I think The Sun has a point..

Here's the full article by Nesrine Malik in today's Graun. She makes some interesting points with which I have some sympathy. My own views are contained in a blog I posted - and wrote - last night - here. A blog whose views are embarrassingly similar to those of the Sun front page article today, which is why I feel the need to comment or 'fisk' her piece.

Ms Malik, I think rightly, suggests that the Sun piece is really about Muslims and not about 'Brits of all faiths', needing to demonstrate their loyalty to the UK and, by inference, their opposition to ISIS.

I agree that this is a troubling development. But on the day after MI5 and the Metropolitan Police claim to have foiled the first ISIS-supporting acts of terrorism in London, calling the Sun's stance 'bigotry' and, by inference, 'racist', is at best to ignore and at worst to dismiss what is a clear issue facing the UK. Use of the word 'shady' is entirely unnecessary, but increasingly there seems to me to be a feeling that we might have an 'enemy within' - surely this could be a chance to disprove that feeling.

But the problem is, Ms Malik, that this has not been happening has it? Not even close. There is really very little evidence indeed that British Muslims do condemn ISIS. And given that fact, there seems to be growing tensions in our society, tensions that will only grow as this conflict goes on and we inevitably become more involved and, in my view equally inevitably, there does occur some ISIS-related terrorist acts on UK soil. Perhaps this is because they have not had a voice or the right communications vehicle with which to express their true views and values. Perhaps they are reluctant to do so in the face of bullying by extremists in their communities. Perhaps they haven't been trying very hard.

My blog was calling for UK Muslims to be given the chance to demonstrate that they are on the same side as the rest of us 'Brits' in this ideological, religious-driven conflict. I have seen people calling for internment of Muslims as we move further towards another war in the Middle East. I think that would be a terrible situation and completely unfair, but it is indicative of the growing tensions that are certainly arising in the UK. And this opportunity to declare where they stand - if as Ms Malik infers it is on the same side as the rest of us - then this would surely be a good way of putting the record straight, setting all our minds at rest and allowing British Muslims to publicly make that welcome statement?

Others do not have to meet these conditions because there is no doubt about where their loyalties lie. Sadly there are some doubts about this with regard to British Muslims - more than 500 'Brits' have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight against 'us'; there seems to be a growing likelihood of that same terror being visited on home soil and other events of recent months are inevitably adding to our concerns: Electoral fraud in Tower Hamlets, the Trojan Horse Muslimification of the school curriculum in Birmingham and Bradford, the recognition and at long last legal condemnation of FGM and forced marriages of under-age girls; and the 'Pakistani-heritage' Muslim men grooming young white girls in Rotherham and across many other of our towns and cities are not exactly reassuring.

I think these are occurrences that make it even more desirable for British Muslims to have the opportunity to clearly state where their loyalties lie and that they are committed to the UK and to abiding by its laws and traditions. David Cameron said this a couple of weeks ago:

In conclusion Ms Malik says:

Given all of the above, I agree that this must be a terrible situation to face every day. But it is unlikely to go away any time soon. One way of putting it to bed, would be to give British Muslims a voice, a means of dispelling the suspicions that will inevitably arise unless they do so. Surely that would be a positive development for our cohesion in the UK and a welcome way of reducing tensions?

Please do read my piece from yesterday - here. I am not anti-Muslim but I am anti the flouting of UK laws and the undermining of our society that this entails. Tolerance must work both ways or it is at best pointless and at worst an invitation to take advantage with impunity. I am also very concerned about the power that the Quran wields over the every-day lives of Muslims world-wide. I do think it's time we asked some clear and civilised questions for the good of us all, British Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Thanks for reading