poppy Fascism is just one of the pillows currently over the face of democratic debate. With our last gasp we can perhaps do no better than to offer a caveat to the next generation: whatever you do, think, and whoever you end up being, be better than us.

The cabal of broadcasting bias

As I sit here playing snooker on my Galaxy S2, I'm distracted by another news story - actually it's a couple of stories running virtually back-to-back on the BBC.

In fairness, it was actually something that was tweeted a while ago which sowed the seed that now seems to be growing into something of a beanstalk.

Randomly swimming through the word salad that is Twitter, a student tweeter blasts "when we are terrorists, we are Muslims, when we are heroes we are Asians". Presumably unhappy at the Tariq Jahan story or quite possibly any of a dozen grievances.

Whilst the riots were happening, this wasn't the time for finger pointing or point-scoring. No conspiracies, this was neither the time nor the place. Other than from the usual politicians, no opportunism from the rest of us thankfully. A follower on twitter stated "not Muslim values, not British values, just good values". We are entitled to our views but if they were Muslims values, why the discomfort at saying so? Beanstalk. 1 day and 8 frames of snooker later I realised something as BBC breakfast gently simmered in the background on a Sunday morning. A narrative was now running on national television, injected directly into the nation's I.V. drip.

That weekend the BBC reported on a hundred people gathering for Richard Bowes, the pensioner who was brutally killed said to have been challenging rioters. The vigil was organised by local churches in Ealing, West London. We are told they came to pay respects to a man local people are calling a hero. We are told that Richard Bowes was the man who "stood up for what was right in the face of all that was wrong". A serious accolade. Full fat broadcasting from Aunty Beeb.

The organisers prayed for a way forward. Cue the vicar, the very nicely coiffed and neatly spoken Rev Sally who speaks into the mic and calls for people to take time to reflect. Save for the odd face or two (no, literally) an entirely white crowd lights tea candles. Aside from how hard it is to find an entirely white crowd in Ealing, far from being a farrago, this was all very civilised; a nice remembrance service for a man virtually no one knew save for the fact he was completely estranged from his family for some thirty years. Incredibly, I haven't yet heard anything to suggest the late Mr Bowes was even Christian, or let alone a believer in God. However you have to be deeply impressed by the sentiment and the effort. I was certainly interested to see Christianity so prominent in the story - front and centre. This wasn't a multi-faith organisation or interfaith group, nor even a secular community group, it was one faith group, seemingly running with the ball.

We shouldn't allow ourselves to indulge our cynicism. It's not opportunism, after all they are doing something good, and that's good, surely? After all, the national news has been simply awash stories of Hindu groups deep in prayer vigils, rife with examples of non-sword brandishing Sikhs at Gurdwaras holding remembrances for Muslims. We were simply overwhelmed with reports of what the Buddhists and Baha'is were up to.

It's not as if there is a monopoly on reporting of religious and charitable acts, right?

Christianity, so often seen as charitable, giving, generous. And so often it is. And so often I love it. And I love my believing Christian brothers and sisters too. And I love Churches, that musty smell, the sheer reverence and the echo. It's the 7 year old in me; who doesnt like a cold stone Cathedral with an awesome echo? Setting aside the Christianphile in me and turning to perhaps the cynic in me, it all seemed a little.. well... opportunistic. Feeling a little Poirot, I wondered who exactly was it, that was capitalising? Was it the BBC, the church group, perhaps those pesky candle-lighting do gooders in that park in Ealing?

'Mildly overbearing but very genuine Christian groups remembers possible hero'. Big deal.

But Christianity is firmly set at the chosen religion of Europe. Even if they stop believing in God. Even if Christianity stops being a religion. It's a very difficult concept to get your head around but probably one of the more likely rational alternatives for our shared future. Long gone are the days when the plebs would tremble in fear at the name of the Church. If it's a Crusade you better gird your loins and start marching. If it's the Inquisitors, you better do as you're told. I'm being obtuse obviously but the point is that Christianity is not the force it used to be. And as a Muslim, let me tell you, that is a crying shame and a loss to us as a nation and as a peoples. Churches are emptying. Coffers bare. The Church has been rocked by wranglings on female, gay and lesbian ministers, priests who don't believe in Christ (or even God), corruption and a failure to deal with institutionalised child abuse. As a result, the Church (average age 46) is in crisis. Amidst a growing multicultural society, we see a growing and confident Islam (average age 26). Within a couple of generations it seems there may well be a paradigm shift - not perhaps one the far right would have us believe but nonetheless a rapid, gradual change.

This week, the whole nation was beholden to the absolute dignity and humility with which Tariq Jahan responded to the brutal killing of his son in Birmingham. It is perhaps only as a parent that you can truly feel the agony, that crushing sickness in the pit of your stomach, when a father speaks about losing a beloved son. His sense of loss. About his hands drenched in his son's blood as he administered CPR, so utterly hopelessly. No pulse but a weak heartbeat - that tiny flicker of light more than enough hope for any loving father. All this on an otherwise quiet corner of England, outside a mosque in Birmingham one balmy August night.

In that situation, who is capable of asking not for retribution but for peace? Who is capable of restraining words of anger and frustration, instead to speak in calm tones about unity and understanding? As vultures hovered overhead waiting for that inevitable sign of weakness, an opportunity to attack, to plough a blood-soaked English field to inflame racial tensions; something remarkable happened.

One man spoke out. He spoke of one community, not many. Not divided but united.

'Blacks, Asians, whites; we all live in the same community,

Why do we have to kill one another? Why are we doing this?

Step forward if you want to lose your sons. Otherwise, calm down and go home. Please.’

And no sooner had those words left his lips than peace fell on our streets. Quite literally. As the mourning father's face adorned every newspaper in the land, young people everywhere sat down quietly and contemplated. It wasn't worth it. Looters, murderers: I am not one of them.

It was perhaps too soon to think of this as a watershed moment in contemporary British Muslim civil engagement but we had broken new ground. For all those who accuse Muslims and immigrants, here was a man whose soul had been ripped asunder, completely exposed raw for all the world to see. And he preached peace. And he was dignified. And he was humble.

But look deeper into this story and what do we find? Tariq Jahan is a devout Muslim. His response - the language of peace and his demeanour - came from an utterly and unashamed Islamic disposition:

‘I’m a Muslim. I believe in divine fate and destiny.

And it was his destiny and his fate, and now he’s gone.

And may Allah forgive him and bless him.’

Hours later he spoke to a gathering of hundreds of Muslim men and youth in Birmingham.

'Assalam alaikum (peace be with you).

Brothers... thank you for coming out and the flowers and cards...

You know as well as I do, we are following the tradition of this country of flowers.

But what I would ask you as Muslims, is to go home,

read your namaz (daily prayers),

say some dua (supplications) for the three brothers.

At the same time, look at your lives. If you can change your ways,

it would benefit all of us here'

The crowd spoke in complete unison: "InshaAllah" (God willing). He continued

"Pray for them. If one of you change your ways because of them,

the reward they get (in the afterlife) is from you"

These words enshrine Islamic values by which Muslims are expected to live by, and generally do, arguably more vehemently than any other community. The three young men were Muslims and as such, young or old, rich or poor, in Islam they are considered brothers to one another. To pray and to know we will be held to account for our deeds and actions in the next life, is the essence of Islam. Far from being the rantings of a deluded man believing in superstition, these were real values, real principles, of honour, justice and goodness. That in the face of absolute tragedy we can be better versions of ourselves is a beacon in the night to many and pushes back with something that is better.

But some amongst us are spiteful. They hate. They peddle disunity. They want neighbour to turn on neighbour and brother to turn on brother. For the avoidance of doubt: the EDL, so-called patriots, the George Queen and Country brigade, BNP, neo-cons, Melanie Phillips, Douglas Murray, in fact all you mischief-makers and peddlers of hate who look to rip apart our communities for gain, a quick paycheck and to sate a barbaric appetite for the flesh of your brother. You need to look in the mirror. You take your lead from those who do not turn the other cheek, but would rather extinguish the lives of countless millions to payback the deaths of thousands to create payslips running into trillions. You bravely hide in purdah behind the misnomer that might is right; so very wrong you are. To you, belief and serenity, contemplation and prayer, is timidity and it is weakness. In reality, there is no stronger than one who holds his tongue whilst angry, than one who forgives and prays for his enemy, for the one who does not not retaliate but pushes back with something which is better.

Resisting the influence of Islam is not the last bastian of civilisation. I promise you all, it is the resurgence of it. Literally. It will also be the saving of Christianity in the West.

We have seen our streets running red with the blood of Muslims, sons of immigrants, defending our nation. Arguably inflammatory but unquestionably accurate. We have seen a Muslim Malaysian student brutally attacked and robbed by people helping him to his feet on the streets of Barking, smile lovingly whilst continually nursing his broken jaw throughout a press conference, talk of forgiveness, understanding and his pity for his assailants. These Muslims have undoubtedly been shining beacons of humanity and a guidance to many on being gracious, humble and courteous in the face of terrible situations.

Despite all of this, the media, press and commentators so-often critical of Islam simply cannot bring themselves to say anything positive about Islamic values. That the contribution and dignity of Muslims is due entirely to their faith. That they are an example to us all. It's simply a step too far. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the West, without exception. Isn't it time we learnt to say openly what so many converts to the religion realise. That Islam is not the ugly scourge on society that the media and far right portray, it elevates us out of the dark, gives us dignity and honour. It makes us.... better.

As you might expect, praise for these upright Muslims was overwhelming in the Twittersphere.

With one notable exception. The usually erudite Sunny Hundal of Pickled Politics and Liberal Conspiracy was all over the the news and radio last week. I'm all for diversity as long as people speak well on issues, or represent their constituents properly. Over 5 days of rioting and whilst Muslims were making the ultimate sacrifice, I was curious how come he hadn't tweeted about Tariq Jahan. Mehdi Hasan went to see the man and wrote one of the best articles you will see for some time. Before that underwear gets all convoluted, it's not a thought crime if you don't. But if a commentator makes hundreds of tweets covering every matter under the sun, you would have expected at least one tweet about the man who covered every front page and was on every news story. Or surely then about the Malaysian student? 20 million people had seen the video. Or how about the Muslim response to the riots - even Sky News and the BBC had reluctantly made mention. Precisely how many times did Sunny overtly speak well of 'Muslims'? I'll tell you. Not once. And when challenged on this he fell unusually silent. For one amongst the most verbose of commentators, an Asian one at that, who speaks on every issue large and small; his silence on saying anything positive about Muslims or the values which caused them to defend our communities and our nation was utterly deafening. And probably damning.

I have been moved to tears by the stories of our Sikh brothers standing guard outside mosques, or pursuing justice for Muslims but still there are so many unfortunately raised in households rife with Islamophobic sentiment, rhetoric and propagandising. They start young. I should know.

A week after Sky News reported that Muslims were not generally involved in the riots and were in fact leading the charge on protecting the capital after night prayers during Ramadan, by last Sunday we had reached the "three Asians die while guarding shops from looters" point. Six days later, I find myself up watching the paper review on BBC breakfast once again. Impotent magistrates and Damian Green's idiocy that foreigners found guilty of looting should be deported. The fact that only 150 of 2,800 were born abroad is a pointwell made by Tim Walker from the Telegraph. He then proceeds to commit the cardinal broadcasting sin.

He said that many papers had been quick to criticise the Muslim community in the past whereas now

"the Muslims seem to be the heroes...

so many seemed to be protecting property in the holy month of Ramadan..."

Cue screams and 100db hysterical shouts from producers down the ear pieces of Charlie Statham and Naga Munchetty. With a swift, well rehearsed aplomb (a perfection of comedy timing to the trained eye) Charlie Statham interrupts to move the story on. For the love of God Charlie, would it have killed you to let him finish his sentence? Dimblebot would have been so very proud -almost 33rd degree master timing. In my mind, I chuckled at the imaginary ticker tape running across the bottom which said

"the BBC apologises for speaking positively about Muslims... normal service to resume shortly".

And still no comment from any of the main stream media on 4 days of Israeli air strikes on the poor people of Gaza. And still the Equality Act allows broadcasters a loop hole to discriminate and show bias in broadcasting. My arguments with Mentorn's Jill Robinson on the biased 'mix' for the Big Questions is something for another time.

Next a story about a sausage dog which had been given away.

Illegal ball potted. I really should stop playing and get to the mosque.

The attack on multiculturalism

A timely reminder was given to me by a friend who tweeted about a Rev Martin Luther King Jr memorial event which is going to be held soon in Washington DC. As someone who has spent his life advocating and fighting for civil rights, against discrimination and for a greater understanding between cultures; I do wonder what MLK would make of the current situation in England.

Its been a hard week so far and we are only at Tuesday... no apparently its Wednesday, and will be Thursday by the time this blog comes online. Fasting, night prayers, Twitter and following unfolding events in London and around the country makes the days blur. I heard that it takes a village to raise a child. In these times of trouble we see in our towns and villages both the best in humanity and the worst. Experience tells us that almost always, the worst is driven by prejudice, hatred and bigotry. This peril comes in a number of forms.

Bastards, miscreants and degenerates: the first category consists of the ill educated, who unable to think independently, moronically follow others. They are sheep-like and pursue their base instincts. They give in to their lower selves. Amongst the overtly neanderthal we see groups like the EDL and SIOE who peddle there wares, ideological houses as they are built upon sand.

During the riots and criminal damage in London this week, spread now to other parts of the country, the articulate amongst them have not hesitated in claiming this is a failure of multiculturalism. 'English' patriots who were roaming the streets of Eltham earlier - yes, the same Eltham where there was little or no looting, rioting or violence - to the trained eye would have sounded suspiciously like the EDL. They 'patrolled' an area where there were no problems. Result? Aye, you guessed right.

The One Eyed Man aka the blind leading the blind: A quick peruse of Twitter will bring you into contact with racist, Islamophobe populist and dangerous semi-thinkers who purport to lead sheep. They are chameleons who will regularly change skin to propel their arguments. Its the Muslims, then multiculturalism, then lefties. Angry, bitter, hate filled but with the sense to watch what they say and in front of which audience. Particularly ominous were the pronouncements from Nick Griffin two days ago who spoke of English defencemen walking the streets of Eltham looking for trouble. Well yes, they found it and threw bottles and bricks at them. They were the police.

This category of hate mongers are dangerous because they weave a web of misinformation and outright lies such that category one types, clearly wont be able to differentiate truth from falsehood other than to say "yeah. ugh". Incidentally the 'Ban the EDL petition' has now gone live.

For the one eyed men: Newsflash. Multiculturalism is alive and kicking. It is here. The contribution to our society noted. We love it. The wonderful diversity of food, sportsmen and women, religions, colours, clothes and music. Ok, so not everyone wants to integrate fully, so what? Even in the poshest parts of the home counties, there are plenty of well heeled white middle class Englishmen and women who don't volunteer, don't meet their neighbours (or even know them), who don't give back to society or fully participate. We know English people generally understand the complexities of integration least and are the worst at integrating.

Ever met Brits abroad? Of course, they are the epitome of learning the language, eating local food and honouring laws and standards. Oh, hold on. Even Breivik, the archetypal hater of multiculturalism took a break during bomb-making to go and get a chinese (scroll to June 25th). The irony isn't wasted. I digress.

Ostriches aka subconscious discriminators: On Newsnight a couple of nights ago we saw the re-emergence of the controversial figure, Darcus Howe. As someone who grew up watching his programming and has learnt of his record, the man has (if nothing else) his finger on the pulse of black Britain. Not all of it, conceded, but the bit that makes white middle class divorced women cringe.

And why that demographic? Darcus was appearing to speak about the plight of disenfranchised black youth. Whether you like or dislike the man, he knows what he is talking about. Yes, white folks, that means this is the bit where you shut up and listen. And what was the response in the Twittersphere?

Amidst the predictable claims that he had been brought out to stir up a hornet's nest, or that he was 'the man' one comment caught my eye. The egomaniacal and emotionally bereft FleetStreetFox, crawled out from huddling behind her front door with a screwdriver to call him a "narcissist, misogynist tit". Now in footballing parlance that's known as 'playing the man'. Also considered a weak, low blow. And this from someone not only tweeting anonymously but who has self promoted her recent book deal to death and now has a FleetStreetFox phone app out. Er, pot kettle bl... I wont go further in case of what she might claim. However, it seemed odd considering the gravity of the issues he was discussing. Attack the substance absolutely, but the man, surely not?

Whilst Darcus told the diarrhoeatically verbose Edwina Curry to be quiet and listen, that she didn't understand the plight of black youth, it seemed a perfect time to call-out the now suspiciously anonymous Ms Fox on her comments. Founded, or something more as Lord Nicholls might state, insidious?

I will have to accept that its a little unfair - I'm no spring chicken when it comes to discrimination advocacy, case law or diversity. There again, its all on my Twitter profile and I would certainly like to know what I'm dealing with here. Well no sooner had the return button been hit than the age old hiding place of the awkward bigot was revealed. They call you a racist. You have to laugh it off. Now there might be an angry divorcee thing happening here, so I did. The next day I found the delectable Ms Fox recommending her legion followers to sign up to some tweeter or other called Cakebread.

Now this was interesting because Cakebread was whipping up false hysteria about attacks in New Eltham and Eltham. This was at the same time Nick Griffin was doing the same. Reports on the ground said little or nothing was going on. Meanwhile, I had a person on the ground feeding me information directly. Then I stumbled onto something a little scary. Cakebread seemed to be colluding with others in the Twittersphere (either intentionally or otherwise) to bring people down to Eltham. To congregate. At the pub. Where she was. The same pub which Griffin was also referring to. Not good. Absolutely not good. It was being touted as a refuge and safe haven. The next day what did we get? English 'defencemen' patrolling the streets of Eltham looking for trouble that wasnt there.

In response to my whistleblowing, the delightful and very spiteful Ms Fox called me a racist again. Good grief. It is exactly in these situations people need to take some responsibility to avoid becoming tools of discriminators, an extension screwed onto the cue of prejudice. Head in the sand time. Not part of the solution, ok fine, but for the love of humanity, dont be part of the problem. But either way, not good. Its the kind of behaviour and attitude that would drive any Fox to look for a new vixen. Best not to speculate.

Faustian bargain Politicians: If I even need to say anything about this, and I dont know who you got to read this article to you, get thee back to category one.

As a final note, I can't write without mentioning things which literally brought a tear to my eye this week. The first was the report on SkyNews which stated that Muslims were generally not involved in the London riots but that they were the first to lead the protection of the capital after night prayers during Ramadan. Double-take Kay Burley was priceless. The second was the story of Sikhs patrolling the streets of Southall and guarding the local mosque during the night so their Muslim brothers and sisters could pray at night. Solidarity and brotherhood in the face of oppression. And lastly, the tragic story and incredible humility of Tariq Jahan. After giving CPR to his son outside the mosque in Birmingham, who whilst guarding the community after Ramadan prayers was one of three victims of a heinous hit and run killing (the other two brothers no less), he offers the following words to us all:

"Last night we lost three cherished members of our community... 

today we stand here to plead with all the youth to remain calm 

and for our communities to stand united.

"Black, White, Asian we're all part of the same community. 

Why do we have to kill each other?

Step forward if you want to lose your sons, 

otherwise calm down and go home."

A lesson for the whole of humanity. Let it never be said that multiculturalism has failed us and let it never be said that Muslims are the problem.

Shout it from the rooftops, from the church towers and from every minaret.

Phoenix from the flames

So, I read a great article recently by Krishnan Guru-Murthy on his Gurublog about amongst other things, getting the balance right between Twitter, Facebook and everything else.

Is this some 40 something crisis? Probably not. What do you do when you have too many thoughts? With so much wrong in society at the minute and so much poorly constructed information and misinformation spreading, the challenge is on how we get a rational view across; how to cut through the noise. I suppose we could start off by screaming in the darkness, praying to the Almighty, or banging our head against a brick wall. The dulling effects of booze and drugs might help to ease our pain. However, for those who decide not to partake, we are left to our own devices.

Recently, I've taken to resurrecting a two year old stagnant Twitter account. Alice through the looking glass, absolutely. The remarkable thing is the main stream media is unable to now avoid the real stories which people are picking up on places like Twitter - they have to report them. From John Prescott's cat Tweet (which was a hilarious conversation to follow), to unfolding events in the News of the World phonehacking, and recently to the story of poor unemployed people burning down a local job centre and Lidl (also known as the Tottenham riot).

But seriously for a minute, who are these people on Twitter and what happens if we can't untangle their prejudices? Phonehacking has been a huge distraction. As soon as the Terms of Reference for the investigatory inquiry were launched, disclosure was prohibited from being destroyed. Yes, after only 10 days or so, they were told the shredder had to stop. Remarkable.

More remarkable still is the fact that Hayman, Coulson, Brooks et al were up to their eyeballs in complete misreporting and whipping up of hysteria on the so-called counter terrorism work. In fact, what we know now is that the police and media were colluding on misreporting on incidents such as the De Menezes killing, the Ricin plot, red Mercury terrorism and the Forest Gate shooting. In fact we know the Andys, two likely lads from Essex, went way back. And where is the reportage - absolutely no where.

In the aftermath of Oslo and Utoya, we have significant and credible links with the EDL and the terrorist Breivik; a terrorist ideology shared by both and many right wing hacks such as Melanie Phillips who have recently gone on the defensive, as has Lennon / Robinson, leader of the EDL.

Police lying, media cover ups and anti-Muslim hysteria rampant. And what now of Tottenham? It appears Mark Duggan, rather than shooting an officer with the bullet lodging in his hidden radio (someone seemingly been watching too many CSIs), it sounds like he didn't fire a bullet at all. And now, what of the 'non-Police' firearm found on site? Who is the mysterious 'unnamed' officer who reported to the IPCC that Duggan shot him and that it lodged in his radio. It's probably enough to make local people go and demand answers from the Police, trigger a riot which results in attacks on the police and the burning down of some buses, cars and buildings. It's not as if the Police will stand by silently and let the looting go on; that would detract from the Duggan issue. 

Yes, people are angry and getting fed up. Companies ripping us off on fuel prices, food and every other commodity. The Police, the media, bankers and corrupt upper-class Bullingdon club politicians cutting incomes, welfare and services to the poorest working classes. 

Arab Spring? Yes please.