The Useful Idiot

Dear Mr Blair

I came across many websites the other day that left me feeling numb, there are many that are specifically set up to attack Islam and I have become immune to their lies and propaganda, but some are very different.  Some particular websites left me numb and frightened by the writer’s absolute fanaticism. What if one of these raving lunatics saw a vulnerable Muslim on their own, be it a young child, girl wearing hijaab or an old man going to the Mosque to pray?.  What would they do?  I felt very afraid and had a deepened sense of foreboding. Subsequently this jumble of poison and extremism has frequently come back to haunt me until I find the only way I can seek any solace is by writing to you and begging you to change course, begging you to stop the hatred.

There are many hateful anti muslim blogs which actually  describes themsleves as: “a Right Wing Blogs with a focus on the Third World War, military topics, philosophy, political science, the Killer Cult of Islam and current events”.

Some of the many things they allude to are:

”Staff Sergeant Ronbo is just doing his Infidel Duty In The World War Against Islam, which is to help in its complete destruction....Our motto is, ”The Only good Muslim is a dead Muslim.” Nothing personal, you understand....Just like I’m sure there is nothing personal about that passage in the KORAN to behead all the Infidels.  May the best civilization win and take no prisoners!”

Those that seek to vilify Islam and its followers, often try and ‘quote’ from the Qur’an to justify their extremism and recruit mindless people to their warped ideology.  I have never read a passage in the Qur’an that says the above.  The writer, adds some false accusations of anti-semiticism against MPAC, the usual smear tactic to try and stop them exposing and defending Muslims against Islamophobic attacks, there is more: ”BTW, I have been informed by “Mr. Big” of the Vast American Crusader Zionist Conspiracy (VACZC) for saying that, “The only good Muslim is a dead Muslim,” or “Kill a Muzzie for Christ” is not the official position of the VACZC, which advocates a more mericful policy.

(1)Muslims are to be given the opportunity to become Christians, Jews and/or Americans by signing an oath to that effect. At that point they will be spared and allowed to on their merry way. (2) Muslims may remain Muslims, but must pay an extra 50% of their yearly income in a special federal tax for Muslims. This money will be used for the compensation of the victims and/or survivors of acts of Muslim terrorism and war. (3) Muslim males will be required to wear the traditional Muslims clothing and must sport a beard. Muslim females will be required to wear only Western style dress—Burkas, veils, etc. are forbidden—In addition, only Muslim females may drive cars or work outside the home.

Following 9/11, Goebbals-like propaganda has permutated throughout our society, via your government and the right wing media, the civil liberties of Muslims have been eroded and we are being demonised as being lesser parts of British society, you preach integregation then single Muslims out as different and to be feared, just like the Jews in Nazi Germany in the 1930s. We all know the result, the European crime of the Holocaust.  It is a grave travesty of justice that there is no law to protect Muslims from Islamophobia, as Nick Griffin will no doubt gloat.

No protection from a ’civilised’ mature democratic country incarcerating innocent Muslims in Guantanomo Bay, to avoid the law, commissioning rendition flights to ’Muslim’ countries where horrendous acts of torture are enacted for months/years against innocent people.  Muslims in this country are being detained without trial, with lawyers unable to have access to the ‘evidence’ against their clients; their houses raided and shot in front of their mothers’ and then smeared in the media as a paedaphile when the terrorist charges will not stick.

You may argue these are extreme cases, well there have been over 1000 terror raids with less than 10 convicted of terrorist related crimes, a huge injustice and waste of taxpayers money.  How do these innocent individuals rebuild their lives’, their reputations’ and their standing with their neighbours’?  For those who have not had their houses raided, how many Muslims will now find it even harder to get into University, get a good job, buy a house, be stopped and searched because they sport a beard, have their lecturers spy on them, need I go on?

The vast majority of Muslims in Britain are peaceful, law-abiding citizens who proudly contribute to this country’s economic and cultural vibrancy. A sad fact is that there are vast sways of this country that are white only areas and they will not have the opportunity to speak to real Muslims and see that we are people just like them, with the same values and aspirations.

In addition, any Muslim organisation that tries to raise such injustices is branded extremist and shamed for not attending the Holocaust memorial day. The fact that they seek justice and rememberance for the murdered and oppressed Palestinians, the ‘victims of the victims’ and a day to include all victims of genocide is sadly not publically debated, just a public inference made that there is an anti-Semitic agenda at play, which is far from the truth.  A word of caution, we are not stupid.  It is counter-productive and costly to the tax payer to create and support bogus new groups, who claim to represent the Muslim community, in preference to respected organisations such as the MCB, simply because they back your political agenda, as they are seen for exactly what they are and possess little credibility.

I also find it very rich that you blame Muslim organisations for not doing enough to tackle extremism and insinuate that some ‘extreme’ mosques are radicalising Muslims.  Mr Blair, the US’s and your foreign policy and the daily scenes of bloodshed and death that unfold on the television predominantly fuels any extremism, not the Imams.  You are conveniently misdiagnosing the cause of the cancer in our community, some self-reflection and honesty is required.

In summary Mr Blair, when you begin to get backing from far right extremist groups, such as the BNP, which has now denounced anti-semiticism, someone tell the grass-roots supporters, in order to fight the ‘Islamofascist threat’- the latter could be your words, you should realise you have moved very far from the Labour ideals many of us voted for in 1997 to bring you to power.  Mr Blair somehow with your extreme personal views and agenda you have created an atmosphere of fear and mistrust against Muslims, both at home and abroad.

Muslims have become the new Irish Catholics, demonised and collectively branded as terrorists, despite only a tiny percentage of the population aspiring to such abhorrent and misguided actions.  In a recent speech, you stated, “’Our tolerance is part of what makes Britain, Britain. So conform to it; or don’t come here.”  What about those of us who were born here?   Do you mean agree with my foreign policy or get out?