On a mild London afternoon, two Muslims rammed a car into a British soldier returning to the barracks after working at the Tower of London. They shouted Allah Akbar and hacked and slashed at his body in an attempt to behead him. By the time they were done, his body could only be identified through dental records.
Shortly afterward, British Prime Minister David Cameron said that “there is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act”. London Mayor Boris Johnson added, “It is completely wrong to blame this killing on Islam.”
Now former Prime Minister Tony Blair has thrown in his two pence writing, "There is not a problem with Islam. For those of us who have studied it, there is no doubt about its true and peaceful nature."
Blair previously claimed to have read the Koran every day, but apparently did not get as far as Chapter 5, which contains the verses that the Muslim murderers quoted after their butchery. And that’s understandable. Between his business deals with the Qatari royal family, which is behind much of the terrorism in the Middle East, the Kuwaiti royal family and the royals of the United Arab Emirates, it stands to reason that Tony probably never got past a few verses a day.
It’s easy to picture Tony Blair after a hot muggy day of clasping the greasy hands of Emirs and Sheikhs and trading his expertise for blood money, remembering to always eat with the right hand, not the left, returning to his five star hotel room, climbing into bed with his room Koran, flipping it open to the first chapter, reading, “In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful” and deciding that sounds peaceful enough, letting his head hit the pile of plush pillows and calling it a day. If Tony had made it as far as Chapter 2, where the Koran proclaims “Fight in the cause of Allah”, then the expert on Islam might have been able to entertain some doubts about its truly peaceful nature.
In what the Daily Mail describes as a “brave assault on Muslim extremism”, Blair writes, “There is not a problem with Islam... But there is a problem within Islam – from the adherents of an ideology that is a strain within Islam.”
It is rather sad that political bravery now consists of admitting that there may be some sort of problem within Islam and that it “is not the province of a few extremists... the world view goes deeper and wider than it is comfortable for us to admit.” Having exhausted all his courage by admitting that there is a problem somewhere within Islam, Blair bravely avoids admitting it by babbling about international affairs and the need to intervene in Syria.
Over in Afghanistan, Lee Rigby, the murdered soldier, might have been credited with a brave assault on “Muslim extremism”. Blair, writing a Daily Mail article that concedes that the problem may be a bit bigger than just that legendary tiny minority of extremists is hardly in that category.
Political courage now involves minimizing a grave threat less than all the other politicians who are also minimizing the grave threat. If the political consensus is that the mountain is nothing but a molehill, the brave pol courageously comes out and says that it’s actually a minor hill.
But let’s take Blair at face value for a moment. If there is a problem within Islam, then how can the problem not be with Islam? If Tony Blair had picked up a virulent intestinal parasite on a trip to Dubai, wouldn’t there be a problem both within Blair and with Blair? If there is an epidemic of drug abuse in the United Kingdom, isn’t there a problem both with and within the UK? Can there really be a problem within Islam that involves the willingness of millions of Muslims to kill in the name of Islam that is not also a problem with Islam?
The purpose of Blair’s meaningless distinction is to contend that it’s not a structural problem with Islam, but some sort of aberrant mutation brought on by Western colonialism. The trouble with that is that it requires a willful refusal to address the actual text of the Koran and the entire body of Islamic history.
Even if we were to assume that the problematic “strain” of Islam is not universally representative, who exactly is Tony Blair to declare it so based on his casual readings of a book that contains more death threats per page than the Daily Mail’s comments section?
Governments are not supposed to define the nature of religion or pick and choose between various sects. And indeed the legality of declaring that one form of Islam is legitimate and another is not has frequently been challenged.
It is the role of Muslims to argue amongst themselves what is and isn’t legitimate Islam. Such an argument is currently being waged in Syria using the theology of heavy artillery and death squads. Perhaps Tony Blair should think twice before involving the UK in such an Islamic religious debate or trying to hold one at home.
No government should be determining what is and isn’t legitimate Islam. What they should be doing is addressing threats emanating from Islam. There is no need to study the Koran in order to understand those threats. Muslim terrorists have been willing to patiently explain that they are killing us in the name of Islam. We can take them at their word or, like Blair and Boris, foolishly argue the doctrines of their religion with them.
If Tony Blair returned home from Kuwait City with the Swine Flu, the authorities would quarantine him without making any fine distinctions as to whether there was something wrong with Tony or within Tony. Like the nature of the one true Islam, that is a metaphysical question that governments are not qualified to answer.
If the UK quarantines foreigners and even natives with the Swine Flu, which has killed far fewer Brits than Islamic terrorism, should it not begin quarantining the even more dangerous strain of Islam?
It was Blair’s government that brought the Islamic plague to the United Kingdom in large numbers as part of a deliberate policy to forcibly transform the UK into a multicultural paradise. That policy has led to constant killings by the affected and the spread of strains of Islam to non-Muslims like the two Woolwich attackers.
There is no question that Islam is the problem. When men kill in the name of Islam, they are making a bloody statement that Islam is the problem. The only remaining question is whether to stop importing more strains of the terrorist disease before it’s too late or to waste more time splitting hairs on what exact percentage of the affected are truly dangerous.
1 in 4 British Muslims said that the 7/7 bombings were justified. If 1 in 4 visitors from Pakistan were infected with the Swine Flu, there would be an immediate ban on travel from Pakistan. It may be time to apply the logic of the quarantine to stop the Islamic strain that Blair brought to the United Kingdom.
Shortly afterward, British Prime Minister David Cameron said that “there is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act”. London Mayor Boris Johnson added, “It is completely wrong to blame this killing on Islam.”Now former Prime Minister Tony Blair has thrown in his two pence writing, "There is not a problem with Islam. For those of us who have studied it, there is no doubt about its true and peaceful nature."
Blair previously claimed to have read the Koran every day, but apparently did not get as far as Chapter 5, which contains the verses that the Muslim murderers quoted after their butchery. And that’s understandable. Between his business deals with the Qatari royal family, which is behind much of the terrorism in the Middle East, the Kuwaiti royal family and the royals of the United Arab Emirates, it stands to reason that Tony probably never got past a few verses a day.
It’s easy to picture Tony Blair after a hot muggy day of clasping the greasy hands of Emirs and Sheikhs and trading his expertise for blood money, remembering to always eat with the right hand, not the left, returning to his five star hotel room, climbing into bed with his room Koran, flipping it open to the first chapter, reading, “In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful” and deciding that sounds peaceful enough, letting his head hit the pile of plush pillows and calling it a day. If Tony had made it as far as Chapter 2, where the Koran proclaims “Fight in the cause of Allah”, then the expert on Islam might have been able to entertain some doubts about its truly peaceful nature.
In what the Daily Mail describes as a “brave assault on Muslim extremism”, Blair writes, “There is not a problem with Islam... But there is a problem within Islam – from the adherents of an ideology that is a strain within Islam.”
It is rather sad that political bravery now consists of admitting that there may be some sort of problem within Islam and that it “is not the province of a few extremists... the world view goes deeper and wider than it is comfortable for us to admit.” Having exhausted all his courage by admitting that there is a problem somewhere within Islam, Blair bravely avoids admitting it by babbling about international affairs and the need to intervene in Syria.
Over in Afghanistan, Lee Rigby, the murdered soldier, might have been credited with a brave assault on “Muslim extremism”. Blair, writing a Daily Mail article that concedes that the problem may be a bit bigger than just that legendary tiny minority of extremists is hardly in that category.
Political courage now involves minimizing a grave threat less than all the other politicians who are also minimizing the grave threat. If the political consensus is that the mountain is nothing but a molehill, the brave pol courageously comes out and says that it’s actually a minor hill.
But let’s take Blair at face value for a moment. If there is a problem within Islam, then how can the problem not be with Islam? If Tony Blair had picked up a virulent intestinal parasite on a trip to Dubai, wouldn’t there be a problem both within Blair and with Blair? If there is an epidemic of drug abuse in the United Kingdom, isn’t there a problem both with and within the UK? Can there really be a problem within Islam that involves the willingness of millions of Muslims to kill in the name of Islam that is not also a problem with Islam?
The purpose of Blair’s meaningless distinction is to contend that it’s not a structural problem with Islam, but some sort of aberrant mutation brought on by Western colonialism. The trouble with that is that it requires a willful refusal to address the actual text of the Koran and the entire body of Islamic history.
Even if we were to assume that the problematic “strain” of Islam is not universally representative, who exactly is Tony Blair to declare it so based on his casual readings of a book that contains more death threats per page than the Daily Mail’s comments section?
Governments are not supposed to define the nature of religion or pick and choose between various sects. And indeed the legality of declaring that one form of Islam is legitimate and another is not has frequently been challenged.
It is the role of Muslims to argue amongst themselves what is and isn’t legitimate Islam. Such an argument is currently being waged in Syria using the theology of heavy artillery and death squads. Perhaps Tony Blair should think twice before involving the UK in such an Islamic religious debate or trying to hold one at home.
No government should be determining what is and isn’t legitimate Islam. What they should be doing is addressing threats emanating from Islam. There is no need to study the Koran in order to understand those threats. Muslim terrorists have been willing to patiently explain that they are killing us in the name of Islam. We can take them at their word or, like Blair and Boris, foolishly argue the doctrines of their religion with them.
If the UK quarantines foreigners and even natives with the Swine Flu, which has killed far fewer Brits than Islamic terrorism, should it not begin quarantining the even more dangerous strain of Islam?
It was Blair’s government that brought the Islamic plague to the United Kingdom in large numbers as part of a deliberate policy to forcibly transform the UK into a multicultural paradise. That policy has led to constant killings by the affected and the spread of strains of Islam to non-Muslims like the two Woolwich attackers.
There is no question that Islam is the problem. When men kill in the name of Islam, they are making a bloody statement that Islam is the problem. The only remaining question is whether to stop importing more strains of the terrorist disease before it’s too late or to waste more time splitting hairs on what exact percentage of the affected are truly dangerous.
1 in 4 British Muslims said that the 7/7 bombings were justified. If 1 in 4 visitors from Pakistan were infected with the Swine Flu, there would be an immediate ban on travel from Pakistan. It may be time to apply the logic of the quarantine to stop the Islamic strain that Blair brought to the United Kingdom.
Comments
Daniel: You're very subtle, bringing up that appropriate Swine Flu analogy. Who knew one could contract Swine Flu in a royal fiefdom where pork is banned? I've "liked" this column on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I was hoping further down the column you'd parry "The Blair Witch Project" with Tony the Timid, but I'm satisfied with the Swine Flu angle.
ReplyDeleteYou kill in the name of capitalism your new religion the old religions have to many rules and regulations cant do this cant do that . Pot is calling the kettle black dont take the high ground we are just as bad . Noam chompski try listing to him
DeleteDaniel,
ReplyDeleteNice - but don't hold your breath waiting for the West's elites to admit multiculturalism is an unmitigated failure. That's about as likely to happen as their suddenly discovering Islam is the enemy of the open society and needs to be dealt with.
Good luck with it.
Well stated.
ReplyDeleteWho actually believes that Islam is peaceful?
ReplyDeleteThe situation reminds one of the Communist dictatorship, all this crap about beating the five year plan by 140% is written about in all the newspapers, but nobody believes it, yet the show must go on.
Edward, The Blair Witch project in the M world would involve stoning him to death as a witch
ReplyDeleteNorman and Igor, indeed, most Socialist projects are disasters that involve massive coverups. This is no different
Daniel: The title stuck in my mind and seemed appropriate. Never watched the movie and was never tempted to, given the subject.
ReplyDeleteGreat Britain swallowed their poison pill a long time ago.
ReplyDeleteThis is where the country appears to be heading.
ReplyDeleteMy dad was born and raised in England and I qualify for dual citizenship. In my younger days I dreamed of maybe someday returning to my ancestral homeland. Congratulations to the British government on ensuring not only that I will never live there, but also that I am well and truly ashamed of my British heritage.
ReplyDeleteWeather or not the idea that this is a minority of Islamists or not is a worthless point. Here is what I know; at a Mosque in Cambridge built with a Jiyza (tax payer money), the elder Tsarnaev was well known and was escorted out of the Mosque at least once for creating a disturbance. Yet in the 3 or 4 days after the bombing, when the authorities were running their pictures all day and night in hopes of someone recognizing him and calling in information to help capture him, NOT ONE member of that Mosque called the hotline. And in the end the only way they had to identify him was by State Department Documents, because luckily he was one of the few immigrants in this country who is actually documented.
ReplyDeleteSo maybe not all Muslims are terrorists, but there is still not a decent human being amongst them.
Islam is not the problem. Unlike other viruses it does not even mutate, it only invades dying hosts.
ReplyDeleteFDR, the ideological father of our current regime, would have put them in camps and deported them. Not that he would have permitted them to immigrate in the first place.
"These descriptions are very ugly, it is offensive and an insult to our religion. There is no moderate or immoderate Islam. Islam is Islam and that’s it.” Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , Turkey’s Prime Minister since 2003 publicly commenting in 2007 on the term “moderate Islam”
ReplyDelete'Moderate' Muslims are "cafeteria" Muslims, who like Tony Blair and most Western politicians, willfully refuse to address the actual text of the Qur'an and the entire body of Islamic history.
hear, hear!
ReplyDelete-- spanky
It is a shame that those on the right are not nearly so extreme as the accusations from the left claim.
ReplyDelete"MULTICULTURALISM"
ReplyDeletea truly wonderful thing among decent human beings!
can't help from wondering why Blair and his cronies chose to do it in such a scale and from mostly Islamic countries?
have a nasty feeling that middle east $$$ might have played a very important part in helping the UK with its financial problems, as the saying goes, "follow the money"!
In a way the benighted idiot Blair is correct, Islam is not the problem; the people who put the doctrine of Islam into practice are the problem. We fought Nazis to kill Nazism. We must fight Muslims to kill Islam.
ReplyDeleteI have been reading your articles for along long time its become my previous occupation.. I use a lot of information and analogy to corner Muslims into thinging for themselves. I love your writing and clears all the dust in my mind..what I was seeking to express you do it so well. Keep writing you are so good in what you do.
ReplyDeleteThe denial of the politicians and the media about the scope of the problem made me think that it's more than simple stupidity or naivete. It's cowardice at best, and I'd rather not specify the "at worst" part.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, thanks it's what I try to do
ReplyDeleteI've come to this late, but as always Mr Greenfield is spot on.
ReplyDeleteAs a Brit myself I can see what he is talking about; Tony Blair was regarded as an opportunist, even among many of the people who voted for him back in 1997. I don't know if Americans have the word 'smarmy' but that was what came across in his tenure at No 10. Smarmy means oily and slippery but, in true Blair style, grinning all the while.
Unfortunately the British people thought that after the Thatcher/Major years it was time for a change; what they didn't know was the change would be to make the nation weak and encourage corruption. The decline of Britain was guaranteed.
Blair's government ruined many things as well as foisting unlimited and disastrous immigration on these islands -- for nothing more noble than supposedly to 'rub the right's nose in it' -- the socialists (as they always do) oversaw policies which resulted in the loss of national identity. In so doing they took many British-born people's incomes away while significantly enlarging the growth of the welfare state that can't be sustained. An ill-advised growth that meant the government could tax and squander billions in order to fund trouble and reward undesirable behaviour.
Among the influx of immigrants came muslims and their endless, extended families. They came to take what they could and in so doing, hated the British government no matter what they were given. It could never be enough, because they were both backward and superior. Blair's government instituted a huge switch to postal voting, and as many immigrants couldn't speak English (and many still don't bother) the postal votes could be collected up by one person who understood enough of the language and collectively completed with votes for Blair's party.
The betrayal of this small nation was complete. Britain once had an empire, largely built on trade and the energy of a small number of people drawn from a relatively tiny population. People who had a vision. I do not for one moment think Britain always behaved well in many countries though we were also wise enough to start getting out when we did and allow people to go their own way.
But in getting out we left the door open for muslims to pour through, especially from Pakistan. They brought few benefits and many worries.
Britain is lost in the EU and that angers so many of us, but our so-called leaders have tunnel-vison and have conceded so much to Europe that it seems pointless to even try now to halt the slide into the socialist abyss. We can't even get rid of illegal immigrants or terror-related problems because Europe says 'no.'
What all this means is that islam will continue to be a huge problem here. Perhaps many muslims are decent people, but they do not want to be British. In itself that may not be important, but it means they do not want to part of the present society. They stand apart, and make it obvious they do not wish to be with the majority.
Today is the anniversary of D-Day and the supposed liberation of Europe from Nazi power. Many people, British, American, Canadian and more, gave their lives and sacrificed them willingly in the hope that we and others would know freedom again. If they knew what little good their sacrifice did 70 years later they might not have landed on the beaches of Normandy.
Britain has been given away by the likes of Blair and his successors. Cameron is ineffective and a Euro socialist himself, a man who couldn't -- even after 13 disastrous years of Labour waste including two wars -- manage to win a majority at the polls. But then Cameron admires Blair...
Britain is a shadow of it's former self. Thanks to Blair and his ilk, we can never compete again, and we can certainly never defend ourselves again. We are too scattered, too subdued, too broken, too infiltrated. Our enemies are no longer merely at the gates, they are inside and taking the doors off their hinges while demanding what is left of Britain helps carry them away to sell for scrap metal.
Yes we do use smarmy and it's a perfect description of Blair. He was a mixture of Clinton and Obama. And the election ad of him showing up at the polling place really captured the moment.
ReplyDeleteBut nations do recover from very bad leaders. Sometimes hitting bottom is the only way for a reaction that leads to real change to come about.
Interesting blog :D
ReplyDeletePost a Comment