The following letter from UKIP Leader has been published in The Times yesterday. He was doing so well until the last two paragraphs, why did he just not leave it alone.
Sir,
Alan Sked and Richard Milne (letters, Jan 19) have missed the deeper points about UKIP’s suggestion that the burka should be banned in public places. Your leading article (Jan 16) warned that our proposed ban on wearing the burka in public buildings could set us on the road to fascism. However, one of the 21/7 bombers escaped wearing the burka; the hidden face can also hide a terrorist.
When we talk of terrorism, we usually refer to a problem coming from within Islam. Of all the religions, Islam is the only one whose leaders do not wish their followers to integrate into our society, and Sharia, which can alas be described as gender apartheid, holds growing sway in too many parts of our country. So the burka is a symbol of separation, discrimination and fear.
Nor does it have any place in mainstream Islam. The Grand Mufti of Egypt has said it is “not Islamic”. The Muslim Canadian Congress has described it as a “political issue promoted by extremists”, and called for it to be banned.
Let us not forget that Islam is very different to our Judaeo-Christian culture. It is a religious, political and legal system rolled into one, a whole way of life based on the Koran, and the penalty for leaving it can be death. A ban on the burka would be for freedom, not fascism.
We must not run away from Islam, but debate it openly, particularly with the vast majority of Muslims who are our friends.
Lord Pearson Of Rannoch
Leader, UKIP
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
The Pub Consultancy Service is an author at Bloggers4UKIP.
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9 comments:
We need to leave the EU and repatriate all power to parliament, voting UKIP is the only way that can happen.
Once it does happen we will have directly elected and accountable MPs giving the public the final say on all issues (this included) - one way or the other...
I don't think he's gone too far. The liberals of this world make a lot of noise - but they don't reflect the public view.
Even France is considering banning the burkha.
I think it's time we stood up for what we believe in and not cave in to liberal chattering class cr*p.
Islam is a very real threat to this country and if we don't nip it in the bud, we will lose this country to Islam within 50 years.
This won't just affect the UK - it wiall have a major impact on the world.
I don't want my children to live in such world.
Islam is not the threat, Islam extremists are, a world of difference that seems to be lost on those with prejudice.
By alienating ordinary Muslims as this ban would do we increase not diminish the threat of further radicalisation.
History tells us that 'marginalising' groups of people whether politically, legally or morally one provides a platform of growth for that group. Who would have ever anticipated that former members of the Provisional IRA would now be high up in the NI assembly.
Fausty
RE: France - I don't think citing other EU countries governments as models we should follow is a very UKIP way of doing things! Only the
people of the UK should have any influence over the UK government.
Are liberals excluded from UKIP? I hope not, UKIP should be a home for anyone who wants to repatriate all EU powers to parliament and so put every citizen only one step (via their MP) away from power.
“the hidden face can also hide a terrorist”
So could all manner of other things: beards, wigs, hair dye, makeup, sunglasses, hats, etc. Short of banning people from changing their appearance, tagging everyone and placing CCTV in every room of every home, the threat of terrorism is just something we have to live with. And the main source of terror the UK faces comes from the State not Muslims.
I don’t think it’s liberals as such who are to blame, Fausty. No liberal in their right mind would endorse sharia or advance its inclusion into British society. It’s appeasers, apologists, and certain elements on both the right and the left who’ve exploited Islam for political gain, who are guilty. The far right have gone out of their way to emphasise the negative aspects of Islam, which they’ve backed up by quoting those interpretations of Islamic texts that support their thinking. In doing so, they’ve marginalized many Muslims, particularly young males, to the point where the more extreme aspects of Islam become more appealing.
The far left, on the other hand, seem to dismiss outright any and all criticism of Islam, and simply bury their heads in the ground when anyone raises legitimate concerns about certain passages in the Qur’an and hadith. They’ve also been quick to promote incitement laws, banning orders, et al in the name of protecting Muslims, when all they were really after is to suppress free speech. Muslims themselves have just been the pawns.
The way the UK is slipping into a climate of fear it won’t be long before pregnant women are banned from public places, as their baby bumps could be bombs.
Robert, an excellent analysis as to where this is all leading.
UKIP aims to pull us away from the EU and regain full control of our country! If this is going to happen then we really do need to take full control of our country! In every aspect!
Whats the point in gaining independence if we are going to sit back and let another way of life be the overwhelming influence on our country.
Steve
If we regain our country then we con actually dictate the laws and rules. The whole time we are 'governed' by the EU we have to be constrained by the 'rules'.
Do we see the EU supporting Franc, of course not, and to use the French as an example is really quite laughable. They are brilliant at posturing but useless at defending themselves.
Guess who would pick up the fall out of any French ban.
Leaving the EU and banning the burka are two different and separate issues. The idea that banning the burka will make us safer is laughable. Abdulmutalab used his underwear, not a burka. To stop terrorists hiding bombs, we'd have to ban people from wearing clothes and carrying anything in public and that would be extreme and inconvenient.
No ban can be for freedom, as bans are restrictive.
I don't agree that we should debate Islam with all Muslims. We don't insist that all Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus etc debate their religions, and rightly so.
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