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January/February 2006 |
'Islamic terrorist equals evangelical Christian' - Blunkett remark one year before '7/7'. How many evangelicals carry bombs in London, David?
A former Labour government Minister has claimed that America’s support for Israel is the biggest cause of division and violence in the world. Clare Short, who quit as Secretary of State for International Development in 2003 in protest against the government’s policy on Iraq, made this claim while explaining her backing for a controversial musical tribute in London to a young American pro-Palestinian activist killed in Gaza in March 2003. Miss Short is reported to have said, ‘ I believe that US backing for Israeli policies of expansion of the Israeli state and oppression of the Palestinian people is the major cause of bitter division and violence in the world.’
Miss Short’s comments underscored Britain’s Chief Rabbi’s warning, only a few weeks beforehand, of a ‘new anti-Semitism’ where Israel and Jews are being cast into the role of scapegoat for the troubles thrown up by rapid global change, even though they are not responsible for them.
Sir Jonathan Sacks pointed out that the new anti-Semitism differs from the old in being ‘political rather than racial, focused on Jews as a nation rather than Jews as individuals.’ He warned that Israel is being turned into ‘the scapegoat of the 21st century’, and cited attacks on Holocaust Memorial Day, remarks with anti-Semitic undertones by public figures, the threatened academic boycott of Israel in 2005 and church debates over divestment from Israel.
What Clare Short has suggested, although ludicrous, is extremely dangerous. If people believe the ridiculous myth that Israel is the main cause for violence and division worldwide, then the whole world will turn against Israel and the Jews. However, there have been several proponents of this dangerous and anti-Semitic myth which distracts attention away from the real threat to global peace, Islamic fundamentalists, and their responsibility for much of the world’s violence and conflict today.
In Britain the Muslim lobby has found many willing helpers among politicians and even from within the Christian community. In what appears like an attempt to create an environment where Islam and Muslims are protected from all criticism, Muslims have successfully convinced the current government of the need for legislation criminalising incitement to religious hatred. These proposals are presently contained in the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill. The government has ignored widespread concerns, especially from the Christian community, that these proposed laws are so broad that they can easily be used to attack freedom of speech, expression and religion. While no real Christian should want to incite religious hatred, the problem is that these proposed laws could be used to prosecute people who make reasonable criticism of a religion and those who claim, as many Christians do, that their faith is the only way to God (thereby suggesting that other religions are false).
This government has demonstrated that they are far more concerned in pandering to the British Muslim community in order to win Muslim votes, than in listening to anything which Christians have to say. The government is so keen to obtain Muslim votes that they are even willing to sacrifice Britain’s traditional freedoms of speech, expression and religion in the process.
Terrorist Christianity!The Racial and Religious Hatred Bill currently before Parliament is the third attempt by the government to criminalise incitement to religious hatred. The Christian Institute reported that when in 2004, the government tried a second time to introduce such legislation, the then Home Secretary, David Blunkett, made an astonishing statement. According to the Christian Institute, David Blunkett said in a speech on 7 July 2004 to the Institute for Public Policy Research, that society needed protection from ‘…those who would take our lives because they reject our faith, and it applies equally from far right evangelical Christians, to extremists in the Islamic faith.’
It is outrageous that the then Home Secretary equated evangelical Christians with Islamic terrorists. Such paranoid hostility towards evangelical Christians by a senior government Minister reveals the emptiness government assurances that laws on incitement to religious hatred will not be used undermine our religious freedom. These laws play into the hands of that group of Muslims who though apparently moderate, appear more concerned with stifling all criticism of Islam or actions by Muslims than with challenging the violence and intolerance of Muslim fundamentalists. With the growing list of atrocities by Muslim fundamentalists worldwide, including the 9/11 attacks, the Madrid, London and Bali bombings, now more than ever we need OPEN and HONEST dialogue about Islamic fundamentalism, not stifling political correctness and censorship of all negative comments on Islam.
Ideally, this Bill should be completely defeated and dropped and this is something we should continue to pray and fast for. However, with the government threatening to invoke the Parliament Act, which gives them the legal right to force the Bill through despite Lords opposition, the above mentioned amendment appears to be the best which can be humanly achieved under the present circumstances.
Gravest threat
But the amendment still has to go back to the House of Commons for its approval and at the time of writing the government is still opposed to it. The Christian Institute is one of many organisations campaigning against the government’s attempts to criminalise incitement to religious hatred. To find out what stage the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill has reached and what you can do to help, contact the Christian Institute on 0191 281 5664. We need to pray and act with urgency against this Bill which poses the gravest threat to freedom of speech, expression and religion in Britain in modern times.
Ten years ago, who would have imagined that a government Minister would dare to publicly equate evangelical Christians with Islamic terrorists or that the British government would willingly sacrifice religious liberty, freedom of speech and expression in order to win more Muslim votes?
These disturbing events are a clear warning to Christians that we can no longer be complacent and must wake up to the fact that we currently have a very anti-Christian government, which has done more than any previous government to help extend Islamic power in Britain and to undermine Christian values in British society.
While most British Muslims are content to simply get on peacefully with their lives, there are some who are working hard to incrementally impose an Islamic agenda. For now and many years to come, one of the major challenges which the British church will have to deal with is Islamisation. Let us fervently pray and fast now and in the long term against the Islamisation of Britain and Europe, which threatens to destroy in a few decades, over 1000 years of our blessed Christian heritage.
"Watchman" edits our Westminster Watch column
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The Racial and
Religious Hatred Bill passed through the House of Commons with not much
opposition but during its Second Reading in the Lords, the vast majority
speeches by Peers were opposed to the Bill. late October the House of
Lords approved by a huge majority of 149 (260 votes to 111) major
amendment the Bill. This amendment provides some protection for free
speech and evangelism and narrows the scope of the offence by providing
that a person must be shown to have intended to stir up religious
hatred, in order to be convicted under this law.