Different River

”You can never step in the same river twice.” –Heraclitus

Melanie Phillips reports:

Last weekend, London was host to something called a ‘Global Peace and Unity’ Conference presented by the new Islam Channel and sponsored by Emirates Airlines, Western Union and the Metropolitan Police. It was duly reported as a worthy event attracting some 20,000 Muslims from all around Britain.
…
Carol Gould also attended this event. This, in her words, is how the cause of ‘global peace and unity’ gets British Muslims to ‘engage and integrate in a peaceful way’:

The eminent barrister Michael Mansfield QC, wearing black and white keffiyah scarf, shouted into the mike about the heinous crimes of the Western coalition countries. The crowd chanted and thundered its appreciation. The terrifying demagogue George Galloway ascended the podium and exhorted the crowd to stand up for the redemption of the oppressed Muslim world or else the nation had better get ready for ‘rioting in every street in Britain’.

The ‘slaughter in Palestine and Iraq’ being only part of the equation, Chechnya, Bosnia and Kashmir were also mentioned all day by every speaker including a crazed, chador-clad Yvonne Ridley, who at any moment I expected to self-immolate, such was her fury at the Zionists, the Americans and her fellow Britons. To my utter disbelief, she condemned the British police force as some form of fascist brigade in ‘jackboot Britain.’ To all of these exhortations came cries of ‘Alllahu Akhbar’ from the enormous, simmering crowd of what looked to me like the angriest gathering of young men and women with whom I have ever had the misfortune to be seated in my lifetime.
…
An elderly sheikh in Pakistan was beamed in live to tell this excited crowd that he could hardly bring himself to articulate the word ‘Israel’ as this is not a country that even exists. (How would British Muslims like it if a rabbi got up and said partition had produced a country called Pakistan, a word he could barely utter because it is not a real country?)

The sheikh’s English was barely comprehensible but he appeared to imply that Jews from ‘eighty nations’ were brought to Palestine to drive the Arabs away and to commit murder, torture, imprisonment and theft of land and homes over fifty-odd years. The young and impressionable crowd seemed ready for a collective Jihad at this point.

What was interesting was the repeated theme by a string of sheikhs from across the globe that the leaders of Arab nations were a weak, spineless bunch of puppets of the Americans who did not have the guts to stand up to Israel and the United States. This theme caused tremendous excitement in the crowd, as if a global Intifadah might just start in this London arena.

[Melanie Phillips comments:]

Not surprisingly, Carol describes herself as being in a state of shock after this event. Her account needs to be brought to the widest possible public attention. The people participating in this hate-fest need to be exposed for the racist hate-mongers that they are. Her account should be shown to the government and to the Attorney-General with a view to possible prosecution for incitement to violence. Did I say prosecution? Fat chance! The Metropolitan Police was actually sponsoring this event. Someone should be asking it, as a matter of urgency, what the hell it thinks it is doing.

Living in Britain at present is like living in a dream world. Things are happening, trends are running and a particular logic has taken hold which are all driving the country towards an unspeakable future. Yet no-one talks about it, no-one acknowledges it and whenever the plain facts are blurted out by a brave and clear-eyed person like Carol Gould people’s eyes glaze over, they shuffle their feet and look the other way.

Wake up, Britain. Wake up.

Here’s more from Carol Gould’s report:

After the event I went to get some fresh air upstairs and as I looked out at a quaint old mill on the Quay a young English Muslim in a long robe and head covering asked me about this place where we stood, Canary Wharf. I told him it had been decimated and nearly obliterated by the Luftwaffe in the Blitz and that the conflagration could be seen as far away as Hertfordshire. I pointed out the lone mill and said it had miraculously survived the relentless wartime bombing raids. He looked at me and said, “Who did you say did the bombing?” I replied, “The Luftwaffe.” He said “Who are they?” I said, “The Germans.” He said “Really? Well, I’ve learned something today.”
…
The anger, aggression and totally obsessive nature of the day left me feeling shocked and personally assaulted. How far would a white Christian group get holding such a rally? Cries of racial incitement would ring far and wide and the police would be summoned.

When the Muslim community of Great Britain, with its multitude of organisations, mosques and even its own Parliament, can organise an enlightened and civilised event that makes Jews, Christians , Hindus and all nationalities — including Israelis and Americans — feel welcome, then Britain will have achieved a true multiculturalism.

Until then, I am not ashamed to say I am scared out of my wits and would suggest said Americans, Jews, Israelis and Hindus get out of here as soon as possible. British Christians? They have expended boundless energies on condemnations of Israel and the USA but the anger I saw on Sunday will also decimate them.

In this same week, Polly Toynbee has written a scathing piece about the repulsive nature of Christian imagery in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia.’ She condemns religion in general but has particularly venomous feelings about traditional Christianity. Dare I say it was this faith that sustained Britain in its Churchillian ‘darkest hours?’ Wake up, dear, tolerant Britons, and stop expending energy on hatred of America, Zionists and your own Church and recognise the destructive turmoil within your shores before it is too late.