ISIS – What it is and what we need to do about it.

Posted on by Opher

 

 

What is it?

 

ISIS stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – sometimes described as ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant).

 

It was set up by the Al Qaeda leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

 

He declared a global Caliphate and called all Muslims to join.

 

ISIS is a Sunni fundamentalist sect.

 

What is their Aim?

 

Their aim is to set up a global Caliphate. Impose strict fundamentalist Islamic culture and law on a global scale on all people in all countries.

 

What do they believe?

 

  1. That the Koran, as ascribed by Mohamed, is the absolute word of Allah.

 

  1. That the Shia Muslims are heretics and should be eradicated.

 

  1. That all other beliefs are heretical and believers to be treated as non-believers. They either convert to the true belief (Sunni Islam) or should be eradicated (murdered).

 

  1. That the West with its non-Islamic values of democracy, freedom of speech and tolerance is evil and should be destroyed.

 

  1. That anything non-Islamic should be destroyed – including their own pre-Islamic history.

 

  1. That women should be subservient to men. They should not be educated, should wear full body covering, should not go out without male permission and chaperoning, and should be segregated.

 

  1. That homosexuality is an abomination and homosexuals should be killed.

 

  1. That music is non-Islamic and should be eradicated.

 

  1. That Sharia law should replace all other laws.

 

  1. That if they die in the course of their Jihad they will be considered martyrs, go straight to paradise and have the services of virgins for eternity.

 

What is their Mode of Operation?

 

  1. They seek to gain control first of Iraq and Syria and then destroy the West and take over the world. They would then impose their views on everyone.

 

  1. They operate through terror. Their policies of mass beheadings, burning people alive in cages, burying people alive, crucifixion, drowning people in cages, throwing people off tall buildings etc. is calculated to put huge fear into their opponents.

 

  1. They use terror, bombings, attacks on unarmed civilians, suicide bombings and see nothing wrong in actions such as blowing up trains, flying planes into buildings or gunning down children. The suicide bombers are Jihadi heroes destined for paradise and the civilian victims are non-believer vermin who deserve to be killed and maimed.

 

  1. They justify these barbaric practices on the grounds that these victims were heretics, homosexuals and non-believers. Allah had sanctioned their killings. They are doing God’s will.

 

  1. They receive funding from multi-billionaire Sunnis (Saudi Arabia being one source of these individuals), taxing the people they are presently ruling, selling historical artefacts, selling oil and ransoming hostages. They use these funds to buy arms.

 

  1. They capture weaponry from the armies they defeat.

 

  1. They are attracting in numbers of ‘fighters’ from Western countries who are tempted by their rejection of Western values, a desire to set up an Islamic State and feel at ‘home’, an attraction to the excitement of a ‘cause’, an attraction to the barbarity, a promise of paradise, and a fervour and zeal for their ‘beliefs’.

 

Is the basis of their beliefs justified?

 

The interpretation of the Koran from which they derive their beliefs is not a perversion of Islam; it is a fundamentalist, hard-line interpretation. This would be similar to fundamentalist Christians and Jews taking the more unpleasant sections of the Old Testament at face value and dashing baby’s heads against rocks, making living sacrifices etc. The Bible, like the Koran, is from an Abrahamic tradition of misogyny and violence. There are many ambiguities, tribal prejudices, acts of violence, intolerance and vindictiveness pertaining to the age and culture in which it is written.

Most practicing Jews, Christians and Muslims gloss over the intolerant, blood-thirsty elements of their religion and focus on the tolerant, loving, harmonious sections.

Fundamentalists take a hard-line.

 

What should we do about ISIS?

 

  1. We should deplore the fundamentalist view of the religion with its inherent misogyny, violence, intolerance, destruction and barbarity.

 

  1. We should promote a more civilised view of the world in which people of all faiths and no faith could live in harmony, peace, freedom, equality and tolerance.

 

  1. We should use education to enlighten people.

 

  1. We should expose the Koran, Bible, Upanishads, Bhagvad Gita etc. as not being the ‘word of god or gods’ to be followed slavishly and used to create war and division.

 

  1. We should assert that belief is a personal issue and not the province of a State.

 

  1. We should take steps to ensure that children are no longer indoctrinated into religion or politics (this would necessitate looking at Belief Schools, Madrassas and practices within churches, temples, synagogues, mosques or the home).

 

  1. We should take steps to cut off all funding and recruitment.

 

  1. We should counter the on-line ISIS propaganda by revealing the true barbarity and hypocrisy of their operation. Most civilised people are disgusted by such cruelty, including most Muslims, and reject any doctrine that supports such primitive inhumanity. Most people would view the kind of society offered by these extremists as a living hell.

 

  1. We will probably have to take military action to prevent further atrocities and use drones to take out the leaders and fighters.

 

  1. We should back the regimes who are fighting this tyrannous evil.

 

My views

 

As an antitheist I see these people are typical of previous fundamentalist theocracies. Religion is a primitive superstition. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all have their roots in ancient Arabic tribes. Their doctrines are steeped in the cultural baggage of thousands of years ago. The violence, intolerance, tribalism, misogyny and prejudices are those of primitive, uncivilised people. We’ve come a long way since those times.

The morality and wisdom of those days was and is flawed. We’ve learnt a lot more and become wiser.

I see the United Nations charter of Human Rights as being a far more intelligent, coherent and useful document.

I do not believe there is a god, paradise or a non-stop stream of virgins. When you analyse the way the Koran and Bible was written and put together the assertions made about the documents are farcical.

I would do away with these outmoded doctrines and replace them with a better statement of morality and law that is better thought-through and presented in order to help instil fairness, justice, freedom, equality and harmony.

It is time to reject all fundamentalist beliefs as outmoded superstition.

ISIS is just the latest in a long line.

 

The Future

 

History shows us quite clearly that these movements rise, flourish and die. It takes time.

There is only one possible outcome: ISIS will be destroyed, its leaders killed and its aims left in tatters.

Their lofty aim of a global caliphate is risible.

It is merely a question of how much destruction, barbarity, death, torture and pain will be inflicted before that occurs. It could take some time.

The other worry is what will rise up to take its place? Will the future tyranny be just as bad?

 

Opher 4.7.15

15 thoughts on “ISIS – What it is and what we need to do about it.”

  1. Are these your own assertions of what ISIS stands for Opher? Or is this the direct translation by a fluent neutral speaker, of a certified Statement of Beliefs and Aims, issued by ISIS?

    1. Hi Ian – I should have made that clear. This summary was my own based on my reading and interpretation of events. I was attempting to crystallise the situation into something that is succinct. I don’t know if I quite achieved that. ISIS has issued a number of statements and their actions speak most loudly.

  2. The reason I ask is that no true Muslim would wish to kill anybody, under any circumstances except self-defence, because it really is pretty much the Prime Directive, and is clearly earmarked in the Koran, many, many times

    1. Yes. That is a good point Ian. My Muslim friends are tolerant and not at all the rabid fundamentalists. They view the actions of this sect as repulsive. Islam means peace and there is a long history of peaceful coexistence. However there are, as with the Bible, many texts of war, violence and extremism. If people choose to ignore the main thrust and chose to select the blood-thirsty extreme texts you end up with a perverted ideology. I believe this is what is happening.
      My concern is how do we deal with this noxious intolerant barbarism without stirring up a bigger mess?
      As a pacifist multiculturalist I have had to look long and hard at pragmatic options. It’s not easy. At present it appears that there are a number of Muslims attracted into the barbarity of the caliphate. That needs addressing.
      I would hop that Muslims would take the leading role in eradicating this extreme interpretation and reasserting a more civilised, tolerant view as believed by the vast majority of Muslims.
      Thanks for your comments Ian – much appreciated.

  3. Thank you for sharing this very informative piece. It’s as if these things would only exist in a writer’s imagination [George Martin, yup!] but sadly, it does in real life. What saddens me the most is how lowly they think about women and homosexuals. The only difference that sets these apart from what they claim as supreme creations aka men are biological ones. Gender is a social construct and thus, must be eradicated. I agree with you on your point that the horrible fact about this is that there would be born more harsh ideologies and power-hungry tyrants being born in the future. The value of life becomes comparable to a piece of trash thrown at want.

    1. Thanks for your comment Trisha. I think the way this is dealt with will greatly affect what happens in the future. It is a sad state of affairs. I can’t help thinking it was created by bungled foreign policy and a gung-ho attitude. I only hope that the powers that be find a way of dealing with it that does not throw petrol on the flames.
      The Sunni extremism is disgusting. What will replace it in the future is uncertain. What happens next will determine that. Let’s hope it is an intelligent, well thought-through response with due acknowledgement of all the sensitivities.

  4. Opher, what an excellent precise report/commentary of this most serious situation and the only thing missing was that final word….Discuss.
    To say that this whole matter makes me boil with rage would be an understatement.
    However, I think it would be fair for me to say that I have a bit of experience of the Islamic world having spent quite a few years working within it (no, I’m not bragging or anything like it).
    Not once did I ever encounter any hatred expressed to myself, nor ever did I feel threatened by anyone. During these 6 years I knew to more or less degrees around one thousand Muslims as my employees and found them in general to be very happy and delightful people to be around.
    90% of them were under 30 years of age with a 50/50 ratio of male/female. They were hard working, diligent, and in most cases possessed an excellent sense of humour, which I honestly couldn’t say for quite as many people that I know of here in the UK!
    I never received any back-chat, demonstrative behaviour, in-house vandalism or any such yob activity, poor attendance (usually due to excessive drinking the night before) and was shown every respect. Sure, they followed their religious practices yet never abused the prayer time allowance.
    I only ever encountered one adverse situation and that was in the Islamic Maldives, a tiny tin-pot banana republic of several hundred tiny islands. This had an all male work force of 450 employees and I received reports that some young men had pinned up celebratory posters in their accommodation depicting a collapsing twin tower with some Arabic slogan all over them. The offenders were made to stand and watch as all these posters were torn down and burnt in front of them. That was the end of the matter and they were just non-educated silly little boys without a clue. Their Mullah did however receive a verbal kicking. But something as benign as this was indeed a good indication to me as to just how easily some of their numbers can be coerced.

    Luckily the situation is not quite as bad as it could be IMHO. As we know the world’s Muslim population is not just centred across North Africa, the Levant and the Middle East. Hundreds of millions of Muslims are in Indonesia and Malaysia. Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population are thankfully entirely non fundamentalist. That practice is against their law and given the continuous ethos of any government in place since 1946, I see no reason for any change there.
    Malaysia is a slightly more stickier wicket, where they do practice a moderate level of fundamentalism. I use the term moderate in relation to practices found further north.
    There are 43 different factions existing within the Muslim world, with the Sunni’s currently being the most reprehensible. Their hatred towards all other Muslim’s is unfathomable.

    Since 7/11, there have been approximately 280 separate attacks throughout the world of any note made by Muslims against others from a variety of other religions and/or cultures. Quite obviously alarm bells are beginning to ring everywhere, however, the calculation of just where to start and how to deal with such an immeasurable threat is extremely difficult simply due to it’s widespread scale. It’s nothing of the nature as per say WW2, whereby we pin the donkey on the map and say “there’s Germany, that’s our enemy”. (Not that I’m suggesting there is a war or going to be one). We have all the technology at our disposal to identify these desert training camps, any movement of camps, anything and everything to do with surveillance, so I don’t think this factor is an obstacle.
    I’m actually quite confident that the majority of Muslims will eventually rise up and be counted in demonstration towards their fractious “brothers”. After all, there can only be just so many willing to engage in terrorism and fundamentalist atrocity.

    Here in UK, in retrospect we made a number of mistakes. Abu Hamza and Anjem Choudary being just 2 of them (please ignore my spelling deficiencies, if any). We watched the news for several years and witnessed their activities and proceeded to be aghast when bombs went off in London and very nearly in Glasgow. Our crazed octogenarian members of the House of Lords, proceeded to pass laws preventing freedom of speech, that of which maybe deemed offensive by the very same mentality as those propagating terrorism and recruitment for the expansion of fundamentalist ideology.
    In tandem they also passed laws preventing any more than 10 persons gathering in a public place with the sole objective of enjoying “music with a repetitive beat”. Any such activity must have a license otherwise it is illegal. On the other hand it is not illegal for large groups of obviously Islamic protestors to stand opposite a congregation of mourners paying their respects to dead soldiers en route to burial and shout death slogans and display banners of symbolic hatred. All of this is just a tickle in a warehouse full of feathers.
    Never mind Syria, our immediate threat lies at home. We firstly have to eradicate the politically correct loony left (no, I’m not right wing!) and get real. We have to close all immigration from Islamic states and start to really work out the issues here.
    But honestly, how have we got to the stage where our concerns for affairs abroad in countries such as Syria, which has always been a volatile nightmare, takes precedence over the potential threat right now at home on our doorstep?
    Call me anything you like, but I couldn’t give a continental what happens in Syria in order to remove their despot government or for whom ever wishes to go there and most probably wantonly lose their life in due process. I’m only sorry for them.
    But what I don’t want is some huge bloody war of attrition which would ultimately shut down world travel, increase hatred and be the death of millions of very innocent people from all sides. And that’s what will happen if this whole sorry mess really kicks off.

    I don’t think it would be too crazy an idea to mass air-drop all over the Islamic world millions of 6-packs of lager and CD’s of the Best of Led Zeppelin and see how we get on with anti-Islam recruitment. If the mass hit can work for mass marketing sales strategies, why not, what’s to lose?
    OK….I’ll get my coat.

    Your question – what should we do about ISIS?
    Points 1-5 : Naturally, but with point 4 we’ve got that damnable Roman Catholic church to deal with
    Points 6-8 : There are the lip-service beginnings of positive signs of implementation.
    Points 9-10 : Probably the only way to tackle it within the next few decades. But, I honestly don’t know except it will take a long time to defuse and that you can’t argue with a sick mind.

    1. Thank you for such a brilliant and informative reply. I too have a heavy heart when it comes to this sad state of affairs. All the Muslim friends I have had over the years have been friendly and tolerant. I’ve not seen any of the hard attitudes. My travels through many Muslim countries has been largely the same – though we have encountered the odd unpleasantness. The people were friendly and pleasant.
      I can’t believe the world of fury we seem to have unleashed by the application of a crazy foreign policy. We have created a perception of being at war with Islam. I do not believe that to be the case.
      We are at war with an ideology, a fundamentalist view that is a Sunni extreme. As with most of the Christian fundamentalist, they seek out the texts that support their extremism and ignore the ones that don’t. Sunni by name but extremely dark by nature!
      I am a tolerant multiculturalist. I have had to rethink my views. I cannot tolerate any philosophy that is not based on equality, freedom and tolerance. Misogyny and intolerance has to be exposed and opposed and I see much in the Islamic practice that smacks of this.
      The vast majority of Muslims are opposed to this extreme doctrine, are as shocked and disgusted as the rest of us I am sure. Indeed, they have been more the victims of this extremism than anybody else. It is Muslims being beheaded, burnt and drowned along with the Coptic Christians.
      However I am increasingly astounded by the support for the Sunni extremism that is there in Britain and abroad. It baffles me as to why educated people would be attracted to barbarism. I am also dismayed at the lack of action taken by the Muslim States. They should be the most vocal and the most active in opposing this extremism yet they are not. If the West gets too involved we will be seen to be leading a crusade against Islam which will create even more hardening of attitudes.
      It’s a mess. I only hope the Muslims take the lead in sorting it out.
      I like the idea of dropping lager and Zep. I’d like to add a wider choice of sounds though!
      Thanks again for your brilliant contribution. This is a topic we need to think long and hard about.
      Cheers
      Opher

      1. I forgot to add that with all my pieces the ‘Discuss’ option is implied. That’s fundamentally why I blog.

      2. Thanks Opher – it sure is one massive volcanic cauldron of a subject and as I sit here listening to Neil Young’s latest album “The Monsanto Years”, in comparison dear old Neil’s on a loser with such a piffling nonentity of subject matter. He’s never come one iota close to Roy’s writing, particularly for example, “The Black Cloud Of Islam”, that also knocks Bob Dylan’s best works into touch, too. Nobody has come close to what Roy chiselled into stone in just 3 minutes. I can vividly remember the very first time that I heard Roy perform it, Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall, November 1989, some 6 months before the release of it’s album version on the magnificent “Once”. It was a full house and the audience was simply astonished by it, I was floored speechless. Same gig where “Back To The Stones” was included on the “Born In Captivity 2” tape and the later “Unhinged” CD. Tremendous gig where he performed a very long set of 18 songs. He took an interval break during which the house fire alarms went off due to the amount of spliffs being consumed in the packed to the gunnels loo’s (both!). Referred to ever since by my friends and I, as the “Fire Brigade Show”. Roy was somewhat amused upon his eventual return to the stage. Anyway…

        Speaking from a UK perspective only (as I certainly could not do otherwise) what has struck me through first hand experience, general observations and a multitude of conversations is the 180 degree’s differential between our history of the world education standards and those of the Muslim community in foreign shores.
        Yourself, as a top-level professional educationalist will know what I mean.
        I was only half-decent at about 3 Higher (A-level) subjects at school, my best being History, 2nd – Economics, a very mediocre English (you’ve determined that already!) and an embarrassingly scraped through lower C pass Latin. Unfortunately Arithmetic only went as far as O level grade, otherwise I may have gained 5.
        Yes, me too, rock music won over my distribution of needy study time particularly with Chemistry and Maths – both of which I hated and they hated me, too, as the results proved; but I had no such plans of going to university anyway, even if I could have. That was off my radar. The reason being my 16 year old and easily influenced mind was turned by witnessing the activities of some young (but a lot older than me) assistant managers in an hotel where I had a summer job. All they seemed to do was talk, laugh and joke with loads of very attractive looking young women. No contest – Chemistry? no thanks, I’ll have some of this! etc. I went on to being senior management in several of the best hotels in the world, but it’s not a doddle to get there, I can tell you.
        Looking at it another way – was that the promise of the 40 or 72 Virgins dangled like a carrot in front of me? I think it just might have been…
        But that’s another story and there’s ladies present.

        But I do have a bit of knowledge of history.
        Education is the # 1 issue, be it benefit or problem depending upon view point.
        As a starter for 10, I have encountered umpteen Christians whom have no knowledge that the King James Bible has been revised 56 times since Henry VIII.
        The Christians, 7th Day Adventists and Mormons that I’ve met abroad also had no knowledge of this. Many were angry and offended that I was speaking such lies.
        That “abroad” stretched from the Caribbean across Africa down to Indonesia.
        The 7th Day Adventists take the biscuit as they converse in an old testament circa Moses diatribe. There’s no talking to them, forget it. Therefore, naturally one learns very quickly as to what is “off-topic”, not worth discussion etc. Which doesn’t help any of us!

        Then there’s our friends in America.
        How can one nation of 300+ million be so clueless as to the rest of the world.
        Their news casters can’t even pronounce Tunisia correctly, and express it as Tuneeshia. It’s not helpful, is it?
        I recently heard some bozo on a BBC current affairs show, titled ? (does it matter which one?) state that America’s population is improving it’s knowledge of the world by doing more world travel, because it’s number of passport holders has risen to 17%. Really? In real terms that is a load of nonsense.
        In year 2000, only 8% of Americans had a passport. Those without a passport could go on holiday to Mexico and the entire Caribbean (the 2 main destinations favoured by Americans) on a driver’s license as ID.
        I know that because I worked in Carib then. Since 7/11, passports have been required, therefore, in real terms there’s been no such increase.
        Bogus information gets flung all over the place by the BBC.

        Most of the educated Muslims that I’ve come across (those enabled to engage in such discussion) have very little grasp on WW1, WW2, or the Islamic wars that lasted some 1,000 years or so that spread right across Europe all the way to Portugal. Their focus is on America and it’s foreign policy from the days of Bush Snr. Unquestionably a lot of damage was done, any trust smashed and divisions widened, a lot of which I fear is irreparable. And these are just yer normal average John Doe’s, whom harbour nothing to do with fundamentalism. They actually don’t know how they got to where they are today, so to speak. It’s mind boggling.
        If they wish to learn anything of this history they must do so only on their own accord, as nothing of such is taught to them at school.
        All history that is taught is from the Qur’an, only. Which represents a pretty skewered version of events.
        Therefore, given that this is widespread throughout the entire Muslim world, I’m not in the least surprised as to what’s up now. If such a huge mass of these people, the Sunni’s, are receiving such education towards enabling their future adult life’s survival techniques, whereby no credence is given towards any other people’s beliefs and lifestyles, where’s the correlation? Let’s be honest, we’ve never had peace with Islam and never the twain shall meet. It’s been so since 594 A.D.

        So, in that respect and I wish I was totally wrong, but don’t think so, education won’t do the job in hand.
        Brute force and intelligence maybe the only way forward.

      3. Hi Andrew,
        Thanks for your input. I remember Roy doing that ‘Dark Cloud of Islam’ song very well. If he had been more successful he might have suffered the same fate as Rushdie.
        There is extreme ignorance around about how the Bible, Koran and of ‘Holy’ books were actually written. I’m sure that many Americans would be horrified if you suggested that Christianity was an Arab religion. They probably think Jesus wrote the Bible. Likewise the Muslims think Mohamed wrote the Koran.
        I believe the best way of counteracting ignorance is education. That is where we have to invest. The Islamic model of education is severely flawed in that it is economically poor. It does not generate ideas or wealth. If we were to develop industrial fusion and solve the energy crisis so that we no longer needed oil their economies would collapse. It seems to me that there has not been a discovery or idea of worth coming out of the Middle East since Islam took hold. And that was the seat of agriculture, maths, science and writing. It has been stifled.
        The propaganda, ignorance and manipulation is immense on all sides.
        I just hope the Muslim majority take the lead against the Sunni extremists. I don’t want the West taking the lead. I fear the Shia want us to take the blame.
        I agree – the ignorance about the world and what has happened in history is frightening – both in the US and Islamic countries.
        Islam desperately needs an enlightenment and a secular government. Theocracies are a nightmare. The trouble is that the US is almost a theocracy. No candidate can get elected without the blessing of the religious right. American education – I speak from direct experience – is very poor.
        Let’s hope that intelligent minds get to work and find a way forward!
        Cheers
        Opher

  5. ISIS is very similar to Christians in the Dark Ages; killing anyone who disagrees and banning anything that is different. ISIS will never take over the world and enforce their ridiculous primitive ideas and laws on everyone simply for the fact that there are too many people to fight. ISIS will be exterminated sooner or later.

    1. Yes – I think you’re completely right – that’s true of all fundamental religions. They are intolerant of everything that is not written in their book.
      They will never succeed because sooner or later the tide will turn. As you say there are too many people.
      Thanks for commenting – Best wishes Opher

  6. Hi Opher,
    I didn’t know that aspect that any US candidate required the support of the religious right. So thanks for that info. Mind you, I must admit to being somewhat perplexed with all the shenanigans that goes with the US presidential campaigns. As if the untold millions of dollars of bribery money wasn’t enough already.

    I view this ISIS lot to be not a whole lot different from the Khmer Rouge and the Nazi’s, in terms of their manifesto (although doubt the KR used print). They are cultural savages with fascist brutality.
    We understand that mentality and recognise the weaknesses.

    On the home front, I don’t see Cameron to be the patsy that Blair was. The MI5 will be very busy boys today and foresee numbers exported. Any non-origin British passport can be revoked at any time. Infiltration and surveillance will be maximised and security response is currently at level 2.
    Some of our politicians have expressed concerns such as our prisons are already full and there is nowhere to put threatening people. They’ve quite obviously never been north of Watford, as there are a plethora of very suitable empty islands in the Hebrides
    There should not be concerns of such.

    In the vast majority of the UK, I think this ISIS threat has been blown out of all proportions.
    It really is such a tiny number of the Muslim community that could be an issue.
    Where I live the vast majority are of Pakistan origin. They have businesses, careers and a lot of them are more “Glasgow” than I’ll ever be! Even the numbers that are up in front of the Sheriff court from time to time are spectacularly few. In this respect it is the Polish and Romanians that are becoming an anti-social nuisance with lots of shop lifting and public drunken brawls, crimes that are simply not on the Pakistani communities agenda. Very few Pakistani’s claim unemployment benefit.
    There’s a ton of unwarranted, ignorant and nasty shit being put in their direction my some nut jobs.

    What does worry me though is if something does indeed kick off here. I fear the response of a large number of thug type Brits will be equally violent and doubt very much that the authorities will be able to stop it in a timely manner and the potential for areas turning into the Belfast of the 1970’s.
    I live in a densely populated multi-cultural area just 2 miles from Glasgow’s city centre. It’s been most noticeable in recent months the distinct decrease of Asian youths visible on my local streets.
    Or if seen they are in groupings. It’s a shocking indictment if this is due to fear. I’ve also noticed (and it’s not just due to my friendly outgoing demeanour!) a distinct increase in friendliness etc from all of the local Asian owned shops that I regularly use, and I am not alone in this observation.
    So something of positivity is obviously at work within their community and I most welcome such.

    In short, I see zero chance of these decent people joining any Caliphate of hate.

    Cheers,
    Andrew

    ps. can’t recommend Neil’s album, nothing on it worthwhile.

    1. Let’s hope you are right. I am sure that the majority of Muslims have thoroughly invested in their British life. It is the minority that has an effect beyond their proportion. They set a tone that, as you rightly say, is eagerly picked up by the thuggish neo-Nazi hooligan element. Those things can rapidly escalate and get out of control.
      Although I would point out that some of the suicide bombers and terrorists of British descent have been highly educated. I believe the Glasgow airport bombers were doctors (if memory serves). Buying in or having vested interest is no guarantee against radicalisation. There seems to be a fair bit going on in Northern cities.
      I’m not so sure about Cameron as you are. I think there’s a lot of knee-jerk reaction which could well spark a negative response.

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