I have officially been deemed a, ‘racist’.
‘Why?’ you may ask… Due to a status of mine, on the social media site, Facebook, back in September:
‘You’re Islamophobic, for opposing Islam’ – this statement is one of the biggest ironies, of them all, for me; I imagine the women within Islam are the ones who suffer from Islamophobia – one step out of line, and they can have their lives ruined/ended.
(In actuality, I oppose the disregard for human-rights and the treatment of women within the Islamic ideology, which is so strictly followed and unopposed by many.)
At first I was a little shocked, as this came from a young British woman; one who hails from a country that stands tall in the world, known for both its supposed freedoms and its acceptance of differing views and doctrines – after some thought, it dawned on me that I should not have felt quite as shocked as I had… For, in the Britain of today, there is a certain lack of acceptance for those who have slightly controversial views on Islam.
I feel that we have lacked a specific question – one which David Cameron and various leading politicians should certainly be presented with; before I offer it, though, I must provide some contributing reasons for doing so.
From a myriad of examples, here is a small selection:
– British legislation currently bends over backwards to accommodate for Muslims and for Sharia – permitting conflicts and contradictions within long-established jurisprudence. Polygamy, despite being forbidden by British law, is now de facto part of it, due to a recent change in the inheritance law which now lets multiple wives inherit from their husband.
– A loophole that was created by Tony Blair’s Labour Government allows Muslims to take a property mortgage without paying interest, due to certain beliefs, which also makes it cheaper for them – this exploitation of the system was then utilised by non-Muslims, causing a minor uproar.
– The well-known occurrence of Muslim men grooming young, white British women – for years these events have only been opposed by far Right-wing groups, who were accused of both racism and, more recently, Islamophobia for announcing it; now, of course, mainstream media covers it.
– In Britain, police – seemingly – fear Muslims, to the extent of running away from them through the streets of London, on video, on multiple occasions; prime example, here. After watching that video, consider the reaction of the police if a white/black Briton, or an Eastern European citizen threw a heavy object at them? They would be punished, with haste; evidence of this can be seen in the multitude of policing programmes that are shown on TV during the later hours.
So, there you have four examples. Now, The Question:
Why, for such a long time in Britain, has our judiciary been biased towards Muslims and the Islamic ideology; and more importantly, why are comments such as these unwelcome, in a ‘democratic’ country which is heralded for its level of freedom, by the outside world?
If Muslims do not respect genuine, well-meant inquiry and debate, throwing vile labels around, then, how are we meant to give them and Islam the respect that they so desperately crave, at all times, in this country – and how are we to respect our government for allowing Muslims to do so?
As a country, if we cannot have a comfortable conversation about Islam and the effects that it may, or may not have (depending on geographical location) on our day-to-day lives, there will always be a division. In Britain we need more debate, to reveal where the tensions lie between Muslims and Britons. As an example of a particular tension… when Muslims march through British city streets shouting items such as, ‘down with the Monarchy, down with the Queen, down with the Police Force’, why are we not allowed to pass comment, or ask questions? Things such as these – if they were ever to actually succeed – are detrimental to our country, our society, our culture and our way of life.
See, the thing is… I am not racist, nor am I Islamophobic – not for questioning Islam, no. I am confused, to a certain extent, both by the lack of backbone shown by the British government and by the ignorance of those who defend Islam, simply because they have ten Muslim friends who’re peaceful.
I am not racist and nor are you, for asking as I do. In Britain, it is generally accepted that, when ( if ) you emigrate, you cannot dictate how your new host population live. We will use Spain as an example… Expats in Spain abide by Spanish laws, they speak Spanish and they participate in the typical Spanish way of life – siestas, eating Spanish cuisine and so on. So, why can’t Muslims do so in Britain?
So, my question to you. Mr Cameron, is… Why? Why will you allow me to be titled, ‘racist’, for exercising my British right?
DISCLAIMER: The articles on our website are not endorsed by, or the opinions of Shout Out UK (SOUK), but exclusively the views of the author.
