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| Mehdi Hasan critiques UK Muslim community |
Anti-Semitism Infects the British Muslim Community - Mehdi Hasan
There are thousands of mild-mannered and well-integrated British Muslims who harbor deeply anti-Semitic views. It pains me to admit this but anti-Semitism isn't just tolerated in some sections of the British Muslim community; it's routine and commonplace. It's our dirty little secret.
I can't keep count of the number of Muslims I have come across - from close friends and relatives to perfect strangers - for whom weird and wacky anti-Semitic conspiracy theories are the default explanation.
It is sheer hypocrisy for Muslims to complain of Islamophobia, and yet ignore the rampant anti-Semitism in our own backyard.
(New Statesman-UK)
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2 comments:
A generation or so ago - perhaps longer, the chickens of British colonial rule after a partitioned India came home to roost with a vengeance. After 1960, extensive immigration from Pakistan brought cheap labour, as well as self-employment, doctors and teachers; to some parts of the UK such as London or Bradford, in very large numbers. They make up the second largest diaspora in the world after Saudi Arabia, numbering 1.2 million. This is less than 0.5% of the total UK population but because the numbers are very unevenly distributed, it represents a significant voting bloc in particular locations.
Antisemitism is at the heart of Sunni Islam, practised by some 90% of the Pakistani community, and in local ghettos where bloc voting is endemic, Muslim activism, hence strong anti-Israel sentiment finds a fertile breeding ground.
Whether the Brits like it or not, wherever large numbers of Sunni Islam practitioners gather, Muslims will vote across party lines for one of their own, Jews inevitably have no place and in extreme cases, a parallel Shari'a legal system operates. It remains to be seen if the new mayor of London is able to bring something more than vaguely inclusive rhetoric to the problems faced by the city.
Yes, thanks for pointing out the history of Muslim immigration to the UK. It will indeed be interesting to see how a Muslim mayor in London plays out.
Thx again for your always interesting comments.
B
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